Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

UNITED ARMENIAN FUND
1101 N. Pacific Avenue # 204
Glendale, CA 91202
Tel: 818.241.8900
Fax: 818.241.6900

December 19, 2009

UAF’s 154th Airlift Delivers $4.6 Million of Aid to Armenia

Glendale, CA – The United Armenian Fund’s 154th airlift arrived in Yerevan
on December 19, delivering $4.6 million of humanitarian assistance.

For this flight, the UAF itself collected $4 million of medicines and
medical supplies donated by various charities, including AmeriCares ($1.9
million), Catholic Medical Mission Board ($1.9 million) and Direct Relief
International ($95,000)

Other organizations which contributed goods for this airlift were Armenian
EyeCare Project ($137,000), Dr. Mary Alani/Focus Armenia ($132,000), Howard
Karagheusian Commemorative Corp. ($58,000), Armenian Missionary Association
of America ($36,000), Fund for Armenian Relief ($34,000), Dr. Stephan
Kashian ($26,000), Kapriel Ghambarji ($25,000), George Asadorian ($23,000)
and St. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church ($21,000).

Also contributing supplies to this airlift were Armenian Relief Society
($13,000), Armenian Bone Marrow Registry ($10,000), Knights of Vartan
($10,000) and Armenian Support Project ($8,000).

Since its inception in 1989, the UAF has sent $580 million of humanitarian
assistance to Armenia on board 154 airlifts and 1,761 sea containers.

The UAF is the collective effort of the Armenian General Benevolent Union,
Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Relief Society, Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church
of America, and The Lincy Foundation.

For more information, contact the UAF office at 1101 North Pacific Avenue,
Suite 204, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241-8900.

ACCUSED OF ESPIONAGE

armradio.am
15.12.2009 13:55

The preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated on high
treason in the form of espionage, illegal procurement and keeping of
weapons and ammunition carried out by the Investigative Department of
RA National Security Service was completed. The prosecutor supervising
the criminal case confirmed the bill of indictment, Press Service of
the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia reported.

During the preliminary investigation it was found out and justified,
that RA citizen, former employee of the Ministry of Defense G.

Hayrapetyan was recruited by the Azeri special service in April 2009,
gathered and passed them secret information about the fighting capacity
and defensive potential of the Armenian Armed Forces as well as some
materials with the purpose to implement anti-Armenian propaganda.

G. Hayrapetyan received the last task by the Azeri special service on
September 1, 2009 from the citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Azeri B. Bagheri and the parole of the meeting was the photo of the
employee of the Azeri special service who was acquainted with G.

Hayrapetyan. G. Hayrapetyan received B. Bagheri in his house, who
passed him the next task in the envelope, in return he gave the
latter the materials which can be used for spreading anti-Armenian
propaganda revealed by the workers of RA National Security Service
in the hiding-place at the bottom of Bagheri’s bag during the check
in the Karchevan customs point in Meghri.

In addition, fire-arms and ammunition was found during the search in
G. Hayrapetyan’s apartment.

On the obtained evidence, RA citizen G. Hayrapetyan was charged
according to RA Criminal Code, Articles 299, part 1 (high treason in
the form of espionage), 235, part 1 (illegal procurement and keeping
of fire-arm and ammunition), and the citizen of Iran B. Bagheri was

STYOPA SAFARYAN: THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT WILL RATIFY THE PROTOCOLS
Lena Badeyan

"Radiolur"
15.12.2009 15:32

Despite protraction, Turkey will ratify the protocols, head of the
Heritage faction Styopa Safaryan considers. Analyzing the current
stage of Armenian-Turkish relations, the MP concluded that "Turkey is
not interested in the final outcome – the opening of the border. It
will rather try to benefit from the process itself."

Commenting on the overall situation in the region, Styopa Safaryan
said: "One thing is obvious. At least two countries in the region
have changed their approaches on the status quo. The first one is
Russia, which sent a very clear message by unilaterally recognizing
Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The second country is Turkey, which is
demonstrating its interest in changing the status quo."

GEOFFREY ROBERTSON LEGAL OPINION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMAINED UNOPPOSED IN UK PARLIAMENT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.12.2009 17:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 14th December 2009, Geoffrey Robertson QC, in
a meeting organised by the British Armenian All Party Parliamentary
Group, developed the conclusions of his Legal Opinion into the Armenian
Genocide and the present Labour government’s ten-year campaign to
mislead parliament on this foreign policy and ethical issue. This
administration has continued to maintain that it has examined the
issue when it had not, that it sought expert opinion when none was
sought, and advances arguments for its policy that are demolished in
the Legal Opinion.

