Author: Tambiyan Samvel

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

Friday, May 2, 2008

AGBU Detroit Raises over $130,000 for Armenia Projects

For the past few years, the AGBU Detroit Chapter has quietly yet
effectively focused its efforts on raising funds for various renovation
projects in Armenia. Altogether, 13 projects have been supported, with a
total donation amount of $132,466.54.

The realization of these projects is made possible through the World
Bank/ASIF (Armenian Social Investment Fund) program. Accordingly, the
donor only contributes 10% of the total cost of the project, while the
World Bank furnishes the remaining 90%. Thus, the full cost of these 13
projects actually amounted to $1,325,000.

The projects financed through donations made by individuals and
organizations to AGBU Detroit serve to improve the quality of life,
chiefly in various towns and villages in the remote regions of Armenia.
Projects supported by the funds provided by the Detroit chapter include
the renovation of community centers and schools, the reconstruction of a
health center and a museum, and various rural infrastructure projects.

The backbone of this fundraising is Osep Sarafian, an architect by
profession, who is an Honor Member of AGBU and also serves on the Board
of Directors of the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School in Southfield,
Michigan. Following his first visit to Armenia in 1986, he felt the
urgency to help Armenia through many organizations, of which he was a
member. Since then, he has made more than 30 trips there to oversee the
projects until their satisfactory conclusion.

Once Sarafian saw the efficacy of the ASIF program, he approached AGBU
Detroit, suggesting that support for renovation projects in Armenia
become one of its ongoing activities. After this chapter received
approval from AGBU Central Board of Directors, Sarafian then proceeded
to reach out to donors, members and friends, as well as other community
organizations, many of whom have generously responded with donations
ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.

Sarafian’s endeavors have been supported by his wife, Nadya, who was the
longtime principal of the AGBU Manoogian School before her retirement.
Currently, she serves as the co-chairman of AGBU Detroit and assists her
husband in marshalling donations for various Armenia projects.

The goal of both the Sarafians and AGBU Detroit is to promote the
principles of the AGBU organization by extending a helping hand to their
sisters and brothers living primarily in the rural areas of Armenia.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with an
annual budget of $34 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.

READY TO MEET

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 02, 2008
Armenia

In Case The Turk Expresses Desire

RA Foreign Minister Edward Sargsyan is ready to meet with his Turkish
counterpart, in case the latter expresses desire.

`In recent times there are certain positive tendencies from Armenia and
Turkey, for the improvement of the relations between the two
countries,’ Edward Nalbandyan says.

The Minister hoped it would be possible to translate words into deeds
and make this dialogue productive: `In my view we can’t act as we used
to act before, because we didn’t record success. We must find new
approaches, new forms. If my Turkish counterpart expresses desire to
meet and discuss all the issues of concern, we will manage to find
solutions,’ he said

STATEMENT FROM SENATOR BARACK OBAMA IN REMEMBRANCE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

States News Service
April 29, 2008 Tuesday

The following information was released by Illinois Senator Barack
Obama:

U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement in
remembrance of the Armenian Genocide:

"Last week we paused in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, which
was carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. Nearly 2
million Armenians were deported, and approximately 1.5 million of
those deported were killed.

"It is imperative that we recognize the horrific acts carried out
against the Armenian people as genocide and I will continue to stand
with the Armenian American community in calling for the government
of Turkey to acknowledge it as such. The occurrence of the Armenian
genocide is a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming
collection of historical evidence.

"I was deeply disturbed two years ago when the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia was fired after he used the term "genocide" to describe
the mass slaughter of Armenians. I called for Secretary Rice to
closely examine what I believe is an untenable position taken by the
U.S. government.

"I will continue to push for the acknowledgement of the Armenian
Genocide and I offer the Armenian people my condolences."

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES GENOCIDE HISTORIANS
MATTHIAS BJORNLUND AND ARA BABIAN

His Holiness Aram I received Genocide historians Matthias Bjornlund (a
Dutchman) and Ara Babian (the former Ambassador of Armenia to Canada) on
April 25.

