PATRIARCH OF KILIKIAN SUPREME HOUSE CATHOLICOS ARAM I OFFERS TO TURN
FROM SENTIMENTS TO BUSINESS AND DEVELOP MECHANISMS OF INTEGRATION OF
ARMENIANS OF WHOLE WORLD

Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. The speakers go no further of idle talks
on the forum “Armenia-Diaspora” and holding of such assemblages for
this reason is not expedient, the Patriarch of the Kilikian Supreme
House the Catholicos Aram I expressed such opinion in the interview to
the “Yerkir” newspaper.

Aram I offers “to turn from idle talks to business, having specified
what are the state’s priorities and what they offer”. In the opinion
of Catholicos, it is necessary to exclude a “pseudo-tourist approach”
of Armenia to the issues of interrelations with the Armenian Diaspora
representatives, the emotions of whom are often played on, thus,
making distinctions between the citizens and non-citizens of Armenia.

Talking about the unity of Armenians, Aram I expressed
misunderstanding of the “centralization of Armenians” by the current
policy. “The Armenian diaspora is various and it is necessary to well
define the role of the Fatherland and Diaspora as sensible, romantic
and one-sided formulations in this issue are harmful. The Diaspora has
something to offer the Motherland but it has no right to interfere
with the state affairs of Armenia just as the Motherland has no right
to dictate to the Diaspora”, the Catholicos said. He also noted that
it is necessary to put an end to omissions between the Diaspora and
the Motherland by developing mechanisms of actions to serve for the
welfare of the Fatherland and strengthening of the Armenian Army, the
guarantee of the state system and unity of the nation.

ARMENIAN ECOLOGISTS INTEND TO APPLY TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT FOR
APPLICATION OF AARHUS CONVENTION IN ARMENIA

Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. The Government of Armenia does not fulfill
the provisions of the International Aarhus Convention, and Armenian
ecologists are ready to apply to the Constitutional Court to make the
authorities apply the convention, Armenian ecologists and lawyers said
at a press conference, Friday.

Thus, according to Vice President of Armenian Botanical Society Gohar
Oganezova, recently the Secretariat of the UN Economic Commission for
Europe Convention on access to information, public, participation in
decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, known
as Aarhus Convention, has confirmed the given fact. The government
fully ignores the right of the public to participate in
decision-making on specific types of activity. This fact neutralizes
the public influence on adoption of ecologically important decisions
by government bodies. Meanwhile, de-jure recognition of Aarhus
Convention provides for recognition of the importance of open activity
of government bodies. While, in Armenia the public is often informed
last about regular claims for green areas, she said.

In her turn, Representative of Transparency International Regional
Development Center Sona Ayvazyan said a number of environmental
organizations of Armenia tried to protect the “Dalma Gardens” against
claims in the court, however, the legislation of Armenia has many
loop-holes and the government takes advantage of them. The last
instance they applied was the Court of Cassation. The latter rejected
their application stating that “the violations in the case of ‘Dalma
Gardens’ are not subject to consideration.” The given response
testified to the weak mechanisms of control over fulfillment of the
legislation and the insufficient preparedness and awareness of the
persons making decisions in the sphere of ecology, S. Ayvazyan
said. “Access to justice is secured just formally in Armenia, whereas
it is almost impossible to win any legal case on protection of the
citizens’ ecological rights,” she stressed.

To note, ratification of Aarhus Convention by Armenia in 2001 was to
regulate the procedural issues connected with public access to
information, public, participation in decision-making and access to
justice in environmental matters.

AN ARMENIAN OFFICER WOUNDED AS A RESULT OF CEASE-FIRE VIOLATION BY
AZERBAIJAN

Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. A regular violation of the cease-fire
regime by Azerbaijan resulted in wounding of an Armenian officer.

