Author: Kamalian Hagop

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

November 2, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SENATE MAJORITY LEADERS CALLS ON SECRETARY OF STATE
TO MEET WITH ARMENIAN AMERICAN LEADERS

— In Letter to ANCA-Nevada, Senator Reid Reports that he has
Shared Community Concerns over Protocols with Secretary Clinton

WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has
formally shared the reservations of the Silver State’s Armenian
community regarding the dangers of the recently signed Turkey-
Armenia Protocols with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a October 30, 2009 letter to ANCA-Nevada activist Razmig
Libarian, the Senate leader reported that he had recently written
to Secretary Clinton to pass along the concerns of his state’s
citizens of Armenian heritage, and to encourage her to meet
directly with the national leadership of the Armenian American
community regarding the state of Turkey-Armenia relations.

In his letter to Secretary Clinton, dated October 20, 2009, Senator
Reid wrote: "I am sure you are aware that this agreement has raised
concerns in the Armenian community inside the United States. I have
received many letters from Nevadans who do not support the creation
of an international commission to examine the historical record on
the genocide and who believe that the agreements are unfair to
Armenia. (I have included a sample letter below). Given the serious
nature of the community’s concerns, I felt it was important to
raise them directly with you. The commission is particularly
sensitive to the Armenian-American community since the Armenian
genocide has never been recognized by Turkey."

Despite the high profile of Armenia-Turkey ties in the Obama-Biden
Administration’s foreign policy agenda, neither President Obama nor
Secretary Clinton has met with the Armenian American community
leadership.

The full text of both letters is provided below.

#####

October 30, 2009

Dear Mr. Libarian:

Thank you for contacting me about your concerns regarding relations
between Armenia and Turkey. I appreciate hearing from you.

I have always, and will continue to, recognize the terrible
atrocities that took place in 1915 as genocide. As I said to those
gathered for the Armenian American Cultural Society of Las Vegas’
annual commemoration on April 19, 2009, I believe that the United
States should acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

On September 1, 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed protocols that
expressed a desire to establish diplomatic relations between the
two nations and open the border to trade. Final agreement is
pending the ratification of the protocols by each country’s
Parliament. As you note, these protocols also called for the
formation of a commission to study the Armenian genocide.

I certainly appreciate the concerns that you raise in your letter
and believe that it is important that the specifics issues you
raise about the historical commission are taken into consideration.
I recently wrote to Secretary Clinton to let her know about the
concerns I have heard from my constituents on this issue, and
included a sample copy of letters I have received. I also asked her
to meet with the Armenian-American community to discuss these
issues. The full text of my letter to Hilary Clinton is below.

Thank you once again for contacting me, and I hope you will
continue to keep in touch. My best wishes to you.

Sincerely,

HARRY REID
United States Senator
Nevada

TEXT OF SENATOR REID’S LETTER TO SECRETARY CLINTON

October 20, 2009

The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
Department of State
22001 C Street, NW
Room 7226
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Clinton:

I am writing about the recent agreement to establish normal
diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia. I know you have
personally been involved in the negotiation of this agreement and
appreciate your attention on the issues I am raising today.

I am sure you are aware that this agreement has raised concerns in
the Armenian community inside the United States. I have received
many letters from Nevadans who do not support the creation of an
international commission to examine the historical record on the
genocide and who believe that the agreements are unfair to Armenia.
(I have included a sample letter below). Given the serious nature
of the community’s concerns, I felt it was important to raise them
directly with you. The commission is particularly sensitive to the
Armenian-American community since the Armenian genocide has never
been recognized by Turkey.

I would also respectfully suggest that you meet directly with
Armenian-American groups so they have an opportunity to share their
views with you. Thank you again for your consideration of this
request and your interest in this important national security
issue.

Sincerely,

HARRY REID
United States Senator

Struggle for international recognition of Armenian Genocide has to continue
31.10.2009 16:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Antilias is hosting a conference on 100th
anniversary of Armenians’ massacres in Adana. The conference is held
under the aegis of Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I .
The conference focused on consequences of Armenians’ massacres in
Adana and Cilicia.

In his statement, Aram I noted that such discussions are of major
importance in terms of appraisal of the past. The Catolicos emphasized
the necessity to continue struggle for international recognition of
Armenian Genocide. `It’s time for Armenian nation to raise
compensation issue,’ Aram I stated, Catholicosate of the Great House
of Cilicia press service reported.

