RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan Traveled To Vayotz Dzor Marz On A

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN TRAVELED TO VAYOTZ DZOR MARZ ON A WORKING VISIT TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH THE STATUS OF TAMARA FRUIT CJSC-IMPLEMENTED ORGANIC GARDENS’ PROJECT

Wedn esday, 5 August 2009

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan traveled to Vayotz Dzor marz on
a working visit to get acquainted with the status of Tamara Fruit
CJSC-implemented organic gardens’ project. The Prime Minister was
accompanied by Chief of Government Staff David Sargsyan, Minister
of Economy Nerces Yeritzyan and Minister of Agriculture Gerasim
Alaverdyan.

The government has subsidized Tamara Fruit CJSC to the amount of
AMD 300 MN for the organic gardens’ project. The company is going
to launch an organic tree nursery for raspberry-canes, black and red
currant bushes etc.

450.000 saplings are expected to be produced annually covering the
needs of about 60 ha gardens nationwide.

First, Tigran Sargsyan went to Hobik section which hosts about 4 ha
of blackcurrant and raspberry plantations on the basis of premium
quality seedlings imported from Holland.

Then, the Prime Minister called a consultative meeting at the
headquarters of Vayotz Dzor marz administration during which he was
briefed on the work done under the project.

To begin with, the head of government noted that this innovative
project may open up vast opportunities for sustained development
of this branch in Armenia. Organic fruit cultivation offers good
prospects as it will generate several hundreds of strategic jobs
all over the country. The sales problem which has been a serious
impediment to farming will be solved as there is a great demand for
these fruits Noteworthy is that the processing company is cooperating
with farmers under this project.

According to the Prime Minister, this project implies a tripartite
agreement between the Government, Tamara Fruit and individual farmers
providing for mutual control and a targeted use of funds: "Corruption
risks are absent in this case," Tigran Sargsyan has said by adding
that this branch is supposed to have a great export potential in
Armenia. 1-2 tons of crops from 50 hectares will result in USD 1.5
worth of exports which can be expanded in the long run. "Farmers are
getting know-how with new possibilities offered to them," the Prime
Minister said. The head of government called on our farmers to use
the expertise of Tamara Fruit and apply modern technologies in this
area. "The market is sizeable enough and we should think of stepping
up output," Tigran Sargsyan noted.

Vayotz Dzor marz governor Vardges Matevosyan expressed high
appreciation of the government’s assistance and added that this
undertaking may have good outlook in Armenia.

President of Tamara Fruit Boris Hovanisyan advised that 3-4 tons of
young trees will be available as early as next year, with 10-12 tons
expected within 3-4 years. According to Mr. Hovanisyan, a similar
nursery is going to be established in Azatamut village of Idjevan
region. AMD 66.3 million has so far been spent out of the total of AMD
300 million allocated in the form of subsidy under the project. Over
100 jobs are currently available at the factory with an average of
3000 dram daily pay. The bulk of Tamara Fruit’s output is exported
toward Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan advised that at this
point corporate and individual farmers are submitting bids for over
35 hectares of organic gardens to be launched in Tavush, Lori and
Kotayk marzes of Armenia.

http://www.gov.am/en/news/item/4832/

The Prime Minister Received Matthew Briyza

THE PRIME MINISTER RECEIVED MATTHEW BRIYZA

Aysor.am
Aug 7 2009
Armenia

Today RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State, the OSCE Minsk Group American co-chair Matthew
Bryza, the department of information and public relations of RA
Government reports.

The sides have discussed the economic position of Armenia, and
issues about the implementation process of the program of "Millennium
challenges fund-Armenia".

Oppositionist Freed Pending Trial

OPPOSITIONIST FREED PENDING TRIAL
Ruben Meloyan

Armenialiberty.org
tml
Aug 6 2009

An Armenian opposition activist was released from pre-trial detention
late on Wednesday one week after surrendering to the police to face
trial on charges stemming from last year’s post-election unrest
in Yerevan.

