ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN HAS MEETINGS WITH SERGEI MIRONOV, RENE VAN DER
LINDEN AND BORIS GRYZLOV IN SAINT PETERSBURG

SAINT PETERSBURG, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April
28, RA National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian met with Chairman
of Council of Federation of RF Federal Assembly Sergei Mironov in
Saint Petersburg. During the meeting they reached agreement about
holding days of RA NA at RF Federal Assembly in autumn, as well as
about holding a conference on issues of interregional cooperation of
the two countries in one of the Russian regions populated with
Armenians. As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA NA Press Service,
issues regarding fulfilment of Armenia’s commitments towards PACE, the
Electoral Code were discussed at A.Baghdasarian’s meeting with PACE
Chairman Rene van der Linden. The sides mentioned the importance of
the political consent around the Electoral Code and holding the coming
elections in correspondence with the democratic standards. PACE
Chairman on behalf of PA expressed readiness to provide
assistance. Artur Baghdasarian as the Chairman of BSEC and RF State
Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov signed an agreement on cooperation between
the Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC and Interparliamentary Assembly of
the Eurasian Economic Cooperation, according to which it is envisaged
to contribute to cooperation between the two structures and to
establishment of a dialogue between the two countries and peoples.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF BUENOS AIRES STATE ADOPTS LAW ON DEFINING
APRIL 24 DAY OF GENOCIDE MEMORY

BUENOS AIRES, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The House of
Representatives of the state of Buenos Aires, Argentina, adopted on
April 26 by an unenimous votion (92 votes) the draft law by which
April 24 of every year is defined in the state as “the Memory Day of
the first Genocide of the 21st century the victim of which the Armenia
people became.” Serjio Nahapetian, a deputy of the House of
Representatives of the state presented the draft. Speakers of all the
7 parties represented in the Parliament supported the draft with
separate speeches. The draft was adopted with stand applause. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, the law will come into force after being affirmed by the
Senate of the state and the Governor.

EVENTS DEDICATED TO 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HELD IN
BERLIN AND OTHER GERMAN CITIES

BERLIN, ARIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Events dedicated to
the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place in a number
of cities of Germany on April 23 and 24. The liturgy dedicated to the
memory of the martyrs was celebrated in one of churches of Berlin on
April 23. Ambassador of Armenia to Germany Karine Ghazinian and
representatives of the Armenian communities were present at the
liturgy. A scientifici-cultural event was held in Berlin on April 24
which was organized by the German Armenian Central Council and the
Embassy of Armenia. About 1200 people were present at the event, among
them deputies of the FRG Bundestag as well as parliaments of states,
German prominent historians, cultural figures, representatives of
churches, the Armenian community, embassies accredited in Germany. The
head of the Armenian community of Berlin and the Ambassador of Armenia
made opening speeches at the evening. Doctor Christoph Bergner, a
Bundestag deputy, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, State Secretary
made a speech. He stated the principles involved in the resolution
adopted by the Bundestag in June, 2005, then also mentioned that the
authorities of Germany must be successive in the affair of developing
points mentioned in that resolution and bringing it to a logical
end. Jena University Professor, prominent historian Doctor Norbert
Frei introduced those gathered with the historic facts of the
Genocide, presenting some parallels between the Holocaust and the
Armenian Genocide. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign
Ministry’s Press and Information Department, Armenian young musicians
performed during the cultural part of the evening.

CHOICE OF PARTICIPANTS OF DISCUSSION OF PROGRAM TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY
USAID IN REGION OF AKHALTSKHA HELD BY DISCRIMINATIVE PRINCIPLES

AKHALKALAK, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) envisages to implement
within the framework of the “Society’s Participation in Local
Self-Government” a program of 50 thousand U.S. dollars grants. Three
social programs will be implemented in the cities of Akhaltskha, Vale
and in a village. But, according to the “A-Info” agency, choice of
participants of the draft discussion taken place on April 26-27 was
held by discriminative principles. Particularly, representatives of
all the 5 Armenian rural councils, who represent 15 villages, were not
invited, when all the Georgian rural councils were represented. Two
Armenian representatives of public organizations were invited, and the
number of Georgians was more. The Armenian participants of the
discussion expressed their dissatisfaction on that occasion.