University professor Bjornlund was accompanied by Armenian students from the
American University of Beirut. The scholar’s research focuses on factual
informational on the Armenian Genocide available from Dutch sources. Such
sources are in fact rich in information on the massacres given the role of
the Dutch people in taking of Armenian orphans and Genocide survivors.

On the same day His Holiness also received Ambassador Babian, who, as an
Armenian Genocide scholar, contributes to the struggle for the rights of
Armenians through his research and lectures.

In his discussions with both guests, His Holiness conveyed his ideas on
novel approaches for pursuing international recognition for the Armenian
Genocide in light of the new developments on the world stage.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos259.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REFUSES FROM PUTTING BILL ON RECOGNITION OF NAGORNY KARABAKH REPUBLIC ON BIG AGENDA

arminfo
2008-04-28 14:52:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Parliament refused from putting Bill on Recognition
of Nagorny Karabakh Republic on big agenda by 64 votes ‘against’
and only 15 votes ‘for’. Leader of Hertiage opposition party Haffi
Hovannisian submitted the bill.

In his speech, independent parliamentarian Victor Dallakyan said that
given the importance of the bill, it should be put on the agenda to
make its discussion possible at any moment otherwise it will mean the
Armenian parliamentarians are against recognizing NKR, ‘which will
be in favor of the rival’. For his part, Armen Roustamyan, the head
of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Affairs, mentioned that
it is the President of Armenia who defines the country’s foreign
policy. The Commission for Foreign Affairs hoped the parliament,
the presidential administration and the foreign ministry would be
interested in discussion of the issue, but it did not happen. In
this connection, the Commission did not make a positive resolution
on the bill.

Parliamentary Speaker Tigran Torosyan said the international
recognition of NKR is more important to Armenia. ‘One can hardly
ever find a man in the country who would be against recognizing NKR,
however, there is time for everything’, the speaker said.

‘In case of necessity we will ensure the necessary votes and pass
the bill in 7 minutes’, T. Torosyan stressed.

The Guardian, UK
April 24 2008

Remembering Anatolia, 1915

Today, April 24, is the day of commemoration of the Armenian
genocide. Is it not time for Turkey to recognise this crime and enable
a just closure?

by Harry Hagopian

Between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Turkish government systematically
targeted and killed Armenians in the Ottoman empire. Ultimately, well
over 1 million Armenians lost their lives during this period, which is
now widely regarded by most historians as the first genocide of the
20th century and one that is commemorated today the world over.

Mannig’s story

I was six years old when we were deported from our lovely home in
Adapazar, near Istanbul. I remember twirling in our parlour in my
favourite yellow dress while my mother played the violin. It all ended
when the Turkish police ordered us to leave town.

The massacre of my family, of the Armenians, took place during a
three-year trek of 600km across the Anatolian plateau and into the
Mesopotamian desert. I can’t wipe out the horrific images of how my
father and all the men in our foot caravan were shipped to their
deaths. My cousin and all other males 12 years and older were shoved
off the cliffs into the raging Euphrates river. My grandmother and the
elderly were shot for slowing down the trekkers. Two of my siblings
died of starvation. My aunt died of disease, and my mother survived
the trek only to perish soon after from an influenza epidemic.

Of my family, only my sister and I were still alive. The Turkish
soldiers forced us, along with 900 other starving children, into the
deepest part of the desert to perish in the scorching sun. Most did.

But God must have been watching over me. He placed me in the path of
the Bedouin Arabs who were on a search and rescue mission for Armenian
victims. They saved me. I lived under the Bedouin tents for several
months, before they led me to an orphanage in Mosul. I was sad about
our separation, but the Bedouin assured me that the orphanage was
sponsored by good people.

To my delight, I was reunited with my sister at the orphanage. She,
too, was saved by the Bedouin Arabs. The happiest days in my life were
at the orphanage. We had soup and bread to eat every day and were
sheltered under white army tents donated by the British.

