Author: Madatian Greg

ARFD AGAIN DEMANDS NALBANDIAN’S RESIGNATION

news.am
April 27 2010
Armenia

In the course of traditional parliamentary statements ARF
Dashnaktsutyun again demanded RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian’s
resignation.

"It is unclear, when an activated minister of foreign affairs states
that there are only several opponents to the Protocols in Armenia. If
he considers quarter million putting opposing the documents as such,
some officers should not wait the President to dismiss them, but think
over their voluntary retirement," said ARFD head Vahan Hovhannisyan.

Interestingly, ruling coalition MPs expressed discontent over this
viewpoint.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA RECEIVES NEW RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR OF OSCE MINSK GROUP

ArmInfo
2010-04-27 14:45:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received Igor
Popov, newly appointed Russian Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for
settlement of the Karabakh conflict, on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry
press-service reported.

Edward Nalbandian welcomed the guest and congratulated him on
appointment. The minister expressed confidence that I. Popov will make
his significant contribution to the settlement process. For his part,
Igor Popov thanked Edward Nalbadnian and assured him that he will do
his best to assist in settling the conflict. The two parties discussed
the current stage of the settlement process. I. Popov presented his
impressions from the meetings with the Azerbaijani leadership in Baku.

BAKU-WASHINGTON RELATIONS DETERIORATE
By Messenger Staff

Messenger
April 27 2010
Georgia

Recently it has become quite evident that a black cat has run between
Baku and Washington. The usual explanation for this is the principled
rejection by Baku of the idea of Ankara and Yerevan cooperating and
opening their borders without settling the Karabakh conflict and Azeri
territory being liberated from the Armenian occupation forces. Some
Azeri analysts however think that this is not the main reason, as
Azerbaijan mainly agrees with the Madrid Principles suggested by the
OSCE Minsk group, which rejected Yerevan’s concept.

Azeri analyst Eldar Namazov thinks that the US and Azeri leaders
agree on this issue in particular. Furthermore international business
understands very well that because of Azerbaijan’s geostrategic
location and its reserves of oil and gas nothing viable can happen in
this region without Baku’s participation. Therefore Baku’s opinion
should be seriously considered in all respects and the White House
understands this.

Some analysts suggest that the main reasons for the strained relations
between the two countries are the limiting of US radio transmissions
in Azerbaijan, human rights abuses, the arrest of journalists and
other restrictions on democracy. The White House has many times stated
that countries which are not clearly democratically oriented cannot
become reliable partners for the USA. This is not only a philosophical
position but a practical reality.

Political analyst Namazov thinks that there are some human rights
problems in Azerbaijan and if there is no democratic progress in the
country the influence of the USA and EU will diminish. In a newspaper
interview Namazov has stated that confronting USA will not yield
positive results for Azerbaijan and drawing closer to Russia will
not compensate for losing the USA as an ally.

The Azeri leadership has always been concerned by the US’s position
towards it but relations became even more strained at the beginning
of March 2010 when The Washington Post published an article about
properties purchased by Ilham Aliyev and his family around the world.

It stated that 11-year old Heydar Aliyev, son of Ilham Aliyev, has
bought nine houses worth USD 44 million and Ilham’s daughters Leila
and Arsu own real estate worth USD 75 million. The newspaper also
stated that Aliyev’s salary as President of Azerbaijan is USD 228,000
per annum but this money is not sufficient to make such acquisitions.

Chairman of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli has stated that
everyone knows that Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries
in the world.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO USA SAYS GENOCIDE HAS NO EXPIRATION

Panorama.am
14:00 26/04/2010

Politics

On April 24 flowers and wreath were put on the khachqar located
near the Armenian Embassy to America commemorating Armenian
Genocide victims. Special mass was given by the clergymen of St
Mariam Astvatsatsin and St Cross Armenian Churches, Armenian MFA PR
department reported.

Armenian Ambassador to the USA Tatul Margaryan delivered a speech
stating that the Turkish disclaimer is in panic having to believe
only in the passing time. The Genocide crime has no expiration. The
Ambassador said Armenian Diaspora gets more powerful and organized.

Ambassador stated that getting united is the tool to more powerful
state, to the independence of Artsakh and international recognition
of Armenian Genocide.

OBAMA AVOIDS ‘GENOCIDE’ IN STATEMENT
LAURA ROZEN

Politico.com
APril 25 2010

Calling it one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, President
Barack Obama has observed the 95th anniversary of Armenian Remembrance
Day but avoided calling the Ottoman era killing of 1.5 million
Armenians genocide.

The president did, however, refer to "Meds Yeghern" or "Great
Catastrophe," which is the Armenian term for what befell the nation
in 1915, the same way "Shoah" is used by some Jewish people to refer
to the Holocaust, one scholar noted.

"On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that 95
years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began,"
Obama said in a statement Saturday. "In that dark moment of history,
1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in
the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915,
and my view of that history has not changed," he said. "It is in
all of our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just
acknowledgment of the facts."

"The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the
Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those
who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of
the past," Obama said.

Obama’s use of Meds Yeghern "is an elegant dodge to avoid using the
‘G-word,’ but the substance of what he states about what happened
gives no comfort to those who cling to the Turkish official version,"
said Harvard University’s Andras Riedlmayer.

Still, the Armenian American lobby group, the Armenian National
Committee of America, rapped Obama in a statement for "disgraceful
capitulation to Turkey’s threats" and for "offering euphemisms and
evasive terminology to characterize this crime against humanity."