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
April 28 2006

Armenian language may be taught better
BY ALEX DOBUZINSKIS, Staff Writer

An Assembly bill that would improve Armenian language instruction in
public schools has passed its first test by winning committee
approval.

Assemblyman Dario Frommer, D-Glendale, introduced the bill earlier
this year to create a credentialing program for Armenian-language
instruction, putting it on par with Spanish, French and other
languages taught in schools.

The bill passed the Assembly education committee Wednesday. It now
goes to the appropriations committee.

“I think we’re recognizing that this is a large and vibrant community
and it has a lot of different needs,” Frommer said Thursday.

California has about 500,000 Armenian-Americans. Some are recent
immigrants and some have been here for years.

“We’re recognizing this community has different facets and we’re
trying to respond to that, and I think this is one way we can do it,”
Frommer said.

The Glendale Unified School District offers Armenian courses at its
three main high schools. The teachers are of Armenian descent and are
credentialed in a program for bilingual and cross-cultural
instruction.

But Armenian skills are just part of the testing process for that
program, unlike what is expected of teachers in, for example,
Spanish, French or Vietnamese.

Other San Fernando Valley schools also offer Armenian.

“We think it’s great. The more languages we can offer the better,”
said Greg Franklin, assistant superintendent at GUSD. “So Armenian
just serves one more set of kids who have a specific interest in that
language.”

GUSD has 3,904 English-language learners who speak primarily
Armenian, making up about half of its total English-learner
population.

ARAM I: “OUR MARTYRS REMIND US THAT WE MUST DEMAND ACCOUNT FROM
GENOCIDE TURKEY CONDUCTED”

ANTELIAS, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. At the first
monument in the world dedicated to the memory of the April martyrs and
placed in the Mayravank of Antelias, on April 24, hundreds of
Armenians again promised to remain demanders of alive will of our
martyrs,” is said in the message submitted to Noyan Tapan by the Press
Services of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia. After the
Surb Liturgy celebrated at the Mother Cathedral of Antelias, the
solemn procession headed by Aram I Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia went to the martyrs’ church grave where the divine ceremony
took place. Bishop Gegham Khacherian, the primate of the Lebanese
Armenians, who celebrated the liturgy, read the Bible. Then under the
rain, His Holiness Aram I addressed to hundreds of present Armenians:
“Today is the day of martyrs, the day of national demand and account,
I characterize April 24 on the calendar of our people in this way. We
gather with the sole of account and demands.

Demandfulness means account. Today our martyrs demand account of us.”
“Our martyrs remind us that we must demand account of genocide Turkey
that conducted in 1915 the Genocide planned by the state towards our
people. If genocide Turkey continues to deny the Genocide committed by
its fathers, there are facts, closed in shelves of itself, the one
conducted the Genocide, which prove that crime committed against the
mankind. We ask: where is the justice? Where is the respect of the
human rights? Where is revealing of the truth?” the Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia stated. We must must continue our struggle of
our demandfulness, reporting to our martyrs and demanding account of
the genocide. April 24 is not a day on our calendar: everyday is April
24 for an Armenian considering himself an Armenian and living like an
Armenian. Today we start our oath from Armenia to Antelias, gathered
round ashes of our martyrs.

We re-start our oath in every corner of the world to step the way of
our martyrs, remaining faithful to their will. This way that will take
us towards the justice as this is the way leading towards the truth,”
Aram I Patriarch said. After his speech His Holiness laid a wreath to
the monument, then thousand of those present went by a procession
towards Burj Hamud’s sports ground to participate in the national
ceremony.

