Author: Tamamian Anna

HRAYR MATEVOSIAN AT YOUTH BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP IN BAKU

Aysor
April 30 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s boxer Hrayr Matevosian is the only Armenian contestant at
the ongoing Youth Boxing Championship, taking place in Azerbaijan’s
capital of Baku. Overcoming Moldova’s Petro Urusi, Hrayr Matevosian
succeeded to qualify for the 1/8 final, where he will fight against
German boxer Thomas Fernhold.

The Championship is acting as the only qualifier for the inaugural
Youth Olympics in Singapore in August. Boxers reaching the semi-finals
in Baku will qualify for Singapore.

CALL ON RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VOICED IN PACE

ArmInfo
2010-04-29 14:20:00

ArmInfo. Twenty six PACE deputies voiced a statement today on
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and called on its recognition by
CE member-states, Head of Armenian delegation to PACE David Harutyunyan
told ArmInfo.

The statement says, in particular, that recognition of the Armenian
Genocide in Ottoman Empire by all PACE members will promote recognition
of this crime against humanity by the Turkish authorities, that will
finally lead to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement and establishment of
peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus.

The statement was signed by PACE MPs from Italy, France, the Great
Britain, Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Luxemburg, Austria,
Cyprus, Ireland and Canada.

PROTOCOLS NO MORE EXIST: ARFD

news.am
April 28 2010
Armenia

Armenia-Turkey Protocols no more exist and in his last address to the
nation Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that in a diplomatic way,
ARFD member Aghvan Vardanyan told journalists April 28.

According to him, Protocols in the current form will not be a matter
of discussion further. De jure they exist, but de facto – dead.

"Signature from the Protocols could be recalled, which would be a right
move, but unfortunately Armenia is not that strong and independent as a
state to do so," he added. Nonetheless, the Protocols’ issue is closed.

Referring to the ARFD demand that RA Foreign minister resigns,
Vardanyan stated that the Protocols could be interpreted doubly, which
is a neglect of our foreign office initiating the documents. "No
matter how hard Nalbandian asserts that the Protocols contain no
preconditions, but facts prove the contrary."

He also emphasized the president’s courage in suspending the
ratification process a year after the declaration of roadmap to settle
Armenia-Turkey relations.

LIST OF 1,000 LARGEST TAXPAYER OF ARMENIA PUBLISHED

news.am
April 28 2010
Armenia

The RA State Revenue Committee has published a list of 1,000 largest
Armenian taxpayers for January-March 2010.

The first three leaders have remained the same since the corresponding
period last year. However, the ArmRusgasprom CJSC, which paid a
total of 5.2bn AMD to the state budget this year, topped the list,
and the Alex Grig importer company (4.5bn AMD) ranks 2nd. The ArmenTel
communication company "reserved" the third place (3.5bn AMD).

The 1,000 largest Armenian taxpayers paid almost 97.5bn AMD to the
RA state budget in the 1st quarter of 2010. Thus the three companies
ensured 14% of the tax revenues paid by the 1,000 largest taxpayers.

EDB OPENS PERMANENT REPRESENTATION IN ARMENIA
Hasmik Dilanyan

"Radiolur"
27.04.2010 18:23

Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) opened its permanent representative
office in Armenia today. The EDB and the Armenian government signed
an agreement on the terms of the bank’s presence on the territory of
the republic.

"We had long been preparing for the signing of the agreement and
discussing the terms of the bank’s presence in detail and we hope for
active functioning of EDB in Armenia," Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
stated at the event.

The Prime Minister stressed that a number of projects had already
been submitted to consideration of EDB. Large volume of investments is
necessary to realize those projects. "The projects are of regional and
integration nature within the framework of CIS and concern spheres,
like chemistry, energy, processing of primary crude ore, and are
estimated at $100mln each," Tigran Sargsyan said.

AZERBAIJANI DIPLOMAT DELIVERS A LECTURE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN NEW YORK

Today
2.html
April 27 2010
Azerbaijan

Counselor of the Azerbaijan’s permanent mission to the UN Tofig Musayev
delivered a lecture for the students of the New York University on the
armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, its causes and results.

The councilor said long-running disputes in the South Caucasus impedes
democratic development of countries and major source of instability
in the region.

Musayev asked students’ questions concerning OSCE Minsk Group’s
activity, Khojaly genocide, plight of IDPs, so-called "Armenian
genocide" and Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

The permanent mission showed two films on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and war against cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.

The councilor also distributed brochures and books on the conflict. A
book titled "Khojaly tragedy – International view" and map of
Armenia`s aggression against Azerbaijan was presented to the
University’s library.

AZERBAIJANI MASS MEDIA CONTINUES SPREADING FALSE INFORMATION

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 27, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS: Some Azerbaijani mass media go
on spreading false information about violation of the ceasefire
regime by the Armenian Armed Forces in different parts of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border line and on firing at the Azerbaijani
posts.

"The Armenian Defense Ministry states that the spread information,
according to which the Armenian Armed Forces have violated the
ceasefire regime April 26 in the province of Tavush and have
fired at the Azerbaijani posts from the posts of Shavarshavan and
Berkaber villages in North-Eastern direction of the border line,
do not correspond to reality," the statement of the Armenian Defense
ministry press service provided to Armenpress runs.

SARGSYAN’S DECEPTION ACCORDING TO HAK

A1Plus.am
27/04/10

The Armenian National Congress issued a statement:

"Serzh Sargsyan’s decision on "suspending the procedure" of ratifying
the Turkey-Armenia Protocols apparently doesn’t change the status of
the procedure of ratifying the Protocols in the National Assembly.

