Author: Kalashian Nyrie

ARMENIA TO PARTICIPATE IN AER BLACK SEA CONFERENCE

News.am
10:59 / 02/02/2010

February 15-16, 2010 Assembly of European Regions (AER) organizes
Black Sea Regional Policy Conference in Paris, France.

The representatives from Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria
and Romania will attend the conference to discuss regional cooperation
issues.

Assembly of European Regions was established in 1985 bringing together
more than 270 regions from 33 countries, as well as 16 interregional
organizations.

The objective of AER activities is the organization and development of
the dialogue between all European regions and, as well as increasing
their influence in the region itself.

PUPILS TO PARTICIPATE ON THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SITTING

Aysor
Monday, February 01

The agenda for the seventh parliamentary session of the fourth
convocation and 4 day sessions of February 1-4 kicked off today.

The agenda includes 78 items and 14 international agreements to
be discussed.

At the beginning of the sitting the RA NA Chairman Hovik Abrahamyan
announced that since today each first sitting of the four day session
will be an open lesson. The open lesson is organized especially
for the school children. And on these days a group of pupils from
different regions and schools will have the opportunity to partake
in the NA sessions.

Today’s "guests" of the NA are pupils from administrative regions
of Yerevan.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

REPORT
The Seventh Meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological
Dialogue
Between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches
Antelias, Lebanon, January 27 to 31, 2010

The seventh meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological
Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches took
place at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, from
January 27 to 31, 2010. The meeting was graciously hosted by His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia. It was chaired jointly by His
Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, and His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette,
General Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Joining delegates from the Catholic Church were representatives of the
following Oriental Orthodox Churches: the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syrian
Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church (Catholicosate of All
Armenians), the Armenian Apostolic Church (Holy See of Cilicia), the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian
Church. No representative of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church was able
to attend.

The two delegations met separately on January 27, and held plenary sessions
each day from January 28 to January 30. Each day of the plenary sessions
began with a common celebration of Morning Prayer. At its initial session,
the members of the Joint Commission considered reactions to and evaluations
of the agreed statement that it had issued one year earlier, "Nature,
Constitution and Mission of the Church." This document had been approved
for publication by the Joint Commission and is now being considered by the
authorities of their churches.

The studies prepared for this session focused on two topics: the ways in
which the churches expressed their communion with one another in the first
five centuries and the reception of councils. The papers presented included
"Ecclesial Communion in Armenia and Surrounding Regions" by Rev. Fr. Boghos
Levon Zekiyan, "The Order of Reception of the Ecumenical Councils in the
Armenian Church and their Relation to the Other Local Councils" by
Archbishop Yeznik Petrossian, "How Churches Understood the Reception of the
Ecumenical Councils, How Churches Expressed their Communion in the First
Five Centuries, and Whether Rome Was Given Any Special Role. From the
Perspective of the Coptic Orthodox Church" by Metropolitan Bishoy of
Damiette, "Communion and Councils: The Persian Church in the First Five
Centuries" by Professor Dietmar W. Winkler, "Exercise of Communion in the
Church of St. Thomas Christians in India" by Rev. Fr. Matthew Vellanickal,
and "The Reception of the Three Ecumenical Councils by the Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church" by Rev. Fr. John Matthews.

During the course of the meeting, which took place in a friendly and cordial
atmosphere, the members carefully examined the papers presented and reached
a number of conclusions. It was noted that until the middle of the fifth
century, the churches did not exist in isolation, but were in communion with
one other. Signs of this communion included the exchange of synodical
letters and letters of enthronement, the veneration of common saints, the
exchange of visits and, above all, sharing in the sacraments, especially the
Holy Eucharist. This communion was based on an understanding that the
churches shared the same faith, and willingness to defend it together
against heresies and other threats. They also saw themselves as engaged in
the same mission of evangelizing the nations. This was often a "horizontal
communion" where churches were most intensely in relation to neighboring
churches in the same region, but also with other churches throughout the
world.