Above all, my sister and I were family again.

This moving personal testimony was spoken by Mannig Dobajian
Kouyoumjian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide, and written for the
US Holocaust Centre by her daughter, Aida Kouyoumjian, from Seattle.

As an Armenian who was born after this grisly period of our history, I
often wonder how our forbears managed to sustain their hope, faith and
perseverance in the face of such immense suffering and painful
adversity. How did those Armenian victims of the genocide find the
personal resources, after what can only have been devastating and
orphaned situations, to carry on to rediscover fulfilling and normal
lives?

Is it not time for Turkey to put nationalism, pride and fear aside and
recognise this dark chapter of its history during the first world war?
Is it not time for Armenians and Turks to move forward by seeking a
just closure of this open sore?

Also for comments on the above, click on the link below:

hagopian/2008/04/remembering_anatolia_1915.html

COURT EXAMINATION OF 6 OUT OF 28 CASES ON MARCH 1 EVENTS COMPLETED,
EXAMINATION OF 22 CASES IN PROCESS

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. As of April 23, 28 criminal cases on
the March 1 events were sent to court by the Special Investigation
Service. Court examination of 6 cases has been completed, and the
charges were considered substantiated. Examination of 22 criminal cases
is continuing, NT was informed from the website of the RA prosecutor
general’s office.

STRENGTHENING TWO INDEPENDENT ARMENIAN STATES BEST REPLY TO CRIMES COMMITTED BY TURKEY

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 25 2008

YEREVAN, 25.04.08. DE FACTO. Strengthening and developing two
independent Armenian states are the best reply to crimes committed
by Turkey, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian told
journalists in the course of his visit to Stepanakert Memorial Complex.

According to the head of Karabakh state, paying tribute to the memory
of the killed, we again reaffirmed our readiness to establish a strong
state, free and civilized society, where a man is the highest value,
Novosti-Armenia Agency reports.

"The crime committed in early XX century was the first crime
against Armenian nation. Our victims during the Karabakh war are the
continuation of victims of early XX century. If an adequate estimation
of the crimes against humanity had been given then, today we would
have managed to avoid new victims", Sahakian noted.

The Nagorno-Karabakh President also stated the crime had been committed
when Armenian nation had been deprived of its statehood.

On April 24 Armenians of the whole world paid homage to the memory
of the victims of Armenian Genocide committed in Osmanian Turkey.

ANGER AND REMEMBRANCE FOR ARMENIAN UCSB STUDENTS
By Ben Preston

The Santa Barbara Independent, CA
April 24 2008

Groups Angered at Opposition to Bill Acknowledging 90-Year-Old Genocide

Last night in the dimly lit auditorium of the Isla Vista Theater,
a group of about 60 people listened as members of UCSB’s Armenian
Student Association (ASA) read aloud the memories of survivors of the
Armenian Genocide –which began on April 24, 1915, and lasted until
just after World War I. Chilling tales were recounted — a father raped
by gendarmes while his family was forced to watch; a group of five-
to ten-year-old boys thrown into a pile and stabbed with bayonets;
families forced to march across the desert for days without water,
only to drink from a river filled with swollen corpses. Counts of
the number of Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks during that period
range from 650,000 to 1.5 million, although the higher number has
been disputed.

Today marks the day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, and
ASA’s message is clear. Speaking out at the ceremony last night,
and staging a protest on UCSB’s campus today, students and Armenians
all over are protesting what they say is the Turkish government’s
denial of the Armenian Genocide. "For folks like me, [April 24th]
is Armenian Memorial Day," said Mourad Topalian, the event’s keynote
speaker and a member of the Armenian Cultural Foundation. "It’s a
sad day. We don’t know what we can do to make it better, but when we
think about the denial of the Genocide, we become angry."

