Author: Varosian Antranik

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:

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE STEERING COMMITTEE
OF THE SPECIAL COMMISSION ON ORTHODOX PARTICIPATION IN THE WCC

The meeting of the Steering Committee of the Special Commission on
Orthodox participation in the World Council of Churches was held in
Etchmiadzine on April 12-18.

Bishop Nareg Alemezian, a member of the steering committee and
ecumenical officer in the Catholicosate of Cilicia, participated in
the meeting on behalf of the Catholicosate.

The Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, who is
hosting the meeting, met with the participants and conveyed his warm
greeting and wishes for success to them.

The agenda of the meeting included such issues as the preconditions
for membership in the World Council of Churches, the new method of
adopting decisions, the establishment of a permanent committee and
praying in the World Council of Churches.

The participants in the meeting also attended the requiem service
held in the Etchmiadzine Cathedral for the soul of the late Pope John
Paul II, visited Armenian Cathedrals and the Science Academy and met
with the representatives of the Armenian Ecumenical Benevolent Round
Table Fund.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
Ecumenical activities 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.

CYPRIOT AMBASSADOR TO RA HANDED CREDENTIALS TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Pan Armenian News
18.04.2005 05:13

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Cypriot Ambassador to Armenia Leonidas
Pantelides handed his credentials to Armenian President Robert
Kocharian, RA President’s press service reported. During the
meeting the parties focused at consolidation of the Armenian-Cypriot
relations. The Ambassador stated, in part, that the enhancement of
cooperation within international structures can considerably contribute
to the development of the Armenia-Cyprus relationships. Robert
Kocharian in his turn highlighted the re-estimation of the bilateral
ties and complete use of potentialities.

Armenian suspected of smuggling weapons handed over to US

Agence France Presse — English
April 18, 2005 Monday 9:14 PM GMT

YEREVAN April 18 — An Armenian national suspected of taking part in
a weapons smuggling plot uncovered last month was handed over to US
authorities last week, the US embassy said in a statement late Monday.

Armen Barseghyan, who is accused of photographing weapons and
ammunition at an Armenian military base and sending them by e-mail to
US contacts, is due to appear in a US court this week, the embassy
said.

“This is a bright example of US-Armenian cooperation on security
issues,” the embassy said.

The United States announced last month that it would prosecute 18
people suspected of attempting to bring illegal assault weapons from
eastern Europe across US borders. Armenia arrested three suspects a
week later.

No arms or ammunition disappeared off the military base targeted by
the accomplices, the Armenian military said.

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:

HIS HOLINESS MEETS WITH THE AMBASSADOR OF HUNGARY TO LEBANON

His Holiness Aram I met with the ambassador of Hungary to Lebanon,
Pal Fabian, on April 14. The Catholicos and the ambassador discussed
the current situation of Lebanon, concentrating on the issue of the
formation of a new government.

Ambassador Fabian said that a high-level delegation representing the
European Community will arrive in Lebanon in the coming days to hold
meetings with Lebanese officials.

His Holiness Aram I stressed the importance of quickly forming a
government, the principle task of which would be to draft an election
law and hold elections.

##

View picture here:

******

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.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 15, 2005 Friday 3:26 PM Eastern Time

34 Armenian peacekeepers go on mission to Kosovo

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Thirty-four Armenian peacekeepers went on mission to Kosovo on
Friday.

“Armenia is increasingly becoming involved in the provision of
Euro-Atlantic and international security and stability,” Deputy
Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Artur Agabekian said. “Now that we have
achieved lasting peace with the international support, we cannot stay
indifferent to people who need peace in various corners of the
planet,” he said.

Armenian peacekeepers “are strengthening sustainable development of
their fatherland and its wish to live in peace and accord, with their
participation in the humanitarian mission and a small contribution to
international peace,” he said.

This is the second Kosovo mission for 18 servicemen. They had already
been there in February-September 2004.

Armenian servicemen, who had been stationed in Kosovo since last
September, returned to Yerevan on Thursday night. The platoon was on
mission near an Albanian village, and there was a Serb township
nearby.

A memorandum on the participation of an Armenian motorized infantry
unit in the Kosovo peacekeeping operation within a Greek battalion
was signed in Yerevan on September 3, 2003, and ratified by the
Armenian parliament on December 13, 2003.

Some of the Armenian peacekeepers, who have been in Kosovo, are
getting ready for a mission in Iraq, Agabekian said. He said the
Armenian Defense Ministry administration has permanent contact with
46 Armenian medics, sappers and drivers in Iraq. Armenian medics give
aid to local residents and peacekeepers, he said.