Thus, it would be more correct to not call them a decision on
"suspension", but a decision on the "address" by which he expresses
his in-depth frustration (deception) with the results of the so-called
Turkish-Armenian "football" diplomacy.

Serzh Sargsyan’s frustration is well-grounded and the reasons are
the following:

1. The most significant failure of his policy is that contrary to his
intentions and promises, he wasn’t able to separate Turkish-Armenian
relations from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

2. As a result of the failure, the international community now views
Turkish-Armenian relations and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as one
issue which will be solved through one package deal.

3. Turkey recorded this fact and reached the point where from now
on, the efforts of the international community-primarily the Minsk
Group-will be aimed at pressuring Armenia for a speedy solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

4. Serzh Sargsyan’s concession for the creation of a historical
commission envisaged in the Protocols by Turkey’s demand to separately
normalize relations with Turkey turns out to be inappropriate and
unilateral. There was no political necessity for such a morally
unacceptable concession because Turkey was going to open the border
even in the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

5. With the proposition on the historical commission and without
any compensation, Turkey got what it was working for without even
the ratification of the Protocols and allowed the US to circumvent
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and create difficulties for
recognition.

6. Even in the case of meeting Turkey’s demands for the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Serzh Sargsyan will no longer
be able to reject the commission.

7. After genocide denial and no compensation, Turkey is currently
continuing to succeed with the demand for the re-opening of the border
in exchange for the return of Aghdam and Fizuli to Azerbaijan and,
according to some data, it has already received support from the
co-chair countries.

Perhaps Serzh Sargsyan feels deceived by Turkey and the international
community, but what’s heavier is the fact that he tricked the Armenian
people. The main reason for this humiliating failure is that Serzh
Sargsyan was forced to enter such diplomatic processes that allow him
to receive support from the international community and strengthen
his vulnerable, illegitimate governance in Armenia.

The only means for suspending this destructive process is to put
an end to attempts to cling to foreign support and to undertake
processes for solidarity and national consolidation which will lead
to establishment of democracy and legitimate power in Armenia,"
as stated in the statement issued by HAK (Armenian National Congress).

AUTHORITIES SOULD FIRST STOP THE WAR WITH THEIR OWN PEOPLE THEN …: HAK

Tert.am
16:08 27.04.10

"That football diplomacy was generally planned with the aim to enable
United States and Turkey preserving their interallied relations,
so that that interallied relationship would not be blown up by the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide," Armenian National Congress
(HAK) coordinator Levon Zurabyan said at a press conference today,
referring to recent developments in the Armenia-Turkey normalization.

"Serzh Sargsyan’s decision on suspending the ratification of
the Armenia-Turkey Protocols does not bring any change about the
ratification of those Protocols in the parliament. Thus, it will
be better to call it a decision about the address not one about
suspension," said Zurabyan.

According to him the solution to get out of this situation is
initiating a process of solidarity and national consensus. In his
words to begin with the solidarity process the ruling authorities
should first of all halt down the war with their own people, then
set free whom he called "political prisoners," and only then the
authorities and the opposition can start negotiations over how to
address the challenges the country is facing.

"I LEAVE 20 YEARS OF MY LIFE FOR YOU…"
Nana Petrosyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 24, 2010

The name given her by the parents and godfather – Haykanush – had
been forgotten. Over 70 years out of 95 she was known as Lesko.

This photograph taken in Yerevan in 1926 tells the story of an Armenian
family from Van villayet of the Ottoman Empire. Aram O.

Manukyan (in the center), Haykanush (left to him), Mariam (right to
him), their daughters Arshaluys and Mayranush… Three years later,
third daughter Siranush was born.

The name given her by the parents and godfather – Haykanush – had
been forgotten. Over 70 years out of 95 she was known as Lesko.

"My mother Lesko was a woman deprived of homeland and relatives. To
preserve the memory about her native village of Lesko, she took the
name for herself," says Lesko’s 81-year-old daughter Siranush Manukyan,
who has one father and two beloved mothers…

With the other soldiers under the command of Andranik, Aram Manukyan
could not rescue his wife Haykanush and sister Aghavni from the Turkish
captivity, where they spent 7 years. Deprived of the creatures he
loved and having no possibility to fight for freedom, Aram married
Mariam from the village of Avrak. These two people, fettered by an
indelible pain, tried to find consolation in their own children. But
time passed, bringing back Aghavni and Haykanush, who already called
herself Lesko…

"Having found his sister and former wife, Aram did not hesitate
for a minute to bring them home. The pain that befell the Armenian
people made my mother Mariam accept her husband’s former wife and
live in peace with her," Siranush recollects. "My mother’s life was
interrupted by the birth of my brother, who also died. I was told
this story when I was 26 and started my own family. I enjoyed the
motherly love of Lesko, who cherished my children. My parents tried
to protect me from the pain they had in their hearts…"

As refugees from three villages of Van villayet, Aram, Mariam and
Lesko lived a worthy life, bringing up the children. They lived a
long life but did not reach the most important event in their life –
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey.

"My father died in 1957 at the age of 75. Dying, he told my mother
Lesko: "I leave 20 years of my life for you to see the happiness of
our children and the punishment that our enemies will suffer…"

"Now, I am 81, a mother of four children, a grandmother, but I carry
my parents’ pain in my heart and I realize that I’m waiting for the
same what my parents were waiting for – justice. God bless their
memory and souls of millions, who were slaughtered. I am just scared
that my children will spend their life waiting, like we did. God
forbid!" Siranush Manukyan concluded her story, wiping tears from
her eyes…