Author: Virabian Jhanna

BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS A MOTION TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Armenpress
Mar 30 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: The parliament of Bulgaria turned
down a draft resolution calling for official acknowledgment of the
Armenian genocide and designating April 24 as the day of remembrance
of its victims.

The motion was initiated by a parliament faction of Ataka party
last January. Armenian ambassador to Bulgaria, Sergey Manaserian,
told Armenpress that the Bulgarian parliament is not likely to resume
debates over this issue this year. He said the motion is being strongly
opposed by another parliamentary faction- the Movement for Freedoms
and Rights- which represents ethnic Bulgarian Turks, which is also
a member of the governing coalition.

Another reason that affects the Bulgarian parliament is its active
economic and trade contacts with Turkey. In 2007 Bulgaria is expected
to become EU member and would hardly like to stir up additional
problems with its neighbors or its biggest national minority. The
Armenian ambassador said this April 24 events commemorating the 91-st
anniversary of the genocide will be held in various Bulgarian cities.

STATE SUBSIDIES TO PROMOTE PRODUCTION OF ECOLOGICALLY CLEAN FOODSTUFFS AND GOODS IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 28 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Problems of food and foodstuffs safety
were discussed during the Narch 28 round table held at the Aylntrank
(Alterenative) Research Center. According to the center director,
RA NA deputy Tatul Manaserian, the percentage of citizens that suffer
from malnutrition is below 20% only in Belarus and the Baltic states
from the former Soviet republics. In his words, the use of unfair
competition by the developed countries is one of the reasons that
the agricultural food producers of the countries with a low level
of economic development are being forced out of the international
market. T. Manaserian attached importance to the Armenian agriculture
not only in terms of the high index of employment but also from the
viewpoint of the short terms for fulfilment of the requirements of
the International Labor Organization and the necessity to increase
the competitiveness of Armenian agricultural products. (In 2004,
507.1 thousand people or 46.9% of the total workforce was employed
in agriculture and forestry). RA Deputy Minister of Agriculture Gagik
Khachatrian noted that the ministry is taking steps aimed at bringing
the legislation of the production and import of agricultural production
and foodstuffs sector in line with international standards. He
considered production of ecologically clean foodstuffs and goods as
perspective for the development of Armenia’s agriculture, noting
that state subsidies will be used for this purpose. In addition,
50 mln dollars of the donor organizations have been used in order
to develop the Armenian agriculture and agricultural processing
spheres. Roza Tsarukian, Chairwoman of the Multi Agro company,
presented the company’s activities to produce ecologically pure honey
with the assistance of the RA Ministry of Agriculture.

ASSEMBLY WELCOMES SENATE LEGISLATION OPPOSING RAILROAD THAT BYPASSES ARMENIA

ArmRadio.am
29.03.2006 10:37

As Armenian Assembly activists stormed Capitol Hill to promote
community concerns to over 80 congressional offices, Senators Rick
Santorum and Robert Menendez introduced a major bill (S. 2461)
in the US Senate that would bar assistance for a proposed $800
million railway that would connect Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey
whilebypassing Armenia.

The legislation, known as the South Caucasus Integration and Open
Railroads Act, was introduced shortly after participants of the
Assembly’s National Conference met with senior staff representing
Senators Santorum and Menendez – both longtime supporters of Armenian
issues. The three-day National Conference was co-hosted by the AGBU
and Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church.

“United States policy in the South Caucasus seeks to foster regional
stability and enhanced cooperation, and includes open borders and
transport corridors,” Santorum told the Assembly. “The proposed rail
link would not only undermine US long-term goals for the region, but
serves to isolate Armenia. Efforts to foster economic integration and
reduce the risk of further tensions are in the best interests of the
United States and the South Caucasus.”

Menendez, echoing Santorum, added that “the sole aim of this costly
project is to further isolate Armenia by enhancing the ongoing Turkish
and Azerbaijani blockades. I look forward to working with my colleagues
in the Senate and members of the Armenian-American community to block
US financial support of this rail project.”

CHILDREN’S FILM FEST BEGINS THIS WEEKEND

Oregon Coast Beach Connection, Oregon
March 26 2006

(Portland, Oregon) – The Lil’ Longbaugh International Film Festival for
KIDS begins this weekend, celebrating the spirit, wit, and intrinsic
goodness of children. The 2006 Lil’ Longbaugh International Film
Festival features global cinema created for and by children from
Japan, Norway, Mexico, Argentina, England, Serbia-Montenegro, Armenia,
Belgium, Australia and homegrown masterpieces from Oregon.

Lil’ Longbaugh is the little brother of Willamette Week’s Longbaugh
Film Festival.

The festival began today at the Portland Children’s Museum, with a
screening of the best of the 2005 festival.

