Author: Zakarian Garnik

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 5, 2010
___________________________________________

IN BOCA RATON, ARCHBISHOP BARSAMIAN ORDAINS ALTAR SERVERS, AND HONORS ARMEN
MELKONIAN WITH THE "ST. VARTAN AWARD"

On the weekend of February 12-14, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of
the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), visited Boca
Raton’s St. David Armenian Church. Though a cold weekend by Florida
standards, a feeling of warmth, friendship, and welcoming hospitality
pervaded the activities in the Florida community.

To inaugurate the Primate’s visit, on Friday evening the parish’s Arevag
theatrical group presented a musical comedy titled "Hars ou Gesour,"
directed by the Armenian and Sunday School principal Nadia Isguzar, with the
participation of the school teachers. About 150 parishioners filled the
church’s Mardigian Hall to welcome the Primate.

At a reception following the program, Archbishop Barsamian gave his
blessings to the people. In remarks, he complimented a teacher with "ample
knowledge in Armenian Studies," who "had been a great asset in New York, and
is now the same in Florida."

On Saturday evening, the Primate presided over a special event honoring the
"guardians" of St. David Church. The elegant, convivial evening at Boca
Raton’s royal Palm Place was hosted by parishioners Jim and Marta Batmasian.

St. David’s pastor, the Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian, welcomed the Primate
and guests, thanked the Batmasians for hosting the event, and extended his
gratitude to the St. David "guardians" for supporting the church’s
religious, cultural, educational, and social programs.

Continuing the same theme, Archbishop Barsamian called the guardians the
backbone of parish life. "Through your support, you have enriched the
Armenian Church," he said.

A musical performance by 13-year-old violinist Sage McBride captivated the
entire audience, and elicited words of praise and admiration for the youth’s
extraordinary talent.

Sunday’s Divine Liturgy coincided with the Feast of the Presentation of the
Lord to the Temple, as well as the traditional festival Poon Paregentan: the
"day of good living" before the onset of Great Lent.

As Archbishop Barsamian entered the sanctuary in his episcopal vestments,
people surrounded him to kiss his hand and receive his blessing. He was
escorted to the altar by 12 young men, who were ready to dedicate themselves
to service on the altar of the Lord.

With the feast of Sts. Vartanantz having taken place earlier that week,
Archbishop Barsamian delivered a sermon on the role of St. Vartan, and how
the earlier generation of Holy Translators laid the groundwork for the
defense of Christian Armenia. He urged parishioners and especially the youth
to strengthen their faith and identity as Armenian Christians.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Nareg Berberian presented the
candidates to receive the four minor orders: Arshag Stambolyan, Nareg
Kavlakian, Nicholas Macarian, Henry Gregorian, and Gregory Merjian. For some
in the congregation, it was the first time they had witnessed an ordination,
and one could sense that people were moved to see young men vow to serve in
the Armenian Church.

Next, Fr. Berberian presented Armen Sarkisyan, Arlen Avedyan, Arshag
Stambolyan, Nareg Kavlakian, and Nicholas Macarian to receive the rank of
sub-deacon. A stole was given to each, as a sign of their elevation.

The congregation repaired to Mardigian Hall for a celebratory luncheon,
where parish council chair Mrs. Claudette Sarian welcomed Archbishop
Barsamian.

On this occasion, longtime St. David parishioner Armen Melkonian was honored
by the Diocese with the "St. Vartan Award." The Primate commended Mr.
Melkonian’s service to the St. David parish since its inception, as well as
his commitment to Armenia, noting that Armen’s generosity and dedication had
made it possible for many goals to be realized at the Boca Raton church as
well as at several orphanages in Armenia.

Rose Kazanjian spoke of Armen’s many accomplishments: his sponsorship of the
parish’s celebration of the 1st anniversary of the Republic of Armenia,
proceeds of which were donated to Armenia’s embassy in Washington, D.C.; his
tenure as parish council chair, which saw the renovation of the church hall
and entry, and the fundraising of an additional $100,000 for the
construction the Alex and Marie Manoogian School; his noteworthy support for
the Nork Retirement Home, and the Gamo Orphanage in Armenia; and Armen’s
spearheading of the construction of a Genocide memorial plaza.

