Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

ARMENIAN AMERICANS AWAITING SECRETARY OF STATE APPOINTMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2008 14:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Americans are awaiting appointment of
the Secretary of State, who will determine the U.S. foreign policy,
a source in the Armenian diaspora in Washington told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.

"If Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State, she will do everything
her husband says," the source said.

"Obama seemed more sincere when pledging to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. The Armenian community believed him. We should not forget
that Mrs. Clinton paid a visit to Turkey as a presidential candidate
and there were rumors that some Turkish lobbying organizations
sponsored her election campaign," it said.

As reported by The Guardian, Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job
of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out
to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country’s dominant voice
in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected
senator for New York, she has specialized in foreign affairs and
defense. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama
basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

Former US president Bill Clinton said that his wife Hillary will be a
"great secretary of state."

KAZIMIROV: MOSCOW DECLARATION PHENOMENAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.11.2008 18:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It’s saddening that nothing was done to build
confidence between the sides, specifically in Azerbaijan, a Russian
diplomat told a news conference in Yerevan today.

"The Moscow declaration is phenomenal in this respect. Three Presidents
signed a document envisaging peaceful and political resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict," said Vladimir Kazimirov former Co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group.

"A similar document was signed in Tehran on May 7, 1992. But Shushi
was liberated on May 9 and the document proved useless," he 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: nian.htm

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I COMMENDS THE 90-YEAR SERVICE OF H.M.E.M.

The 90th anniversary of HMEM was marked in an official event on November 14
in the hall of the "Emil Lahoud" cultural complex. The spiritual leaders of
the three Armenian religious denominations, government officials and a large
crowd attended the event, which was held under the auspices of His Holiness
Aram I.

In his pontifical message, His Holiness upheld the defining aspects of HMEM’s
mission and the educational purposes the organization aims to. He noted that
HMEM’s strength rests in its ability to bring together all the classes and
layers of society, assuring that the spirit, faith, willpower and vision of
HMEM shape its identity and uniqueness.

The Pontiff assured that during the 90 years of its existence, the
organization became an intellectual-spiritual school, where our nation’s
dreams became reality. He observed that the organization remained a powerful
presence in our nation’s life; it acted without speaking, providing the best
example of self-sacrifice.

His Holiness said that HMEM has a 90 year old capital, gained through
dedication and with difficult, adding that this capital should be enhanced
through the same spirit of service.

"HMEM is 90 years old, but has not become old; it always remains young. With
renewed will, walk ahead HMEM, ahead immortals of a martyred nation, towards
victory," concluded His Holiness quoting from the organization’s Alma
Matter.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos328.htm
*****
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.

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: "ADOPTION OF THE MOSCOW DECLARATION ON THE KARABAKH ISSUE BY THE PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA IS A BIG STEP FORWARD"

Today.Az
olitics/49024.html
Nov 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said he sees the prospects of
the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"Certainly, this way requires time. It is quite long. There is a
light. And I see the light in that both presidents confirmed their
readiness and intention to continue meeting on the high level, which
they did for the first time through 14 years in a form of the document,
they undersigned", said Russian Foreign Minister in his interview to
Ekho Moskvy radio station.

He said this occurred for the first time from the moment of "completion
of the hot phase of the conflict".

"Second, the Moscow declaration contains definite instructions of
President Aliyev and President Sargsyan to their foreign ministers
to intensify work on the search of compromises. Third, they fix the
very fact of existence of the Madrid document, which the co-chairs
transferred to the sides a ear ago and now registered in OSCE",
noted the Minister.

Lavrov attaches special importance to the fact that the "Armenian
and Azerbaijani parties fixed existence of this document and work
consider it on the level of the presidents".

"Each side has its own claim towards the Madrid documents, especially
to the parts, fixing the compromise vision of the settlement of
the remaining differences on three-four issues. But the fact that
both parties fixed existence of a document and readiness to work
considering it is a big step forward", said Lavrov stressing the need
for the participation and cooperation of Russia, United States and
France in this issue.