Armenian Defense Ministry press-service reports Azerbaijan as firing a
section of Ijevan-Noyemberyan road approximately at 3:30 PM
yesterday. Senior Lieutenant Gegham Mikaelyan was wounded in the cabin
of “Kamaz.” He was taken to Noyemberyan town hospital at about 4:00
PM. Doctors say his life is no longer in danger.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GRAND MASTER LEVON ARONYAN CALLED THIRD CHESS PLAYER OF WORLD
UPON 2005 RESULTS

Moscow, April 28. ArmInfo. The Russian journal “64- Chess Review”
summed up the traditional competition “Oscar” for the eleventh
time. This prize is presented to the best chess player of the last
year. Until now it was presented to the Russians Garri Kasparov (5
times) and Vladimir Kramnik and to the Indian Vishvanatan Anand (4
times). The world champion, a Bulgarian Veselin Topalov became the
holder of “Oscar-2005”. 361 lists from 68 countries of the world was
taken into account during calculation. There were journalists, eminent
chess specialists and grand masters among the voters.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 27, 2006 Thursday 07:26 AM EST

Georgia ready to accommodate deported Meskhetian Turks

by Tengiz Pachkoria

Tbilisi is ready to welcome back and accommodate in Georgia
Meskhetian Muslims, who were deported by the Soviet authorities from
southern Georgia to Central Asia, Georgian State Minister Georgy
Khaindrava said on Thursday.

He heads the state commission for repatriation of the population
deported by the Soviet authorities in the 1940s.

“We will take into account the Meskhetian Muslims’ traditional
pursuit – agriculture – and we are ready to settle them in rural
areas in eastern and western Georgia,” he said at an international
conference on repatriation of Meskhetian Muslims to Georgia.

“At this stage for certain reasons their return to Mesheti is not on
the agenda,” he said.

In some regions of southern Georgia there are Armenian enclaves and
people there are worried the return of Muslims may cause tensions in
the region.

“Georgia will be unable to properly accommodate the repatriated on
its own,” Khaindrava said.

He expressed the hope that “some international organizations and the
countries where Meskhetian Muslims currently reside will help
Georgia.”

Taking part in the two-day conference are representatives of the
UNDP, the European Centre for Minority Issues, and non-govermental
organizations of Meskhetian Muslims residing in Russia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Ukraine.

Almost 300,000 Meskhetian Muslims reside in these countries,
including 60,000 in Russia.

Georgia as a member of the Council of Europe pledged to settle the
issue of repatriation of Meskhetian Muslims by 2011. Around 40,000
Meskhetian Muslims want to resettle to Georgia.

EMBASSY OF NETHERLANDS AND OSIAF – ARMENIA TO IMPLEMENT HUMAN RIGHTS
STRENGTHENING PROGRAM

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The Dutch Ambassador to Armenia Onno
Elderenbosch (residence – Tbilisi) and Executive Director of the Open
Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Armenia (OSIAF – Armenia)
Larisa Minasian on April 27 countersigned the Grant Agreement on Human
Rights Strengthening through Capacity Building of Selected NGOs in
Armenia. According to the agreement, the embassy of the Netherlands
will contribute 513.8 thousand USD to the project over 3.5 years,
while OSIAF Armenia’s contribution to this project will make 373.05
thousand USD. The grant program will be launched on May 1. During the
press conference following the signing ceremony, O. Elderenbosch and
L. Minasian said the NGOs to be allocated grants must assist human
rights strengthening in closed institutions, promote human security
with the emphasis on economic rights for vulnerable groups, freedom of
speech and independent media, and access to justice and independent
judiciary. The selected NGOs will benefit from 3-year core funding
(average of $25,000-$35,000 per year per NGO). NGO experts will have
the opportunity to undergo training at OSIAF – Armenia.

Agence France Presse — English
April 26, 2006 Wednesday 10:59 PM GMT

Three Armenian soldiers wounded on Azerbaijani border: Armenian
ministry

Three Armenian soldiers have been wounded by shots coming from across
the border with Azerbaijan, in violation of the ceasefire observed by
the two estranged countries, Armenia’s defense ministry said in a
statement late Wednesday.

