Author: Mamian George

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
04/18/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM

1) Armenians in Greece Demonstrate
2) ‘Cultural Genocide’ Exhibition Held at YSU
3) Armenian Memorial Vandalized in France Prior to Unveiling
4) New Case Filed against Turkish Publishers of British Blue Book
5) UCLA Conference on Sustainable Development in Armenia

1) Armenians in Greece Demonstrate

In order to commemorate the Armenian genocide, hundreds of Armenians gathered
in Athens, Greece Saturday morning to demonstrate in front of the Turkish
Embassy.
The peaceful gathering was broken up by police officers who used batons to
disperse the demonstrators. The demonstrators attempted to submit a memorandum
to the Embassy, but Turkish diplomats refused to take it.
The following day, a wreath honoring the victims of the Genocide was
placed at
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the central square of Syntagma. Community
members, Armenian Embassy staff, and Greek political figures were present at
the event.

2) ‘Cultural Genocide’ Exhibition Held at YSU

YEREVAN (Armenpress/Yerkir)The Nigol Aghbalian Student Union of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) opened Tuesday an exhibition of 70 photos, shot
by Samvel Karapetian and Hrayr Baze, which COMPARE the past and present state
of Armenian monuments in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran.
The exhibition titled “Cultural Genocide” will run for three days outside the
Yerevan State University.
The photos on display show how Armenian monuments are gradually destroyed in
the neighboring countries. While last year’s exhibition showed only photos of
the Armenian monuments in Western Armenia, this year it was expanded to
include
the pictures from all four neighbors of Armenia.
“It is not an accident that Iran was included in this exhibition,” said NASU
Chairman Iskhan Saghatelian. “The situation in that country is completely
different. Iran is the best example of the dialogue of civilizations.
Although the Iranian government works to preserve Armenian monuments, this is
not the case in Georgia, where numerous Armenian monuments were destroyed and
as more declared as “being Georgian.”
The fate of Armenian monuments in Turkey and Azerbaijan is even worse. The
governments of these countries sanction the destruction of monuments.
Answering the question on how the international community is to know about
this exhibition, Saghatelian said the ARF youth organizations hold similar
exhibitions in other countries and, in addition, the NASU plans to send the
electronic version of the exhibition to the foreign missions in Yerevan. “We
believe it will help,” Saghatelian said.
“The Council of Europe condemned to destruction of the Armenian khachkars
(cross stones) in Old Julfa thanks to the efforts of the ARF Hay Tad offices
and other organizations. If we put efforts we would ensure that such vandalism
is prevented.”

3) Armenian Memorial Vandalized in France Prior to Unveiling

(AP)–A memorial in southeast France honoring those killed in the Armenian
genocide by Ottoman Turks was vandalized just a week before it was to be
unveiled, Armenian organizations said.
The memorial in Lyon was scrawled with graffiti reading, “There was no
genocide,” according to the Committee for the Defense of the Armenian Cause
and
the Council of Armenian Organizations in France.
The groups expressed indignation at the incident, which occurred Monday, and
demanded tight security for the unveiling of the monument April 24, which
French President Jacques Chirac will attend, and for other commemorations that
day around France.

4) New Case Filed against Turkish Publishers of British Blue Book

ISTANBUL (BIA)Retired Turkish Ambassador and Republican People’s Party (CHP)
deputy, Sukru Elekdag is suing publisher Muzaffer Erdogdu for the Turkish
translation of “The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-1916,”
also known as “The Blue Book.”
The book covers the correspondence and memoirs of witnesses and officials
including refugees and foreign dignitaries, as well as newspaper articles,
about the Armenian genocide between the years of 1915 and 1916.
Elekdag, a member of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Commission and the
Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission, is demanding 20,000 Turkish Liras
($15,000) in libel damages from those involved in the publishing of the book,
claiming he was insulted in a section of the book edited by historian Taner
Akcam.
The book’s publisher Erdogdu, historian Akcam, and translator Ahmet Guner
will
appear in court on May 30 as defendants in the case. Akcam is also being
accused by Elekdag for an article he wrote last year.
In his suit, Elekdag claims Akcam committed libel in the section of the book
titled “A Scandal: Where is the letter of the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of
Turkey) Sukru Elekdag and Justin McCarthy dragging this country?” as well
as in
Akcam’s article published in the May-June 2005 issue of the Birikim magazine.
Elekdag charges that both the book and the article insulted him and that his
individual rights had been attacked. He also says both his professionalism and
credibility were damaged due to Akcam’s articles.