Hamlet Hovannisian was among prominent supporters of opposition leader
Levon Ter-Petrosian who went into hiding following the March 1, 2008
clashes between security forces and opposition protesters. Like other,
arrested oppositionists, they were charged with organizing what the
Armenian call "mass disturbances."

Hovannisian, who coordinated Ter-Petrosian’s 2008 election campaign
in the northern Lori region, turned himself in on July 30 one day
before the official deadline set for fugitive oppositionists willing
to be granted amnesty. Under a government-drafted amnesty bill passed
by parliament on June 19, they will be set free if found guilty and
sentenced to up to five years in prison.

A Yerevan court agreed to order Hovannisian’s release jail pending
trial after his face-to-face interrogations with a man whose
pre-trial testimony formed the basis of the criminal case against the
oppositionist. The man, Vrezh Nikolian, was sentenced to six and a
half years in prison last year for manufacturing metal objects that
were allegedly meant to be used by opposition protesters against riot
police. He claimed in his pre-trial testimony that he was commissioned
to do that by Hovannisian.

Both Hovannisian and his defense lawyer, Hovik Arsenian, said
on Thursday that Nikolian retracted that claim during the joint
interrogation. "The main accusation has not been proven," Hovannisian
told RFE/RL. "I think that’s what made them free me for now."

There are no indications yet that Armenia’s Special Investigative
Service (SIS), which has been leading the criminal investigation into
the 2008 unrest, intends to drop the case against the retired army
colonel. The SIS has also pressed similar charges leveled against
two other oppositionists that came out of hiding earlier in July.

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/1794174.h

Expert Says Turkish State’s Grounds To Be Ruined

EXPERT SAYS TURKISH STATE’S GROUNDS TO BE RUINED

Panorama.am
15:00 07/08/2009

A political movement in Turkish Diarbeqir city is growing to collapse
the basics of Turkish state, expert Ruben Melqonyan told at news
conference. A juridical organization submitted an application to
Constitutional Court with recommendation to stop the process of
starting studies at schools praising.

According to the expert the praise that the schoolchildren are made
to say reads the following: "I am Turkish, I am right, I am hard
working. I am happy I am Turkish." Currently 40 ethnic groups live in
Turkey and according to the expert it is wrong to make the children
say those words. "That is the Turkish ideology which is the essence
of their state," Melqonyan said.

Prime Ministe Of Armenia: On Friday The Prime Minister Of Armenia Tg

PRIME MINISTE OF ARMENIA: ON FRIDAY THE PRIME MINISTER OF ARMENIA TGRAN SARGSYAN CONGRATULATED THE ARMENIAN WORKERS WITH THEIR PROFESSIONAL FEST DAY – THE CONSTRUCTORS’ DAY

Aysor.am
07/08/09 16:28

"Due to your work new, much more beautiful and strong buildings are
being built in our Republic, governmental, social, cultural, and
sport buildings, highways and bridges", – said the Prime Minister on
the Constructors’ Day.

Tigran Sargsyan hoped that regardless the world crises the constructors
will continue working with the same enthusiasm with a very flexible
policy taking part in brave and pretentious projects.

Speaking about the development of this sphere in Armenia the Prime
Minister mentioned that in the previous year the inpayments from the
constructions to the budget were rather noticeable as well as the
building and repairing works, carried out not only in the capital
but also in different regions of the country.

Nothing New: Armenian-Turkish Relations And CSTO

NOTHING NEW: ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS AND CSTO
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2009 GMT+04:00

With the Armenian-Turkish border opened, Ankara’s chances of joining
the EU will not swell so much as to expect the integration in near
future.

