“MILLENIUM CHALLENGES” COMPACT TO BE SIGNED TODAY IN WASHINGTON
ArmRadio.am
27.03.2006 10:39
RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Oskanyan and Executive
Director of the “Millennium Challenges” Corporation John Danilovich
will sign today a $235.65 million contract in Washington. The signing
ceremony will take place in the Benjamin Franklin Hall of the US
Department of State. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will
deliver a speech at the ceremony.
THE BACKBONE OF THE AZERI ARMY WAS BROKEN IN KELBAJAR (ANALYSIS)
Tatul Hakobyan
“Radiolur”
27.03.2006 13:25
If we trust the statements of international information agencies,
the Ramboulliet talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents
entered a blind alley just because of Kelbajar (or Karvajar). The
geographical location of the area has strategic importance for the
security of both Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. 13 years ago these days
the Karabakh forces took control of the region, which had become part
of Soviet Azerbaijan in 1920. It is hard to find as many khachkars
in any other originally Armenian land as in Karvajar. Dadivank,
one of the masterpieces of the Armenian medieval architecture, is
also located in Karvajar. If the liberation of Karabakh is one of
the most glorious pages in the Armenian history, then the operation
directed at taking the control of the Karvajar region is the central
link of this liberation war. Still on May 9, 1992 the Karabakh forces
had liberated Shushi and opened the Lachin corridor on May 18, but
following this, a period of failures started for Nagorno-Karabakh. In
June the Azerbaijani Army had already invaded half of the former
Autonomic Region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Abulfaz Elchibey, who came into
power in Azerbaijan declared, “In case a single Armenian remains in
Karabakh by October 1992, the Azeri people can hang me in the central
square of Baku.”
The Azerbaijani Army had invaded not only Martakert region, but also
Artsvashen village of Armenia.
In the period from March 27 to April 4, 1993 the Karabakh forces
took complete control of Kelbajar region, thus isolating the possible
danger of attack in the directions of Vardenis and Sevan and resuming
the peaceful life in Martakert region.
Kelbajar has invaluable strategic importance for Armenia and
Azerbaijan. If we return it to Azerbaijan, the front line, according
to military experts, will extend with 200 kilometers, the Lachin
corridor will become vulnerable, any time danger may threaten Vardenis
and Sevan. Karabakh will need 20 thousand soldiers to control the
additional 200 thousand kilometers.
Immediately after the evens of Kelbajar, On April 4, 1993 the Turkish
government took the decision to close the border with Armenia, and
the Turkish blockade, which is considered a way of aggression in the
international practice, continues up until now. On April 6, 1993 in
Tashkent the President of Turkey Turgut Ozal condemned the Armenian
aggression” and underlined that “Armenia carries out unconcealed
aggression against Azerbaijan.” In his turn, Prime Minister Suleyman
Demirel declared that “Turkey will never agree to Armenia’s seizing
part of Azerbaijani land” and intends to undertake steps “to avert
the aggression.” In a few days, on April 13-15 Ozal arrived in Baku
and voiced his recurrent threat, “Armenia should voluntarily withdraw
its forces from Kelbajar, otherwise these will be withdrawn from here.”
In February 2005 the OSCE Fact Finding Mission visited the territories
under NKR control. The Fact Finders and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
counted about 2 700 Armenians in the whole region of Kelbajar, who had
moved here from Shahumyan and Getashen, invaded by Azeri Armed Forces.
In 1920, when Soviet regime was established in Azerbaijan, Karvajar was
annexed to Azerbaijan. In 1923 Red Kurdistan was formed, and the region
of Karvajar, settled with several thousands of Kurds and Caucasian
Tatars, was attached to the newly created administrative unit.
In 1930 the Red Kurdistan was exterminated, and Karvajar (Kyalbajar)
with its 1 936 square kilometers of area became one of the 60 regions
of Azerbaijan. In the course of the years, several thousand Kurds of
Kyalbajar got assimilated with the Azeri people.
ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/27/2006
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1) Schwarzenegger Urged to Help Bring Genocide Legislation to Vote
2) Turkish Lobbyist Attacks Armenian Americans
3) Kocharian-Aliyev Meeting Could Be Held in May
4) Thousands Protest against Turkey~Rs Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul
1) Schwarzenegger Urged to Help Bring Genocide Legislation to Vote
(LOS ANGELES)–The Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of California,
consisting of various Armenian organizations, sent a letter Friday to
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger requesting that he push the US House
and Senate leadership to vote on the pending Armenian Genocide Resolutions.