5) UCLA Conference on Sustainable Development in Armenia

LOS ANGELESThe University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will host an
international conference titled “Armenia: Challenges of Sustainable
Development,” on Saturday, May 6, from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. in the Court of
Sciences 50 (Young Hall). The conference, featuring specialists in economics,
finance, and governance, is dedicated to UCLA Professor Emeritus of Economics,
Armen A. Alchian, a world-renowned economist and teacher who was born in
Fresno
in 1914 and has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 1946.
The conference is organized by the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in
Modern Armenian History at UCLA and the Armenian International Policy Research
Group (AIPRG), with support from the UCLA Von Grunebaum Center for Near
Eastern
Studies and the Department of Economics. AEF Chair Holder Richard Hovannisian
will open the morning session with introductory comments on “The Economic
Factor,” followed by the presentation of Professor Alchian and his
contributions to economic theory by a similarly distinguished Professor of
Economics, Harold Demsetz.
Enrique Gelband, Deputy Division Chief and former Mission Chief to Armenia of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will give the keynote address on
“Growth
and Poverty Reduction in Armenia: Achievements and Challenges,” the title of
his recent book published by the IMF. A panel discussion on the subject
will be
moderated by UCLA Professor of Economics Michael Intriligator and include
William Ascher, McKenna Professor of Government and Economics at Claremont
McKenna College; Daniel Mazmanian, Director of the Judith and John Bedrosian
Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise at the University of Southern
California; and Ara Khanjian, Professor of Economics at Ventura College.
The Saturday afternoon session moderated by Professor Lee Ohanian of the UCLA
Department of Economics focuses on specific topics relating to Armenia’s
economic development. David Grigorian of the IMF will speak on “Tax Potential
versus Tax Effort: Factors behind the Stubbornly Low Tax Collection in
Armenia”; Bryan Roberts of the Department of Homeland Security, “Remittances,
Poverty, and Growth in Armenia”; and Nerses Yeritsyan, Central Bank of
Armenia,
“Financial Sector Development in Armenia: Problems and Challenges.” A
discussion period will conclude the afternoon session.
Richard Hovannisian stated: “I am pleased that after sixteen wonderful
semi-annual conferences on Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, we shifted
the focus to contemporary issues in 2005 with ‘The Enduring Legacy of the
Armenian Genocide’ and ‘Three Turkish Voices on the Armenian Question.’ Now,
for the first conference of 2006, the economic and fiscal challenges facing
the
Republic of Armenia will be addressed. I am thankful to David Grigorian for
arranging much of the program, especially as Ascher, Khanjian, Roberts,
Yeritsyan, and Grigorian are also associated with AIPRG. The subject of this
conference is of critical importance to Armenia and all those concerned with
the welfare of its people.”
The conference is open to the public and free of charge. Parking is available
in Structure 2 at the Hilgard and Westholme Avenue entrance to UCLA. A map of
the UCLA campus can be found at the web site:
<; map or the UCLA Armenian Studies web
site
at <;www.uclaarmeni an.org. For additional
information, e-mail Richard Hovannisian at [email protected] or David
Grigorian at [email protected].

All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.

ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.

UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association
Graduate Students Association
c/o Armenian Graduate Students Association
Kerckhoff Hall Room 316
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Contact: Talar Chahinian
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Fourth Annual, International Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies
at UCLA This March

The UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association held the fourth annual,
international Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies at UCLA on
Friday, March 3, 2006. This day-long event brought together graduate
students from around the world to present their research and share ideas in
an academic setting. It was an opportunity to bring to light many issues in
Armenian studies to an audience of undergraduate and graduate students and
faculty from numerous institutions in Southern California, Armenian
scholars, and community members interested in the broad range of topics
being presented throughout the day.

This year the organizing committee continued the fine tradition that began
four years ago with the launching of the first-ever international colloquium
in Armenian Studies developed specifically for graduate students by graduate
students. UCLA, a premier institution for the growing field of Armenology
and a leader in interdisciplinary studies, hosted the event to foster the
development of Armenian Studies, facilitate interaction between graduate
students and faculty from various institutions, provide a medium for the
exchange of ideas, and contribute to the professional and academic
advancement of graduate students.

