RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER MET OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS
ArmRadio.am
03.05.2006 11:21
On May 2 Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigori Karasin met
the Russian, American and French Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk.
“During the meeting the issues in the agenda of settlement of the
Karabakh conflict were discussed,” Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs informed.
“ARMENIA AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE: FIVE YEARS OF MEMBERSHIP” CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN
ArmRadio.am
02.05.2006 14:00
Achievements in building pluralistic democracy based on respect for
human rights and rule of law during Armenia’s five year membership
in the Council of Europe will be the main theme of the “Armenia and
the Council of Europe: Five Years of Membership” conference to be
held 5 May 2006, at the Armenia Marriott Hotel.
On 25 January 2001, by joining the Council of Europe, an organisation
that promotes democracy, human rights and rule of law continent-wide,
the Republic of Armenia made an important step towards freedom and
democracy. The conference intends to bring together national policy
makers, RA National Assembly deputies, civil society and media as well
as representatives of international community to celebrate the fifth
anniversary of Armenia’s membership in the Organisation and exchange
views on future cooperation between the Council of Europe and Armenia.
The conference will be concluded by a panel discussion entitled
“The Many Facets of Cooperation: Armenia’s Contribution to Building
European Standards” with participation of Armenian professionals
engaged in the Council of Europe activities regarding Armenia.
Burbank Leader,CA
April 29 2006
Language credential in bill
The Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday approved Assemblyman
Dario Frommer’s legislation seeking to include the Armenian language
in the single-subject foreign language California Subject Examination
for Teachers.
California has the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia yet
there is no program for teachers who want to be credentialed in the
Armenian language, said Frommer, a Democrat who represents Burbank
and Glendale.
If the bill passes, it would better equip teachers in districts with
large Armenian populations and spur interested students to study the
Armenian language in high schools, colleges and universities, he
said.
The Glendale Unified School District reported that it had 3,904
English language learners who speak Armenian primarily, making up 49%
of the district’s total English language learner population.
Assembly Bill 2913’s expansion of the test’s single subject teaching
credential to include the Armenian language will permit high schools,
colleges and universities to offer the Armenian language as a course
in the curriculum and will guarantee that those courses will be
taught by teachers credentialed in Armenian.
The first Armenian test must be administered by Sept. 1, 2009,
according to the bill.
Riding a fast track to teaching credential
State Sen. Jack Scott, a Democrat who represents Burbank, Glendale
and La Cañada Flintridge, is urging those interested in shifting
their professional abilities into teaching by participating in a
“fast-track” teacher- credentialing exam.
One exam is scheduled for June 10 and another for Aug. 5.
The registration deadline for the June exam is May 11.
Aspiring teachers can dramatically reduce the time to earn a teaching
credential by passing the Teaching Foundations Exam also known as the
Early Completion Option. Prospective teachers must prove they have
knowledge of their subject. The exam will be conducted statewide for
candidates in math, English and other subjects.
Those who want to take the science test may only participate at a
reduced rate in order to set statistical passing scores for this
exam.
The science exam is normally $155 but the first 100 people who sign
up for June 10 will be offered a reduced rate, Scott said.
Many people would make wonderful teachers, but are discouraged by the
time and expense of teacher training, Scott said.
Taking the test can cut the time to get a credential from two years
to several months, he said.
Scott’s SB 57, which passed in 2001, included creation of the
fast-track process.
The law requires that all teacher internship programs approved by the
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing offer this early
completion option.
Would-be teachers are able to bypass most teacher education courses
by enrolling in an approved university or school district intern
preparation program.
For information on the Early Completion Option exam, e-mail Michael
McKibbin at the Commission on Teacher Credentialing: mmckibbin@
ctc.ca.gov. The Commission’s website address is
Illegal immigrants cost millions annually
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, whose district
includes Glendale, Burbank and the foothills, reported that nearly
100,000 children of illegal immigrants collected nearly $23 million
in Aid to Families of Dependent Children funding in Los Angeles
County in January 2006 — or nearly $276 million annually.
Antonovich said 98,703 children of 57,458 undocumented parents
received aid in January 2006 — for a total of 156,161 immigrants. If
incorporated into a city, it would be the 6th largest city in the
county.
While legal immigration is a positive influence on our culture and
economy, illegal immigration has had a devastating impact on the
county, Antonovich said.