Today in particular, ASA students are focusing their attention on
a program called No Place for Hate, which is sponsored by the Anti
Defamation League, a well known human rights organization aimed at
making sure the Holocaust is remembered and other atrocities are
not repeated. "[ADL] is a human rights organization, but when House
Resolution 106 passed in the House, they came out actively against
it," said Berj Parseghian, the All ASA Representative for UCSB. "How
can they be a human rights organization and deny the Armenian
Genocide?" Today, ASA students were urging organizations involved
in No Place for Hate to dissociate from the organization because of
it affiliation with ADL. "ADL definitely doesn’t have an excuse,"
said Dalida Arakelian, a Santa Barbara High School student. ADL was
unavailable for comment.

While a good part of last night’s ceremony was solemn, the rest was
a celebration of Armenian culture, including a dance performance,
poetry readings, and a few Armenian songs played by UCSB’s Middle East
Ensemble. As they played a popular Armenian folk song, members of the
audience could be heard singing along. Since the Kingdom of Armenia
(now the secular Republic of Armenia) was the first sovereign nation
to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301CE, Father Hovel
Ohanyan, of the Armenian Church of Santa Barbara, delivered a message
from the Archdiocese. Topalian applauded efforts by young Armenians to
stay connected to their cultural roots. "Be good Americans, but stay
Armenian," he said, "because that defeats the genocide. They tried to
wipe us off the face of the Earth, but if you stay Armenian in your
language and your music and your culture, you defeat the genocide."

Topalian, along with others there, recalled stories told by their
parents and grandparents about the atrocities they endured at the
hands of the Ottoman Turks. "My grandmother was a little girl when
the genocide took place," said Meri Telalyan, a member of ASA. "She
escaped from a burning church when half of it collapsed. Her mother
had to leave four children [that she had taken when another mother was
killed] in the church to escape with her own children. My grandmother
said that not a single day went by when her mother wouldn’t cry
herself to sleep."

Today, a struggle still exists from the events which occurred during
that time in history, nearly a century ago. "Instead of healing
over time, the denial comes," said Topalian. "Are they saying that
my parents lied to me about their brothers and sisters who were
killed?" Many Armenians, including Topalian, are calling for an
international tribunal to discuss reparations to be paid to Armenians
by the Turkish government. "I cannot speak for the Turkish government,
but I would say that no party accused of a crime should admit to it
unless it is properly and indisputably proven in a neutral forum that
provides all of the protections of due process," said Nurten Ural,
President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations. "Turkey
already acknowledges a great deal of what constitutes the Armenian
tragedy, but because this does not include calling it genocide,
Armenians allege that Turkey is blind to this entire history. All
nations should deal honestly with their past. Turkey is very openly
doing so." Ural also stated that the Republic of Turkey, formed after
the fall of the Ottoman Empire, is a distinct entity. "The historical
record lacks any proof of centrally planned massacres," he said.

Regardless of position, all parties agree that people generally don’t
know enough about the Genocide. "The U.S. public is not adequately
informed about the Armenian Genocide," said Arby Eivazian, a member
of ASA. "We are genuinely interested in an objective inquiry,"
said ATAA President-elect Gunay Evinch. "We support more information
and more speech on these issues. A full assessment of the facts and
events is the only way to reach a long term reconciliation [between
Turkey and Armenians]." Congresswoman Lois Capps needed no further
convincing. "I’m proud to be a cosponsor of House Resolution 106,
which recognizes the tragedy of the Armenian genocide," she said. "It’s
important to acknowledge and remember this history, and to learn from
it in order to prevent future instances of genocide and persecution. I
will continue to support U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide."

ARMENIA: GAS PRICE HIKE POSES CHALLENGE FOR GOVERNMENT
Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet, NY
April 24 2008

While striving to repair the rift created by the March 1 political
violence in Yerevan, Armenia’s new government is confronting a new
challenge over rising natural gas prices.

In his first press conference as prime minister, Tigran Sarkisian
announced on April 18 that the government will lift natural gas
subsidies beginning May 1, meaning retail gas prices will increase
from the current 59 drams per cubic meter (about 19 cents) to 84 drams
(about 27 cents).