WB $20 MLN WATER-SUPPLY CREDIT IS SIGNED IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 15. ARMINFO. A credit agreement on allotting $20 mln by
the World Bank for realization a program on improvement in Yerevan
both the water-supply system and the pipe-bend of sewage was signed
today in Yerevan by Armenian Minister for Finances and Economy Vardan
Khachatryan and Director of WB Yerevan Office Roger J. Robinson.

As ARMINFO was informed at the Ministry, the Program will help to
regulate the safe and reliable water-supply in Yerevan, to shorten the
pollution of environment and to increase a level of energy
economy. The WB will also give a technical assistance for conducting
financial and technical audit of the Program, management of “Yerevan
water-channel” and operation expenses. A new operator of water-supply
system will be chosen on the tender base to realize the Program. It
will start its activity according to the 5-year leasing agreement.

To note, it is the second WB water-supply privileged credit allotted
on 40 years with 0.75% annual profits and privileged period for
payments within the first 10 years. The first $30 mln credit has been
realized in Yerevan since May 2000 and will be completed in May 2005.
WB has realized in Armenia 38 credit programs (on sum total $860 mln)
since 1993. -r-

HEALTH CONDITION OF SIX ARMENIAN PILOTS ARRESTED IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA
REMAINS EXTREMELY GRAVE

YEREVAN, APRIL 14. ARMINFO. The heath condition of six Armenian pilots
arrested in Equatorial Guinea charged with an attempt of state coup is
extremely grave.

Referring to the unnamed international humanitarian organizations,
RFE/RL Armenian Service reports that the food ration of the Armenian
pilots has been recently reduced, which can lead to emaciation.
However, it should be noted that in his interview to the radio
station, Chairman of the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamyan stated
that negotiations were in process with the leadership of Equatorial
Guinea for liberation of the Armenian pilots. He stated that he had
made a proposal to the leadership of that country which was unlikely
to be rejected. Ara Abrahamyan stated that he had managed to hand over
by $500 to the pilots.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

APRIL 8-14, 2005

HIGHLIGHTS:

TWENTIETH “PRESS CLUB” SHOW ISSUED

SIGNATURE GATHERING CONTINUES

RA COMMERCIAL COURT SECURED THE SUIT ON EVICTION OF “A1+”

JOURNALISTIC FORUM ON MEDIA.AM

CARICATURE CONTEST “SHARP SIGHT”

TWENTIETH “PRESS CLUB” SHOW ISSUED

On April 13 on the evening air of the Second Armenian TV Channel the
twentieth “Press Club” show was issued. The cycle is organized by Yerevan
Press Club under a homonymous project, supported by the OSI Network Media
Program.

Representatives of leading Armenian media and journalistic organizations
discussed the issue of journalists in hot political times. They particularly
focused on several events of public resonance, their media coverage, and
“A1+” TV support actions. The program participants expect the Armenian media
to focus this week on a whole range of issues: whether the quorum will be
achieved at an ordinary four-day Parliament session; the year of dispersing
the opposition rally in Yerevan on the night of April 12-13, 2004; 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to be commemorated on April 24.
Of the international events, as the “Press Club” participants suppose, the
Armenian media will turn to the elections of the Pope and the on-going
discussion in Azerbaijan on conducting parliamentary hearings on Mountainous
Karabagh issue.

This change of the day for the “Press Club” show, issued on the Second
Channel on Mondays, was conditioned by the two-day evening broadcasting of
RA President Robert Kocharian’s meeting with the students and professors of
Yerevan State University Department of Economics.

SIGNATURE GATHERING CONTINUES

On April 12 in Yerevan by Komitas monument a rally to protect “A1+” TV
company was held. The event was the continuation of the actions dedicated to
the third anniversary since the TV company was deprived of air on April 2,
2002 due to refusal of a broadcast license by the National Commission on
Television and Radio. At the rally, in which about 200 people took part, an
announcement was made about continuation of the signature gathering to
support the demand to the RA Ministry of Transportation and Communications,
the National Commission on Television and Radio and other competent bodies
to allocate a vacant frequency to hold a public broadcast licensing
competition (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, April 1-7, 2005).

The signature gathering will continue till May 3 at the editorial office of
“A1+”. By mid April, the number of gathered signatures surpassed three
thousand.