AGREEMENT SIGNED ON ALLOCATION OF 3.1 MLN DOLLAR WB GRANT TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The World Bank-managed Globar
Partnership for Effective Assistance Fund has allocated a 3.1
mln-dollar grant for the implementation of the city heating program in
Armenia. The agreement on allocation of the indicated grant was signed
by representatives of the World Bank and the RA Renewable Energy and
Energy Saving Fund in Yerevan on April 28.

Following the signing ceremony, the fund’s director Tamara Babayan
told reporters that the sum will be used to deal with heating problems
of the Armenian vulnerable groups, particularly to purchase gas stoves
and connect apartments to the gas network and the boiler system of a
residential district. It is envisaged that the program will cover 8
thousand families. To recap, out of 15 mln dollars provided by the WB
for the program’s implementation last year, 3 mln dollars was
allocated for this purpose.

Los Angeles Times, CA
April 28 2006

L.A. Band Presses Congress to Recognize Armenian Genocide
System of a Down, whose members are Armenian American, steps up its
campaign.

By Nick Timiraos, Times Staff Writer
April 28, 2006

WASHINGTON – System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian and drummer
John Dolmayan sit on a black leather couch, signing autographs,
chatting about their favorite local venues and waiting to take the
stage.

But this isn’t their ordinary tour – it’s no Roxy, Astoria or House
of Blues. Their fans here are congressional staffers, who ask the
rockers to autograph copies of a political magazine while waiting for
a congressman to arrive for a political strategy meeting.

The L.A.-based alternative-metal band spent the week in Washington
to lobby for congressional recognition of the Armenian genocide of
1915 to 1918, in which an estimated 1.2 million Armenians died at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire, which became the modern republic of
Turkey. The Turkish government disputes that a genocide took place.

The band members, who all are Armenian American, each had
grandparents who survived the genocide and have adopted the cause of
winning worldwide recognition and acknowledgment from Turkey.

“My grandfather’s 96, and I know he’s not going to be around
forever,” Tankian said at a meeting with Rep. Adam B. Schiff
(D-Burbank) on Tuesday. “I’d like to be the one to say to him that
Americans have recognized the genocide.”

Musicians often express themselves politically in their songs, and
have made frequent appearances at rallies and on Capitol Hill. But
most of their direct lobbying efforts here tend to focus more on the
music business itself – calling for an end to illegal music
downloading, for example. Fewer get actively involved in the
political process, as has the successful California group which has
won a Grammy and is playing to ever larger audiences worldwide.

In the hurried marble corridors of Capitol Hill, the band members
offered a marked contrast. Dolmayan’s mohawk haircut topped his
sweater and jeans, while Tankian wore a blazer to go with long curls
and goatee.

“I’m usually a little more comfortable behind the drum set,” a
somewhat sheepish Dolmayan said at a Capitol Hill gathering Wednesday
as he reached for a microphone and surveyed his unfamiliar
surroundings.

The rock band’s Washington tour included an annual Capitol Hill
observance of the genocide and a protest at the Turkish Embassy on
Monday that organizers say drew more than 700.

The band was presented with the Voice of Justice Award by the
Armenian National Committee, an Armenian political group, on
Wednesday. A day earlier, the band attended a screening of
“Screamers,” a new documentary detailing System of a Down’s campaign
for genocide recognition.

Relaxed and laid back, they met Tuesday with sponsors of two
resolutions that would officially recognize the genocide, Schiff and
Rep. George P. Radanovich (R-Mariposa), and other lawmakers. Though
both resolutions received broad support in the House International
Relations Committee, they face an uphill battle. Congressional
leaders, following appeals from the White House, do not want to pass
the resolutions because they would upset Turkey.

The Turkish government insists that the deaths resulted from ethnic
insurrection and wartime clashes with Turks.

“Armenian allegations of genocide have never been historically or
legally substantiated,” Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy said in a
statement in response to a PBS documentary aired last week.