Two of the soldiers were wounded late Tuesday, and another one early
Wednesday on Armenia’s north-eastern border with Azerbaijan, the
ministry said.

“The defense ministry refutes declarations by the Azerbaijani side,
according to which the Armenian side started the shooting. In both
cases, the Armenian side refrained from shooting back,” the statement
said.

Armenian and Azerbaijan fought a six-year war over the
Armenian-majority enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, which seceded from
Azerbaijan in the early 1980s.

The conflict claimed 25,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands
of people, ending in a 1994 ceasefire. Since then, tensions have
remained high between the two countries and incidents occur
regularly, with each side blaming the other.

South Wales Echo
April 26, 2006, Wednesday
City Final Edition

Service to mark genocide

Cardiff council has been urged to formally recognise the Armenian
genocide of 1915 with a vote.

South Wales’ small Armenian community gathered at the Temple of Peace
in Cathays Park yesterday for a service to remember the killing of
1.5 million people in eastern Turkey during World War I. Around 50
people with links to the region live in South Wales.

Riverside councillor Gwenllian Lansdown told them: ‘I also think that
it would be fitting for Cardiff council to formally recognise the
Armenian genocide, as other councils have done.’

Time Out
April 26, 2006

Music – Live preview – Mahmoud Ahmed – Hammersmith Palais; Thursday

by John Lewis

Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie may have been the subject of
thousands of Rasta anthems, but his own favourite music was a brass
band that he heard on a state visit to Jerusalem in 1923. So taken
was the Lion of Judah that he hired a group of Armenian saxophone
players as his official musicians, unwittingly introducing Ethiopia
to jazz instrumentation. As a result, Addis Ababa became host to a
burgeoning jazz and R&B scene; a scene that exploded in the early
’60s when Haile Selassie welcomed 6,000 US ‘peace corps’ into the
country.

Mahmoud Ahmed is the most famous product of this ‘golden age’ of
Ethiopian jazz that thrived until Selassie was deposed in 1974.
Ahmed’s legendary early ’70s LPs like ‘Ere Mela Mela’ still sound
remarkable today – hypnotic funk beats, wah-wah guitars, Stax-style
horn riffs and snake-charmer saxophones, all rumbling under Ahmed’s
passionate, wailing Arabic-inflected vocals.

Despite making music for nearly 50 years, his spellbinding show at
last year’s WOMAD festival was his first ever in the UK. This London
debut sees him share the bill with El Tanbura, a highly rhythmic Sufi
outfit of Egyptian fishermen. The concert celebrates music of the
Nile, but Mahmoud Ahmed’s lopsided funk really does sound like
something from a parallel universe – think a Bollywood singer jamming
with Fela Kuti on Motown and you’re nearly there. Amazingly, all the
best things about his ’70s albums are still intact. The bass and
drums are still hypnotically funky; the rasping horn section still
sound like they’re playing in a nearby toilet; and even at the age of
65, Ahmed’s voice is still sensational.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 28, 2006 Friday 09:50 AM EST

Suspected killer of Armenian released on recognizance

City prosecutors on Friday released on recognizance an 11th-form
schoolboy, who was detained over the murder of Armenian national
Vagan Abramyants at the Pushkinskaya subway station.

“Although the schoolboy has been released on recognizance,
investigators still consider him a suspect,” lawyer Simon Tsaturyan
told Itar-Tass…

In his opinion, it was a hate-based murder.

“The investigators now have to ascertain the degree of his
involvement in the murder of Vagan Abramyants, and whether he knew
the persons who attacked him,” Tsaturyan said.

On April 22, a group of 12 young men, who knew each other, gathered
at the Pushkinskaya subway station. They were waiting for a friend.
At that time, six or seven youngsters got off the train headed for
Vykhino, and a fistfight broke out

Vagan Abramyants, a student of the Moscow University of Management,
was stabbed in the chest and died on the spot.