RA COMMERCIAL COURT SECURED THE SUIT ON EVICTION OF “A1+”

On April 11 RA Commercial Court heard the case of the RA National Science
Academy versus the founder of “A1+” TV company, “Meltex” LLC. The suit
demanded to vacate the premises, currently rented by “A1+” at one of the
Yerevan buildings. As it has been reported, this demand was repeatedly
voiced by NAS throughout the last year, and in 2005 it was intensified to be
an ultimatum. According to the “A1+” head Mesrop Movsesian, the Academy also
called for paying the rent owed and thus violated the existing agreements.
According to these, as Movsesian noted, the rental fee was to be deduced
from the investment that “A1+” made into the building renovation (see
details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, February 4-10, 2005).

As YPC was told by lawyer Tigran Ter-Yesayan, the attorney of “A1+” in its
litigations, it is this circumstance that was used as a basis for the
counter-claim, filed by “A1+” against the National Science Academy and
containing financials claims. Thus, as Tigran Ter-Yesayan stressed, should
“A1+” be evicted, NAS will become the debtor of “A1+”, since the rent owed
is much less than the investment made into the building renovation (over $
30,000, according to the head of the TV company).

In the course of the hearings the Commercial Court dismissed the
counter-claim and two other motions of the respondent. One of the motions
demanded the plaintiff to compensate the expenses on the dissembling and
transportation of the equipment, necessary to vacate the premises, the other
motion challenged the judge.

The RA Commercial court made a ruling to secure the suit of NAS.

According to the “A1+” lawyer, the TV company intends to challenge the
ruling made with the court of supreme jurisdiction.

JOURNALISTIC FORUM ON MEDIA.AM

On the Media.am web site of Internews Armenia public organization a forum
for representatives of media, journalistic associations, students and
teachers of journalism schools operates. Here one can discuss professional
issues, get advice or find important information.

The forum has three sections: “Law and legislation”, “Information sphere”,
“Information technologies”.

“Law and legislation”- in this section answers from the legal experts of
Internews Armenia can be received to questions on legal regulation of print
and broadcast media, the rights of journalists.

“Information sphere” – in this section one can place information on new TV
and radio programs, articles, published in print and online media, as well
as discuss urgent professional issues.

“Information technologies” – this section is intended to discuss Armenian
Internet and the problems of information technologies. The section is
conceived as a continuation of another forum, ,
operating under an Internews Armenia project.

The forum can be visited at

For more information please contact Gegham Vardanian at [email protected]
or by phone – (374 1) 58 36 20.

CARICATURE CONTEST “SHARP SIGHT”

Internews Armenia public organization invites artists, students of arts and
all other interested parties to take part in “Sharp sight” caricature
express contest-exhibition devoted to the World Press Freedom Day, May 3.
Caricatures should be on today’s Armenian TV broadcast content.

The works should be on A4 format paper, enveloped, on which the author’s
name and personal details should be mentioned (address, phone, e-mail). Each
applicant may present up to five works.

Caricatures should be submitted to 3 Arshakunyats ave., 3rd floor, Yerevan.

Deadline: April 30, 2005, 15:00.

For additional information, please, contact Narine Safaryan.

Phone: (374 1) 58 36 20

E-mail: [email protected]

The best two caricatures will be granted money award. The exhibition will be
open at Media.am website ().

Other details on the contest will be available at

N.B. Dear readers, please note that the YPC Weekly Newsletter will next be
issued on April 28, 2005.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

Subscription for the Newsletter is free. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
375007, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 1) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 1) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

Armenia denies Turkish proposal of joint probe into genocide claims

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
14 Apr 05

The Armenian leadership has not received from Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan any proposal on setting up a bilateral expert
commission on studying the facts of the Armenian genocide in 1915,
presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonyan has said.

To recap, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in parliament
that Prime Minister Erdogan had sent a letter to Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan with a proposal to set up the commission, the Turkish
media reported.

La Croix , France
13 avril 2005

Arménie. 24 avril 1905, juste commémoration arménienne. L’Europe
communautaire est un ensemble où chacun a le droit de parler
librement des crimes commis par d’autres et a le devoir de parler de
ceux qui ont été commis en son nom à lui. Alfred Grosser.