In April 2006, the government opted to subsidize prices for imported
gas in a bid to soften the burden placed on private consumers and
companies. Officials indicated that roughly $190 million dollars from
the 2006 sale of Unit No. 5 of the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant would
be allocated to cover the subsidy for three years. But now, almost a
year ahead of schedule, the government is saying that funds for the
subsidy have run out.

In April 18 remarks on Public Television, Energy Minister Armen
Movsisian told viewers that "an unprecedented growth in gas consumption
meant that just under $2 million from that amount remained by the
beginning of this year.

"As a result, the compensation was to have been discontinued in
January, but on [then] Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s immediate
instruction, measures were taken to ensure the continuation of the
compensation until the end of the heating season," Movsisian said.

Measures are reportedly in the works to provide compensation to 130,000
families "to protect the socially vulnerable strata [of society] from
rising prices," according to Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian. How
these families will be defined is not yet known in detail.

Some economists say that the higher gas prices could carry heavy
consequences for many Armenians. Over 26 percent of the population
still lives beneath the poverty line, according to official
figures. "No matter how much authorities speak about ‘targeted
measures’, the increase in gas prices will badly hit people’s wallets,"
pro-opposition analyst Aghasi Yenokian commented. Increased political
tensions will be the result, he added.

Slavonic University economist Eduard Aghajanov fears a domino
effect. "The increase in the gas price will entail a sharp increase
in prices for consumer goods, building materials [and] cargo
transportation," Aghajanov said. "People, especially pensioners and
needy people, will find themselves in quite a hard situation."

Yerevan State University professor of economics Tatul Manaserian
believes there will be an adverse impact on agricultural product
prices and the competitiveness of those products geared for export. A
value-added tax on agricultural products which goes into effect in
2009 will add to the burden, he says. "[I]t becomes clear what the
future holds in store both for village farmers and town residents,"
Manaserian said.

Government officials were not available on April 24, a national
holiday in Armenia, to respond to the criticism.

Prime Minister Sarkisian, however, has stated that it is impossible to
protect against increases in energy price, since Russia has adopted
a clear policy of liberalizing the market. Russian company Gazprom,
which supplies Armenia with gas, recently agreed to raise the prices
it pays for imported natural gas from Central Asia to "European"
levels. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Many pensioners are having a hard time coming to grips with the new
reality. Pensions were increased the month before Armenia’s February
presidential elections, but many elderly Armenians complain that they
are still scrambling to keep up with steadily rising prices for food
and utilities. "Inflation is so high that at present . . . we simply
run up big debts," complained Yerevan pensioner Gayane Hakobian,
who receives a pension of 13,000 drams (about $42) per month.

The International Monetary Fund in February announced that Armenia’s
6.6 percent inflation rate was the lowest of any country in the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The IMF’s Armenia representative
Nienke Oomes noted, though, that if gas subsidies were removed,
inflation would likely take a big jump. Armenia’s economy grew by
13.8 percent in 2007, according to official figures, but wages have
not managed to keep up with price increases. The average monthly wage
stands at just over $242, or about 75,000 drams.

Individuals interviewed by EurasiaNet complained bitterly about
the move. For example, Hasmik Harutiunian, who lives in western
Armenia’s Armavir region, said that her family installed gas heating
in their home last winter thinking that they would be able to heat
their house at a more affordable price. With the subsidies gone, so
are the potential savings, she said. The family now faces potential
costs of 40,000 dram (about $146) on a monthly budget of 110,000 drams
($356). "[I]t is not clear why the authorities could not keep their
promise and subsidize people for another year."

Despite the broad gulf that divides the government from
opposition political forces, exacerbated by the March 1 events,
some administration critics nevertheless applauded the move to
lift subsidies. Suren Sureniants, a member of the Republic Party’s
political council, described the subsidies as "artificial assistance
from the state, and mostly unrealistic from the point of view of
economic development."