The rest of the schedule:

Monday March 27th Portland Children’s Museum 1 p.m. Editing Workshop A
part of the “These Are the People in Your Neighborhood” spring break
program, the young Hitchcocks in your household cut, draw and edit
footage. Registration is limited and free with museum admission.

Friday April 7th Kennedy School 3:30 p.m. Screening: Muslim Boarders,
The Children’s March – Documentaries of empowered young people
educating an often misguided world. Inspiring cinema for middle and
high school students.

Saturday April 8th Kennedy School 10 a.m. Screening: A Tribute to
Sisbro Edventures – Wildlife filmmakers Laura and Rob Sams present
animal films of grizzly bears, and the crazy raccoon Fernando
Hernandafandavez.

Noon Screening: Shorts for Youngsters – International shorts for
preschoolers!

1:30 p.m. Screening: Family Screening – A collection of shorts for
everyone and special showing of Laika Entertainment’s Moongirl,
with guest animator.

3 p.m. Screening: Legacy of Rosa Parks – Community leaders join in
this poignant screening followed by a discussion.

Sunday, April 9th Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium Noon
Screening: KID films from Estonia! Obscure? Yes. Funny? You bet!

Animated shorts spanning pre and post-communist control in a little
county big in animated talent. It wouldn’t really be a festival
without great music. Captain Bogg and Salty rock out with shanties
of pirate adventures. Proceeds from both programs go to support the
NW Film Center’s Young Filmmaker Program.

Mission Theater 3 p.m. Screening: Young Adult Showcase – Independent
films for like-minded minors.

Lil’ Longbaugh is hosted by Indiekid Films, folks who believe that
everyone around the world, regardless of age, should see and create
great movies. Take it to the street little people!

A full roster Lil’ Longbaugh films is on their website,

GUGARATS DIOCESE PRIMATE PERSUADES NOT TO CEDE TO PROVOKATING EVENTS
STORMING PUBLIC LIFE AND WANTING TO DISRUPT NATION

VANADZOR, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “During the last
days, leaflets including threats with the Fascist swastika were spread
in the capital of the republic and in Vanadzor. The Armenian Church
and the Armenian people will never tolerate to turn our small
Fatherland into a stage of interreligious or interethnic or other,
arisen on the religious ground, violences by villain agents,” is said
in the persuation of Bishop Sepuh Chuljian, the primate of the
Gugarats Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church the text of which
was submitted to Noyan Tapan by the diocesan services. His Holiness
himself has doubts that organizers of this provokation are from
Armenia. “Our people has tolerated the ethnic and religious minorities
for centuries, and the Church has showed fatherly attitude towards
them and often by a careful attitude of an advisor and guardian, has
undertaken a conciliatory role during both party and religious
misunderstandings,” His Holiness Sepuh writes. The primate of the
Gugarats Diocese emphasizes that for every Armenian considering
himself Armenian both in Armenia and in the Diaspora, the Armenian
Church is a holy structure uniting the Armenian people, irrespective
of his party ideology or religious position: an atheist or
believer. “Display of the spirit of intolerance with similar threats
by religious movements having no relations with our national life, who
attempts to obstacle our spiritual and national peaceful and joint
life, driving a wedge in the affair of improvement of our statehood,
is inadmissible and unpardonable for us. Especially in the case, when
our newly independent republic attempts with great difficulties to
confront various social-economic and political difficulties,” His
Holiness Sepuh says. He expresses an opinion that re-working out of
the law “On Human Rights and Freedom of Conscience” and its being
improved by corresponding legislative, sub-legislative and normative
acts and usage, by what similar negative events will be excluded, is
more than ever urgent today. “Dear Armenians, I fatherly persuade you
not to cede to provokating events storming our public life and wanting
to disrupt the nation, which are unequivocally headed by dark forces
of outside, making an attempt to put in Armenia and to pull our
Fatherland as well into the vortex of defamed and failed “coloured
revolutions,” the primate of the Gugarats Diocese writes.

Armenia at the crossroads of the collision of civilizations

ArmRadio
24.03.2006 17:00

Philosopher Ashot Voskanyan and culture expert Hrach Bayadyan tried to
explain today which is Armenia’s role and place at the crossroads of
the collision of civilizations. People often talk about Western
values, however it is not clarified which are these European or
Western values.

The world is gradually becoming universal, however, in this
universality there are differences. Before there were socialistic and
capitalistic systems, and Armenia knew where it belonged.

Today the question is about Western or Eastern values. Collision of
civilizations occurs everywhere. Being a homogeneous country, Armenia
does not have any idea about the co-existence of diverse
cultures. Although Hrach Bayadyan considers that the time is near when
this will be understood in our country as well.

According to Hrach Bayadyan, the West is just the outburst of the
East, that is to say that the roots of the Western civilization go
much farther.

In the worlds of Ashot Voskanyan, when we say Europe, we often
understand Christianity; however, according to him, it is
enlightenment.