Mr. Melkonian was deeply grateful to receive the award, and graciously
thanked the Primate, Fr. Berberian, and the St. David community. Archbishop
Barsamian departed Boca Raton having left the parishioners with a sense of
spiritual fulfillment, and renewed enthusiasm for their church.

###

Photos attached.

Photo 1: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian ordains sub-deacons at Boca Raton’s St.
David Armenian Church. Assisting the Primate is St. David’s pastor, the Very
Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian.

Photo 2: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian ordains acolytes at Boca Raton’s St.
David Armenian Church. Assisting the Primate is St. David’s pastor, the Very
Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian.

Photo 3: Newly ordained acolytes and sub-deacons pose for a group photo with
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and the Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian following
services.

ABDULLAH GUL HELD AN URGENT PHONE CONVERSATION WITH BARACK OBAMA

Noyan Tapan
March 4, 2010

ANKARA, MARCH 4, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIANS TODAY. Turkish President
Abdullah Gul held a phone conversation with U.S. President Barack
Obama on March 3. According to the sources from the Turkish Presidency,
the Presidents exchanged views on bilateral and regional issues. The
fact that Gul-Obama conversation took place prior to the voting on
a resolution on the incidents of 1915 at the United States House of
Representatives on Thursday, March 4 was noteworthy.

11-year-old spends $44 million on Dubai homes
Boy’s shopping spree puts spotlight on alleged corruption in Azerbaijan
Image: Aerial view of residences on Palm Jumeirah

Records indicate the son of Azerbaijan’s president may have bought
nine waterfront mansions on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s luxury real estate
development pictured here.

By Andrew Higgins
updated 11:37 p.m. PT, Thurs., March. 4, 2010

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Even by the standards of a city that
celebrates extravagance, it was a spectacular shopping spree: In just
two weeks early last year, an 11-year-old boy from Azerbaijan became
the owner of nine waterfront mansions.

The total price tag: about $44 million — or roughly 10,000 years’
worth of salary for the average citizen of Azerbaijan. But the preteen
who owns a big chunk of some of Dubai’s priciest real estate seems to
be anything but average.

His name, according to Dubai Land Department records, is Heydar
Aliyev, which just happens to be the same name as that of the son of
Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev. The owner’s date of birth,
listed in property records, is also the same as that of the
president’s son.

Officials in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, declined to comment on
how the president’s son — or at least an Azerbaijani schoolboy with
the same birth date and the same name as the son’s — came to own
mansions on Palm Jumeirah, a luxury real estate development popular
with multimillionaire British soccer stars and others with cash to
burn. Ilham Aliyev’s annual salary as president is the equivalent of
$228,000, far short of what is needed to buy even the smallest Palm
property.

Azer Gasimov, the president’s spokesman, declined to discuss the Dubai
real estate purchases. "I have no comment on anything. I am stopping
this talk. Goodbye," he said when contacted by telephone and told
about the names on the property records. Gasimov did not respond to
requests for further comment sent by fax, e-mail and cellphone text
message.

Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic blessed with plentiful oil and
gas reserves yet blighted by widespread poverty outside its glitzy
capital, has long had a reputation for corruption. But the Dubai
purchases, which have not been reported before, could provide a rare
concrete example of just how much money the country’s governing elite
has amassed and of the ways in which at least part of this wealth has
been stashed overseas.

‘Pervasive corruption’ The transactions sharpen a dilemma that has
shadowed Washington’s relations with Azerbaijan for years: how to
reconcile the United States’ security and energy interests in the
oil-rich Caspian Sea nation with what the State Department, in a
report last year on human rights around the world, described as the
"pervasive corruption" of its increasingly authoritarian regime.