CIS AND BALTIAN YOUNG CINEMATOGRAPHERS’ II INTERNATIONAL FILM SCHOOL OPENING TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 1.

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.10.2009 16:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On October 1, RF Statefilmfund will host CIS and
Baltian young cinematographers’ II international film school opening,
with over 40 young cinematographers, film directors, operators from
13 states participating.

According to Alexander Kalugin, CIS member states’ intergovernmental
humanitarian collaboration fund press secretary, the international
film school was organized by Cinematographers’ Union Confederation
and RF Statefilmfund with the assistance of CIS member states’
intergovernmental humanitarian collaboration fund.

10-day Film school 2009 will feature express-courses of stage
direction, dramaturgy, master -classes by leading Eurasian cinema
masters as well as participants’ works’ screenings.

Acclaimed masters will be the ones to tutor young talents. Courses will
be provided by: Rustam Ibrahimbekov, Roman Balayan, Vladimir Klimov,
Nikolay Lebedev, Valery Rubinchik, Larisa Sadilova, Aleksey Herman jr.,
Igor Klebanov, Sergey Lavrentyev, Marina Razbezhkina, Leonid Yarmolnik,
Natalya Ryazantseva, Pavel Finn, Bakhtiyar Khudaynazarov.

PREMIER COMMENTED ON HIS STATEMENT ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ARMENIANS

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.10.2009 19:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the NA Government hour, Heritage faction MP
Zaruhi Postanjyan asked Premier Tigran Sargsyan about the incident
with police during the protest in front of Government building and
Presidential residence and demanded explanation to his statement about
responsibility for 3 million Armenians living in Armenia. She also
showed torn posters and asked what measures authorities were going
to take in that direction.

Prime Minister noted that his words were distorted and cut from his
speech context. "What I said was this: we are certainly responsible
for the 3 million Armenians living in Armenia because these people
form Parliament and Government and elect President. We also bear
responsibility for entire Armenian world and are concerned by their
problems."

Commenting on police operations, Mr. Sargsyan said that Justice
Ministry is currently studying the circumstances of incident, and
if law enforcers are found guilty of breaching the law, they will be
held accountable.

RIMMA DEMIRCHYAN: "NOTHING AND NO ONE HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN"

Aysor
Oct 27 2009
Armenia

Today at National Assembly’s park was held a remembrance ceremony
and opening of a memorial paying tribute to the victims of attack on
Armenian Parliament. In this day 10 years ago a terrorist attack on
Armenian Parliament killed Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisyan, Speaker
Karen Demirchyan, Vice-Speakers Ruben Miroyan and Yuri Bakhshyan,
Minister for Operative Affairs Leonard Petrosyan, and three deputies –
Michael Kotanyan, Armenak Armenakyan and Henrik Abrahamyan.

The opening ceremony was attended by Armenia’s President Serzh
Sargsyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan, Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanyan, Chief of Police Alik Sarkisyan, head of the National Security
Service Gorik Hakobyan, the Mayor of Yerevan Gagik Beglaryan, members
of Government, the highest officers of Armenian Armed Forces and
Police, relatives and friend of victims.

The memorial paying tribute to the victims of attack is a sculpture
by Yervant Kochar "David beats Goliath" which symbolizes the victory
of good over evil.

Speaker of Parliament, Hovik Abrahamyan, stressed the importance of
memorial and quoted Armenian President Sargsyan: "The Armenian people
is united in its objects, and our future requires to build a strong
and stable country, today as never before we need to come together."

Rimma Demirchyan, the widow of Karen Demirchyan, said: "Ten years have
passed, but nothing and no one has been forgotten and this ceremony
is evidence. Yervant Kochar was not a witness to this brutal reality;
however his sculpture embodies so much sorrow, pain and losses that
it is to the point here."

She also said that to disclose this terrorist act is a matter of
"honor for our people and our generations."

MINIBUS DRUNK DRIVER RAN INTO TRAIN NEAR GYUMRI

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.10.2009 17:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An accident took place at Bayandur-Gyumri span
on October 23. The drunk driver of a minibus ran into a train near
Gyumri. The driver was slightly injured. He was rendered first medical
aid and went home on foot, the SCR press office reported.

