Author: Chilingarian Babken

40th anniversary of the United National Party to be celebrated on the state
level

ArmRadio
24.03.2006 15:30

For celebrating the 40th anniversary of the United National Party on
the state level President of the `National Self-Determination’ Union
Paruyr Hayrikyan puts aside disagreements of all kinds and negotiates
with RA government.

According to the Head of the `National Self-Determination’ Union,
there is no other party in Armenia that has had the fortune to develop
a seemingly unrealizable program of strategic importance and to make
it reachable for the society and achieve the fulfillment of the goals.

`This is first of all necessary for having a deserving generation
filled with faith towards its capacities, which is destined to
complete the works initiated by the United National Party – National
Self-Determination’ Union,’ Paruyr Hayrikyan considers.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 23 2006

Armenia’s cease-fire violation kills one more Azerbaijani soldier

[ 23 Mar. 2006 18:48 ]

Armenian Armed forces broke the cease-fire again in Terter region of
Azerbaijan at about 17.00 last night.

The spokesman of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry Ilgar Verdiyev told
APA that as a result of Armenians’ firing on the opposite positions
of Azerbaijani Armed Forces, from the occupied village Cherabert,
Terter, Azerbaijani soldier, 20-year-old Mohurov Safar Zahid was
killed. He was drafted by military registration and enlistment office
of Gusar region.
Armenians fired at the soldier while he was in the entrenchment. The
wounded soldier died immediately./APA/

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
January 16, 2006

His Holiness Karekin II Ordains Bishops for Egypt and Syria

On January 15, episcopal ordinations for two new bishops of the Armenian
Church were conducted in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.  His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians celebrated a
Pontifical Divine Liturgy and thereupon consecrated, ordained and elevated
Very Rev. Fr. Ashot Mnatsakanian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Egypt
and Very Rev. Fr. Armash Nalbandian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of
Damascus to the rank of bishop.  The bishops were ordained to continue their
service as primates of Armenian communities in the Middle East.

The previous evening, the two candidates kneeled before the Holy Altar of
Descent in the Mother Cathedral, vowed to remain faithful to the Holy
Gospel, to the canons of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and to the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and signed their oaths.

As the liturgy commenced, a public examination of the orthodox faith of the
two candidates took place before the Altar of St. Stephen the Protomartyr in
the Mother Cathedral.  The intercessor for the two candidates was His
Eminence Archbishop Nerses Bozabalian.  According to accepted tradition,
representatives of each ecclesiastical and hierarchal rank – eight acolytes,
two deacons, two priests and four laymen representing different classes of
society approached His Holiness and publicly bore witness on behalf of the
candidates.  His Holiness then confirmed the testimonials and presented each
candidate with his episcopal omophorion.

The Divine Liturgy then continued before the Main Altar of the Mother
Cathedral.  Reciting prayers from the `Mashtots’ (ritual book) of
ordination, His Holiness called the candidates to the rank of bishop.  The
Supreme Patriarch consecrated the candidates’ foreheads and the thumbs of
their right hand with Holy Chrism, following which the symbols of episcopacy
– the episcopal staff and ring, were presented to the newly consecrated
bishops.

In his Pontifical message, His Holiness stated in part, `Indeed, the dark
days of the history of our Church are in the past, when the servants of the
Lord carried out their service `with much patience, in afflictions, in
necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults…” (II
Corinthians 6:4-5)

His Holiness continued, `Today in the course of her mission, our Holy Church
is now facing the new challenges with a new necessity to strengthen our
national-ecclesiastic life.  Praise, glory and thanksgiving to God, that
with the blessing and will of our Lord Jesus Christ, positive results are
being recorded in addressing the issues facing our people and Holy Church. 
We have young servants who have come to complement the ranks of our clergy,
and today, with two newly ordained bishops who vowed to act without shame or
distraction on the faith, canons and teachings of our mother Holy Armenian
Apostolic Church.

`We are convinced that by devoting themselves as vigilant servants of God,
as faithful defenders and clergymen of the Holy Armenian Church, the newly
ordained bishops Ashot and Armash will continue their mission in their
Dioceses.’

The Pontiff of All Armenians offered his words of gratitude to the
governments and state authorities of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the
Syrian Arab Republic, whose support and care are enjoyed by the Armenians
living in these two important countries of the Middle East.