This was a momentous occasion for the cause of Armenian Genocide
Recognition in the British Parliament as Geoffrey Robertson QC`s "
Legal Opinion " regarding the Armenian Genocide and with reference to
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Documents, which showed "how British
Ministers , Parliamentarians and People have been misled by the
Government" Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan ,in his introductory Address,
emphasized the importance of this Report which proves the reluctance of
the British Government to recognize the Armenian Genocide "not because
of lack of proof but merely because of political inexpediency" and
affirmed the determination of the Armenian Government who ," although
engaged in the recent normalization of Armenian-Turkish Relations ,
will not sacrifice the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide ".He said that " recognition by Turkey will continue to be
an objective for all Armenians and this cannot and should not hinder
building relations between the two countries"

Following His Excellency`s Address, Baroness Cox ( chair BAAPPG )
introduced the Speaker who presented his findings about the coordinated
policies of past and present British Governments to mislead and
deceive its Ministers , Parliamentarians and People .

After Mr Robertson`s Presentation, Baroness Cox read some extracts
of letters received,as early as 1994, from past and present British
Governments who have denied the Armenian Genocide, presented few
paragraphs from the Statement Issued by the 126 Historians who have
confirmed the veracity of that Genocide and from some letters of
Dignitaries and Parliamentarians who have supported that Motion.

In 2008, the Armenian Legal Initiative Group ( ALIG) set-up a Fund and
commissioned Mr Geoffrey Robertson QC to reach its own independent
conclusions on all legal and factual issues regarding the Armenian
Genocide .Mr Robertson advised that an application should be made
to obtain and extract all the important and secret policy documents
which have informed the UK government`s position .

Mr Robertson’s Legal Opinion published by Doughty Street Chambers
will serve as a case study of how easily government policy can be
manipulated by a Foreign Office that has abandoned the "ethical
dimension " in favour of what it thinks will be commercial and
diplomatic advantage .

The publication , entitled "Was there an Armenian Genocide" has
been sent to Cabinet Ministers , Parliamentarians ( in both Houses
of Parliament), Diplomats , Historians , Scholars , the Media , the
Think-Thank organisations , the Lords Spiritual and the "Judiciary" .

Of the 40 Senior Jurists who have received the "Legal Opinion" and
are Members of both Houses of Parliament (including three Cabinet
Ministers) not one came to challenge it .

Today we can legitimately claim that the British Government has failed
to rise to the challenge of defending its policy of collusion with
the Turkish State`s Denial of its criminal past.

NATO SEC. GEN. VISIT TO MOSCOW CAN HELP CONTACTS BETWEEN ALLIANCE AND CSTO

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.12.2009 14:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Collective Security Treaty Organization is
willing to cooperate with NATO in case the Alliance is interested,
CSTO Secretary General said.

Nikolay Bordyuzha also voiced hope that the visit of NATO
Secretary General to Moscow will help establish contacts between
the organizations.

CONCERT DEDICATED TO 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF GOHAR GASPARYAN TO BE HELD DECEMBER 22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
14.12.2009 16:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ December 14 People’s Artist, Yerevan State
Conservatory professor, opera singer Gohar Gasparyan would have turned
85 years.

In connection with the auspicious occasion National Academic Theater
of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiaryan jointly with the
Ministry of Culture of Armenia organize the concert.

Initially scheduled for December 14, the concert was postponed until
December 22 due to health problems of several soloists.

Gohar Gasparyan, Armenian prominent singer (soprano), People’s Artist,
professor of Yerevan State Conservatory. Born in Cairo in 1924, she
studied at the conservatory there. In 1948 she moved to Armenia. She
sang at the Yerevan State Academic Opera and Ballet theater, in 1964
received the State Prize of the Armenian SSR. Since 1949, she sang
the title roles in 23 operas. Her repertoire consisted of about 500
works by Russian, French, German and Italian composers.

Gohar Gasparyan died May 16, 2007 at her 83rd year.

Sevag Mekhitarian fulfils GM’s norm, ends 3rd in Brazil Championship

Panorama.am

13:40 12/12/2009

23-year-old Armenian IM Krikor-Sevag Mekhitarian fulfilled
grandmaster’s norm in the 76th Brazil Championship held in the city of
Americana. Sevag scored 7,5 points out of 11 and shared the 3rd-4th
places with GM Rafael Leitao.

GM Giovanni Vescovi won the championship with 8,5 points. GM Gilberto
Milos is second with 8 points.