"Most our partners in the West had suspicions that Russia tries to
create a new format but we do not even think about it, we value the
trilateral format", said he.

"Russia, USA and France to do have tactical discrepancies, work in
the same direction and push the parties towards the agreement. The
Moscow declaration fixes the preserved importance of this mechanism
and it should be used", said Lavrov.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
15 Nov 08
Armenia

`Some believe morality has nothing to do with market relations. It is a
very defective approach. Moral norms must dominate in state policy.
Which means the policy of the state must be anchored on moral norms.

Had the countries like ours adopted the most important principle of
social-democracy 15-20 years back, which is – free market, as much as
it is possible, state regulation, as much as it is required, we would
have never appeared in this situation. The state shouldn’t have missed
all the levers, it should have tried to regulate rather than manage the
market. Unfortunately they didn’t do that and nothing has changed at
the moment.

They say you reap what you sow, you usually get the response of the
system you have established,’ Aram Sargsyan says.

GOVERNMENT TAKES OVER XENOPHOBIC HATE CAMPAIGN FROM EXTREMIST GROUPS
By Yuri Zarakhovich

Eurasia Daily Monitor
Nov 14 2008
DC

A 2007 attack by Russian neo-Nazis is recorded on video (Der Spiegel)
The November 5 election of Barack Obama marked an historical watershed
to many in the United States and elsewhere in the world, culminating
decades of civil rights efforts and the fight against racism and
encouraging new hopes for the recovery of the American dream.

A day earlier, on November 4, Russian neo-Nazi skinheads
fatally stabbed an ethnic Uzbek in Moscow and badly
knifed another in a racially motivated attack in Moscow
( l). Also
on November 4 participants of the nationalist "Russian
March" in downtown Moscow badly beat up a Turkmen diplomat
() .

Racially-motivated attacks are increasing with frightening speed and
violence.. In 2007 Russian neo-Nazis and other nationalist groups
killed 73 and beat up 580 people in attacks against non-Russian
minorities.

By November 5 of this year, 81 had been killed and 320 wounded in
xenophobic attacks according to the SOVA Analytic Center, which
monitors neo-Nazi and other nationalist crimes in Russia, reported.

SOVA’s deputy director Galina Kozhevnikova told the Eurasia Daily
Monitor on November 12 that although the number of such attacks might
have decreased, they have obviously become far more violent. SOVA
estimated the number of attacks from January 1 through November 5 as
"somewhere around 700." At the same time, Kozhevnikova believes that
many more such attacks go unreported, while the attackers and the
police seek to present the reported ones as mere hooliganism rather
than racist assaults.

Russian courts are reluctant to establish the true nature of such
beatings and murders, citing the lack of professional expert
witnesses. Indeed, just a handful of such experts exist in the
country, and their work is extremely dangerous. Nikolai Girenko, the
most skillful and principled of such experts, was shot dead through
the door of his apartment in St. Petersburg on June 19, 2004, as he
identified himself to the killers. Russian investigators believe that
his murderers belonged to St. Petersburg’s notorious neo-Nazi group led
by Dmitry Borovikov ().

According to a poll taken by the VTSIOM sociological center on June
1, 68 percent of Russians (75 percent in Moscow and St. Petersburg)
view ethnic immigration into Russia as a negative phenomenon
( ss-vypusk/single/10274.html).

Novaya Gazeta, a Moscow-based liberal biweekly, wrote on March 3
that 55 percent of Russians supported the nationalist "Russia for
the Russians" slogan ().

Mass clashes between ethnic Russians and ethnic minorities have, in
fact, been common for some time. The following are just a few examples:

–On April 21, 2001, some 200 Russian extremists staged a pogrom
at the Moscow Yasenevo metro station and badly beat at least
10 Azeris. In March 2005 some 200 Cossacks destroyed Armenian
shops and cafes in the littoral Black Sea city of Novorossiysk
( _2.html#1).

–From August 3 through September 3, 2006, there were mass clashes
between ethnic Russians and Chechens in the northern Russian town of
Kondopoga ().