Antonovich made his statements while meeting with Congressional
representatives in Washington, D.C., to provide information regarding
the impact illegal immigrants have on our county, Tuesday.
Candidate forum to be held Monday
The Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council will host a discussion
featuring the four candidates running in the June 6 primary for the
43rd District Assembly seat.
The candidates’ forum will be held at 7 p.m. in the board room at the
Glendale Unified School District’s administration center, 223 N.
Jackson St.
The four candidates in the running are Republican Michael Agbaba,
Democrats Paul Krekorian and Frank Quintero and Libertarian Steve
Myers.
Dreier honored for extradition work
Rep. David Dreier, a Republican who represents La Cañada Flintridge
and La Crescenta, was honored Sunday by Justice for Homicide Victims
Inc. for his work to bring about a change in Mexico’s extradition
policy.
Justice for Homicide Victims is the action arm of the California
Center for Family Survivors of Homicide Inc.
Dreier was presented with the Victim’s Outstanding Service Award by
Executive Director Marcella Leach.
Dreier said he was humbled by the honor.
In 2004, Dreier traveled to Mexico to meet with Mexican officials,
including the Mexican Supreme Court justices, to urge a change in
their extradition policy.
He argued that Mexico should extradite suspects accused of violent
crimes in the United States even if they face life in prison.
In November 2005, the Mexican Supreme Court reversed a previous
decision banning such extraditions.
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General
Georgian authorities slam protest against Russian base’s withdrawal
TBILISI April 28
The people who joined this week’s picket protesting the withdrawal of
military hardware from Russia’s military base in Akhalkalaki are
representatives of “destructive forces”, the Georgian Foreign
Ministry said in a commentary on Friday.
“There are destructive forces in the region of Javakhetia that are
not interested in the area’s revival and are doing everything
possible to destabilize it,” the commentary said.
The authorities are building new roads and infrastructure in the
region, it reads. “This does not meet the interests of the forces
that staged a rally outside the Russian military base in
Akhalkalaki,” it reads.
“The situation in the country is under control. The Russian bases
will be withdrawn from Georgia as agreed,” the commentary reads.
Several dozen residents of the Akhalkalaki district blocked a local
motorway on Wednesday, preventing Russian trucks from leaving for
Armenia.
Akhalkalaki residents fear they will lose their jobs, because most of
them work at the base, Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze
said.
Moldovan leader to meet US vice president in Vilnius on 3-5 May
Infotag news agency
28 Apr 06
Chisinau, 28 April: Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin will take part
in a summit of leaders of the Baltic and Black Sea regions which is
due to take place in Vilnius on 3-5 May, the presidential press
service has told Infotag.
The participants in the summit will discuss such issues as Europe and
new democracies, NATO’s role in strengthening democracy and extending
democracy in Southeastern Europe.
At the summit, Voronin is due to have a number of bilateral meetings,
in particular, with US Vice-President Dick Cheney and EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs Javier Solana.
The summit will be also attended by NATO Secretary-General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer, by Georgian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian, Bulgarian,
Estonian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Armenian and Polish presidents, as
well as by representatives of the Austrian, Danish, German, Swedish,
Finnish, Spanish, French, Belgian and British authorities.
NKR PRESIDENT GREETS PROCESS OF EXTENSION OF FORMATS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN RA AND NKR PARLIAMENTS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 27 2006
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA parliamentary
delegation led by RA NA Vice-Speaker Tigran Torosian arrived in
Stepanakert on April 26 for the purpose of taking part in the works
of the Interparliamentary Committee of Cooperation between RA NA and
NKR NA. On April 27, the delegation was received by NKR President
Arkadi Ghukasian. A number of issues connected with extension and
development of interparliamentary contacts were discussed during the
conversation held with participation of NKR NA Speaker Ashot Ghulian
and Vice-Speaker Rudolf Hyusnunts. Greeting the process of extension
of formats of cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two
Armenian republics, Arkadi Ghukasian attached importance to the current
cooperation. He called on the Armenian parliamentarians to take more
active part in the issue of presenting the viewpoints of the Karabakh
side to the international community. Tigran Torosian in his turn gave a
positive estimation to the results of the Committee’s two-day work and
informed about the agreement with his Artsakh partners about including
the issue of RA and NKR economic integration into the agenda of the
next sittings. RA NA Vice-Speaker attached importance to exchange of
opinions and viewpoints with the Karabakh parliamentarians and also
spoke for activization of the contacts. Then, as Noyan Tapan was
informed from NKR President’s Acting Spokesperson, Arkadi Ghukasian
touched upon a number of economic and social problems of the country,
answered the questions.