On the morning of January 27, the members of the Joint Commission, together
with His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, paid a visit to His Excellency Michel
Sleiman, the President of Lebanon, in the Presidential Palace at Baabda.
The President welcomed the delegation to his country and presented his
condolences to the representatives of the Ethiopian Church over the crash of
an Ethiopian airplane near Beirut on Monday, January 25. In his remarks,
the President observed that recent events had illustrated the importance of
including minorities in the political life of nations. He said that Lebanon
is an example of this political inclusiveness since the constitution gives
all the country’s ethnic and religious communities a political role whatever
their numerical size. He also emphasized the need to organize capitalism in
democratic countries in a way that protects the interests of minorities,
especially the poor and the vulnerable.

On the evening of the same day, the Joint Commission members were received
by His Beatitude and Eminence Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, Patriarch
of the Maronite Church, at the patriarchate in Bkerké. During an ecumenical
prayer service in the patriarchal chapel, the Patriarch extended a warm
welcome to his guests, and spoke highly of the agreed statement finalized by
the Joint Commission in January 2009. This text, the Patriarch stated,
"presents the ecclesiological tradition common to all those churches, a
tradition which remained plentiful and sound, in spite of 1500 years of
separation." He also spoke of the positive ecumenical relations that exist
among the churches of Lebanon, and wished the members great success in their
meeting, which he saw as a sign of encouragement and hope. After the prayer
service, His Beatitude hosted a dinner for the Joint Commission members and
the spiritual heads of Christian communities in Lebanon.

On the morning of January 28, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I received the
members of the Joint Commission. In his remarks, the Catholicos offered his
views on the present state of ecumenism, and said that he has come to a
renewed appreciation of the work of the bilateral dialogues. He had studied
the 2009 agreed statement carefully and appreciated it very much. His
Holiness said that in the dialogues the members must never loose sight of
the many things we have in common, and not focus exclusively on our
differences. He was critical of a tendency of some ecumenical circles to
divert their attention to more social issues. He expressed the hope that
the Joint International Commission would endeavor to bring about visible
unity of the Church, an objective that he as Moderator of the World Council
of Churches had worked to achieve. After meeting the Catholicos, the group
prayed at the memorial to the Armenian genocide of 1915 on the grounds of
the Catholicosate. On the evening of the same day, the Catholicos hosted an
official dinner at the Catholicosate that was attended by the spiritual
heads of Christian communities in Lebanon, Armenian members of the Lebanese
government and parliament, and Brotherhood and Central Executive Council
members of the Holy See of Cilicia.

On January 29, the co-chairmen held a press conference at the invitation of
Bishop Beshara Raï, the President of the Episcopal Commission for Social
Communications. It took place at the Catholic Information Center, which is
under the direction of the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of
Lebanon. Bishop Nareg Alemezian, Ecumenical Officer of the Holy See of
Cilicia, introduced the co-chairmen, and highlighted that "the presence in
Lebanon of our brothers from the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox
Churches is an occasion of spiritual joy and a sign of solidarity with our
churches in the Middle East." Cardinal Kasper spoke of the importance of
the participation of the faithful in the dialogue because the unity of the
Church concerns the whole people of God and not theologians alone.
Metropolitan Bishoy described the history of the composition of the Joint
Commission from the preparatory meeting in 2003 until this seventh meeting.
He added that the Commission meets alternatively in Rome and in countries
where Oriental Orthodox are present. On the evening of the same day, the
members of the Joint Commission attended a dinner hosted by Metropolitan
George Saliba.

On Sunday January 31, the members of the Joint Commission attended the Holy
Eucharist in the Cathedral of the Catholicosate of Cilicia presided over by
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. Cardinal Kasper preached the homily.

The eighth meeting of the International Commission will take place in Rome
at the invitation of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Arrivals will be on January 24, 2011. The two delegations will meet
separately on January 25, and participate in the conclusion of the Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity. This will be followed by plenary sessions on
January 26, 27 and 28, with departures on January 29. At the eighth plenary
meeting, the members of the Commission will deepen their study of the
communion and communication that existed between our churches until the
mid-fifth century of Christian history, as well as the role played by
monasticism.