The past week was rather eventful for Armenia, which is already quite
a typical state for her. However, all the events were a sequential
repetition: Armenian-Turkish relations, promulgation of the Madrid
principles. But the thrill of the week was Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan’s statement on the impossibility of his visit to Turkey over
a closed Armenian-Turkish border.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sargsyan’s statement, made during a joint press
conference with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic, was later repeated
at the meeting with Armenian Diaspora representatives. Unarguably, the
Armenian President said what he was to say. Ankara’s immediate reaction
followed. If we leave out Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s
statements, we can directly declare that Ankara is convinced of
Sargsyan’s visit to Bursa for the purpose of attending the football
match between the Armenian and Turkish national teams. Azerbaijan
couldn’t but react to the incident either. Azeri political scientists
expect that the Armenian President will after all attend the
football match and ground their predictions with the expected visit
of Vladimir Putin to Ankara due in August 2009. Baku’s judgment is,
as usual, simple: Putin will order, Sargsyan will go. Apparently,
President of the "independent and sovereign Azerbaijan" does what
he is ordered by Erdogan and Gul. Nevertheless, we must admit that
the degree of probability of the Armenian President’s presence at
the match Turkey-Armenia is not so high. There is also the factor
of the EU, which in this case plays against Turkey. Even if the
Armenian-Turkish border is opened at least for two hours, it will
be impossible to close it back, no matter how opposed Azerbaijan is
to its opening. With the the Armenian-Turkish border opened, chances
of Ankara to join the European Union will rise but not so much as to
expect the integration in near future; however the negotiations will
go more easily, and Turkey is well-aware of it.

The second event of the week was the already traditional "without tie"
meeting of the CSTO members in Kyrgyzstan. Everybody was present,
including Alexander Lukashenko and Islam Karimov, who has not so far
decided whether CSTO is necessary to Uzbekistan or not. After all, it
is necessary: the border disputes between the Central Asian countries
can best be addressed with the participation of a third country,
i.e. Russia. Whether anyone likes it or not is quite a different
question, but the fact is that thus far in the post-Soviet territory
this Organization replaces NATO, for the countries drawn into the
orbit of Russia.

At the summit the Presidents evidently discussed the issue of
establishment of collective rapid reaction forces (CRRF), but it is
hardly possible that they arrived at an understanding. In our view, the
problem is not financing, but the fuzziness in the spheres of activity
of CRRF. Belarus and Armenia rightly believe that their subdivisions
will have to participate in military operations in Central Asia, while
CSTO has been repeatedly declaring about the non-intervention of the
forces of Organization in the Karabakh conflict, in case Azerbaijan
starts military aggression. All this, of course, cannot but put
Yerevan on her guard. It seems CRRF will remain a pious wish until
the end of the year like many other initiatives within the framework
of the CIS and the CSTO.

And, finally, at the end of the week Tehran began trials against
the opposition politicians, who are accused of provoking riots. The
case of 100 people suspected of causing tension after the presidential
elections in Iran, will be considered at the court trial, reported news
agency Fars. The defendants are mostly political activists of the camp
of reformists. Those detained are accused of conspiring with terrorist
groups, laying a bomb, carrying firearms and hand grenades, as well
as intentionally attacking the police and volunteers, providing the
enemy press with photographs related to the rallies, robbing, violating
the law and damaging general and public property. Iran is presently
"renowned" by the atrocities against those thinking differently and
those violating the regime of ayatollahs. But this time there may be
quite a different outcome: Tehran needs participation in Nabucco,
and for that reason she would like to look a civilized country in
the eyes of the West.

Confidence On The Fraud

CONFIDENCE ON THE FRAUD
Leonid Martirosyan

php
31-07-2009

"I am ready to take in the hands a weapon in order to reconquer
Shushi". Dear reader, try to guess from three times to whom
belong these words, which return by the spirit of militarism and
revanchism. Don’t you guess? We will help you. Such statement made
nobody else but… the Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Russia Polad
Bulbul Oglu.

Yes, the one who in early July together with his Armenian
Colleague Armen Smbatyan and Russian Federation President’s Special
Representative for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoi,
as well as representatives of parliaments and the communities of
the two South Caucasus states arrived in Nagorno Karabakh. Moreover,
he arrived not as a tourist, but with the mission… of friendship
and peace. With the intention, according to his words, which he said
in NK, "to establish confidence between the peoples, to give people
an opportunity to communicate with each other". It must be admitted
that even during the stay of the Azerbaijani Ambassador in Karabakh,
we doubted the sincerity of his words, and evidently, we did not
make a mistake. Since his desire to reconquer Shushi "the peacemaker"
Bulbul Oglu announced to "the hail and the world" only a week later
after he had left the NKR.