Present for the service were diocesan primates from Armenia and Artsakh,
members of the Brotherhood of the Mother See, members of the Supreme
Spiritual Council, Ambassadors of Egypt and Syria to Armenia and delegations
of the diocesan councils of Egypt and Damascus.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a reception was hosted in the
Mother See during which His Holiness Karekin II presented panagias to the
newly ordained Bishops as a sign of their episcopal authority.

* * *

HIS GRACE BISHOP ASHOT MNATSAKANIAN

His Grace Bishop Ashot Mnatsakanian (baptismal name Garoun) was born
on November 4, 1972 in the village of Tatev, Region of Syunik, Armenia.
From 1979 to 1989 he attended the secondary school in his village.
In 1989 he was admitted to the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of Holy
Etchmiadzin and graduated in 1995, defending his thesis entitled `The Life
and Dogmatic Views of Hovhan Vorotnetsi’.
On October 22, 1995, His Grace Bishop Anania Arabajian ordained him to
the rank of deacon.
On June 2, 1996, he was ordained a celibate priest by His Eminence
Archbishop Shahe Ajemian.
From 1996 to 2001, he was office director of the Commission for the
1700th Anniversary of Christianity as the State Religion of Armenia.
On March 2002, he defended his doctoral thesis entitled `The Parable
of the Prodigal Son in Armenian Literature’ and was elevated to the rank of
Archimandrite (Vardapet).
On October 14, 2002, by the order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, he was appointed as Vicar of the
Armenian Diocese of Egypt.
On February 21, 2004, His Holiness appointed him as Locum Tenens of
the Armenian Diocese of Egypt.
In 2005, he was elected as Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Egypt.

* * *

HIS GRACE BISHOP ARMASH NALBANDIAN

His Grace Bishop Armash Nalbandian (baptismal name Hagop) was born on
January 29, 1973 in Aleppo, Syria
He received his primary education in the Cilician academy of Aleppo.
In 1987, he was admitted to the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
In September 1991, on the Feast of Exhalation of the Holy Cross, he
was ordained a deacon by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Bozabalian.
In 1993, he graduated form the Gevorkian Theological Seminary
defending his thesis entitled `The Life and Works of Catholicos Gevork V
Sureniants of All Armenians (1911-1930)’.
In December 1993, at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Karekin
Bekdjian, primate of the Armenian Diocese of Germany, His Holiness Vasken I
Catholicos of All Armenians of blessed memory, sent him to Germany to study
and serve the Armenian community as a pastor.
From 1995 to 2000, he studied New Testament Theology at the University
of Erlangen-Nierenberg. He also studied the languages of ancient Greek and
Latin simultaneously.
In November 1998, he was ordained a celibate priest in Cologne,
Germany, by His Eminence Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian and assumed the
responsibilities of spiritual pastor for Southern Germany.
On December 2003, he defended his doctoral thesis entitled `The Divine
Liturgy of the Armenian Church from the 5th Century to Present’ and was
elevated to the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet).
In 2004, he was elected as a Primate of the Armenian Diocese of
Damascus. 

THE HERMITAGE DIRECTOR: MUCH HAS CHANGED IN YEREVAN, BUT THE CITY HAS
NOT LOST ITS APPEARANCE AND STYLE

YEREVABN, MARCH 23. ARMINFO. President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan met
with Director of the Russian State Museum “The Hermitage,” a
member-correspondent of the RF National Academy of Sciences,
specialist in Oriental Studies, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Thursday.

The Presidential press-service reports M. Piotrovsky as expressing
pleasure with his regular visits to his native city where he grew up
and lived. Since his last visit 15 years ago, much has changed in
Yerevan, “but the city has not lost its appearance and style, it is
still a city of museums.” He emphasized the importance of the
cooperation of Russian and Armenian museums. M. Piotrovsky believes
the constant contacts, scientific conference, exchange of experience
to allow a more regulated work and the best presentation of the
Armenian culture. Given the success of the exhibition “The Treasures
of Etchmiadzin” at The Hermitage within the frames of the Year of
Armenia in Russia, a hall “Urartu” is to open at the end of the year
at the museum, M. Ptiorovsky said.

PROPOSAL ON PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE FOR ELECTORAL FRAUD INVESTIGATION REJECTED

Lragir/am
20 March 06

On March 20 the National Assembly confirmed the agenda of the March
20-23 meeting of the National Assembly and rejected the proposal of
setting up a provisional committee to investigate electoral fraud
during the constitutional referendum. Victor Dallakyan, the author
of this initiative, thinks that this committee is necessary for the
prevention of electoral fraud, as well as the fulfillment of the
stipulations of the Council of Europe. After the referendum the PACE
observers proposed to set up a committee to investigate irregularities
and give a political evaluation.

The Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs gave a negative
conclusion for Victor Dallakyan’s initiative. The minister of justice
Davit Harutiunyan said the stance of the government is definite:
there is no need to set up such a committee, since not all the state
institutions have been applied. Davit Harutiunyan means that the
opposition, for instance, have not appealed to the Constitutional
Court over electoral fraud.

During the March 20 meeting of the National Assembly Victor Dallakyan
announced that the government does not have the right to evaluate the
initiatives of lawmakers. “It is an interference with the internal
affairs of the National Assembly,” says Victor Dallakyan. The member
of parliament pointed out the importance of setting up a committee to
investigate the electoral fraud, hear the corresponding report of the
Public Prosecutor and give a political evaluation of the referendum.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Arthur Baghdasaryan said
investigation of electoral fraud is the responsibility of the law
enforcement agencies and they have to deal with it. Arthur Baghdasaryan
said the political evaluations have been voiced and all the political
forces have already expressed their opinion on the referendum. The
speaker of the parliament put to vote the question of including the
bill on a provisional committee on electoral fraud in the agenda.

Twenty MPs of the alliance Ardarutiun and National Unity voted for the
initiative of the opposition. Nobody voted against the proposal of the
opposition to set up a committee, but no one voted for the bill except
for the opposition either. Of the majority only the Orinats Yerkir and
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation voted. Both political parties
of the coalition abstained. The Republicans did not vote at all. The
United Labor Party and the People’s Deputy did not vote either.

MP Hmayak Hovanisyan assessed the behavior of the Republicans as
boycott.

And Victor Dallakyan, the author of the proposal, announced that by
voting down the initiative the parliamentary majority confirmed that
they had been involved in the electoral fraud.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
March 20, 2006

Meeting of Governors and Mayors in Holy Etchmiadzin

On the evening of March 18, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, hosted a gathering of political and religious
leaders from throughout Armenia in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, led
by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Mr. Hovik Abrahamian. 
Present for the meeting were all diocesan primates from the Republics of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh; regional governors (Marzpets) of the Republic
of Armenia; and mayors of cities from throughout the country.  Also present
were the lay members of the Supreme Spiritual Council.

The leaders were welcomed by the Pontiff of All Armenians, who noted his
pleasure at hosting the regional and local elected officials in the Mother
See.  His Holiness noted the purpose of the gathering was to give them an
opportunity to meet with the diocesan primates, discuss issues related to
the national and ecclesiastical life of the Armenian people, and to explore
ways of working together to find solutions to those problems.

His Holiness Karekin II extended his Pontifical Blessings to all of the
participants and expressed his appreciation to the state, regional and local
authorities for the assistance which is provided to the Armenian Church and
her mission.  Reflecting on the administrative matters facing the Church,
the Pontiff underlined the great importance of reestablishing parish life
within the cities and villages of Armenia as a vital precondition of fully
achieving the Church’s mission in the fields of spiritual education and
pastoral ministry.  `The restoration of parish councils, parochial boards
and parish life will greatly benefit our work in strengthening the Armenian
family by providing a strong foundation built on Christian faith, Church
teachings and Holy Tradition, and reinforcing our independent statehood
through education and leadership’, stated the Catholicos of All Armenians.

Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamian also welcomed the
guests and thanked His Holiness for inviting them all to the `center of
Armenian faith and spiritual life’, and expressed his happiness for the
spirit of cooperation which is developing between the Armenian Church and
the local authorities.  The Minister also placed importance on these
meetings occurring at regular intervals, in order to plan the work ahead for
the present and future collaboration between Church and state, which he
stated would benefit the prosperity of the homeland and the life of the
people.

During the meeting, many proposals were offered by the participants
regarding spheres of cooperation.  Also discussed was concern among many
regional and local officials regarding the destructive activities of cults
and various sects operating in Armenia.