The members of the Commission are:

Representatives of the Oriental Orthodox Churches (in alphabetical order)

Antiochian Syrian Orthodox Church: H.E. Mor Theophilus George Saliba,
Archbishop of Mount Lebanon, Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Syrian
Orthodox Church, Beirut, Lebanon; H.E. Kuriakose Theophilose, Metropolitan
of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary and President of the
Ecumenical Secretariat of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church in India,
Ernakulam, India;
Armenian Apostolic Church: Catholicosate of all Armenians: H.E. Khajag
Barsamian, Archbishop of the Eastern Diocese of the USA, New York
(Represented by H.G. Armash Nalbandian, Armenian Orthodox Church Diocese of
Damascus); hhhhhH.E. Archbishop Yeznik Petrossian, General Secretary of
Inter-Church Affairs of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Armenia;
Armenian Apostolic Church: Holy See of Cilicia: H.E. Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy in the USA, New York; H.G. Bishop
Nareg Alemezian, Ecumenical Officer of the Holy See of Cilicia, Antelias,
Lebanon;
Coptic Orthodox Church: H.E. Anba Bishoy (co-chair), Metropolitan of
Damiette, Egypt, General Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox
Church; Rev. Fr. Shenouda Maher Ishak, West Henrietta, New York, USA; H.G.
Bishop Daniel of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Sydney, Australia (observer);
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church: Rev. Fr. Kaleab Gebreselassie Gebru,
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Patriarchate, Asmara, Eritrea (unable to attend);
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church: Rev. Fr. Megabe Biluy Seife Selassie
Yohannes, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate, Addis Ababa (unable to attend).
The Ethiopian Church was represented at this meeting by H.E. Archbishop
Demetrios of the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon; Rev. Fr. Abba Gebre Kidan
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Lebanon;
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church: H.E. Metropolitan Dr. Gabriel Mar
Gregorios, President of the Department of Ecumenical Relations, Diocese of
Trivandrum, India; Rev. Dr. John Mathews (co-secretary), Secretary of the
Department of Ecumenical Relations, Kottayam, India.

Representatives of the Catholic Church

His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper (co-chair), President of the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian Unity;
Most Reverend Paul-Werner Scheele, Bishop Emeritus of Würzburg, Germany;
Most Reverend Youhanna Golta, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop of the Coptic
Catholic Patriarchate, Cairo, Egypt;
Most Reverend Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Procurator of the Syrian Catholic
Patriarchate to the Holy See and Apostolic Visitator in Europe, Rome;
Most Reverend Peter Marayati, Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Syria;
Most Reverend Woldetensae Ghebreghiorghis, Apostolic Vicar of Harar,
Ethiopia, President of the Ecumenical Commission of the Catholic Church in
Ethiopia and Eritrea;
Rev. Fr. Frans Bouwen M.Afr., Consultant to the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity; Jerusalem;
Rev. Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, Executive Director, Hill Museum and
Manuscript Library, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA;
Rev. Fr. Ronald G. Roberson, CSP, Associate Director of the Secretariat for
Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, US Conference of Catholic Bishops,
Washington, DC, USA;
Rev. Fr. Paul Rouhana, OLM, Université Saint-Esprit, Kaslik, Jounieh,
Lebanon;
Rev. Fr. Mark Sheridan, OSB, Pontificio Ateneo S. Anselmo, Rome;
Rev. Fr. Mathew Vellanickal, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of
Changanacherry, India;
Rev. Fr. Boghos Levon Zekiyan, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome;
Prof. Dietmar W. Winkler, Consultant to the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, Salzburg, Austria.
Rev. Fr. Gabriel Quicke, official of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, Rome (co-secretary).

Antelias, Lebanon, January 31, 2010

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN ATTENDED THE OPENING OF RAFAEL MEDICAL CENTER

Thurs day, 28 January 2010

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan attended the opening of Rafael
Medical Center. Addressing the event, the head of government first
of all congratulated those present on Armenian Army’s 18th birth
anniversary by noting that he appreciated very much the founding
of such state-of-the art medical centers in Armenia as may offer
high-quality healthcare services to our citizens.

