Interfax, Russia
April 30 2009
Armenia reduces electricity production 16.2% in Q1
YEREVAN April 30
.8% to 279 million kWh at hydroelectric stations and down 2.9% to
785.4 million kWh at nuclear plants.
Output from wind turbines increased 360% to 2.3 million kWh.
Armenia produced 309,100 Gcal of heat in the quarter, 51.9% less
year-on-year.
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION WILL PREVENT FUTURE GENOCIDES
PanARMENIAN.Net
30.04.2009 19:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Canadian Politicians Reaffirm Their Commitment to
Justice and to Historic Truth
Two Ministers, four Parliamentary Secretaries, thirty-nine members
of the House of Commons and seven Senators attended the reception,
on April 28, celebrating the 5th anniversary of the House of Commons’
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The momentous event, which
took place in the West Block of the House of Commons, was organized
by the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC).
A large number of other Canadian politicians also attended the
event to reaffirm their commitment to justice and to express their
unwavering solidarity with the Armenian people in their struggle to
fend off Armenian Genocide denial. The high stature of the attendees
was particularly heartening since they were there despite the Turkish
Government’s recent recall of the Turkish Ambassador from Canada.
In addition to Parliamentarians, Ambassadors and other members of the
diplomatic corps, NGO representatives, leading lights from Canadian
journalism, academia and education, representatives of the Canadian
Jewish Congress, Rwandan, Greek, Cypriot, and Kurdish community
leaders also attended the celebration.
Harold Albrecht, Chairman of Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship
Group, emphasized the importance of keeping the memory of the Armenian
Genocide alive so as to prevent future genocides.
Bloc Quebecois leader, Gilles Duceppe observed that because
perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide went unpunished, the
international community witnessed the repetition of this heinous crime
in Germany, in Cambodia, in Rwanda and in Sudan. In the opinion of
Mr. Duceppe reconciliation cannot take place without the recognition.
At the conclusion of the reception, Parliamentarians who voted in
favor of the passage of Motion M-380 were presented citations of
appreciation from the ANCC President.
A large contingent of Canadian-Armenians from Montreal, Laval, Ottawa,
Toronto, Hamilton, Cambridge, St. Catharines, and Vancouver joined
in the celebrations.
Aris Babikian, executive director of ANCC, said: "It was quite a
proud evening to see so many Parliamentarians attend this important
evening. For so many politicians to defy Turkish Government threats
and blackmail is very telling. Canadian legislators once again sent an
unequivocal message to the Turkish Government that it will not get away
with its denial campaign and it will be much more beneficial for the
Turkish Government to halt its falsification of history and to engage
the Armenian people in a genuine and sincere reconciliation process
and start healing the wounds perpetrated by its predecessor’s action."
COMMUNIST PARTY CELEBRATES 1 MAY DAY
ArmInfo
2009-05-01 13:33:00
ArmInfo. Armenian Communist Party is celebrating the 1 May Day.
Though Yerevan Mayor’s office prohibited communists to hold a
demonstration dedicated to the 1May Day, members of the Armenian
Communist Party, headed by their leader Ruben Tovmasyan managed to
organize a march in the centre of Yerevan.
RUSSIAN, TURKISH PMS TO MEET IN SOCHI
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.05.2009 14:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey has confirmed that a meeting between Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will take
place in Sochi in the near future, Milliyet reported.
The Prime Ministers will focus on the Karabakh conflict resolution
and some energy and economic issues.
Sources in the Turkish government said the talks will be very useful.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister will leave for Moscow to watch
the final of Eurovision song contest.
ANC CONDEMNS ATTACK AGAINST KIVIRYAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.05.2009 14:32 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Congress (ANC) condemned the
attack against Armenia Today coordinator Argishti Kiviryan. "We do
not hope that this incident like all previous assaults on journalists
will be investigated but we do state that the criminals will be called
to account sooner or later," the ANC said in a statement.
Argishti Kiviryan was attacked and brutally beaten near his house at
5 am on the night of April 30. At the moment, he is out of danger.
SECRETARY OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF ARMENIA [CPA]: I AM AGAINST OPENING OF THE BORDER TO TURKEY, DICTATED BY OTHER STATES
ArmInfo
2009-04-30 14:51:00
‘I am against rapprochement of Armenia and Turkey and opening of the
border as it is dictated by other states’, – Secretary of CPA Central
Committee Ruben Tovmasyan said at today’s press-conference. He thinks
that pan-national interests of our country are put at bidding and
Armenia cannot orient itself hoe to protect them. He slagged off the
roadmap signed by Armenia and Turkey on 23 April.