Panorama.am

12:27 17/03/06

OPEN LETTER FROM

TO: THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
ROBERT KOCHARYAN
DEAR MISTER PRESIDENT
The circumstance of non-responding to the applications
in advance addressed to you gave grounds to suppose
that they didn´t reach the addressee, consequently
choosing the way of turning publicly to you by the
open letter, we hoped to express our anxiety
concerning illegal actions, had committed towards the
company “Royal Armenia” and its heads. As a result of
machination of a group of managing officials at the
customs state committee of the Republic of Armenia
/hereinafter CSC/ on 10.03.2005 criminal legal
proceedings were instituted towards the company “Royal
Armenia”; and during the seventh month of the criminal
case investigation, joint owner of the company
Hakobyan Gagik and vice director Ghazaryan Aram were
arrested on 11.10.2005 and had been under arrest for
about 5 months. Analyses of one-year criminal case and
five months arrest of the latter revealed that not an
objective investigation complying with criminal
proceedings law of RA was held but a criminal terror,
which was carried out by the investigator Marukyan
Mnatsakan in favor of carelessness towards all the
arguments and written evidences of the company and
arrested officials, declaring them false without
analyzing to the extent of attempts to qualify the
whole economic activity of LLC “criminal” within the
period of the last six months. While all the
incriminating proclamations, made by Bedrossian Vache,
USA citizen, declared as “victim”, by the
investigator´s own free will had been accepted as a
gospel truth and he had kept the people arrested on
the grounds of it. The investigator who was the first
responsible for ungrounded arrest, made all the
efforts for justifying his illegal actions and
fabricated accusations concerning the arrested. We
understand that some customers stand under his back,
however we find that law must operate in Armenia,
consequently availability of the customers doesn´t
release the investigator from an obligation to act
objectively, lack of which is unspeakably tremendous.

Actually the company “Royal Armenia” as well as
Hakobyan Gagik and Ghazaryan Aram were punished for
non-implementation of illegal requirement made by
corrupted managing officials at CSC, however the funny
side of a situation is that the latter were accused
because formerly Hakobyan Gagik, refusing the
high-ranking customs officials, denied to execute.
According to the hypothesis of preliminary
investigation, Hakobyan Gagik had been accused in
fraud as well, which became apparent in debts to
Bedrossian Vache, USA citizen, and refusal from
returning the debts, however in reality Bedrossian
Vache, USA citizen owed money to Hakobyan Gagik and at
these circumstances the label fraudster suited
Bedrossian Vache, USA citizen. The applications sent
to you, containing details of the above-mentioned and
written evidences were handed over the President´s
Staff of RA in time, consequently we ask to become
familiar with them in order to make sure in the
pointed out.

Taking an opportunity we want to recall to the address
of CSC, during the meeting at the beginning of year
you expressed your negative treatment: for clearance
of various customs values of imported identical goods
with similar provisions, as during the last 2.5 years
the company “Royal Armenia” had been considered as one
of the victims of such illegal actions made by the
customs officials. For the first time the company
“Royal Armenia” stated about it at press conference,
held on 26.07.2004, revealing corruption disclosure
available at the base of customs values “games”,
established for imported coffee by CSC. As a result
the corrupted high-ranking customs officials has been
unpunished up to day and continue to hold profitable
offices, and the fathers of corruption together
instituted criminal legal proceedings towards an
innocent person, revealed “imprudence” while
expressing his loudly addressed opinion concerning the
corruption. We also remember that the instruction
given by you to the head of CSC during the meeting at
the beginning of year, to punish all the officials,
which bear responsibility for establishing wrong
customs values in 2005. Let us point out that over two
months passed after meeting, but nothing was said
about execution of your instruction by the head of
CSC.

Proceeding from the above-mentioned we ask your
cooperation for termination of illegal actions,
carried out towards the company “Royal Armenia” and
its heads as well as for releasing innocent people in
criminal-legal sense.

Thanks beforehand
“Royal Armenia” JV LLC
Director /signature/ Toni El Labaki
Lawyer /signature/ Minasyan Gevorg
March 14, 2006

/Seal of “Royal Armenia” JV LLC/

–Boundary_(ID_EdSNqPNYLuMuis81NGWQyw)–

Destructive power of the architecture of war

Canberra Times (Australia)
March 18, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition

ROBERT BEVAN appraises “the power of the built form”, architecture,
but from one peculiar, critical angle only. The Destruction of Memory
examines how monumental, venerable buildings can contribute to our
national sense of ourselves, and, conversely, how their destruction
in war constitutes “ethnic cleansing or genocide by other means”.

Bevan assesses our lamentable war-time record of destroying buildings,
monuments, even whole cities, as a way of wrecking our enemies’
morale and rooting out their national memory. As he notes, “There is a
bestial carousel quality to the past century’s destructive acts.” Bevan
concentrates on “enforced forgetting”, through “destruction of cultural
artefacts of an enemy people or nation as a means of dominating,
terrorising, dividing or eradicating it altogether”.