In this connection, the question arises about the expedience and the
effectiveness of people diplomacy. Of course, not a public diplomacy,
as such, namely, in partnership with Azerbaijan, within the framework
of which all sorts of intermediaries call the conflicting parties
to build bridges of trust. Then they are surprised, why there are no
visible results. Strictly speaking, at what may we be surprised? Now we
are not going to speak about that with the so-called public diplomacy
Azerbaijan is trying to cover its political goals, camouflaging its by
"peacemaking" phraseology and to belittle the statues of the NKR as an
independent state, presenting the Azeri-Karabakh dialogue as a contact
of two communities. It is a question of something another. About that
the first condition of the public diplomacy, mission of friendship is
the sincerity of both thoughts and affairs. Alas, Azerbaijan suffers
from a lack of both. Moreover, it has suffered for a long time, which
is confirmed by an unsuccessful experience of the public diplomacy
of the past years.

It is remembered as early as 2001 under the aegis of the OSCE a group
of Azerbaijani journalists arrived in NK who should have to get into
contact with their Karabakhian colleagues and on the return home to
present a real life in NK in their publications. And then the Azeris,
as now Polad Bulbul Oglu, pronounced beautiful words about friendship
and reconciliation. However, on the return to their homeland they
published a frank lie about NK having nothing in common with what
they had seen and about what they had spoken in NK. The same of them,
who refused to make a deal with their own conscience were persecuted
and had felt all "the delight" on their own back from the intercourse
of the special services. By the way, the Karabakhian journalist never
waited for the return visit.

Another example. Director of the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan
Eldar Zeynalov in 2002 took part in a seminar held in Stepanakert,
under the aegis of the network of nongovernmental organizations
"Caucasian forum". Everything would not be so bad if he did not
permit himself an idea about that in NK the transition to the European
standards of the building a democratic civil society was obvious. You
may agree that to measures of Azerbaijan the thought is more than
seditious, so no, E. Zeynalov dared even to replicate it in his
interviews. As a result, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan
qualified the trip of E. Zeynalov to Nagorno Karabakh as a "criminal",
the authorities and even the opposition, and also, as it would not
seem paradoxical, the colleagues of Eldar on the observance of the
law demanded to bring him to criminal liability for the parricide.

The office of Human Rights Center headed by E. Zeynalov was destroyed,
his wife and some human rights activists were undergone obstructions,
daring to raise a voice witness for the colleagues. But curiously,
at that time Ilham Aliyev joined the national persecution of the
famous human rights activist, at that time the deputy Milli Majlisi
and … vice president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe, who called tribesmen "to put an end to the accomplices of our
enemies". As you can see, everything changes in the sublunary world,
but not in Azerbaijan. Well, perhaps the status of I. Aliyev has
changed-the junior, from the vice-president of PACE to the president
of the country. And the essence of the policy against the Armenian
people – an aggressive, hateful, intolerant – has not been undergone
any transformation. Accordingly, the power, which has erected Armenian
phobia into the rank of a ruling state ideology, cannot allow anybody
to undermine the bases of this ideology. And consequently, such
people as Eldar Zeynalov, is considered to the parricide, as they
have encroached on the state doctrine of Azerbaijan, in accordance
with which Nagorno Karabakh must be presented to Azerbaijani society,
and to the world community exclusively in the black paints.

For the same reason official Baku applies the maximum efforts in
order to the extend of the possible to prevent the visits of the
representatives of foreign countries and international structures
to NK, who, God forbid, will express positive opinion about the
independent NKR. Based on principle "the less are the strangers’ eyes
so much the better". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
with vigilance of mythical hundred eyes Argus vigilantly follows
that disagreeable persons for Baku do not visit NK, but if such
nevertheless occurs, with energy and importunity, worthy of the best
application, sets up a howl, accompanied by the threats of the break
of relations with one or another "intractable" country. There is a
fresh example from this series- a recent visit to Nagorno Karabakh
of a deputy of the National Assembly of France, the leader of the
deputy group of the friendship France-Armenia Francois Rochebloine,
who caused serious passions in Azerbaijan. In connection with the
visit of parliamentarians in the NKR, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Azerbaijan’s sent a note of protest to the Foreign Policy Department
of France. In turn, the Azerbaijani colleagues of Monsieur Rochebloine
came out with the requirement to exclude France from co-chairmanship
of the OSCE Minsk Group. It was not possible without the smile
to read the motivation of the behavior of Francois Rochebloine in
the interpretation of the head of the department of the external
connections of the president’s administration of Azerbaijan Novruz
Mamedov. In his opinion, "the parliamentarians such as F. Rochebloine
are those who fall under influence without knowing policy and regional
problems".