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, April 26, 2010

YP Lebanon Kicks Off Entrepreneurship Series with Sold-Out Lecture by
Lebanon’s Interior Minister

Kicking off a series of events focused on entrepreneurship, Young
Professionals (YP) Lebanon hosted an inspiring lecture by the Lebanese
Minister of the Interior, Ziad Baroud, on April 17. The event was
attended by 350 Lebanese-Armenian young adults.

At the AGBU Demirdjian Center in Beirut, Minister Baroud discussed
leadership and management lessons gleaned from his experiences in
government. Specifically, the minister explained his efforts to build
confidence within Lebanese society, his project to reshape his ministry,
and his future plans. Minister Baroud’s energy and charisma,
accomplished educational background and the challenges he faces in the
administration of a politically fragmented nation make him a motivating
role model for youth.

Guests were able to ask questions on topics ranging from the role of
youth in Lebanese society to the pressures Minister Baroud faces in
government during a question-and-answer session that lasted for more
than an hour.

During an ensuing reception, the guests had an opportunity to mingle
with Minister Baroud and network among each other in a friendly
environment. The minister suggested afterwards that members of YP
Lebanon get involved in his ministry’s projects.

The Armenian youth in Lebanon have a regional gathering on the horizon
as the Young Professionals Middle East Forum will be held in Dead Sea,
Jordan, from June 5 to 6, 2010. For more information, visit

AGBU YP Lebanon would like to thank their sponsor, Emirates Lebanon
Bank, for their support and kind generosity.

For more information about YP Lebanon, please email.
[email protected].

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit

Providence to Commemorate Genocide at Martyr’s Monument

PROVIDENCE, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
Martyr’s Memorial Committee of Rhode Island has organized a gathering
on April 25 to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. It will take place at the Martyr’s Monument. The 29-ft.
monument was erected in 1977 to honor the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. Its inscription reads: "We Armenians dedicate this monument
to the immortal memory of the 1,500,000 Armenian Martyrs massacred by
the Turkish government during the 1915 Genocide."

The three Armenian Churches and their clergy will participate, along
with the governor of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Congressional
Delegation, and state and local officials. Dr. Dikran Kaligian, author
of Armenian Organization and Ideology under Ottoman Rule, 1908-1914,
will be the guest speaker at the event.

EarthTimes.com
April 24 2100

Armenia marks 95th anniversary of ‘genocide’

Posted : Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:13:10 GMT
By : dpa

Yerevan – Hundreds of thousands of people on Saturday marked the 95th
anniversary of the mass slaughter of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey, just
days after Armenia halted a historic reconciliation deal with Turkey.

The 1915 murders of hundreds of thousands of Armenians has become an
insurmountable obstacle for relations between the two countries.
Armenia insists that Turkey recognize the slaughter as a genocide.

On Saturday Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan laid flowers at a
memorial for the victims in the capital Yerevan and thanked those
countries which supported "our struggle for justice."

The slaughter and "annihilation of an ancient culture" was a
deliberate policy of the Ottoman Turk government, Sargsyan said. "The
instigators of this appalling crime expected that those who survived
would lose their national identity, scattering across the globe," he
continued.

The Armenian parliament unexpectedly halted the ratification process
of normalization accords signed with Turkey in October last year. The
accords were expected to restore diplomatic relations between the two
countries.

But the protocols were still awaiting ratification by the parliaments
in Ankara and Yerevan, each side accusing the other of adding new
conditions after the agreement was struck.

Armenia said that Turkey was delaying its ratification of the accords,
rendering its own ratification process "pointless."

The 1915 killings have also remained a sore point between the two
sides as international debate continues about their definition as
genocide.

Armenia traditionally commemorates the murders on April 24, the day
when the execution of intellectuals began.

Estimates of the number of those killed range from between 200,000 and
1.5 million.

Turkey has always denied that the killings constituted a genocide,
arguing that the Armenians had sided with the Russians against the
Turks in the First World War.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SUSPENDS RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS WITH TURKEY

ITAR-TASS
April 22 2010
Russia

YEREVAN, April 22 (Itar-Tass) — Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan
has signed a decree to terminate the ratification of protocols on
the establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey and on the
development of relations with that country.

The decree says that the decision was made in view of Thursday’s
joint statement by the political councils of the parties affiliated
with the ruling coalition and in compliance with Armenia’s law On
International Treaties.

The ruling coalition has suggested removing the ratification issue from
the agenda of National Assembly sessions "until the Turkish side has
displayed the readiness for the further continuation of the process (of
normalizing relations with Yerevan – Itar-Tass) without preconditions."

"The political majority in the National Assembly of Armenia regards
as unacceptable statements the Turkish side has made over the past few
days, including those by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, that link the
ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols by the Turkish parliament
with the settlement of the conflict between Nagorno-Karabakh and
Azerbaijan," the statement runs.

The presidential decree has instructed the Armenian Foreign Ministry
to notify Turkey of the decision.

NAIRA ZOHRABYAN: TURKEY SHOULD DECIDE WHERE IT WANTS TO LIVE – IN 21ST CENTURY OR IN MIDDLE AGES

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 22, 2010 – 18:08 AMT 13:08 GMT

Prosperous Armenia parliamentary group member Naira Zohrabyan said
that, in her opinion, Turkey has lost not only the chance to normalize
its relations with Armenia, but also the chance to become a civilized
state. "We have to record that Turkey has not changed during 100
years," Zohrabyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. According to her,
Armenia has not violated any rules in the normalization process and
has repeatedly declared its willingness to ratify the Protocols after
their ratification by the Turkish parliament.

Referring to the statement issued by the political majority of the RA
National Assembly, Zohrabyan said that it was the most correct step
by the coalition. "The coalition’s statement is a signal for Turkey:
the country should decide where it wants to live – in the 21st century,
or in the Middle Ages," she stressed.