The letter praised Schwarzenegger’s demonstrated commitment to the Armenian
community and support of Genocide recognition. Schwarzenegger’s list of
accomplishments includes designating April 24 as a day of remembrance for the
Armenian genocide and calling on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.
“We ask you to openly call upon the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to schedule votes on the
Armenian genocide legislation currently before their chambers of Congress,”
reads the letter.
The full text of the letter can be found below:
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
We are writing, as the collective leadership of the Armenian American
community of California, to respectfully request that you urge the leadership
of U.S. House and Senate to bring legislation reaffirming the Armenian
Genocide
to a vote in their respective chambers.
Last year, the 700,000 Armenian Americans living in the State of California
were heartened by your Executive Proclamation designating April 24 as a day of
remembrance for the Armenian Genocide. We also deeply appreciate your
signature
on SB 424, the “Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” bill introduced
by Sen. Charles Poochigian. Along with all people of good conscience, we
recall
with great pride your remarks on April 21, 2005 noting that you are “proud to
represent the people of the State of California in recognizing the historical
persecution of the Armenian people and join with them in urging Turkey to
acknowledge the fact of the Armenian Genocide.”
Your principled stand holds great meaning for our community. Furthermore, we
are inspired by your refusal to bow to pressure from the Turkish government
that wants you compromise your commitment to proper U.S. commemoration and
Turkish acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. In taking this firm moral
stand, you are helping to break the cycle of genocide, a horrific century-long
history of mass slaughter and denial that has, all too often, been fueled by
the silence and inaction of the international community.
In this noble spirit – and in the great tradition of California Governors who
have served as national leaders in the cause of Armenian Genocide
recognition –
we ask you to openly call upon the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to schedule votes on the
Armenian Genocide legislation currently before their chambers of Congress.
We look forward to working with you hand in hand on this issue of shared
concern. Please accept our appreciation for your friendship and support for
our community.
Respectfully,
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church North America, Western Prelacy of the
Armenian of Apostolic Church, St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian
Evangelical Union of North America, ARF “Dashnagtsutyun” of Western USA,
Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization, SD Hunchakian of Western USA,
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Society of Los Angeles, Armenian
Youth Association of California
2) Turkish Lobbyist Attacks Armenian Americans
WASHINGTON, DC–Turkey~Rs top Washington, DC lobbyist, former Louisiana
Congressman Bob Livingston, in perhaps his most strident attack to date, has
accused Armenian Americans of seeking to impose a ~Styranny of the minority~T by
urging Congress to adopt human rights legislation concerning the Armenian
genocide, according to documents obtained this week by the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
~SIt~Rs truly the height of hypocrisy for a paid foreign agent for Turkey–a
government that violates the rights of its citizens on a wholesale basis–to
try to diminish the role that American citizens play in the formulation of our
nation~Rs foreign policy,~T said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. ~SBut,
apparently, in the ~QAlice in Wonderland~R world of Bob Livingston, other
nations
dictate US policy, genocides remain unpunished, and foreign lobbyists get to
silence American voters. He would do well to spend more time encouraging his
Turkish clients to learn about democracy, and less time seeking to abridge the
democratic rights of Americans here at home.~T
In letters sent to Congressional offices last September, prior to the House
International Relations Committee~Rs consideration of Armenian genocide
legislation, Livingston escalated his rhetoric to unprecedented levels,
arguing, in his capacity as a paid agent of a foreign government, that he
believed the measure ~Scater[s] to a small minority of citizens promoting the
narrow goals of the minority at the expense of America~Rs broader interest.~T
He
went on, in an example of overstatement rare even by Washington, DC standards,
to contend that Armenian genocide legislation ~Sis the truest expression of the
tyranny of the minority.~T The panel rejected Livingston~Rs attack, voting
40 to
7 to approve the legislation.
In July of last year, CongressWatch, a division of Public Citizen, released a
49-page report highlighting ethical concerns about the Livingston Group~Rs
lobbying efforts for the Turkish Government.
The report details the efforts by Livingston, to secure a ~S$1 billion
supplemental appropriation for Turkey… despite that country~Rs refusal to
allow US troops to use its soil as a staging area for the Iraq invasion. He
also helped kill an amendment that would have formally recognized the Armenian
genocide that occurred between 1915 and 1923.~T The Livingston Group has
received over $10 million in payments from Turkey. To read this entire report,
visit:
3 ) Kocharian-Aliyev Meeting Could Be Held in May
BAKU (Armenpress)–Novruz Mamedov, Head of the Azeri Presidential
Administration’s International Relations Department, said that the next
meeting
of the Armenian and Azeri presidents may take place in May of 2006.