Thus, neither much nor less. I would like to recall the Azerbaijani
official, that only one list of political posts of Francois
Rochebloine, which ha has held in a period of long years and continues
to hold, is completely enough in order under their ponderability
to bury him alive, Novruz Mamedov, putting out himself as an ace of
politics. Of course, the reason for the Azeri hysteria is not in the
very visit of Francois Rochebloine. If he spoke about Nagorno Karabakh
and its people negatively in the spirit of the Azerbaijani propaganda,
Baku would welcome him, and perhaps even encouraged to visit us more
often. But the fact is that Francois Rochebloine allowed himself to
recognize behind the people of NK the right to self-determination.

Moreover, he spoke uncomplimentary about the Azerbaijani regime saying
the following: "We cannot trust the State, which declares its desire
for peace and at the same time comes out with martial statements. We
cannot trust the State, the representatives of which-I mean the two
presidents; the father and the son- with hostility are disposed to
the most elementary public freedoms". Francois Rochebloine said,
in essence, that we, the Karabakhian people, have long been known –
Azerbaijan can not be trusted. And judging by everything, this mistrust
will be for a long time.

As between words and affairs of even the president of this country
is a deep precipice. Indeed, just a week before the arrival of the
peacekeeping mission in NK within the framework of the ambassadors
of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Russia, Ilham Aliyev said that "the war
has not finished yet, its first stage was finished, and we always
have to be ready to free our native land from the enemies by armed
forces". What, however, did not prevent him at the meeting with a
team of peacekeepers in Baku to declaim the need of restoring the
confidence between the peoples. Or. The members of the Azerbaijani
delegation visited Shushi and saw with its own eyes that the Persian
mosque stands in soundness and safety, and even photographed against
its background. This, however, again did not prevent Ilham Aliyev
to tell the press that it was in ruins. One must admit that the
restoration of trust between Armenians and Azeris has virtually
impossible. There are no objective conditions for this.

They also require an adequate perception of the parties by the
existing realities and an adequate understanding of the need to
build relationships based on mutual respect and mutual confidence,
awareness of the importance of work in the future. Do we need in the
people diplomacy, which the Azerbaijani part is used purely for their
own purposes, far from a sincere desire to establish a constructive
dialogue for a peaceful future for both people? The answer is more
than obvious. I think that the visits within the framework of the
people diplomacy will be possible when objective conditions are
appeared. And with them the conviction, that the relations will
be built on the honesty, which is called, "without the fraud". But
for now it does not work "without fraud", which is confirmed by the
readiness of the Ambassador "do not establish a confidence between
the people", but to take into the hands a weapon…

http://www.artsakhtert.com/eng/index.

French Turks And Flip-Flopping In Bourj Hammoud

FRENCH TURKS AND FLIP-FLOPPING IN BOURJ HAMMOUD
Cagil Kasapoglu

Daily Star – Lebanon
August 1 2009

Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, August 01, 2009

"Don’t tell anybody that you’re a Turk," said most of my Lebanese
acquaintances when I asked for directions to Bourj Hammoud, an eastern
suburb of Beirut populated mainly by Armenians who settled there
during the early decades of the 20th century. Although the conventional
wisdom was intimidating, namely that a Turkish visitor could only hope
to encounter unpleasantness in the "Armenian capital" of Lebanon,
a single excursion was sufficient to prove the opposite. Walking
down from Marash Street, named after a city in southeastern Turkey,
I noticed a small goldsmith atelier owned by Sako Khatehabourian,
a man in his 50s.