US TO URGE PEACE ON GARABAGH DURING ALIYEV’S TALKS – CRISIS GROUP REP
ASSA-IRADA, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
Baku, April 26, AssA-Irada
Energy and security issues will be in focus at the upcoming meeting
of President Ilham Aliyev visiting the United States with his
counterpart George Bush, says the project director on South Caucasus
of the International Crisis Group, an organization working to prevent
conflicts worldwide.
“This will be Aliyev’s first visit to the US and it is beyond a doubt
that one of the reasons he had been invited to the White House is
related to Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” Sabine Frasier said.
She said that if the United States aspires to safeguard its
security and energy interests, it will focus on the unresolved
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
“USA should be interested in the conflict resolution, as the territory
hosting the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil export pipeline, as well as the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline considered an important element of
Western energy security, is 30 miles away from the conflict zone.”
The ICG representative said that during the talks, US officials will
openly say to President Aliyev that a military option to solve the
Garabagh problem is unacceptable.
“Moreover, the US should urge Azerbaijan to sign a broad and
comprehensive peace accord. As the first step toward this, President
Aliyev should create conditions for relations between the Azerbaijani
and Armenian people.”
Frasier said that if the US is trying to achieve long-term Azeri
support in its policy on Iran and the entire region, the best
alternative would be for Washington to ensure a peaceful settlement
of the Garabagh dispute.
“So long as the conflict remains unresolved, Azerbaijan will not be
interested in spoiling its developing relations with Iran. And the
other way round, if Azerbaijan decides to use military action in
Upper Garabagh, located near Iran’s border in the north, this could
compromise US energy and security interests and lead to a suspension
of foreign investment in the Azerbaijani economy.”
Commenting on the ICG official’s statement, the Azeri Foreign
Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizada said America’s interests indeed
cover ensuring security and stability in the region.
“However, peaceful settlement of the Garabagh conflict is not related
to the BTC pipeline,” he said.
CZECHS SUPPORT TEACHING ABOUT HOLOCAUST
Prague Daily Monitor, Czech Republic
April 26 2006
Prague, April 25 (CTK) – The Czech Education Ministry supports
teaching about the Holocaust, although schools in the Czech Republic
are autonomous and it is impossible to dictate to them how to teach
about genocide, Education Minister Petra Buzkova said at a discussion
about the issue today.
However, the Ministry finances the educational seminars “How to teach
about the Holocaust,” attended by roughly 1700 teachers since 2001,
Buzkova said.
The Ministry has also sponsored some publications and brochures dealing
with the problem of genocide of Jews and Romanies during World War II,
Buzkova said.
Representatives of roughly 30 countries of the Council of Europe and
the European Cultural Convention today discussed the education of
the young generation about Holocaust problems in Prague.
Teaching about the Holocaust faces problems in a number of countries,
including poor proficiency of teachers, lack of teaching aids and
political problems, Gunnar Mandt from the Steering Committee for
Education of the Council of Europe told journalists.
There is the political obstacle that, in some countries, teaching
about genocide is not part of the curricula, Mandt said.
Individual schools and teachers must include it in the teaching process
themselves, Mandt said, adding that the problem was also on the side
of the teachers who do not have enough knowledge about how to teach
about the Holocaust.
Due to this, the Council of Europe stages seminars both for the
teachers and instructors who prepare the former, Mandt said.
In many places, there is also the problem with teaching aids.
Former President Vaclav Havel told the seminar that it was not enough
to evoke the memories of the Holocaust, as it was also necessary to
keep thinking of it.
“Society is losing its external ethical order understood by everyone.
As it is, the Holocausts that afflicted Armenians and Jews and the
Gulag, these tremendous disasters are in a way an understandable
product of the modern ambiguous civilisation,” Havel said.
Responsibility for genocide is a joint problem of all people, not
only of certain nations, Havel said.
Signs of intolerance and latent fascism are more dangerous than
sympathisers of neo-Nazi movements, Havel said.
“This can be seen by someone distinguishing better concentration camps
from the worse, which indicates that some concentration camps were
not of this type. One can also see it in the reserved relationship to
minorities or people with a different sexual orientation,” Havel said.