For those in attendance, the colloquium provided a unique opportunity to
learn more about Armenian studies and showcased future scholars and leaders
in these areas. It was also an occasion for young scholars interested in
Armenian issues to meet other scholars and to share ideas and common
interests. It was a great environment for the exchange of ideas and exposure
to new and different academic approaches.

In an effort to help mobilize an Armenian Studies community among students,
faculty and community members, the 2006 GSCiAS committee had planned a
series of events for the presenters to attend during the week preceding the
colloquium. These events included visits to Armenian Studies classes held
at UCLA, a visit to the Armenian collection at the research library at UCLA,
receptions where faculty and students could interact, and the opening for
the Genocide Posters Exhibit held at the Kerchkoff Hall, on campus. This
exhibit displayed both vintage and contemporary posters centered around the
theme of the Armenian Genocide and its denial. The opening night also
featured discussions with some of the LA-based artists of the posters. The
framing of the posters for the exhibit was made possible by the generous
help of ~SAn Art Studio~T.

Studies from multiple fields were presented, including literature, history,
art history, psychology and religious studies. Topics discussed ranged from
contemporary Armenian film and diasporan identity to the situation of the
Armenian Church in the 20th century and the issue of Ottoman marriage law as
it pertained to the Armenian millet. Presenters came from universities all
around the world, including UCLA, the Central European University (Hungary),
Haigazian University (Lebanon), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel),
Oxford University (UK), and multiple institutes in the Republic of Armenia.

This year, the organizing committee was led by Myrna Douzjian, a graduate
student from the Department of Comparative Literature. She was joined by a
number of graduate student veterans from the 2005 GSCiAS as well as faculty
advisor, Dr. Peter Cowe. Graduate students from across many disciplines were
responsible for the individual aspects of developing the event. This ranged
from financing to program scheduling, facilities and refreshments to travel
and accommodations, as well as both academic and media public relations.

Armenian Studies at UCLA began in 1960. The discipline was augmented in 1962
with the appointment of Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian, current holder of the
Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History. In 1965,
language and literature was established on a permanent footing with the
arrival of Dr. Avedis K. Sanjian, who guided the expansion of this are over
the next three decades. The Narekatsi Chair, founded in 1969 through the
efforts of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, has
the distinction of being the oldest endowed chair at UCLA. The first
chair-holder was Dr. Sanjian and in July 2000 Dr. S. Peter Cowe was
appointed as successor. Since 1997 regular instruction in Eastern Armenian
has complemented teaching in Western Armenian, instructed by Drs. Anahid
Keshishian and Hagop Gulludjian, respectively. In 1998, Armenian Studies was
officially recognized as an undergraduate minor.

The Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies is yet another step in
the development of the rich tradition of Armenian Studies at UCLA. Organized
by graduate students, for graduate students, it provides an opportunity for
students to actively and significantly contribute to the academic
environment on campus.

The colloquium was made possible, in part, by the financial contributions of
the departments, programs, centers, and funds at UCLA including the
departments of Art History, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Slavic
Languages and Literatures, the program in Indo-European Studies, the centers
for European and Eurasian Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and
Near Eastern Studies, the Graduate Students Association, the Graduate
Division of the UCLA administration, and the Campus Programs Committee Fund.
Off-campus sponsors included the Society for Armenian Studies, the UCLA
Friends of Armenian Studies, the Ararat Eskijian Museum, the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), and private donors.

———Attachment #1 of 1: Group photo of colloquium presenters

/030306gscias-presenters.jpg

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE TO TURN MORE TRANSPARENT

ArmrRadio.am
18.04.2006 13:05

Permanent Coordinator of the UN Armenia Office, UNDP Resident
Representative to Armenia Consuelo Vidal and representative of
the Social Investments Fund of Armenia Ashot Kirakisyan signed a
memorandum today.

The parties expressed readiness to cooperate in the framework of the
” Performance Budgeting on the Level of Communities” program.

Having as target the improvement of socio-economic conditions –
infrastructures and services – in urban communities, the parties
agreed to cooperate in accomplishment of basic investment suggestions
in marzes and cities.

