Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Noyemberian regional hospital under repair

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The Noyemberian regional hospital
in Tavush marz is being repaired with co-financing of the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund’s local bodies of Germany, Switzerland, Australia
and Lebanon. According to information submitted by the Fund, major
repairs are being carried out with the proceeds from a concert given
in Cologne, Germany and also with part of the money raised during the
Telethon 2009. The Union of Armenian Doctors and Medical Workers in
Germany will donate medical equipment to the hospital.

Despite its current poor state, the hospital continues to provide
services to residents of the region and Lori marz as well. About 1,400
citizens receive medical services in the hospital a year. Only part of
the hospital is now being repaired so that the other units, in
particular the maternity home and the surgery unit, can continue
functioning.

Repairs of the roof, the construction of an elevator well, and the
installation of metal-plastic windows have been completed. Repairs of
power supply, heating and air conditioning systems, tiling work, and
decoration of walls and ceilings is underway.

EC to provide 100 million euros of macroeconomic assistance to Armenia
10.12.2009 17:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Recently, Brussels hosted political consultations
between Armenia and the European Committee.

Armenian delegation was led by the head of Armenia representation in
EC, Ambassador Avet Adonts and EC delegation – by Political and
Security Committee Ambassador Olof Skoog.

As RA Foreign Ministry reported, the parties discussed a number of
issues on Armenia – EC political collaboration and world crisis
consequences.

To overcome crisis, the European Commission has proposed providing 100
million euros ($149.2 million) of macroeconomic assistance to Armenia.

The aid to Armenia – a loan of up to 65 million euros and a grant of
up to 35 million euros – would support an adjustment program agreed
with the International Monetary Fund to help the country through the
global crisis, the Commission said.

In 2010, EC representatives will visit Yerevan to discuss
collaboration memorandum to be concluded.

DEPUTIES COMPLAIN OF THEIR SALARIES

/10/parlament
10/12/09

Armenian parliamentarians do not expect to get a Christmas bonus or
the so-called "13th salary" this year. They say their monthly salary
of 300 000 drams is not enough to do Christmas shopping.

"Bonuses (which are usually equal to a deputy’s salary) are given by
a decision of the NA Speaker. I don’t know whether anything has been
planned for this year or not," said freelance MP Victor Dallakyan.

Republican MP Arman Sahakyan said deputies hadn’t received the bonus
the previous year either.

Asked whether his salary is enough for New Year expenses, Mr. Sahakyan
replied, "I usually see New Year in with my family in somewhere in
Armenia. If you have a look at Yerevan shops and supermarkets, I think
you will be convinced that people are able to afford everything with
their salary. The huge amount of goods makes me think in this way."

On the other hand, the Republican parliamentary underlined that
salaries in Armenia are not enough to lead a normal life.

"Then how does a Republican MP live on a salary?" A1+ observed.

"I just have a cultural business and run a studio -"Ardeni".

Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan also spends the
holiday in Armenia. He is not content with his salary either. "Since we
are a traditional family we always lay a big table full of different
Armenian dishes. Many people call on us on holidays. My best gift of
the year was my second child," said Mr. Ashotyan.

By the way, the Ministry has economized money to give its employees
the 13th salary.

US CONGRESS ASSENTS $41 MILLION FOR ARMENIA, $8 MILLION FOR NKR

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.12.2009 11:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. House and Senate Wednesday agreed upon a
far-reaching Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) spending measure that includes a
$41 million economic aid package for Armenia, $8 million for "programs
and activities" in Nagorno Karabakh, and parity in Foreign Military
Financing for Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

These figures were determined by a conference committee, comprised
of House and Senate appropriators tasked with reconciling the two
versions of the FY10 foreign aid bill.

The House measure, overseen by the State-Foreign Operations
Subcommittee Chair Nita Lowey, included a $48 million allocation for
Armenia, $10 for Nagorno Karabakh, and across-the-board parity in
military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Senate version, presided over by the State- Foreign Operations
Subcommittee Chair Patrick Leahy, set aside just $30 million for
Armenia, the figure proposed in President Obama’s budget, and did not
include any figures for either aid to Nagorno Karabakh or military
aid to Yerevan and Baku.

The President’s low aid request for Armenia – which represented a
dramatic 39% cut from the previous year, stood in stark contrast to
his campaign pledge to maintain aid levels and to foster the growth
and development of Armenia. Congress also rolled back President Obama’s
request to reverse the long-established policy of maintaining military
parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of Foreign Military
Financing. No figures were included in the Conference Report regarding
International Military Education and Training.

"We want to thank all our friends, among them Chairwoman Lowey, Adam
Schiff, Mark Kirk, Steve Rothman, Jesse Jackson, Steve Israel, and
Frank Lobiondo, for restoring $11 million of the $18 million reduction
in aid to Armenia proposed by the Obama-Biden Administration, and also
for setting, for the first time, unrestricted aid to Nagorno Karabakh
at $8 million," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

"While we remain troubled by the overall decrease in support for
Armenia, which is now down to nearly half of what was appropriated
just three years ago, we are pleased that military parity in Foreign
Military Financing to Armenia and Azerbaijan has been maintained,
and that the Committee’s traditional description of aid to Nagorno
Karabakh as ‘humanitarian’ has been removed, reflecting a growing
appreciation among legislators of the need to implement development
programs with these funds."