From: Embassy of Armenia <[email protected]>
Subject: Third Armenia Diaspora Conference in Yerevan in September 2006
PRESS RELEASE April
26, 2006
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected] ;Web:
Third Armenia Diaspora Conference to be Held in Yerevan in September 2006
The Third Armenia – Diaspora Conference will convene in Yerevan on September
18 – 19, 2006. The objective of the Conference is to discuss, review, and
assess the Homeland – Diaspora relations and cooperation and to determine
the main directions and prospects for their further development.
The Homeland Diaspora Conference will have three main sessions:
– on September 18, the agenda will include general issues of
Homeland-Diaspora relations and cooperations;
– on September 19, the Conference will discuss the Program for Development
of the Armenian Rural Communities;
– additionally, a forum on Armenian identity will be held during a separate
session.
In addition to the invitations extended to representatives of the Diasporan
organizations and Armenian activists, all individuals and organizations
interested in participating in the Conference can contact the Embassy of
Armenia at 202-319-1976 or via email, [email protected].
For additional inquiries about the Conference, please contact the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia:
Mr. Jivan Movsisian, +374-10-544041, ext. 234, [email protected]
Ms. Salpi Ghazarian, +374-10-544041, ext. 234, [email protected]
RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS NOT AN END IN ITSELF, HISTORIAN EMPHASIZES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 24 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Parallelly with the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide committed at the
beginning of the previous century by the Ottoman Turkey we should also
raise the issue of Armenian demands. Political scientist-specialist
on international affairs, doctor, professor Stepan Stepanian, Head
of the Department on the History of the Armenian Cause and Armenian
Genocide of the Institute of History of RA National Academy of
Sciences, expressed such an opinion at the April 21 meeting at the
Pakagits club. The political scientist mentioned that 18 countries
have already recognized the Armenian Genocide, among which there are
such big states as Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Canada. Stepanian
gave assurance that this process will continue. However, according
to him, the recognition of the Genocide is not an end in itself and
the time has already come when the Armenians should raise the issue
of compensation on the international arena.
According to the historian, the recognition should be used for
overcoming the consequences of the Genocide. Stepanian mentioned the
largest loss, the murder of 2 mln Armenians, is irreversible but the
other consequence is the lost territories that should be returned to
the Armenian people spread throughout the world up to this day. “The
demands of Armenians are legal and we should not conceal them and
make the recognition of the Armenian Genocide an end in itself, he
declared. S.Stepanian gave assurance that Turkey will never recognize
the Genocide. “This country, in essence, with its barbarian policy,
its attitude towards non-Turkish nations has not changed at all,
moreover, it has become more brutalized. If I was asked about the
biggest lie in the world I would say that this is the denial of the
Armenian Genocide by the Turks. I do not think that any one can make
Turkey give up this policy,” he declared. Answering questions about
Russia’s role in the issue of the Genocide, Stepanian mentioned
that, of course, this country had interests of its own but Russia
has never contributed to the Genocide. Meanwhile he mentioned that
the retreat of the Russian army contributed to the big slaughter
of Armenians. According to Stepanian, many of Armenian historians
think that the voluntary movement was unnecessary for Armenians as
this enraged the Turks for even more. However, in the Armenians’
affirmation, the voluntary movement saved many people both in the
Eastern and Western Armenia. As for the Turks, they, according to
Stepanian, had worked out a program of exterminating Armenians long
ago. This is a program of establishing a “Big Turan” that exists up
to this day and Armenia hampers its realization at present. He called
“disgraceful” the Treaty of Moscow concluded on March 16 1921 between
Russia and Turkey, according to which part of the Eastern Armenia
was given to Turkey and Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile the speaker said that at that time Armenia was ruled by
the Dashnaktsutiun party “which carried out a coup in February 1921,
seized the power and held it until the treaty was signed”. Touching
upon the Treaty of Sevres, Stepanian said that according to the treaty,
only one part of the territory of Western Armenia was included in the
independent Armenian state. According to him, the Treaty of Sevres was
concluded by representatives of Dashnaktsutiun government in August
1920 and in December 1920 the Dashnaktsutiun government signed the
Treaty of Alexandropol with Turkey, Article 9 of which invalidated
the Treaty of Sevres.