The major aim of the program is to promote further decentralization
in the country and to strengthen the Local Self-Governments.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

FOREIGN MINISTER VARTAN OSKANIAN ADDRESSES ASSEMBLY’S NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON

Minister Welcomes Signing of MCC Compact & Announces Rural Poverty Plan

Washington, DC – During a major speech at the Assembly’s National
Conference last month, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
thanked the U.S. for including Armenia in the Millennium Challenge
Cooperation (MCC) Compact, a five-year $235 million agreement which
will help the country reduce rural poverty.

Oskanian, who joined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for
the signing of the Armenia Compact on March 27, told Conference
participants that that Armenia will launch a rural poverty plan that
builds on its partnership with the MCC. The Foreign Minister urged the
Armenian Diaspora to join this effort and help eradicate poverty in
the homeland. He also thanked the Armenian Diaspora for its efforts
in strengthening the U.S.-Armenia relationship and said Armenia is
fortunate to receive

The National Conference, a three-day advocacy push led by the
community’s major non-partisan organizations – the Armenian Assembly
of America, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the
Eastern and Western Diocese of the Armenian Church – brought hundreds
of committed Armenian activists to the nation’s capital to advocate
on behalf of community issues.

Below is the full text of Foreign Minster Oskanian’s prepared speech:

I want to thank you for the invitation to speak here today. I
especially appreciate the fact that in this hall are members and
activists from the Assembly, the Armenian Church, the AGBU, and
individuals – all of whom are here to plan together, to work together,
to register successes together.

Since independence, we have indeed registered successes together –
significant US assistance to Armenia, trade privileges, military
assistance parity, progress in genocide recognition and education
efforts, a better understanding by opinion and policy makers of
Armenia’s geographic, historic and economic limitations.

If I think back, I don’t know where Armenia would have been without
the Diaspora. The dedicated, focused efforts of the Armenian Assembly
of America have resulted in a support base that is essential for
Armenia. We know we can always depend on the real, sincere, deep
commitment of the Assembly leadership and the dedicated work of the
Assembly staff.

In Yerevan, we are very aware that for you to be able to promote
Armenia, its policies, its future, Armenia must be the kind of
place that you can and want to promote. The Diaspora will promote
and support an Armenia that reflects its own best dreams, values and
ambitions. The Armenian-American Diaspora will promote and support
an Armenia that is a friend of the United States.

And we are. Despite the huge geographic distance between Yerevan
and Washington, we are partners in the war on terror, in supporting
the non-proliferation of weapons, in searching for global peace thru
regional security, in supporting the rule of law, as well as democratic
and economic freedoms.

Not only are we ideological partners, but we share the values that
have made America. We want those values to be not just aspirations
for the citizens of Armenia but solid realities, to be comfortably
taken for granted.

The US is the country that makes it possible for individuals to
reinvent themselves – to relocate, to take on new careers, to pursue
new challenges and new directions.

Armenians have been a people who have reinvented themselves throughout
the centuries on every continent. The challenge in this century is:
for the first time in history, will we be able to reinvent ourselves
on our own land?

Do we want to become a country where every man and woman assumes
they have a right to speak their mind, to cast their vote, to affect
change? Of course we do.

Do we want to become a country where we can take the impartiality
of judges, the decency of policemen and the ethics of teachers for
granted? Of course we do.

Do we want to become a country where you pay taxes to the system
rather than fees to the official? Of course we do.

Do we want to become a country where the difference in rich and poor
is only a matter of time and not a matter of destiny? Of course we do.

Do we want to become a country where each person believes that he or
she can individually reinvent themselves? Of course we do.

That is the Armenia we want. That is the Armenia you want.

How do we get there? You are blissfully unaware of the difficulties
and travails of the process of becoming a democracy because Americans
live in the only country to have been born democratic. America was
built from the ground up, democratic institutions were defined and
created as you went along. As such, you have the good fortune to be
able to take this system for granted.

The entire process of nation-building has been different for us,
since we had to undo an existing system and build a new one. That is
why we have welcomed the various US programs which have supported our
institutional, democratic and economic reforms. We also appreciate that
in anticipation of the elections of 2007 and 2008, the US has proposed
additional, targeted assistance so we can hold normal elections and
rise to the next level of democratic development.