"I have a tiny store, but a big heart," Sako said with a warm smile
on his face, after learning where his visitor was from. Excited to
talk about history and memories, he first offered a "Turkish coffee,"
as he preferred to call it.

"My grandparents moved here from Aintab [the southern Turkish town
of Gaziantep] in the 1920s. They left everything and immigrated to
Lebanon. Now, even if they offer me money to move back, I wouldn’t,"
Sako said. While he’d managed to integrate himself into Lebanese
society like many of his fellow Armenians, he continued to live with
the dark memories of his ancestry. "I don’t have any problems with
the new generation of Turks who want to build peace between two
societies, but there are millions of bodies in our history. And,
this makes everything difficult."

Although we were discussing a tense history of conflict, Sako’s older
friend Rafi Ourfalian invited me over to meet his family.

As Rafi’s daughter, Betty, unlocked the iron fence of their house,
she asked his father in Armenian about the unexpected guest. I
could only catch the word "Turk" and was expecting the doors to be
slammed in my face, but instead she exclaimed cheerfully in Turkish,
"Hosgeldin evimize, [Welcome to our house]."

Inside, three generations had gathered to follow a Turkish soap opera
– not the version dubbed into Syrian colloquial, but the real thing,
in Turkish. Angel Bezdjian, the eldest member of the family, talked
about her desire to visit Istanbul, where such serials are often
set. "I watch the Bosphorus, the bridges and the mosques of Istanbul
in those soap operas. Is it really that beautiful?" she asked, as if
missing a home that she never knew.

The warm welcomes nearly convinced me that the tensions between
two peoples had melted away. But at another family’s home, there
was a warning. "Please tell your friend not to mention her Turkish
nationality!"

My new friend Ara’s mother, who had been pampering me with delicious
fish and arak only a minute earlier, issued the directive when she
noticed an elderly woman at her door, poised for a visit. Without
giving Ara the chance to translate, I began to speak French, as we’d
agreed to do in "emergency cases."

"She likes gossiping," Ara whispered to me as the lady entered the
room. "It’s no good for my mother to be known as someone who invites
Turks to her house."

It’s a jarring argument for a Turk to face, but I silently heard out
his explanation.

"You have to understand. If Turks hadn’t killed millions of Armenians,
she would have been back in Adana now, where she was born. Nobody
would be here in Bourj Hammoud, this town wouldn’t exist," he said.

In keeping with my new French identity, I headed toward Camp Sanjak,
the first settlement of Armenian refugees, built in the 1920s.

Camp Sanjak is slated to be replaced by a shopping mall, to boost
Bourj Hammoud’s commercial activity. A people that preserves its
historical memory throughout the world will lose an important piece of
its past in Lebanon, the symbol of its first arrival, as refugees. My
nationality made me nervous about asking questions about Sanjak, even
though elderly residents around me were playing "tavla" (backgammon),
as Turkish words peppered their conversations.

In the end, Rafi Pamboukian, a 28-year-old shoemaker, agreed to tell
me about the history of the place, before asking where I was from. He
invited me into his atelier, and I sat in a corner, prepared for the
inevitable. "First, tell me what size you wear," he said, offering
a pair of hand-crafted flip flops as a gift. Soon, "the question"
was asked.

"Where are you from, by the way?" "Well … I’m Turkish." Rafi sat in
place as if paralyzed, staring at my chair. His eyes misted over as
he said that when his shop used to be the family home, his grandmother
used to sleep exactly where I was now seated.

The "one who fled from the Turks" was how he described her.

We somehow managed to steer the conversation back to the fate of
Sanjak.

"They want to demolish this camp now," Rafi said. "There’s no doubt,
it will be good for Armenians to strengthen the [local economy], but
on the other hand the memories will be erased, and we don’t want that."

He paused, and then asked: "Why did you come to Bourj Hammoud anyway?"

The original idea was to write about the memories of Sanjak, but the
memories in Sanjak and Bourj Hammoud proved to be the more compelling
story. I left Bourj Hammoud in my new flip-flops, after encountering
history and memories that can make Turkish people "French" and the
Bosphorus so distant.

