Author: Tadevosian Garnik

ARMENIA TO SEND HUMANITARIAN AID TO HAITI
Hasmik Dilanyan

"Radiolur"
21.01.2010 14:26

The Armenian Government decided at it’s today’s sitting to allocate
a $100 thousand in humanitarian aid to Haiti.

"Armenia was ready to extend a helping hand just a few hours after
the earthquake," Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated.

Fifty rescuers were ready to leave and help the casualties of the
earthquake. However, the volunteers did not depart for Haiti because
of a number of technical reasons.

Therefore, the Armenian Government took the decision to help Haiti
financially.

TURKEY WAS SEARCHING FOR A CAUSE: PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY SPOKESPERSON

Tert.am
15:51 ~U 20.01.10

The Turkish side is using yet another pretext to drag out the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols ratification process, said Prosperous
Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s press spokesperson Khachik
Galstyan, referring to the latest statement by Turkey’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

"Until then, it was they themselves who were unilaterally speaking
of preconditions; they needed a cause, so that they could respond
to the Constitutional Court’s decision as a decision which contains
preconditions," said Galstyan.

As previously reported, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued
a statement yesterday in which it stated that the Constitutional
Court of the Republic of Armenia’s decision on the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols contained preconditions which contradicted the essence of
the Protocols.

TURKISH FM: ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT’S DECISION CONFLICTS WITH ANKARA-YEREVAN PROTOCOLS

Trend
Jan 19 2010
Azerbaijan

The Armenian Constitutional Court’s decision is inconsistent with the
Turkish-Armenian protocols, the Anadolu news agency reported today,
citing the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken due
to Armenia’s claims of an alleged genocide, and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. The border between them has been broken since 1993.

Although many do not consider interrelated the normalization of
Turkish-Armenian relations and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh,
Turkey-Armenia relations are directly dependent on resolving the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said in Ankara in an interview after his visit to Moscow.

RIA Novosti, Russie
12 Jan 2010

Arménie-Turquie: la normalisation suit son cours

EREVAN, 12 janvier – RIA Novosti

La Cour constitutionnelle d’Arménie a reconnu la constitutionnalité
des protocoles sur la normalisation des relations signés par Erevan et
Ankara, a annoncé mardi le service de presse de la Cour.

Le 10 octobre 2009, les ministres des Affaires étrangères arménien et
turc Edouard Nalbandian et Ahmet Davutoglu ont signé à Zurich le
Protocole sur l’établissement des relations diplomatiques et le
Protocole sur le développement des relations bilatérales.

Conformément à la Constitution arménienne et à la loi sur les traités
internationaux, le président saisit la Cour constitutionnelle des
documents internationaux afin d’établir leur constitutionnalité. Une
fois approuvés par la Cour, ces documents sont soumis au parlement
pour leur ratification.

L’Arménie et la Turquie n’entretiennent pas de relations diplomatiques
bilatérales depuis l’indépendance de l’Arménie en 1991 et la frontière
commune entre les deux pays est fermée depuis 1993 à l’initiative
d’Ankara. Les relations complexes entre les deux pays s’expliquent par
une série de facteurs, notamment par le soutien d’Ankara à la position
azerbaïdjanaise sur le conflit du Haut-Karabakh et par la réaction
violente de la Turquie à la reconnaissance internationale du génocide
arménien de 1915 dans l’Empire ottoman. Les relations arméno-turques
sur la normalisation des relations bilatérales ont été lancées en 2007
avec la médiation suisse.

Interfax, Russia
Jan 15 2010

Azeri Embassy sends note of protest to CSTO members

BAKU Jan 15

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow has sent a note of protest to the
Russian Foreign Ministry, the Azeri ANS television channel said.

The document expresses the bewilderment over the comments on a
statement made by Azeri Ambassador to Russia Polad Byulbyulogly.

Azerbaijan, which is not a member of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), has never encroached on the territorial integrity
and sovereignty of the Organization’s member states, the document
said.

The Azeri ambassador to Russia said in an interview with ANS in
December that it was time to resolve the Karabakh problem, and that
every Azeri must participate in freeing the Azerbaijani lands. In the
event of a military resolution of this conflict, CSTO’s interference
would be impossible from the legal point of view, the ambassador said.

The CSTO Secretariat saw the ambassador’s statement as a call for war.

The statement made by Azeri Ambassador to Russia P. Byulbyulogly who
said that the Azeri diaspora abroad must participate in liberating the
occupied lands, is an incitement to the military resolution of the
Karabakh problem, the CSTO Secretariat said.

8countnews.com
Jan 16 2010

Ouma vs Martirosyan: Will the Dream end the Nightmare?

January 16th, 2010
Aaron Skinner

Vanes `The Nightmare’ Martirosyan has torn his way through the light
middleweight division since his professional debut in 2005.As a top
prospect, he 2004 U.S. Olympian has been looked at as a future world
champion. Currently signed by Top Rank Promotions, Martirosyan sports
a perfect record of 26-0 and has been showcased on several of boxing’s
biggest cards. In his last fight, `The Nightmare’ who hails from
Glendale, California by way of Armenia, captured the NABF and NABO
Light Middleweight title with a third round stoppage over Willie Lee
in a PPV co feature, headlined by Kelly Pavlik. On Saturday night,
Martirosyan steps out from behind the shadows of the undercards to
headline the first card in a new boxing series presented by Top Rank,
which is featured three times monthly on Fox Sports/Fox Sports en
Espanol.