But democracy is more than elections. Democratic institutions and
processes are not just ends. They are also means to creating the
necessary political and economic environment which lead to distributed
growth and dignified development. The cruelties inherent in the process
of massive economic readjustment which we have been making have led
to a sense of powerlessness on the part of ordinary citizens. So,
democracy is a tool for development, just as economic development is
a facilitator of democratization.

This afternoon, I will be attending the signing of a
visionary instrument that drives both economic development and
democratization. The Millennium Challenge Compact is intended to
bolster development in countries where the society and leadership
comprehend their political responsibility to nurture and sustain
democratic practices. This is the single largest government investment
in Armenia’s economy. It consists of $235 million over 5 years. Before
I tell you what we’re going to do with the money, let me tell you
why we were fortunate enough to receive this grant.

The US government chose Armenia as one of the potential recipients
because Armenia is needy. That’s no secret. But there are lots of
needy countries in the world. Why Armenia? Because the US government
determined to contribute to the budgets of those countries that are
themselves attempting to grow in the right direction – to govern
justly, to encourage economic openness and to invest in people.

Armenia is. And being made eligible for the MCC is evidence of
this. Simply put, Armenia is a part of the MCC because not only is
there plenty about our society that needs to be put right, but because
we are on a path that is right. This farsighted program provides a
generous push in the direction that we have chosen for ourselves.

I said to Ambassador Danilovich when the decision was made, and I say
this to you now, Armenia has the honor and the obligation to build
on the confidence that has been placed in our government and our
people. And so, even as we spend these funds to turn mud into asphalt
and to give farmers the irrigation water that is their lifeblood,
we will work to make sure that good governance and the principles of
an open and fair society take root in our homeland.

In the 21st century, philanthropy is more than charity. It is
about finding lasting solutions to deep-seated social and economic
problems. That is what the MCC intends to do. And so I am going to
use this opportunity to say to the Diaspora loudly and clearly that
that is what the Diaspora should do as well.

Before I ask you to do more, and I’m going to do just that, let
me thank you for all that you have done. The Armenia – Diaspora
collaboration has been invaluable in this decade and a half of
upheaval, confusion and learning. The value of the Diaspora is in
its ingenuity, non-conformity, its belief in a dream, its access to
networks, its ability to be international and national all at the
same time, and its tremendous resources.

I am now going to ask you to partner with Armenia – even more deeply
and broadly and seriously than you have already done -in addressing
Armenia’s domestic and international challenges.

Look, most of you have been to Armenia. It is clear that not all
Armenians have been able to share in the double digit growth of which
we are justifiably proud. As soon as one leaves Yerevan, the statistics
become reality: One out of every two Armenians still lives in poverty,
mostly in Armenia’s rural areas. Half of those living in poverty,
live on less than one dollar a day. Yet, these rural men and women
represent a critical portion of Armenia’s economy.

If we want to ensure that these rural communities are not destined
to remain stagnant, permanent pockets of poverty, that Armenians are
not born into a cycle of poverty, then we cannot allow development to
simply take its course. Even at this current fast pace, it will take
decades before we reach the average European level of prosperity. We
must take practical steps to intervene, to take a short-cut towards
an improved quality of life for our rural citizens.

This is the first time that I am announcing from a podium that at the
next Armenia Diaspora Conference, we will be launching a Rural Poverty
Eradication program – a kind of Diaspora Marshall Plan for Armenia.

The Millennium Challenge Account has indeed taken on the renovation
or construction of two of the most expensive infrastructure sectors –
roads and irrigation canals.

Imagine that a village will, in a few years, have irrigation water
and roads.

But imagine that there will be no drinking water, no health care,
no school, no gas or electricity in that village.

Imagine children growing up in a 21st century rural community without
access to telephone, television or internet.

Now imagine what we could do together if the Armenian government,
Armenia’s business community, international organizations, and you,
the Armenian Diaspora came together to leverage the MCC contributions
and to build on the MCC momentum. Imagine a country where development
is comprehensive, even, fair and just.

Imagine an Armenia whose borders are secure because its border
communities are stable, where cross-border interaction is possible,
where out-migration is minimal. Imagine a day in the village filled
with pride and satisfaction, rather than tears and frustration.