Mamedov said that unlike the presidents~R previous meeting in Rambouillet, the
forthcoming meeting of the presidents could take place within the framework of
an international event, reported Azerbaijan~Rs ANS TV channel.
4) Thousands Protest against Turkey~Rs Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul
BEVERLY HILLS–The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) led a demonstration of over
4,000 Armenian Americans Friday outside the Beverly Hills Hotel during a
speech
given by Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, a key figure in the Turkish
state~Rs campaign to deny the Armenian genocide.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR), the
AYF-Western Region, both dioceses of the Armenian church, all Armenian
political parties, Armenian schools, high school and college Armenian Student
Associations, the Hellenic association, and various other organizations
participated in Friday~Rs protest.
The crowd of protesters marched peacefully and chanted in front of the
Beverly
Hills Hotel, where the Defense Minister spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Los
Angeles World Affairs Council about ~SThe Evolving Security Environment and
Turkey~Rs Strategic Role in Eurasia.~T Among the thousands of participants in
the
protest were Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-27) and Burbank Board of Education
President Paul Krekorian.
Before inviting Congressman Sherman to speak, ANCA-WR Board of Directors
member Raffi Hamparian spoke of the US State Department~Rs failure to live
up to
American values. ~SAt the same time that the US government is condemning
Belarus
for suppressing freedom of expression, the US State Department is preparing to
fire our Ambassador to Armenia for simply telling the truth about the Armenian
genocide,~T said Hamparian.
~SIt is not only those with Armenian heritage who demand that the truth be
recognized. Friends of Turkey should demonstrate that Turkey accept the
Armenian genocide,~T said Congressman Sherman in his remarks to the crowd.
~SWhere will Turkey be among the family of nations if it does not recognize the
truth? I will work in Congress every day until the historical truth of the
Armenian genocide is recognized,~T he concluded.
Congressman Sherman also commented on Turkey~Rs failure to provide access
to US
military bases in Turkey and necessary passage over its land and air space
during the invasion of Iraq three years ago. ~SThe casualties stemming from
today~Rs conflict in Iraq are, to some extent, a direct result of Turkey~Rs
refusal to allow the US-led coalition to open a northern front,~T said
Congressman Sherman.
In his remarks at the luncheon, the Defense Minister addressed the issue of
Turkey~Rs actions during the run-up to the Iraq War. He directly contradicted
the position of his American counterpart, Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld,
who has repeatedly said on national television that Turkey~Rs refusal to allow
US-led coalition forces to open a northern front has significantly contributed
to the strength of the Iraqi insurgency. ~STurkey has supported the US led war
on Iraq from the beginning,~T said the Defense Minister.
He added that ~STurkey promotes good neighborly relations.~T This assertion
also
stands in sharp contrast to the actions of the Turkish government, which, on
one hand, blockades and seeks to isolate Armenia, and on the other, denies the
Armenian genocide and continues to harvest the economic, demographic, and
geopolitical fruits of the genocidal crime it committed against the Armenian
nation nine decades ago.
~SDefense Minister Gonul~Rs remarks are consistent with his government~Rs
campaign to portray a rosy image of itself–despite the facts on the ground.
Increasingly, however, the American public is seeing through these transparent
efforts, and looking instead to Turkey~Rs actual conduct–such as its blockade
of Armenia, abysmal human rights record, attempts to revise history, and, more
broadly, its increasingly antagonistic relationship with the United States,~T
said Hamparian after listening to the Defense Minister~Rs speech.
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul~Rs visit to Southern California, home to the
largest Armenian population in the US, came exactly one month prior to the
91st
anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24th. California, which is
one of
38 states to have recognized the Armenian genocide, last year adopted
legislation permanently designating the week of April 24 as California~Rs week
of remembrance of the Armenian genocide. The effort to enact legislation on
the
Armenian genocide was led by state legislators such as Senators Chuck
Poochigian (R-Fresno) and Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), and signed into law
by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005. California has also adopted an education
curriculum that includes teaching of the history of the Armenian genocide, and
the Los Angeles Unified School District is among many public school systems in
the state that continue to train its teachers on implementing a curriculum
that
teaches about this crime against humanity.
The Defense Minister~Rs visit also came at an especially sensitive time in
US-Turkey relations. In recent weeks, ~SValley of the Wolves,~T the most
expensive film ever made in Turkey, prompted the US military to issue warnings
to our troops stationed in Turkey due to the film~Rs severely anti-American and
anti-Semitic nature. The film continues to remain a box office hit in theatres
across Turkey and has been publicly praised by many Turkish leaders, including
Prime Minster Erdogan. The popularity of ~SValley of the Wolves~T is not the
only
recent demonstration of anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment in Turkey.