–A bomb set off by a Russian nationalist at Moscow’s Cherkizovo
market on August 21, 2006, killed 12 and wounded more than 40
().

–Some 300 Russians and people from the Caucasus clashed on May 24,
2007, in the Southern Russian city of Stavropol. At least one person
was killed in the clash, and the police had to use arms to disperse
the crowds ().

— On June 8, 2008, four Russian nationalist groups, including
the most notorious Movement against Illegal Immigration (DPNI)
united into a single movement to fight ethnic minorities
( /).

–On November 10, 2008, up to 70 Russians and immigrants from the
Caucasus clashed violently in the Moscow suburb of Solnechnogorsk. Both
sides used firearms, knives, and iron clubs, leaving seven people
badly wounded. In September a similar melee with Uzbek immigrants
had left two dead ().

Ost ensibly, the state has finally started paying attention
to the nationalist menace. On November 10 Vladimir Markin
of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor’ General’s
Office stated, "Growth of extremist crimes remains stable"
( 2878759.shtml). Galina
Kozhevnikova, however, sees here a certain rivalry on the part of
the state, which is now eagerly trying to assume nationalist slogans
for its own use. Kozhevnikova points out that on November 4 the Young
Guards Youth Movement (MGER) of the ruling United Russia party led by
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a cooperation agreement with the
Mestnye (Locals), another pro-Kremlin group, "on actions and other
measures to oppose illegal immigration." MGER and Mestnye are taking
an active part in the anti-immigrant campaign now unfolding in Russia
().

As the economic crisis hits Russia ever harder, xenophobia and hate
crimes are certain to be on the rise, she believes, and will be used
by the government to help keep control and divert potential social
unrest onto immigrants and other ethnic minorities.

ARMENIAN ECONOMY MINISTRY: DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES WITHOUT E-CONTENT MAY BE DANGEROUS FOR ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2008-11-14 15:42:00

ArmInfo. Development of information technologies without e-content
may be dangerous for Armenia, Head of Information Technologies Office,
Armenian Economy Ministry, Zhenya Azizyan told media Friday. She said
that e-content is an integral part of national identity that needs
special care at present.

‘Now many people in the world including in Armenia familiarize with
culture through Internet. That is why, it has become a task of the
state importance to present the Armenian culture in Internet’, she
said. For this purpose, the Government of Armenia made a decision to
render financial assistance to the 3rd All Armenian E-Content Contest
to be held in Armenia in November-December.

To reaffirm the serious approach of the Government to the issue,
Zhenya Azizyan highlighted that the Government approved 5 million
drams for organization of two additional events: E-Content Contest
and UN Global Information Forum where the e-content was discussed much.

OSCE MG EYE MOSCOW DECLARATION AS OPPORTUNITY TO RESOLVE KARABAKH CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2008 18:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group eye the Moscow
declaration as an opportunity to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

However, U.S. mediator Matt Bryza said it’s premature to speak of
deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone yet.

"We should complete the work at the base principles and then consider
the possibility of deploying peacekeepers," he said, adding that the
MG format is supported by Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and
will not be changed, Azeri media reports.

During the November 2 meeting, the Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of
Russia, Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
pledged to intensify negotiations to end the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The declaration envisages resolution of the conflict on the basis of
principles and norms of the international law as well as agreements
and documents concluded in this framework.

Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev also instructed their foreign
ministers to activate the negotiation process, in collaboration with
the co-chairs of the OSCE’s Minsk Group.