GROSSER Alfred

Voici quatre-vingt-dix ans, le 24 avril 1905, le génocide des
Arméniens de Turquie a commencé. Des massacres, des déportations
massives aboutissant à la mort par la soif et la faim. Des victimes
par centaines de milliers. En principe, les évocations officielles
devraient être nombreuses. L’Assemblée nationale et le Sénat
n’ont-ils pas voté, le président de la République n’a-t-il pas
promulgué, l’étonnante loi du 29 janvier 2001 dont voici le texte
complet: “La France reconnaît publiquement le génocide arménien de
1915. La présente loi sera exécutée comme loi de l’État.” Le
président du Conseil constitutionnel a-t-il pensé à ces deux phrases
lorsque, le 3 janvier dernier, il a présenté les voeux du Conseil au
chef de l’État? Pierre Mazeaud a dit notamment: “La loi ne doit pas
être un rite incantatoire. Elle est faite pour fixer des obligations
et ouvrir des droits. En allant au-delà, elle se discrédite.”

Tout au plus – mais ce serait déjà beaucoup – ladite loi devrait
comporter l’obligation de mémoire, telle que le maire de Paris l’a
définie lors de la cérémonie organisée à l’hôtel de ville le 24 avril
2002. Bertrand Delanoë, dans un remarquable discours prononcé devant
les Parisiens d’origine arménienne et les amis défendant leur cause,
a parlé de la juste commémoration affectant “la partie arménienne du
peuple de Paris”, se réservant ainsi le droit et le devoir de
commémorer les crimes commis contre d’autres parties de ce peuple,
notamment la partie juive.

J’avoue que c’est au nom de l’indispensable comparaison que je
faisais, que je fais depuis longtemps partie desdits amis. Le mot
“incomparable” est aussi absurde que le mot “impensable”. La Shoah a
été plus horrible, plus systématique encore que le génocide arménien.
Le dire, c’est comparer. Et dire que la peste tue plus que le
choléra, ce n’est pas interdire d’évoquer l’horreur de ce dernier. De
la connaître d’abord, puis de la faire connaître. Aussi ai-je préfacé
deux livres d’ampleur différente. En 1984, l’édition française du
terrible témoignage du pasteur Lepsius paru sous le titre Archives du
génocide arménien, et, en 1996, le grand bilan de Vahakn Dadrian,
Histoire du génocide arménien (Stock).

L’auteur consacre un long chapitre aux responsabilités allemandes. Ce
sont ces responsabilités qui commencent aujourd’hui à faire débat en
Allemagne. Cela à un moment où l’ouverture européenne à la Turquie
entrave la commémoration. Dans le Land de Brandebourg, seul à avoir
introduit l’évocation du massacre dans les programmes scolaires, il
vient d’être décidé de supprimer les passages concernés des livres de
classe. Un cahier spécial du grand hebdomadaire Die Zeit vient de
publier, le 23 mars, les photos du maréchal Colmar von der Goltz,
fort au courant des plans mis à exécution par l’armée turque, et du
général Fritz Bronsart von Schellendorf, chef d’état-major de cette
armée, en guerre aux côtés de l’Allemagne. Celui-ci s’est même occupé
de détails pour que les marches mortelles puissent se dérouler sans
anicroche.

En France, il n’existe aucune raison de ne pas commémorer. Au lieu de
programmer pour la centième fois La vache et le prisonnier ou
Week-end à Zuydcoote, on devrait projeter, du même Henri
Verneuil/Achad Malakian son beau film Mayrig où, en 1991, il
évoquait, sur fond de souffrance passée, l’arrivée de sa famille à
Marseille, avant d’exprimer l’année suivante, dans 558, rue Paradis,
un certain regret d’avoir parfois été infidèle à son identité
arménienne. Une identité qui ne se substitue en aucune façon à la
française. La loi de 2001 a été acceptée à l’unanimité parce que
personne ne voulait s’aliéner l’électorat d’origine arménienne. Ce
n’est pas au nom d’un vote potentiel qu’il convient de commémorer le
24 avril 1905, mais au nom du respect dû précisément à toute
composante de l’identité française, à l’arménienne comme à
l’africaine, à la protestante comme à la juive.

Aucun Turc d’aujourd’hui ne porte la moindre responsabilité
personnelle. Mais, lorsqu’il y a quelques années l’ambassadeur de
France à Ankara m’a demandé si je ne pouvais pas éviter deux “petits
mots” – Arméniens et Kurdes, j’ai accepté et répondu simplement:
“L’Europe communautaire est un ensemble où chacun a le droit de
parler librement des crimes commis par d’autres et a le devoir de
parler de ceux qui ont été commis en son nom à lui.”