Azerbaijan has sent troops to support U.S. democracy-building efforts
in Afghanistan and Iraq but at home has retreated steadily from
democratic practices, according to diplomats and experts on the
region. Transparency International, in a 2009 survey of global
corruption, ranked Azerbaijan among the worst at 143 out of 180
nations.

In addition to recording nine properties owned by Heydar Aliyev, the
now-12-year-old schoolboy, Dubai’s Land Department also has files in
the names of Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva. President Aliyev has two
daughters with the same names and roughly the same ages. Their exact
dates of birth could not be established, but various reports indicate
Leyla’s birthday is the same as that of the Azerbaijani woman who
figures in the Land Department records.

In all, Azerbaijanis with the same names as the president’s three
children own real estate in Dubai worth about $75 million, property
data indicate. Dubai real estate dealers with knowledge of some of the
transactions said the purchases were made by a buyer representing
Azerbaijan’s ruling family. The dealers said the properties were paid
for upfront.

Ali Kerimli, chairman of the Azerbaijani Popular Front, an opposition
party, said in a telephone interview, "We all know that our country is
one of the most corrupt." But when told about the Dubai purchases, he
added that he was surprised at the apparent lack of effort to conceal
them.

Azerbaijan’s leaders, Kerimli said, "face no danger" because the
judiciary, anti-corruption bodies and most of the country’s media
outlets are firmly under their control.

‘Resource curse’
The rush to move assets overseas, often with scant regard for returns,
is a common feature of many oil-producing nations, where corrupt
elites seek to ensure that their wealth is safe just in case political
winds at home change. The phenomenon is part of the "resource curse,"
an ailment that has deformed the economies and politics of
corruption-addled, oil-producing nations from Nigeria to Venezuela.

Kerimli said Washington paid too much attention to security and energy
issues and thus "sent a signal to our country that democratic reform
is not important." When Richard B. Cheney visited Baku as vice
president in 2008, he not only held talks with President Aliyev
focused on energy but also met with executives of BP and the U.S. oil
company Chevron, both of which have operations in Azerbaijan, as do
Exxon and other foreign oil companies. Azerbaijan and the United
States, Cheney said, "have many interests in common."

The Obama administration has also focused on strategic issues in its
relations with Azerbaijan. On a visit to Baku two weeks ago, William
J. Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, praised
Azerbaijan for supporting the United States in Afghanistan and
trumpeted the role of a U.S.-backed oil pipeline from Baku to Turkey
that broke Russia’s stranglehold on energy exports from the Caspian
Sea.

In a speech, Burns avoided direct criticism of Azerbaijan, noting
only: "We also believe that the strengthening of democratic
institutions, rule of law and respect for human rights will have a
positive effect on the future of this country."

The Aliyev government and its supporters, meanwhile, have tried to
burnish Azerbaijan’s image, sponsoring trips to Baku by prominent
foreigners and hiring lobbyists to trumpet the country’s achievements.
David Plouffe, President Obama’s former election campaign manager,
visited Baku last year to deliver a paid-for speech; a few months
later came former British prime minister Tony Blair, who also received
a fee to speak. Plouffe declined to comment about his trip.

CONTINUED : Family’s long grip on power

TURKEY HAS TO PASS FROM POLICY OF GENOCIDE DENIAL TO THAT OF REPENTANCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.03.2010 17:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ We must congratulate US on House Committee Foreign
Affairs passage of Armenian Genocide resolution. US did not act
based on its own political interests but rather took a decision
characterizing it as a civilized state, sociologist Lyudmila
Harutyunyan stated.

As she stated at joint news conference with historian Samvel
Karapetyan, Turkey has to pass from a policy of Genocide denial to
that of repentance.

According to the sociologist, resolution passage won’t lead to any
changes in Turkey-US relations, as the issue of Genocide recognition
is in intermediary position, and could as well be excluded from
Congress agenda.

As Harutyunyan noted, to truly normalize bilateral relations, both
people’s collective memories should be changed; Armenia has to be
ready to accept Turkey’s apologies, should Turkey acknowledge Genocide
and apologize.