As investments and growth spread through Yerevan, this program will
coordinate information about the many wonderful, generous programs
that are already being implemented in rural Armenia by Armenian
and international organizations and individuals. This program will
work to remove the real and artificial obstacles to productivity,
and will help identify access to markets and finance to make the
village economically sustainable.

If you are wondering whether those with personal interests will allow
this kind of access and transparency, join me in challenging those
who obstruct. Rally the forces of the diaspora and the international
community and see if we can’t replace obstacle with opportunity.

Through this program, we will approach every individual, organization,
parish, family and business in the Diaspora and will solicit your
participation. Your time, your money, your expertise, your contacts
– they are all needed so that the infrastructure is rebuilt and a
village is reinvented. This program will strive to bring a new look,
a new ethic, new hope to each rural community in Armenia, starting
with the border villages first.

In plain language, by eradicating poverty you will be eradicating
hopelessness. You will bring prospect and possibility to
the most vulnerable in our society. Hope, faith and confidence
transform economically empowered citizens into politically empowered
citizens. And it is they who will be the best defenders of their votes,
their voices and their rights in meetings, elections and throughout
the governing process.

These are the major domestic challenges that Armenia faces
today. But our foreign policy challenges are no less difficult and
complicated. Fundamental among them are relations with our neighbors,
transportation, energy diversification and conflict resolution.

Our agenda with the US today is very broad and diversified. We have
transcended from being a one issue country and our relations today
are built on mutual respect and interest. Armenia needs America. And
America needs Armenia as a reliable partner in the region.

This year we’ll be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s
independence. 15 years of independence,15 years of statehood, 15 years
that Armenians around the world have had an Armenia that is theirs,
to which they belong, that they represent.

No longer are we just Armenian-Americans, but now, we are, whether we
want it or not, whether we feel it or not, perceived as being piece
of that country, that place. Our identity has changed.

The Diaspora exists, it will continue to exist, and you will need
Armenia, not to substitute but to complement what you have.

The Republic of Armenia exists, it is independent, and it is ours. It
still needs its Diaspora, more than ever. We must cooperate, not
compete, in order to turn the Armenia of our dreams into the Armenia
of our future.

The Armenian Assembly is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issue. The Armenian General Benevolent Union is the world’s largest
philanthropic organization devoted to education, cultural and
humanitarian efforts. Both are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership
organizations.

The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) is the
spiritual and administrative head of the Armenian Apostolic Church in
the Eastern United States. The Eastern Diocese and its counterpart,
the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, exist under
the authority of the ancient Mother See of the Armenian Church in
Holy Etchmiadzin.

NR#2006-033

Photographs available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:

/2006-033-1.jpg

Caption: Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian addressed Armenian activists
at the Assembly’s National Conference last

Karabakh holds command-staff exercise

Mediamax news agency
14 Apr 06

Yerevan, 14 April: The defence army of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic
has held a command-staff exercise with the participation of military
formations, units and mobilization resources.

The exercise is being held in accordance with the army training plan
for 2006, the head of the information and propaganda department of the
Karabakh defence army, Lt-Col Senor Asratyan, told Mediamax today.

“This event aims at determining the level of military training of the
armed forces as part of the process of making them fully combat ready,
improving the management of different kinds of troops and coordinating
their actions during defensive and counteroffensive operations,”
Asratyan said.

He pointed out the importance of checking the level of readiness of
the mobilization resource so as to reinforce the army personnel when
and if.

“The first stage of the exercise showed that the personnel and the
mobilization resources of the republic were capable of properly
fulfilling the tasks and demonstrated a high level of military
training,” Asratyan said.

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
April 14 2006

Members of PACE Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men in
Armenia

On April 15-18 Vera Oskina, Rapporteur of the Committee on Equal
Opportunities for Women and Men and Jannick Devaux, PACE Secretariat
officer will be in Yerevan.

On April 16 they will meet with the representatives of the NGOs.

On April 17 meetings with Norayr Davidyan, RA Minister of Health and
Aghvan Vardanyan, RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ruzan
Alaverdyan, RA Urban Development Deputy Minister and Armen
Harutyunyan, Human Rights Defender.

The same day Mrs. Vera Oskina and Mrs. Jannick Devaux will be
received by Tigran Torosyan, head of NA delegation in PACE, NA Vice
President, Gagik Mkheyan, Chairman of NA Standing Committee on Social
Affairs, Health Care and Environment, MPs Hermine Naghdalyan and
Armenuhi Hovhannisyan.