The Conference Report includes language, added, by all accounts,
at the urging of legislators concerned about Azerbaijan’s escalating
war rhetoric, calling upon "all parties to the conflict to refrain
from threats of violence and the use of inflammatory rhetoric."

The report also notes the expectation of Congressional appropriators
that the Administration must continue to certify that aid to Azerbaijan
will not undermine a peaceful settlement to the Karabakh conflict nor
be used for offensive purposes against Armenia before it can waive
Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

In the months leading up to Wednesday’s decision, the Armenian
Caucus, in a series of letters and meetings, called for Senate and
House Appropriation Committee leaders to maintain $48 million in
U.S. assistance to Armenia, to increase aid to Nagorno Karabakh,
and to continue military assistance parity to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In an October 26th letter to the Chairs and Ranking Republicans
of the Senate and House foreign aid subcommittees, several dozen
Caucus members reinforced these points, stressing that, "Armenia’s
cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts and its deployment of forces
to both Iraq and Kosovo are pivotal to U.S. interests. Armenia has
entered into a NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and has
worked closely with both NATO and the Defense Department on a range
of bilateral and multilateral agreements, joint training programs,
and military exercises."

EU PROPOSES TWO-CAPITAL JERUSALEM

BBC NEWS
iddle_east/8401913.stm
2009/12/08 15:52:28 GMT

European Union ministers have called for Jerusalem to serve as the
capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state as part of a
negotiated peace.

The foreign ministers dropped an earlier reference stating explicitly
that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a Palestinian state.

Palestinians welcomed the statement. Israel said it contained
"nothing new".

Jerusalem’s status is one of the most sensitive and complex issues
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through
negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital
of two states," the statement from EU foreign minsters said.

"The EU will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders
including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the
parties."

ANALYSIS Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor The EU is trying to
strengthen Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. One EU diplomatic source
said that they wanted to give him "a ladder to climb down" to allow
him to get back to negotiations.

The EU has said before that occupied East Jerusalem should be the
capital of a Palestinian state, though never, EU diplomatic sources
say, in this forum.

What is most important about the latest statement is its timing. Hopes
that President Obama would be able to make quick progress towards a
peace based on Palestinian independence alongside Israel have been
badly dented.

The EU, along with the US and others, is concerned that a diplomatic
standstill plays into the hands of extremists and will encourage a
build up of tension leading to more violence in Jerusalem, Gaza and
on Israel’s border with Lebanon.

Israel, which captured the West Bank in 1967, currently claims
sovereignty over the entire city, and claims it as its capital.

Its government welcomed what it called the "balancing and improving"
of the EU text, but said it ignored "the primary obstacle to achieving
a resolution between Israel and the Palestinians: the Palestinian
refusal to return to the negotiating table".

"Israel regrets that the EU has chosen to adopt a text that,
although containing nothing new, does not contribute to the renewal
of negotiations," it said.

Rafik Alhussieni, chief of staff to Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, said: "The statement as a whole is satisfactory because it
says that Jerusalem should be the capital of both states and because
it refers to the land as occupied land… and mentions that the
settlements are illegal and built on occupied land."

On Monday, scores of Palestinians had protested at the French
and Swedish consulates in Jerusalem in support of the Swedish EU
presidency’s proposal for an explicit reference on the east of the
city, AFP news agency reported.

" The Council is deeply concerned about the situation in East
Jerusalem… It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all
discriminatory treatment of Palestinians " EU Foreign Affairs Council

Israeli claims of sovereignty over Jerusalem are not recognised
internationally, and East Jerusalem is considered to be occupied
territory.

Palestinians hope to establish the capital of their future state in
East Jerusalem.

"The Council is deeply concerned about the situation in East
Jerusalem," the statement from EU foreign ministers said.

"In view of recent incidents, it calls on all parties to refrain from
provocative actions.

"It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all discriminatory
treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem."

The ministers said a recent Israeli decision to restrict the growth
of settlements in the occupied West Bank – though not including East
Jerusalem – was "a first step in the right direction".

But they also stressed that "settlements, the separation barrier
where built on occupied land, demolition of homes and evictions are
illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and
threaten to make a two-state solution impossible".

The Palestinian Authority has demanded that all construction is halted
before it will again attend peace talks.

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

Chef Sarkis Takvoryan
Volunteers To Cook For Dickranian School Students

Los Angeles, December 8, 2009 – Monday December the 7th’s luncheon menu at
TCA Arshag Dickranian School was a special treat for the students,
teachers and staff. It was a pleasant sight seeing students from Pre-K to
12th grade lined up at the kitchen counter of the Walter and Laurel
Karabian Hall to be served the Philly Steak Sandwich deliciously prepared
by the visiting young chef Sarkis Takvoryan, who attended Dickranian
School.