The Prime Minister walked round the establishment to see firsthand
the existing facilities and the possibilities available in this center.

RUSSIA AND IRAN HAVE INTERESTS, NOT LOVE
By N. M. Mamedova

Daily Star – Lebanon
Friday, January 29, 2010

Relations between Russia and Iran have developed in recent years
through an underlying communality of geopolitical interests. It
is based on the need to maintain stability in Central Asia and the
Caucasus and the desire to forestall separatist tendencies in the
two multiethnic countries. While Tehran has taken a wait-and-see
attitude toward recognition of the independence of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, during the actual conflict there it virtually backed
Moscow. Moscow and Tehran are objectively interested in countering
both the strengthened economic clout of China and the United States’
attempts to reroute the flow of goods from Central Asian countries
to Asian markets via Afghanistan.

This said, one can hardly speak of a strategic partnership between
Iran and Russia. True, such a partnership could increase Russia’s
chances to enlarge its influence in the Gulf. Yet the risks of an
alliance with a nation confronting the world’s leading countries
outweigh the dividends.

Cooperation through regional organizations remains more effective for
Russia. The Eurasian Economic Community is the most well-established
organization working in the Central Asia and Caucasus regions, and
it cannot be ruled out that Iran will get involved in its work. At
present, cooperation is implemented within the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization where Iran was admitted as an observer in 2005.

For Russia, Iran is an advantageous economic partner enjoying
significant potential and a sufficiently diversified economy. Despite
the unfolding crisis, Iran remains a solvent state: as of early 2009,
its reserves stood at $81.7 billion – more than a quarter of GDP –
while foreign debt amounted to just 6.3 percent of GDP. Russia is
interested in trade with Iran, allowing it to diversify its exports,
while Iran’s interest in Russia is conditioned both by decades-long
economic ties and by sanctions curtailing the presence of American
and European companies in Iran. Russia, a raw material supplier to
the world market, supplies to Iran chiefly its industrial products
and sci-tech services.

But Iran’s share in Russian foreign trade is extremely small – less
than 1 percent. In 2008, the trade turnover totaled $3.7 billion,
mostly accounted for by Russian exports ($3.3 billion). Iran is one
of the principal markets for Russia’s military technological products.

While observing its international obligations, Russia supplies Iran
with defensive equipment. In 2008-2009, an agreement to supply Iran
S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems aroused US and Israeli anxiety,
but the shipment has not yet been made. Judging by Iranian media,
Tehran is extremely dissatisfied with the delays. These delays can be
used to pressure Iran to scale back its nuclear program. But there
is also a small possibility that, in response, Iran would support
radical Islamists in the North Caucasus – a scenario fraught with
danger for Russia.

For Russia it is not trade but economic cooperation that has always
been of the utmost significance. The main focus of Russo-Iranian
cooperation is on energy projects. The nuclear power plant in Bushehr
was practically completed in 2008, fueling is now coming to an end and
the plant’s start-up is in the offing. Fresh contracts for nuclear
power plant construction have not been concluded, however. The main
accent in energy dialogue has been on cooperation in the production
and distribution of electricity and the generation of energy resources
and their means of transport.

The oil and gas industry is a promising area of cooperation. The
presence of Russian companies in Iran’s oil and gas market remains
limited. However, negotiations are proceeding on joint development of
new phases of the South Pars gas deposit and the creation of joint
ventures with the participation of third countries. Once the world
economic crisis ends and demand and gas prices begin to grow, routes
for bringing gas to world markets will take on particular relevance.

Russia deems it most reasonable to use Turkmen gas to fill the Caspian
project and the South Stream. But in the absence of competitors in the
Iranian market, it may be promising to share in the use of Iranian
gas – both in these projects and in the Nabucco pipeline. Iran is
likewise extremely interested in export routes, as almost a third
of the gas it produces is injected into wells, a part is burned,
and gas is used chiefly for internal consumption. Pipelines built to
take gas to Turkey and Armenia have not resolved export problems.