AZERBAIJANI AMBASSADOR TO THE USA: AZERBAIJAN BELIEVES PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED BY U.S. GOVERNMENT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH SHOULD BE AGREED UPON WITH BAKU

ArmInfo
2009-12-11 23:17:00

ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani government said all programs and activities
implemented by the U.S. government in Nagorno-Karabakh should be
coordinated with Baku, Trend reports.

"Azerbaijan believes the country should be informed about ongoing
U.S. governmental programs and activities in the Nagorno-Karabakh
region," Azerbaijani Ambassador to the U.S. Yashar Aliyev said. "They
must be consistent with the Azerbaijani government." The ambassador
commented on information circulated in the media about that the
U.S allocating financial assistance to the Nagorno-Karabakh in
2010. He said based on the bill on the program of activities in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, the U.S. will allocate $8 million.

The diplomat noted a joint conference between the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives adopted a bill on U.S. 2010 budget Dec. 8.

The bill includes the budgets of several U.S. governmental agencies,
including the state, transport, trade and justice departments.

According to the ambassador, the draft law stated that financial
assistance to Azerbaijan, which was $22 million, was attributable to
an article supporting Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia. In 2009, the
financial assistance amounted to $18.5 million. Regarding military
cooperation, Aliyev said, Azerbaijan will receive $3 million under
the foreign military financing program.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: TWO OR THREE LONG-TERM CONTRACTS MAY ESSENTIALLY INCREASE ARMENIAN-LATVIAN GOODS TURNOVER

ArmInfo
2009-12-11 15:51:00

ArmInfo. "Two or three long-term contracts may essentially affect
increase of the goods turnover between Armenia and Latvia", President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said at the opening of the Armenian-Latvian
business-forum in Yerevan with participation of Latvia’s President
Valdis Zatlers.

According to S. Sargsyan, such a representative staff of the Latvian
delegation, having arrived in Armenia, indicates the interest in
promotion of bilateral relations not only in the political but also
in another spheres, including the economy. "We have already had a
chance to talk to Mr. Zatlers on the issues of economic cooperation
within the frames of the economic forum in Davos, where we agreed to
continue this conversation in the format of a business-forum within the
frames of the Latvian president’s visit to Armenia", S. Sargsyan said.

According to him, the important issues of the Armenian- Latvian
cooperation, including the issues of economy and bilateral mutually
beneficial cooperation in this sphere were discussed during the two
days of the Latvian president’s stay in Armenia. "The goods turnover
between Armenia and Latvia over recent years has fixed growth and
I am sure that, despite some reduction of its rates, conditioned by
the global financial and economic crisis, there are all the required
prerequisites to assure further growth", S. Sargsyan emphasized. The
president expressed hope that it will succeed to find the points of
coincidence, establish useful acquaintance and discuss the details of
cooperation within the frames of the business-forum. "All this could
lead to the mutual benefit for overcoming of the crisis consequences,
as well as assist to create additional conditions for development of
our economies and opportunities for implementation of joint projects
in different sectors of industry, agriculture, technologies, banking
and services", the Armenian president said. He also said that the
required contract-legal base exists between Armenia and Latvia.

The president expressed hope that the agreement on economic and
scientific-technical cooperation, signed within the frames of the
current visit of the Latvian president to Armenia, will attach a new
impulse to further cooperation.

Along with it, S. Sargsyan emphasized that new opportunities and
prospects for dynamic development of Armenia-EU economic relations
have been opened within the frames of the European eighbourhood and
the recently started Eastern Partnership programme. According to the
president, this is testified by the fact that half of Armenia’s export
and import today falls on EU countries.

"One of the important spheres of cooperation between Armenia and
Latvia is tourism. Our countries were traditional tourist routes
for each other, and I am sure that these traditions may and should
be recovered taking into account the agreement on cooperation in
aviation, signed yesterday", RA president emphasized. He thinks that
it is possible to establish regular flights between Yerevan and Riga
that will undoubtedly contribute to increase of the tourist flow.

About 60 Latvian businessmen, representing different spheres of
economy, take part in the current Armenian-Latvian business-forum.

TURKEY’S ATTEMPTS ARE DOOMED TO FAIL, SAYS SERZH SARGSYAN

Tert.am
16:36 ~U 10.12.09

The effectiveness or failure of the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement must
be completely attributed to Armenia and Turkey, said RA President
Serzh Sargsyan today.

"It’s extremely important that Turkey understands that peace and
stability will be established in Caucasus only when Armenian-Turkish
relations are normalized," noted the Armenian leader.

Sargsyan also emphasized that "It is Turkey’s aim that Armenian-Turkish
relations be linked with the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. But those
attempts are doomed to fail."