Samvel Karapetyan, in turn, noted that we are the ones to determine
what benefits the passage of resolution could bring. "It’s crucial
to me that present generation should know its history, so that even
in 10 years people would be ready to claim their rights for the lost
motherland," he emphasized.

The historian disagreed with Haturyunyan’s statement on Turkey’s
apologies being enough for reconciliation. "Modern Turkey’s territory
was formed after the Genocide; a possible passage of H. Res. 252 in
US Congress can cause upheavals in Turkey, striking at the very roots
of the Turkish state," Karapetyan emphasized.

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic
destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during
and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and
deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to
lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths
reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the
Genocide survivors.

To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized
the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars and
historians accept this view.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: TURKEY WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NEGATIVE RESULTS THAT THIS EVENT MAY LEAD TO

ArmInfo
2010-03-05 09:33:00

ArmInfo. "Turkey will not be responsible for the negative results
that this event may lead to," declared Turkish President Abdullah Gul
said in the capital, Ankara, after a congressional committee approved
a resolution branding the World War I-era killing of Armenians a
genocide, the Associated Press reports.

"I declare such a decision that was taken with political concerns in
mind to be an injustice to history and to the science of history,"
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said.

U.S. SNOWBOARDERS VISIT ARMENIA AS SPORTS ENVOYS

armradio.am
03.03.2010 17:48

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs SportsUnited office, in partnership with Roxy, a brand of
Quiksilver, is conducting a snowboarding Sports Envoy program in
Armenia, March 3-7, 2010. Professional snowboarders and Roxy team
riders Amber Stackhouse and Erin Comstock are the first action sports
athletes sent abroad as Sports Envoys by SportsUnited.

During their five-day trip, Stackhouse and Comstock will visit Yerevan
and Tsaghkadzor. While in Yerevan, the Envoys will meet with middle
school students, university film students, and female athletes to
discuss the importance of participation in sports for women and girls.

In Tsaghkadzor, the Envoys will conduct two snowboard clinics, give
a snowboarding exhibition and judge a snowboard cross event.

Amber Stackhouse is the 2003 winner of the American Snowboard Tour
in slopestyle (freestyle). Since then, she has consistently honed her
skills to gain a reputation as one of the best slopestyle contenders
on the circuit. In 2007, she defended her title and was ranked as
the #1 boarder on American Snowboard Tour in slopestyle. Outside of
snowboarding, Stackhouse is an accomplished film producer who has
produced several films, including "Labor of Love" and "Refreshments,"
as well as two groundbreaking all-girl snowboarding films, "As If"
and "Ro Sham Bo."

Erin Comstock is a professional snowboarder, whose list of
accomplishments includes numerous podium wins, including first place
in the Abominable Snow Jam (ASJ) slopestyle contest in 2008. Comstock
is a six-time participant in the ESPN U.S. Winter X-Games, and is
also a familiar face in snowboarding films. Comstock’s list of film
credits includes appearances in "As If," "RoShamBo," "See What I See,"
"I Ride Park City," "City, Park City," "Stance" and "LaLaLand."

Sports Envoys serve as ambassadors for their sport in overseas programs
that include drills and team building activities, as well as engaging
the youth participants in dialogue on the importance of leadership
and respect for diversity.

BODY OF RA CITIZEN AFTER DEATH…

/ombudsman
04:22 pm | March 02, 2010 |

The RA Ombudsman addressed the Constitutional Court with the demand
to find out how constitutional Article 7 of the RA law on "Transfer
of human organs and/or tissues" is.

The article is entitled "Precondition for agreeing to take organs
and tissues from the dead body of a donor".

According to that, organs and tissues can’t be taken only if the
given person has refused to be a donor for organs and tissues during
his/her living years by the order prescribed by RA legislation.

According to Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan, the disputed norm contradicts
the RA Constitution with several corroborations-a person decides and
is in charge of the fate of his body, including after the death of
the latter.