His review of our destructiveness covers much familiar ground: the
demolition of 6000 monasteries in Tibet; the fire-bombing of Dresden;
9/11; the blowing up of the Bamiyan Buddhas; the architectural
dimension of the Armenian genocide; and, particularly, the wholesale
devastation in the recent Balkans wars.

Bevan graduated from being an “architecturally obsessed child”
to editing the British architectural magazine, Building Design. His
fascination with his subject sometimes tempts him into academic jargon
(“commodification” or “the physicality of politics”) or esoteric
digressions (Lacanian mirror theory lost me). There is, though,
a lot of robust common sense in this book.

He is especially good on the conquistadors’ assaults on the New World,
“the world’s largest-ever cultural and human genocide”. He is thorough
and interesting on wanton destruction of mosques, libraries and bridges
in Bosnia. He is well read and acute in a commentary on the burning of
Anglo-Irish “big houses” during the Irish civil war, as well as on the
attentiveness of factions in Islam to sacred spaces and geometry. He
even complains about the deleterious impact of helicopter movements
at a current United States base on the site of ancient Babylon.

That selection of examples demonstrates the eclectic charms in The
Destruction of Memory. The text is complemented by grainy but poignant
black-and-white photographs, before-and-after shots which show what
we have lost. Sometimes we have lost what we had never known. I had
never heard of the five Armenian churches clustered among mountains
at Khitzhonk, but, on the basis of these pictures, am prepared to
mourn their passing.

Bevan invites a few quarrels. I would argue with his account of
Jerusalem, especially the eccentric suggestion that the city’s streets
are now “viscous with local people and lifeless lacunae”. Generally,
though, allowing for the abundance of jargon at the start, this book
makes its case admirably. Bevan’s hero seems to be the German general,
von Choltitz, the man who defied the Fuhrer’s orders to blow up Paris,
saving for all of us what may still be the most beautiful city in
the world.

Another book (or a second one by Bevan) might explain why some sites
which have been utterly destroyed (such as Troy, or Carthage) remain
so evocative. That book could remark on our occasional restraint,
perhaps using the American reluctance to bomb Japan’s ancient capital,
Kyoto, as an example.

Other scholars could also hazard a guess on why Australians seem
so little attached to our built environment. We would lament the
destruction of the MCG, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, but
that is about the sum of our list of architectural icons. We need to
understand more about where our idea of the past actually resides;
Pierre Ryckmans has done absorbing work on that subject in relation
to China. Where past and present intersect, in a building as in a
song or a myth, we obtain a clearer insight into those lies which we
collectively agree to tell to each other about ourselves.

Mark Thomas is a Canberra reviewer.

ALL CONTEST JUDGES OF EURIMAGES EXCEPT TURKEY IN FAVOR OF ALLOCATING
600 THOUSAND EUROS TO FILM “THE LARK FARM”

STRASBOURG, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. At the March 9
sitting of the Eurimages Fund of the Council of Europe, a decision
was made to allocate 600 thousand euros to the film “The Lark Farm”
of the famous Italian film directors – brothers Paolo and Vittorio
Taviani. The film is dedicated to the events of the Armenian
Genocide. All contest judges of the Fund, except Turkey, were in
favor of this financial allocation.

According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department, in his
speech about “The Lark Farm”, Eurimages’ French Chairman Jacques Toubon
endorsed the decision and accused Turkey of committing the genocide,
calling it a historical reality. Despite the position of denial of
Eurimages’ Turkish representatives and the efforts of the official
Ankara, the decision of the contest judges has remained unchanged.

The Eurimages Fund was established in 1988, its current membership
numbers 32 states. The fund’s purpose is to develop the European
film industry by making new films and promoting cooperation of
cinematographers.

Armenia Isolated from Regional Projects

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 17 2006

Today Armenia is isolated from regional projects and kept outside of
important communications. “We have done that because Armenia will not
give up its aggressive policy,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said
in his speech at the Second World Congress of Azerbaijanis in Baku.

He added that Azerbaijan will not make concessions, but will struggle
for a settlement of the Karabakh conflict that maintains the republic’s
territorial integrity. “Any cooperation is out of question until
Armenia liberates our territories,” said Aliyev.

Owing to rapid economic growth, Azerbaijan is developing, while the
economy of Armenia, which is in isolation, makes no headway.

The interest and importance of Azerbaijan’s partners and neighbors is
constantly growing. All this makes us believe that the country will
resolve all its problems, including the Karabakh conflict, said Aliyev.

He urged all Azerbaijanis living in various countries around the
world to actively promote the prosperity of their motherland and the
resolution of its problems.