There are promising prospects for Russian participation in construction
and reconstruction of Iranian railroad lines and cooperation in air
transport, including Iranian purchase of licenses for the assembly of
aircraft and helicopters. But the volume of Russo-Iranian cooperation
and foreign trade is small and lags behind political relations.

Despite positive momentum in the development of Russo-Iranian ties that
some Iranian officials characterize as strategic, many problems remain
unsettled. Due to Iran’s position, the issue of defining the status of
the Caspian Sea has not been resolved. Closer political and economic
contacts are hindered by Iran’s confrontation with Europe and the
United States – both important economic partners of Russia. This being
so, reliance on the anti-American factor in bilateral relations cannot
be considered a central factor. Indeed, in Iran it is often written
that Russia is an unreliable partner as it yields to US pressure.

It is regarding Iran’s nuclear program that Russia finds it most
difficult to take decisions. Russia has no interest in a new nuclear
power on its borders. But in view of the situation in Iraq and
Afghanistan, forceful action against Iran may have even more negative
consequences. When lasting progress in the negotiating process has
not been reached, the preferable option for Russia would be for Iran
to sign an additional IAEA protocol. Had Iran not concealed the
construction of a new plant for uranium enrichment in Qom, Russia
would have had more confidence in its nuclear program. The very fact
of this concealment, given existing contacts between Russia and Iran
in nuclear energy development, cast a shadow over Russia’s relations
with the international community as well.

Despite Tehran’s critique of Russia’s position, Moscow remains
Iran’s principal defender against economic sanctions, although China,
which has a much greater economic stake in Iran, is more interested
in alleviating pressure. That Moscow seeks to drag out the existing
standoff due to the softening of competition in the energy market
does not stand up. What is more important for Russia is to preserve
Iran’s stability. In the event of a military strike or revolutionary
upheaval, Iran’s fragmentation would inevitably aggravate the situation
in Russia’s southern border area.

Generally speaking, for Russia the two countries’ interest in
broadening political and economic ties outweighs the existing
contradictions.

N. M. Mamedova heads the Department of Iranian Studies, Oriental
Studies Institute, Moscow, and is a professor at Moscow State
Institute of International Relations. This commentary first appeared
at bitterlemons-international.org, an online newsletter.

MISSED THE POSSIBILITY TO RETURN NAKHIDJEVAN

Lragir.am
28/01/10

On the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the Armenian army, the
commander of the Sasuntsi David detachment Hamlet Hovsepyan and the
commander of the Arabo detachment Manvel Yeghiazaryan held a press
conference.

According to Hovsepyan, they started forming voluntary detachments
in the bordering regions. One of the notable battles was the Yeraskh
battle, when the Azeris started leaving Nakhidjevan. According to him,
that was an excellent period to take Nakhidjevan back.

According to Manvel Yeghiazaryan, they started forming detachments
after Sumgait events. Arabo detachment was formed on October 4, 1989
in the Khachik village. Fights against the soviet troops took place.

There were 1710 soldiers in Arabo, 100 of them were killed or injured.

ALIZADE: PRESIDENT SARKISIAN WILL NEVER SURRENDER TERRITORIES

Aysor.am
Thursday, January 28

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian will never sign an agreement
containing surrender of territories, said Azerbaijani expert and
analyst Araz Alizade in comments on the Karabakh talks, according
to DayAz agency. "Sarkisian will never do it," he said pointing that
Serge Sarkisian was at high posts in the Armed Forces of Armenia at
the times of the Karabakh war.

There are not any peace solutions to the Karabakh conflict, actually,
according to the expert. He said that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
had been chosen completely disadvantageously to Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan has to negotiate in this situation, as we face strong
pressure from outside. If the west was well-disposed to Azerbaijan,
anyway, the solution to this issue would meet opposition by Armenia.

In this situation solution’s spinning out may lead to turning the
conflict into an eternal issue."

"U.S. President Barack Obama made it clear to Turkey’s Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the U.S. government doesn’t want to link
settlement of the Karabakh conflict to normalisation of relations
between Armenia and Turkey. And as U.S. voices this position, then
the OSCE MG co-chairs will hold on to the same diplomacy."