The South Caucasian Railways calls for extra attention and urges
pedestrians and drivers to cross the railway in special sectors.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF ARMAVIA’S NEW FLIGHT HELD IN BAHRAIN

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.10.2009 18:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armavia launched a new flight at the "International
airport of Bahrain" on October 26. The official ceremony was attended
by the prime minister of Bahrain, senior officials of the state,
the owner of Armavia and head of the Mika Limited company, Mikhail
Baghdasarov, CEO of the airline Norayr Beluyan and other invited
guests.

According to Mr. Baghdasarov, the airline is actively developing, and
is currently it is focused on cooperation with countries like Bahrain,
Qatar, Egypt. Armenia is interesting to southern countries as a transit
country, he said. "Bahrain does not have a direct flight to Moscow and
many other European countries, where our company sucessfully operates,"
Mr. Baghdasarov said, the correspondent of a PanARMENIAN.Net reports
from Bahrain.

Mr. Baghdasarov also noted that the flight was opened at the suggestion
of the opposite side.

Since October 26 every Monday, passengers of the company along with
Dubai, Aleppo and Beirut will be able to visit the city of Bahrain –
the fourth point of Armavia in the Middle East.

TSARUKYAN ANALYZES ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

News.am
Oct 26 2009
Armenia

The Chairman of the Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan did
not arrive in Bursa on October 14, 2009 as he knew in advance that
Armenian football national team will lose. "I said I am not going,
as wherever I go, we have to win. That’s the point," Tsarukyan stated
at Oct. 26 interview with journalists in RA National Assembly.

Speaking of Armenia-Turkey relations Tsarukyan outlined, "RA President
Serzh Sargsyan, NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and I told everybody
Armenia-Turkey reconciliation is initiated without any preconditions.

If there are preconditions, we will reject. We cannot tarnish
Armenian nations’ reputation. We stated only the establishment of
diplomatic ties, border opening and that’s it." Commenting on the
standpoint that Turkish side speaks of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
as a precondition to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, Tsarukyan said,
"What the hell…We also say and a half, why don’t you accept ours,
but do theirs? We say relations with no preconditions, and if any-we
will oppose, reject them. This was stated by the RA President and NA
Speaker," Gagik Tsarukyan concluded.

DOUGHTY STREET CHAMBERS TO RELEASE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.10.2009 23:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Doughty Street Chambers has just announced that they
will launch an opinion by Geoffrey Robertson QC (Queen’s Counsel) on
the Armenian Genocide. As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from Armenian
Community of UK, the opinion, which will be released on 3 November
2009, will highlight how British government ministers have misled the
British parliament over the years under the guidance of the Foreign &
Commonwealth Office (FCO) to deny that there is sufficient evidence
to conclude that the Armenian Genocide took place. The announcement
Doughty Street Chambers goes on to state that:

"Mr. Robertson QC has obtained, under the Freedom of Information Act,
all the FCO policy documents which have informed the UK government’s
position. These hitherto secret memoranda cast a ray of light on how
important legal and ethical questions are handled inside the FCO.

"Mr. Robertson’s opinion has significance for legal and historical
scholarship, but its news value today – and its particular importance
for British politics and for the future involvement of this country
in international affairs – is because it provides a case study of how
easily government policy can be manipulated by the FCO whose members
admit internally that they have abandoned "the ethical dimension" in
favor of what they think will be commercial and diplomatic advantage."

Doughty Street Chambers is a UK set of barristers’ chambers situated
in London’s Doughty Street undertaking crime, family, property,
human rights and civil liberties work. Doughty Street Chambers was
set up in 1990 by thirty independent-minded barristers, aiming to
break the mould of traditional chambers by moving out of the Inns
of Court. The chambers are now three times the size with 89 members,
including 16 Queen’s Counsels. Geoffrey Robertson is the founder and
head of Doughty Street Chambers.

"ARMENIA" CULTURAL CENTER AND ARMENIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL TO OPEN IN CHISINAU

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.10.2009 11:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Armenia" cultural center and the Armenian Sunday
school will be opened in Chisinau October 24, MOLDPRES reports.

"With this center we have created Armenia in miniature", Venera
Gasparyan, the head of the Armenian community said. All interested
can attend the lessons of Armenian folk dance, learn the technique
of weaving, crochet, in the center.

According to Venera Gasparyan, in young Armenians and others will
learn the Armenian language, history and geography at the Armenia
Sunday school. Currently the school has already enrolled 20 students.