Schiff remains optimistic that this year supporters will win the
right to a floor vote.

“With System of a Down coming, with the pressure around the country
on the speaker [of the House] … we’ve never had this kind of strong
support,” says Schiff, whose district includes Glendale, a city of
210,000 that is 40% Armenian American.

The issue is prominent in System of a Down’s performances. The band
has played an annual “Souls” benefit concert since 2000 to benefit
genocide recognition efforts. They’ve also talked about the genocide
at their concerts and in song lyrics. “P.L.U.C.K.” (“Politically
Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers,”) from their 1998 debut album,
addresses “whole race genocide.”

It’s not the only political issue the band takes on. They won this
year’s Grammy for best hard rock performance of their song,
“B.Y.O.B.” (“Bring Your Own Bombs”), which asks: “Why don’t
presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?”

System of a Down formed in Hollywood in 1995 and released its first
album in 1998. Its second album, Toxicity, debuted at the top of
American and Canadian charts in 2001. It has sold more than 6 million
copies worldwide.

For Dolmayan, it’s not a question of if the resolution will pass, but
when. He said the resolution was more than a symbolic act, and would
protect the right to teach the Armenian genocide in schools. “It
forces Turkey’s hand, and that’s very important,” he said. “If
America doesn’t recognize it, how can we expect it from Turkey?”

12th MEETING OF US-ARMENIA TASK FORCE TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON MAY 2

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The 12th meeting of the US-Armenia
Task Force (USATF) will be held in Yerevan on May 2. The meeting will
be chaired by RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatrian
and US Coordinator for Europe and Eurasia Tom Adams. According to the
press service of the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, it is
envisaged to discuss issues of bilateral interest, present the
programs under implementation and to calify issues of the programmed
measures. Among the issues on the USATF agenda are measures to
encourage Armenia’s economic development, democratic reforms, the
Millennium Challenge Program-related issues, macroeconomic policy and
long-term development promotion programs, tax and customs sector
reforms. Problems of agriculture, judicial and energy sectors,
educational and scientific issues, as well as the fight against
terrorism and other programs of mutual interest will be addressed
during the meeting. The USATF was established in 2000 with the aim of
promoting the cooperation between the two countries and enhancing the
efficency of assistance programs implemented by the US government in
Aremenia. The USATF holds two meetings annually – in Washington and
Yerevan. Over the past decade, the US government has implemented
various development and humanitarian programs of a total of 1.6 bln
dollars in Armenia.

Trend Info, Azerbaijan
April 28 2006

Azeri, US presidents to discuss co-op in security, energy sectors

Source: Trend
Author: Z.Ibrahimli

28.04.2006

The cooperation in the security, energy, consolidation of bilateral
relationships, as well as situation around Iran will be in focus of
discussion in a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and US President George W.Bush in the White House on 28 April, Trend
reports. The bilateral meeting on the top crowns the Azerbaijani
President’s three-day official visit to Washington as the head of
state.

On the eve of the Azerbaijani-US Summit the White House stated
Washington is considering Baku as its `key ally’ in strategically
important region of the world and `valuable partner’, rendering
important assistance to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo”. There were
placed peacekeeping contingent of Azerbaijan.

According to the US Administration, during the forthcoming talks with
Aliyev Bush plans to touch upon the issues like “promotion of
democracy and cooperation in the Caucasus, diversification in the
energy sector, as well as general decisiveness [of both countries] to
work jointly in the name of freedom and security.

Addressing to the Council of International Relationships, the
Azerbaijani leader said that he does not regard the issue of Iran as
central one in the meetings in Washington. Aliyev underlined that
Azerbaijan was not going to participate in any armed operations
against Iran, if it transits from suppositions to reality.

Obviously, Aliyev and Bush will pay especial attention to a problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov announced that Baku was not waiting new
proposals from Washington on the resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, ITAR-TASS announces.