This was Sarkis’s second visit to cook at the TCA Arshag Dickranian
School. `The PTO kitchen committee members work tirelessly preparing and
serving the daily lunches for the students. I decided to volunteer
cooking for them because I would like to give something back to this
school,’ said chef Takvoryan, `I also wanted to be a role model for the
students and perhaps encourage some of them to pursue exploring the art of
cooking.’

Having found his niche in cooking after completing 11th grade at ADS,
Takvoryan enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu Paris culinary school and completed
the program within a year specializing in French, Italian and Middle
Eastern cuisines. At present he works at the Marquis Restaurant in
Glendale, California, where he plans having his own `finger food’ lounge.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. For more information visit

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ART EXHIBIT AND FILM SCREENING IN YEREVAN

Tert.am
04.12.09

On November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of
Violence against Women, the Women’s Resource Center in Yerevan joined
organizations around the world to raise awareness about the issue of
gender-based violence.

In the framework of 16 days of activism to end violence against women,
38 artists and activists decided to break the silence on this issue
and participated in a collective exhibition organized by the Center.

The opening of a collective exhibition of 38 artists and activists
within the framework of 16 days of activism to end gender violence
will take place on December 5, 2009 at 5pm, on the second floor of
Moscow Cinema. It will be followed by a screening of a series of
short films on violence.

The program for the opening:

5pm – Exhibition 6pm – opening remarks: Gohar Shahnazaryan and Lara
Aharonian – WRCA Ms. Anahit Bakhshyan – Member of National Assembly
Ms. Marie Yovanovitch – American Ambassador to Armenia

6:30 – screening of films:

-Women on the front line /find a word for it/ congo, UNFPA , 2007,
22 min., Armenian with English subtitles.

-Silence, Deniz Ceyhan Arman, 2007, 9 min., Turkey.

-Zone of silence, Mariam Ohanyan, 2009, 16 min, Arm. with Eng. sub.

-Marital rape, Carole Rousopoulos, 30 min, French with Arm subtitles.

-Women on the front line /Showing the red card/ Austria, UNFPA, 2007,
22 min, Arm. with English subtitles

The exhibition and film screenings will continue until December
7, 2009.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia,
and IREX have partnered with the Women’s Resource Center in Yerevan
for this event.

TURKEY MUST KEEP PROMISES TO AZERBAIJAN: TURKISH OFFICIAL

Trend
Dec 2 2009
Azerbaijan

Leader of the Turkish Grand Unity Party Yalchin Topchu believes
Turkey should keep promises to Azerbaijan and not open the borders
with Armenia until the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved.

"Turkey must keep its promises and not to disclose the Turkish-Armenian
borders until the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is resolved," Topchu
told Trend News over the telephone.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit U.S Dec.7.

During his visit, the minister will mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and the Turkish-Armenian protocols with U.S President Barack Obama.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Turkey and Armenia in the talks mediated by Switzerland reached an
agreement to launch "internal political consultations" on Aug. 31
to sign the "Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
and Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations," the Turkish
Foreign Ministry reported.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken due
to Armenia’s claims of an alleged genocide, and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. The border between them has been broken since 1993.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

If Armenia seriously wants peace, the country should prove this
and withdrew its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories
unconditionally, he added.

POLITICAL PRISONERS’ PROTECTION DEMONSTRATION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

news.am
Dec 1 2009
Armenia

RA committee for the Protection of Political Prisoners organizes a
demonstration to say unanimous "No" to injustice and illegality on
Human Rights Day — December 10, at 1 P.M near Saryan monument.

On this occasion the Committee spread a statement that reads: "Despite
all challenges Armenia faces each day, human rights organizations,
numerous alerts by individuals and diffused public opinion, the gang
that seized the power does its utmost to hinder the country’s return
to democracy.

Today too our friends who fought for free and democratic Armenia
serve their time in prison. And we have to admit that our dreamed
independent Armenia because of our drift made it a jail where we
are deprived of a just trial, elect and be elected, free information
obtaining and spreading rights.

It’s evident that without a persistent struggle our relinquished
rights will not be restored, and we do not want our children to live
in a jail, so let’s fight now and always."

The protestors will demand immediate release of political prisoners
and punishment of March 1, 2008 organizers.

YEREVAN HOSTS LAST EVENT DEDICATED TO TUMANYAN’S 140TH ANNIVERSARY

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.12.2009 19:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic
Theatre is hosting the last among celebratory event series dedicated
to great Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan’s 140th anniversary.

Fragments of Tumanyan’s works, acted out by RA People’s Artist Sos
Sargsyan, passages from Almast opera and dancing performances were
already presented.

The concert will also feature the Symphonic Orchestra and National
Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, led by RA People’s Artist Yuriy
Davdyan and RA Honored Artist Karen Sargsyan.