Vera Oskina, Rapporteur of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for
Women and Men and Jannick Devaux, PACE Secretariat officer will visit
RA Obstetrics and Perinatalogy Research Institute and Abovian
Criminal Procedure Institution of the Ministry of Justice.

On April 18 the madams will leave Yerevan.

DISTINGUISHED FILM MAKER ARA VAHUNI PASSES AWAY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 13 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Early April 13
distinguished Armenian script writer, film director, writer Ara
Vahuni, 68 passed away of an incurable disease. Ara Vahuni was born
on February 24, 1938 to the family of famous poet, translator and
satirist Suren Vahuni. After graduating from the directors department
of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow in 1968,
he worked at Hayfilm and Hayk film studios, also in the RA Defence
Minsitry . Ara Vahuni is the author of more than 40 documentary and
feature films, and Honored Art Worker of Armenia. He was awarded
a State Prize of Armenia for the documentary films “The Curtain
Does Not Go Down” (1973), “Family Tree” (1975), “Elegy” (1978) and
“The Echo of Distant Whistles”. The works of Ara Vahuni won awards
at a number of film festivals. Besides the above mentioned films,
it is also worth noting the film “Musa Ler-88, or Year of Dragon”-
about the devastating earthquake and the Karabakh movement, as well
as one of the last considerable works of the famous film maker –
“Round Dance”(2005) According to film director Ruben Gevorgiants,the
Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia, a decision has
already been made to name Grand Prix of the “It’s Me” annual festival
of young documentary film makers “Ara Vahuni Award”.

RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA, HUNGARY DEVELOP ON NEW LEVEL: LEADER OF ARMENIAN CHURCH GAREGIN II

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 13 2006

YEREVAN, April 13. /ARKA/. The relations between Armenia and Hungary
develop on a new level in compliance with historically formed links
between the two people. Leader of the Armenian Church, Catholicos
Garegin II stated in Echmiadzin during the meeting with Hungarian
Ambassador to Armenia (Residency in Moscow) Arpad Sekey.

The Press Service of the Center of the Armenian Church in Echmiadzin
reported that the Catholicos congratulated the Ambassador on his new
post and gave him his patriarchal blessing. He also pointed out with
satisfaction the fact of careful and benevolent attitude of Hungarian
authorities toward Hungary’s Armenian community.

In his turn, the Ambassador expressed gratitude for the reception by
the Leader of the Armenian Church. Sekey also presented the political
and religious situation in Hungary to the Catholicos. They also
emphasized the importance of the role and mission of the Armenian
Apostolic Church in the life of the Armenian people, and touched upon
the church’s activities and interchurch relations.

HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
April 11, 2006 Tuesday

Moscow, April 11 (MTI) – Hungarian Ambassador Arpad Szekely presented
his credentials to Armenian President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan
on Tuesday.

Szekely, who represents Hungary in the same capacity in Russia, told
MTI that the Armenian president had inquired about the secret of
Hungary’s relatively smooth transition from communism to democracy
in 1990 and the success of all post-communist governments in fully
serving their terms.

Kocharian also showed interest in Hungary’s policy towards its ethnic
minorities and in the situation of ethnic Hungarian communities abroad.

CHARLES AZNAVOUR: I AM FRENCHMAN WITH ARMENIAN ORIGIN

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “I am not an Armenian
of France and I want to say very proudly that I am a Frenchman with an
Armenian origin,” world-famous singer Charles Aznavour declared at the
April 10 press conference at the French Embassy in Armenia. “I feel
myself a Frenchman by my land and education, but I am an absolute
pure-blooded Armenian by my heart, soul and my way of speaking. A
thing that enables me to have really a peculiar, an exclusive wealth,”
Aznavour said. Charles Aznavour also mentioned that he has been always
happy to see Armenia and France constantly closely connected with each
other. The singer has always wished French to be the second language
in Armenia, which, according to him, is almost impossible as Russian
is more spread in the country. “Nevertheless, I would like French to
be even if the third language in Armenia”. Aznavour also said that
each time he comes to Armenia he speaks Armenian better and there
will be a day when he will speak Armenian purely.