According to the Ombudsman, the legal regulations of social relations
connected with taking donor’s organs and tissues must be clear and
definite based on the international principle that "the personal
interests and well-being are above the interests of the public and
science and the norms of morality, public awareness of the law,
development and levels of information must be taken into account."

US HAS OPPORTUNITY TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT

Boston Globe
March 2 2010
MA

IN RESPONSE to Gunay Evinch, president of the Assembly of Turkish
American Associations ("Genocide resolution would undo Turkish,
Armenian accord," Letters, Feb. 24): Evinch tries in vain to
downgrade the current congressional effort to affirm the Armenian
genocide by likening it to "its failed predecessors" and stating that
"the resolution threatens to contravene long-standing US policy to
avoid such legislative enactments." However, resolutions citing the
Armenian genocide have passed in Congress in 1975, 1984, and 1996,
and Congress has gone on the record against other acts of genocide.

He also maintains that a congressional resolution would threaten the
recently signed Turkish-Armenian protocols. Yet Turkey jump-started
the protocol derailment process, the day after signing the accord,
when Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pegged the ratification of the
protocols to the unrelated issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
– an effort in opposition to the letter of the protocols and the
positions held by the US and other mediating powers.

Finally, and not surprisingly, Evinch attempts to use the standard
excuse of there being no consensus as a reason for not passing
the Armenian genocide resolution. The International Association
of Genocide Scholars has strongly supported US recognition of the
Armenian genocide. In addition, 42 US states have passed similar
measures, and the current resolution in Congress has the support of
countless human rights, academic, ethnic, and religious organizations.

On Thursday members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee will have
the opportunity to help set the record straight.

Ara Nazarian Cochairman Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
Watertown

CONFLIT DU HAUT-KARABAKH: LA RUSSIE ET LA FRANCE POURSUIVRONT LEUR COOPERATION (SARKOZY)

RIA Novosti
.html
1 Mars 2010
Russie

La Russie et la France poursuivront leur coopération pour aider
l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan a régler le conflit du Haut-Karabakh,
a déclaré lundi le président francais Nicolas Sarkozy a l’issue
d’une rencontre avec son homologue russe Dmitri Medvedev, en visite
d’Etat a Paris.

Le conflit du Haut-Karabakh a éclaté en février 1988, lorsque
cette région autonome a annoncé son intention de se séparer de
l’Azerbaïdjan. En septembre 1991, les autorités régionales ont
proclamé la création de la République du Haut-Karabakh. En réponse,
Bakou a annulé l’autonomie de la région, déclenchant des hostilités
entre l’armée azerbaïdjanaise et les formations arméniennes du
Haut-Karabakh soutenues par Erevan et par la diaspora arménienne. Une
trêve a été proclamée le 12 mai 1994. L’Azerbaïdjan a perdu
le contrôle du Haut-Karabakh et de sept districts adjacents a la
région sécessionniste.

Des négociations sur le règlement pacifique du conflit se déroulent
depuis 1992 dans le cadre du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE coprésidé
par les Etats-Unis, la France et la Russie.

GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES RE-OPENING OF LARSI CUSTOMS

news.az
March 1 2010
Azerbaijan

Nino Kalandadze Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Nino
Kalandadze has hailed the re-opening of the Zemo Larsi exit point,
Northern border with Russia.

Nino Kalandadze announced at the briefing today that it was a very
positive precedent, which was implemented with the help and mediation
of the embassy of Switzerland. She also defined that the re-opening
of the border was a response to the appeal of the Armenian government,
which speeded up the discussion of the issue.

`We assess this as a very positive precedent, because the conflict
between the two countries has not been reflected on the third party.

This is the first diplomatic agreement, which was reached by the
mediation of the Swiss embassy. The Armenian side appealed to us
several times to open the closed border and we did our best to open
the exit-point briefly,` Kalandadze said.

Upper Larsi exit point was opened at 7 a.m. from Georgian side and
at 11 a.m. by the Russian side today.