Armenia’s Membership In The International Astronomical Union In Dang

ARMENIA’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION IN DANGER
By Chahe Tanachian, Montreal

AZG Armenian Daily
29/07/2009

Science

Please read Chahe Tanachian’s plea "to make Armenia honorable again
in the International Astronomical Union". There are times that
people need to act beside hearing, listening and reading. This
is one of them. Please act!! Only four days are left to make
a difference. Keghart.com Armenians sometimes refer to Viktor
Hampartsoumian as the greatest Armenian scientist of the 20th century.

I believe we should refer to him as one of the greatest scientists
of the 20th century (in the world).

During the last year of the AGBU Manuel Keusseyan Armenological
Studies, I spoke about Armenia’s situation as a member of the
International Astronomical Union (IAU) whose President has been Viktor
Hampartsoumian for many years.

Armenia has been unable to pay the membership fees for the last 6
years including 2009.

The IAU has previously waived fees and granted extensions in order to
give Armenia a chance to remain a member. This gesture of goodwill on
part of the IAU is based on the fact that Armenian scientists have
a very good standing in the field of astronomy and astrophysics and
their work and expertise is highly regarded.

My efforts have been directed to raise the amount to pay the fees
for one year. The yearly fee is approximately $3500 CDN.

The Director of the Byurakan Observatory of Armenia, Dr. Hayk
Harutyunyan has sent me the latest letter they have received from the
IAU dated June 2009 indicating that unless the membership fees are
paid before July 31st 2009, Armenia’s membership will be suspended. If
a suspension lasts for 5 years, the IAU can terminate the membership.

The situation is quite pitiful for a country and a nation that have
given a genius like Viktor Hampartsoumian to the world.

Dr. Harutyunyan has confirmed to me that they’re working to get the
Ministry of Science to pay for at least 3 years of membership dues.

I know that some people rightfully ask themselves how come the
Government of Armenia or financially capable citizens of Armenia are
not taking care of this issue?

I say let’s not forget that Victor Hampartsoumian belongs to all
Armenians and we can’t stay inactive and irresponsible towards his
legacy and memory.

This is about what we can do and how we can awaken others with our
gestures and efforts.

Dr. Harutyunyan has promised to publish an article about our
contribution and gesture in major newspapers of the country and to
create awareness about this essential issue.

We can also agree to send an official letter to the concerned
authorities and let them know our concerns and preoccupations.

For transparency purposes, we will directly pay the fees to the IAU
through the A.G.B.U. Montreal Chapter.

Dear Friends, I truly believe that a collection of small gestures by
small groups of people can make a difference in the life and history
of a nation.

Please tell your friends and family about this initiative and encourage
them to participate.

PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU ACCEPT TO MAKE A DONATION
/ JULY 31ST IS 4 DAYS AWAY.

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Armenia Fund Chair Delivers Keynote Speech at School Commencement

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206

Tel: 818-243-6222
Fax: 818-243-7222
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PRESS RELEASE
Contact ~ Sarkis Kotanjian
[email protected]

Armenia Fund Chair Delivers Keynote Speech at School Commencement

Hollywood, CA – On Saturday, June 27, 2009, Armenia Fund U.S. Western
Region Chairman Ara Aghishian, Esq. delivered the keynote address at the
T.C.A. Arshag Dickranian Armenian School’s commencement ceremony. The
event was held at the school’s Walter and Laurel Karabian Hall. The
event drew the attendance of parents, faculty members, board members,
community leaders and invited guests.

Mr. Aghishian, a former board member of the school, stressed the
importance of the role education plays in the greater Armenian-American
community and how the Dickranian Armenian School, for many years, has
nurtured the next generation of leaders and opened many doors in the
realm of academia. Mr. Aghishian also stressed the importance of how the
school has played an active role in Armenia-Diaspora relations by
fostering a special bridge between the students and the Homeland.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $190 million in
development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is
the U.S. Western Region affiliate of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund. Tax
ID# 95-4485698

www.armeniafund.org