Tovmasyan thinks Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan is
responsible for that, as he is trying to pretend that nothing awful
happened.
RUBEN TOVMASYAN PESSIMISTIC ABOUT ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT
Alisa Gevorgyan
"Radiolur"
30.04.2009 17:48
There will be no lack of most different suppositions, predictions
and comments until the authorities disclose the content of the
mysterious road map. The opinions are no divided into two parts:
optimistic and pessimistic.
The optimists are assured that the document is harmless and promises
us a bright future, while the pessimists, who urge to be cautious
and alert.
The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Armenia Ruben Tovmasyan
said he was pessimistic not only about the road map, but also on the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, in general.
"It’s impossible to trust the Turkish policy, genocide is in their
blood," the leader of the Communist Party is assured. According to
him, a geopolitical situation has been established, where interests
of different countries are at stake, while Armenia’s interest is
still very indistinct.
At the same time Ruben Tovmasyan called on the authorities to make
the document public.
LOGISTIC CENTER ESTABLISHMENT DOESN’T DEPEND ON OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER
PanARMENIAN.Net
28.04.2009 14:31 GMT+04:00
The logistic center at Akhuryan frontier point will be established
to satisfy the shippers’ needs.
According to Marat Khakov, no agreement has been signed yet.
"Anyway, if the process of opening of the Armenian-Turkish border is
dragged out, the project will not be frozen. We will provide services
within Armenia," he said.
ARMENIAN GROUP EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT IN OBAMA LETTER
Hurriyet
April 28 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL – An influential U.S. Armenian organization has expressed
disappointment about President Barack Obama’s decision to refrain from
recognizing the 1915 incidents as "genocide" in a letter it sent to
the U.S. leader, the group said late Monday.
Obama, who pledged to recognize the Armenian claims regarding the
1915 incident during his presidential campaign, refrained from using
the word "genocide" while describing the events in his annual April
24 statement to mark the "day of remembrance of the Armenian deaths."
"Your use of Mets Yehern (Great Catastrophe) was an inadequate
substitute for Armenian Genocide," Armenian Assembly of America
Chairman Hirair Hovnanian said in the letter he sent to Obama.
"It was a regrettable retreat from the expressed promises you made
as a candidate … and in so doing, may have taken a step backwards
in genocide prevention around the world," he added.
The letter also pledged that the Armenian-American community will
pursue the prompt passage of a "genocide resolution" already pending
in Congress and pledged that the Armenian-American community will
pursue the passage of the bill.
Hovnanian added in the letter that actions resulting from the framework
recently announced by Armenia and Turkey must be "distinct and separate
from the issue of the Armenian Genocide."
Obama’s statement came a while after Turkey and Armenia announced that
under Switzerland’s mediation they have agreed on a comprehensive
framework for the normalization of ties between the two neighboring
countries that have not had diplomatic relations for more than
a decade.
Hovnanian also requested a meeting with the U.S. president to discuss
problems and concerns of the Armenian-American community regarding
relations with Armenia.
The group also said U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden telephoned
Hovnanian on April 24 and that they exchanged views on the history and
status of Armenian-American community efforts to obtain affirmation
by the U.S. government of the Armenian claims regarding the 1915
incidents.
OSCE MG: THE WHOLE REGION WOULD BENEFIT FROM ARMENIAN-TURKISH TIES NORMALIZATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2009 17:55 GMT+04:00
"The whole region would benefit from Armenian-Turkish ties
normalization," OSCE MG American Co-Chair told a news conference in
Yerevan. The diplomat finds that the Armenian and Turkish Foreign
Ministries’ recent statement on bilateral ties normalization reveals
positive tendencies. "Such tendencies are essential to Karabakh
settlement process. We hope that normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties
and Karabakh conflict settlement will be separate, though parallel
processes; hence we believe the paces of achieving a final outcome
will be different," M. Bryza noted.
Without disclosing any details of his meeting with the Azeri President,
the American diplomat also stressed that Mr. Aliev had introduced
his position on normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties.
In his turn, French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier added that any steps
towards the establishment of security and stability will have a
positive impact on the region. The Co-Chairs also said that contents
of the "route map" remain confidential.
"I’d like to note that official Yerevan has very clearly and
unequivocally stated that Armenian-Turkish negotiations are not linked
to Karabakh peace process," Bernard Fassier said. The French diplomat
also added that as an OSCE MG member state, Turkey had always given
support to Co-Chairs in their efforts towards achieving conflict
settlement.