ON 13 NOVEMBER PRESIDENT OF THE NKR PARTOOK AT A SOLEMN…

Azat Artsakh Daily
14 Nov 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]

On 13 November President of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Bako
Sahakyan partook at a solemn ceremony of reopening a section of
Republican children’s hospital in capital Stepanakert that has
gone through general overhaul. The reconstruction activities were
financed by Andrei Rappoport, chairman of the board of directors of
the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System open joint-stock
company. Head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan and other officials were present at the
ceremony. On the same day a solemn ceremony dedicated to the reopening
of the children’s hospital took place at the Officer’s Palace in
capital Stepanakert. President of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Bako
Sahakyan partook at the ceremony. The Head of the State presented NKR
state awards to the following philanthropists who contributed to the
reconstruction of the hospital: Andrei Rappoport, chairman of the board
of directors of the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System
open joint-stock company, founder of the Russian Jewish Congress;
Karen Karapetyan, chairman of the board of directors and director
general of the Armrusgazart closed joint-stock company; Mels Hakobyan,
director general of the Intern ational Energy Corporation.

ZAHID ORUC: "IT IS INCORRECT TO REGARD DECISION ABOUT IRAQ AS PART OF AZERBAIJAN’S POLICY OF OVERALL REJECTION OF INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING MISSION"

Today.Az
olitics/48888.html
Nov 11 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with Zahid Oruc, deputy of Milli Medjlis, member of
the standing parliamentary commission on security and defense.

– On Monday the parliamentary commission on issues of defense and
security discussed prospects of complete withdrawal of Azerbaijani
peacekeepers from Iraq and recommended to Milli Medjlis to settle
this issue. What is it related to?

– I would like to note that on May 7 of 2003, under the
decision of the head of Azerbaijan, the armed forces of our
country joined an international coalition on conduction of the
peacekeeping activity. They served in Iraq on the basis of the due
UN resolution. The term of this service for the armed forces of
Azerbaijan was defined by five years. This year the mandate of this
peaceekeping mission expired. Thus, the withdrawal of peacekeeping
forces is only a technical issue and it would be incorrect to explain
this resolution with political motives.

The President has sent the due appeal to the parliament and it was
considered by our commission that decided to raise this issue at the
plenary session of the parliament.

– How do you assess the service of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Iraq
through the past five years?

– I think measures Azerbaijan undertook through the past period for
consolidation of security in the world and our active position of
peacekeeping activity were highly evaluated by both the command of
international coalition and the countries, joining this coalition.

Our contingent, comprising 151 people, fulfilled a very responsible
function, mostly envisioning provision of security of electric stations
and water reservoirs in Iraq.

But, as I have already noted, the term of their activity has expired
and our forces are being completely withdrawn.

– The session of the commission was held just a few hours ago and
even now the statements of different observers which say that the
decision of Azerbaijan has a definite political ground are posted in
the Internet. At the same time, these observers mention relations
of Azerbaijan with NATO, Russia, the recent news in the Karabakh
settlement and the recent overall situation in the Caucasus. What do
you think of it?

– I consider it incorrect to regard this issue as a result of some
misunderstanding in our relations with the West and the United
States. The term of the mandate has completed, Azerbaijan’s position
was clarified and I think there are no problems here.

Moreover, it is unfounded to bind this decision to the recent events
in the Caucasus, Russia’s new role in the resolution of regional
conflicts, like some do in their analysis. This decision can not be
regarded as a rejection of cooperation with international coalition and
no new tendencies in the US-Azerbaijani relations should be looked for.

Moreover, I want to remind that other states, including Poland and
neighbor Kazakhstan also made a decision about the withdrawal of
peacekeepers due to the completion of the term of service. Even
such country, as Great Britain, which plays an active role in the
coalition, has repeatedly stated the need to withdraw British troops
from Iraq. I would like to remind that newly elected US President
Barack Obama also stated the intention to withdraw US troops in 16
months following his election.

– Will Azerbaijan’s participation in the peacekeeping mission in
Afghanistan change from now on?

– No. On the contrary, Azerbaijan has recently doubled its contingent
in Afghanistan, clearly stating the need to further cooperate with
the international coalition. This decision was balanced and careful
enough. The issue was discussed in the parliament. The participation of
our armed forces in maintenance of peace and security in Afghanistan
had a favorable influence on the international image of Azerbaijan
and I would not regard the decision about Iraq as part of Azerbaijan’s
policy of rejection of international contingent.