ARMENIANS AND TURKS MISS A UNIFYING FIGURE
Sassoon Grigorian

Sydney Morning Herald
January 22, 2010

A young boy lights candles at the spot where Turkish-Armenian author
Hrant Dink was killed in Istanbul. Photo: Reuters

I still remember shaking Hrant Dink’s hand in his Istanbul office,
never imagining three years later there there would be a 100,000
strong funeral procession condemning his assassination chanting
"We are all Hrant Dink: We are all Armenian".

It is three years since Dink, an editor-in-chief of the bi-lingual
Turkish Armenian newspaper Agos, and prominent member of the
Armenian minority in Turkey was killed. For decades Dink advocated
for reconciliation between Turks and Armenians as well as calling on
the Turkish Government to recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915.

Since Dink’s assassination, significant progress has been made for
reconciliation, however, his loss emphasises the need for a unifying
figure between Turks and Armenians. Despite progress, deep divisions
still exist, and the absence of an individual that can unify both
peoples.

Dink was a unifying figure for many Armenians and those Turks
advocating for democracy and free speech in Turkey and repealing
repressive laws such as Article 301. Article 301 is a controversial
section of the Turkish penal code making it illegal to insult Turkey,
Turkish ethnicity, or government institutions. Among those charged by
Article 301 included Dink himself and Orhan Pamuk, Turkish writer and
recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. Pamuk was charged
following comments made in an interview about the mass killings of
Kurds and Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

There are those that argued Dink provoked Turkish nationalism. Soon
after Dink’s death, photographs of the assassin emerged flanked by
smiling Turkish police, posing with the killer side by side in front
of the Turkish flag. The photos created a scandal in Turkey.

Despite this, there has been steady progress for reconciliation
including the signing of an internet petition by some 200 Turkish
intellectuals about the genocide, saying that they are sorry. The
text of their apology did not use the term genocide, however, about
30,000 Turks, from many different walks of life, signed the petition.

Then there was the bold move of football diplomacy last year where
Armenia’s President Serg Sargsyan invited Turkish President Abdullah
Gul to Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, to watch the football World Cup
qualifier between both countries. The invitation was reciprocated
when the sides played in Turkey.

Unfortunately, in a backward step, what was meant to be the momentous
signing of protocols between Turkey and Armenia last year degenerated
into a political sideshow. The protocols have been formulated to
restore diplomatic relations between both countries, however, they
are yet to be ratified by their respective parliaments. The protocols
have faced significant resistance within Turkey and Armenia because
of the ambiguous language contained in the document, as well as the
lack of consultation leading to the signing.

In all of this, one thing is clear, there is no individual or leader
that stands out like Dink.

In a speech delivered in May 2006, at a seminar by the Turkish
Journalists’ Association and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Dink said:
"I think the fundamental problems in Turkey exist for the majority
as well. Therefore . . . I will speak for the majority, including
myself in it and dwell on where, we, as Turkey, are headed."

The majority of people want a restoration of diplomatic relations
between Turkey and Armenia, but there exists many different paths to
getting there and continuing deep distrust. Dink had an ability to
bring people together to a common ground. That is what is needed now.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela once said: "If you talk
to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you
talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

Dink spoke the language that went to the heart. He remains missed.

Sassoon Grigorian travelled to Turkey in 2004.

Source: theage.com.au

GAS TARIFFS FOR THE POPULATION OF ARMENIA MAY GROW BY 41,6% AND FOR INDUSTRY – BY 19% BEGINNING FROM 1 APRIL 2010

ArmInfo
2010-01-25 11:29:00

ArmInfo. Because of the expected growth of tariff for import of
natural gas to Armenia from the present $154 for 1000 sq/m up to
$180 beginning from 1 April 2010, ArmRosgasprom has applied to Public
Services Regulatory Commission with suggestion on revising gas tariffs
for the consumers of the republic.

According to the application, the company offers to increase gas
tariffs for the consumers which use up to 10 thsd sq/m of gas per
month (the population enters this group) by 41,6% – up to 136 000
grams against the present 96 000 for 1000 sq/m of gas per month
including VAT.