Looking to end The Nightmare’s run will be former IBF Light
Middleweight world champion Kassim `The Dream’ Ouma. `The Dream’ has
literally been a fighter his entire life. Born seventh of thirteen
children in a poverty stricken nation, the Ugandan native was forced
to join the National Resistance Army at the age of seven. As a member
of the Ugandan National Boxing Team that traveled to the United States
in 1998, a 19 year old Ouma defected and was granted political asylum
from his war torn country. Finally able to live the dream, Ouma began
a terror through the boxing world showcasing his talent on ESPN,
Showtime and HBO. Over the years, Ouma has won numerous regional
titles such as the USBA, WBC Continental Americas, and NABO Light
Middleweight titles. Ouma won his only world title, the IBF Light
Middleweight, against Verno Phillips in 2004. In 2006, Ouma
unsuccessfully attempted a move to the middleweight division, by
losing a world title shot to then Pound for Pound top fighter Jermain
Taylor.

With a record of 26-6-1, and loser of four of his last five, many
believe Ouma is just a stepping stone for Martirosyan. While not
looking on his past, Ouma is focused on the fight at hand. His goal is
to end `The Nightmare’ and continue living `The Dream’.

LE/2236/2010-01-16.html

RUINED AND ABANDONED SURB KHACH MONASTERY RESUMES SERVICES IN THE CRIMEA

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.01.2010 14:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The medieval Armenian monastery Surb Khach (Holy
Cross) in the Crimea, repeatedly ruined and abandoned, is coming back
to life: the first monk was recently appointed and the divine service
was resumed, Analitika.at.ua reported.

According to Hieromonk Hayrik Hovannisyan, Surb Khach monastery belongs
to Armenians, but its doors are open to all believers and pilgrims.

On November 27, 2009 during his working visit to the Kirov district
Anatoly Gritsenko, Verkhovna Rada speaker of the Crimea said, the
Armenian monastery of Surb Khach would become a part of the Crimean
Ethnographic Museum from December 1, 2009. That decision was justified
by the absence of monks and service in the monastery. Recently the
Catholicos of All Armenians appointed monk Hayrik Hovhannisyan as a
father superior at the monastery.

"Armenian monastery Surb-Khach (Holy Cross), a monument of national
value of Ukraine, is among the 200 most valuable and state-protected
monuments of Ukraine.The monastery is located in a wooded valley 3
km far from the town of Stary Krym (Kirov region). The first church
on the territory of the monastery was built in XIV century (1358)by
Armenians fled from the Seljuk Turks, and settled in the eastern
Tauris in XI century.

The name of the monastery is linked with the khachkar (stone cross)
of VI century, which was brought to Taurica by the first refugees from
Armenia by sea. Since then, the monastic life was interrupted several
times, sometimes for centuries. The last time the monastery of Surb
Khach was destroyed in 1925 by the the Soviet authorities. Only 85
years later were divine services restored here.

IRAN WILL GET ACCESS TO GEORGIAN PORTS THROUGH ARMENIA

Experts’ club , Georgia
Jan 15 2010

Armenia and the Asian Development Bank signed a credit agreement
to finance the North-South highway crossing from Armenia to the
Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi. The press service of the Armenian
government reported that the government has approved a credit program
for 2010-2017. $ 120 million will be drawn this year.

As Armenian Minister of Transport and Communications Gurgen Sargsyan
said during a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali
Sagayan the Asian Development Bank will provide $ 500 million credit.

Sagayan, in turn, noted that Iranian organizations are interested in
construction of this highway and Iranian banks will also participate
in financing of the construction.

Preliminary project cost is $ 962 million. Highway construction
concept has been prepared by the German-Austrian company ILF, while
feasibility study of the project was done by PADECO. The first tranche
will go to support work on security of sections of Yerevan- Ararat
and Yerevan-Ashtarak, and the second and third tranches will be used
to repair sections of Ashtarak-Gyumri and Goris-Kapan.

Length of the highway from the Armenian capital to Batumi, which
currently amounts to 700 km, after the construction of new roads
will be reduced to 450 km. Previously, the Government of Armenia has
decided to begin construction of transport corridor North-South,
which runs from the south of Armenia – Meghri area located on the
Armenian-Georgian border to Georgian Black Sea ports.

/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.as px

OFFICIAL VISIT OF ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO EGYPT STARTS ON JANUARY 16

Noyan Tapan
Jan 15, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The delegation headed by the RA
National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamian will go on an official
visit to Egypt on January 16. The delegation will have meetings with
Egyptian People’s Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Surur and Prime Minister
Ahmed Nazif in Cairo.

During the visit the delegation will also meet with members of the
Egyptian Armenian community.

The delegation will return to Yerevan on January 18.

Accoridng to the PR Department of the RA National Assembly, the
delegation is composed of Head of the NA Staff Gegham Gharibjanian,
NA deputies Galust Sahakian, Mkrtich Minasian, Hamlet Harutyunian,
Surik Poghosian, Vardan Bostanjian, Hovhannes Margarian, Arayik
Grigorian, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Arman Kirakosian,
and other officials.

PATRIARCH OF ALL RUSSIANS TO VISIT ARMENIA IN MID-MARCH

Tert.am
16:26 ~U 13.01.10

According to the foreign clergy relations department of Moscow’s
Patriarchate, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russians’ visit to
Armenia is planned for mid-March.

Planned during the visit are meetings with Armenia’s leadership
and Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness
Garegin II. The same source also informed the press that, on January
21, His Holiness Garegin II will be visiting Moscow, where he will be
participating in the International Fund of Unity of Orthodox Peoples
award ceremony and will be meeting with His Holiness Cyril.