Ashot Voskanyan is convinced that Armenians should apply the Western
outlook in order to have the issues be resolved more easily, since the
Eastern way of thinking is more emotional.

There is, however, another question here: we have an undeveloped
society and we should not forget that for a ling time we have not even
had society. Here Hrach Bayadyan attaches importance to the role of
the intellectual class, which, unfortunately, does not exist in
Armenia.

Serj Sarkisian embezzled state’s $650.000 dollars

/APA/
[ 22 Mar. 2006 19:43 ]

Armenia’s defense minister Serj Sarkisian’s abnormal way of life, his
appointing unprofessional persons from Azerbaijan’s Nagorno Garabagh
province increased dissatisfaction in the professional staff of the
Armenian defense ministry (APA).

The defense ministry officer named Martiros Avakyan (Armenian press
writes this name is unconfirmed) told Armenian media that Serj
Sarkisian spends all nights in gambling casinos in Yerevan, and he
even takes immoral women he keeps under impact of narcotic drugs to
the administrative building of the defense ministry.

The minister, who is usually in hangover, goes to work afternoon and
stay only for few hours in the office. The Armenian officer also
announced that Sarkisian embezzled the state property. He said that
Sarkisian misappropriated $250 thousand, which was collected by Syrian
Armenians by head of Armenian bishopric in Damascus, Archbishop Gnel
Jerejyan and transferred to the defense ministry. In addition,
Armenian defense minister embezzled $400 thousand, which was presented
by Egia Kilagbyan on behalf of Armenian mkhitarist (religion man)
order in St.Lazarus Island, Italy.

The Armenian officer also said Sarkisian invested the corrupt
allocations as capitals outside Armenia. According to him, Sarkisian
together with a businessman named Gena, who is from Aghjakand
(Shaumyan) region of Nagorno Garabagh, built a trade center `Erevan
Plaza’ in the center of Moscow. The Armenia’s defense ministry
officers explain Sarkisian’s investing capitals outside the country by
his being sure that he will be dismissed from his post soon./APA/

HOVHANNISYAN: PROPERTY FOR DEBT PRINCIPLE CANNOT BE WELCOMED

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2006 23:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If Russia cannot or does not want owing to some
reasons to run enterprises Armenia gave it for paying off the state
debt, it can privatize these, Armenian NA Vice-Speaker, Co-Chair of
the Armenian-Russian Interparliamentary Commission Vahan Hovhannisyan
said. “The fact itself that Russia followed the principle of Property
for Debt cannot be welcomed. Many countries owe Russia more but Russia
could not forgive Armenia $100 million,” he said.

In Hovhannisyan’s words, the Armenian party has proposed an interesting
plan for running the enterprises. “Russia can present it to Russian
businessmen and then real money will arrive at the Russian treasury. A
subcommittee is already formed to provide for effective work of those
enterprises. Its first session adopted the plan of priority measures.

We hope for serious investment and reconstruction of those enterprises,
as well as running them finally,” Vahan Hovhannisyan underscored.

Shares of Armenian enterprises totaling $93 million were conveyed to
Russia in 2002. These are Mars CJSC ($56.29 million), Yerevan Research
Institute of Automated Management Systems CJSC ($3.37 million), Yerevan
Research Institute of Mathematical Machines CJSC ($2.75 million),
Yerevan Research Institute of Science of Materials CJSC ($0.35
million), and property of the Hrazdan heat power plant ($31 million).

NKR PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENTARIANS DISCUSS ISSUES REGARDING INCREASE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTION OF VARIOUS BRANCHES OF POWER

Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2006

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 18, President of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghoukassian had a meeting with
leaders of factions and groups of the NKR National Assembly on their
request. According to NKR Foreign Ministry Information-Analytical
Department, wide range of issues related to the activity of the
Karabakh Parliament, improvement of its legislative activity, increase
of effectiveness of interaction of various branches of authorities,
a number of other current issues including the coming parliamentary
hearings on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement were discussed
at the meeting in which NA Chairman Ashot Ghoulian, Secretary of
the Security Council, Chief of Staff of the President’s Office
Karen Babourian and Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgy Petrossian
participated.

RECURRENT SITTING OF CONSTITUTION COMMISSION HELD IN STEPANAKERT

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 17 2006

March 16 a recurrent sitting of the Constitution Commission headed
by the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) President Arkady Ghoukasyan
was held.

According to the information De Facto received at the NKR President’s
Administration, discussion of two chapters of the Constitution draft
had taken place in the course of the sitting.

By the Arkady Ghoukasyan’s proposal, the expert group formed of
professional lawyers was delegated to study notes and suggestions
made at the discussion and to prepare conclusions on the basis. The
NKR President stated the NKR future constitution must correspond to
the internationally recognized criteria.

Arkady Ghoukasyan charged the working group to prepare and place for
consideration a schedule of the Constitution Commission’s further
works.