For industrial and commercial consumers which use more than 10 thsd
sq/m of gas per month the tariff may grow by 19% – from the present
$215 for 1000 sq/m of gas up to $256 including VAT.

The tariff for giving service to the operator of gas supply system may
also grow from the present 15.584 drams including VAT for transporting
of every thousand sq/m of natural gas – up to 47.018 drams. The tariff
on distribution of natural gas may grow from the present 9920.138 drams
including VAT for distribution of every thousand sq/m of natural gas
– up to 15632.772 drams. The tariff for natural gas transporting may
grow from the present 5255.384 drams including VAT for transporting
of every normal sq/m of natural gas – up to 6491.086 drams.

SUPERIOR TRUSTEE ELIA GOURGOURIS HEADING TO HAITI TO HELP FIRST RESPONDERS
By Amy Bounds

Daily Camera
01/24/2010 07:43:36 PM MST

Local psychologist is certified in disaster relief training through
Red Cross

Local psychologist Elia Gourgouris poses for a portrait outside his
home in Superior. Gourgouris is leaving for Haiti on Sunday to help
with relief efforts. ( KASIA BROUSSALIAN )

SUPERIOR — Town Trustee Elia Gourgouris is going to Haiti, offering
his services as a psychologist trained to help first responders and
those who’ve experienced trauma.

"When this disaster hit Haiti, when I saw it on TV, I wanted to go,"
he said Sunday from his Superior home. "They’re all, the entire
community, suffering from posttraumatic stress."

Gourgouris plans to spend a week in Haiti. He leaves for Miami on
Sunday, where he will join colleague Terry Lyles — a veteran of
similar relief efforts in Thailand after the tsunami and New York
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The two are planning to catch a military transport to Port-au-Prince,
bringing donated protein shakes, and want to also room with the
military. Along with the donated shakes, friends gave money to pay
for Gourgouris’ flight and for the relief efforts.

Authorities estimate 200,000 people were killed by the Jan. 12,
magnitude-7.0 earthquake. Haiti’s government has declared an end to
searches for living people trapped under debris, and officials are
shifting their focus to caring for the thousands of survivors living
in squalid, makeshift camps.

U.N. relief workers said the shift is critical: While deliveries
of food, medicine and water have ticked up after initial logjams,
the need continues to be overwhelming and doctors fear outbreaks of
disease in the camps.

Gourgouris, who left a private psychology practice to become a life
coach and speaker, is certified in disaster relief training through
the American Red Cross. He’s also worked with first responders on
military bases and spent a week counseling students after the 1999
Columbine High School shooting.

He said his main goal is to counsel Haitian children in orphanages,
helping them talk about the horror they’ve experienced.

"The children are where my heart lies," he said. "It’s the children
who had very little to begin with and now have nothing."

He also wants to help the first responders cope with what they’re
seeing.

"They’re humans, too," he said. "They’re not machines. Part of our
job is to debrief them and give them a safe place to share what
they’ve seen."

But ultimately, he said, he’s open to helping in whatever way he can.

"There may be a different need when we get there," he said. "There’s
so much death in such a small place. That’s what makes this so hard."

Though he’s well traveled, this will be his first visit to Haiti.

"I know enough to know I’m going to be overwhelmed," he said. "I’m
clearly out of my comfort zone, but I feel like this is the right
thing to do."

Gourgouris said his trip was a family decision, one that included
his wife, Sona Gourgouris, their two sons — 10-year-old Dimitri and
14-year-old Nicholas — and Anna, a 16-year-old exchange student from
Armenia living with the family.

"This trip was something that didn’t seem possible at first," Sona
Gourgouris said. "The more we talked about it, the more possible it
seemed. There’s a lot of chaos there. But we prayed about it, and we
all felt peaceful."

His children said they’re both proud and nervous about their father’s
trip.

"He’s helping people who have no water and no food," Dimitri said. "It
makes me feel really good."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Amy Bounds at 303-473-1341 or
[email protected].