Last year, Adolf Hilter~Rs ~SMein Kampf~T was a best-seller in the country.
The Defense Minister~Rs speech was repeatedly interrupted by chants coming
from
protesters demonstrating along Sunset Boulevard. Armenian Americans attending
the luncheon, including Glendale Unified School District Board Member Greg
Krikorian, called on the Defense Minister to acknowledge Turkey~Rs past.
However, Defense Minister Gonul said that ~Sthese are Armenian claims, and
there is nothing to acknowledge.~T AYF Chairman Tro Tchekidjian stated at the
conclusion of the protest that ~SWe will never forget what happened in 1915,
and
we will persist in calling for recognition of the Armenian genocide until
Turkey comes to terms with its past.~T
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the
United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
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TIGRAN PETROSYAN IN THE TOP EIGHT OF THE “DOS ERMAGANOS” CHESS TOURNAMENT
ArmRadio.am
27.03.2006 12:10
Grand Master of Armenia Tigran Petrosyan has reached the quarterfinal
of the Spanish “Dos Ermaganos” International Internet Chess Tournament.
To remind, Tigran Petrosyan was simultaneously participating also
in the National Chess Championship of Armenia, where he took the 6th
place with 4.5 points.
1600 chess players from different countries are participating in the
“Dos Ermaganos” Tournament.
LEVON ARONYAN SHARES THE 9TH TO 10TH PLACES WITH RUSSIAN PYOTOR SVIDLEV
ArmRadio.am
27.03.2006 12:42
After the 8th round Chess Master of Armenia Levon Aronyan shares
the 9th to 10th places with Russian Pyotor Svidlev at the “Amber”
International Super Chess Tournament held at “Fairmont” Hotel of
Monte Carlo, Monaco.
In the 8th round Levon Aronyan played a draw with Russian Alexander
Grishchuk. In the previous round he had lost Alexander Morozevich
with the score of 0:2.
After eight rounds Alexander Morozevich is leading with 11 points. With
10.5 points Vishvanatan Anand of India is the second. Francisco
Valekho occupies the third position with 9.5 point.
Three rounds are left till the end of the tournament.
DWELLERS OF THE ALIENATION ZONE CONTINUE TO PROTEST
ArmRadio.am
27.03.2006 14:28
Dwellers of the Northern Avenue, Dalma Parks, Buzand Street and Tbilisi
Highway gathered today in front of the Yerevan City Hall, demanding to
resume their violated rights and provide corresponding reimbursement.
Although their case is being currently considered at the Constitutional
Court, the anxiety of the dwellers does not reduce. They assert that
the violations against them still continue.
RA PRESIDENT ISSUES A CONGRATULATING MESSAGE ON THE OCCASION OF THE THEATRE DAY
ArmRadio.am
27.03.2006 15:55
President Robert Kocharyan addressed a congratulating message on the
occasion of the Theatre Day.
The message says, “I congratulate theatre figures and theatre lovers
on the occasion of the International Theatre Day. The spiritual,
cultural, as well as social development of our people would be
impossible without the Armenian theatre.
Persistence of its traditions and modern comprehension are important
today for the progress of our culture and society.
The audience highly appreciates out actors, directors, all theatre
workers for their great devotedness to their work and professional
skill.
I wish creative success, full halls and ovations to representatives
of our theatric art.”
YEREVAN CENTER TO STUDY ALAN HOVHANNES’ LIFE AND WORK
Armenpress
Mar 21 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS: A center will open this year at a
Yerevan-based Yeghishe Charents museum to study the life and work of
a prominent American Armenian composer Allan Hovhannes.
Henrik Bakhchinian, the director of the museum, said Allan Hovhannes
is little known in Armenia, though he is one of the most frequently
performed modern composers. He said materials for study and other
documents will be provided by Allan Hovhannes international center
in the USA.
Alan Hovhannes was born in 1911 to an Armenian father and a Scottish
mother, and was composing from an early age. His output of over 400
works, including around 67 symphonies is unsurpassed since Haydn’s
103 symphonies. Despite his current popularity, he was largely ignored
for the first half of his life, until Fritz Reiner recorded his second
symphony Mysterious Mountain with the Chicago Symphony in 1958.
“My purpose is to create music, not for snobs, but for all people ,
music which is beautiful and healing, to attempt what the old Chinese
painters called “spirit resonance” in melody and sound,” he used to
say. Alan Hovhannes died in June 2000.
ACP PLEDGES TO INVEST $295 MILLION IN COPPER MINES
Armenpress
Mar 27 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Copper Program (ACP),
a company running copper and molybdenum mines in Armenia’s northern
region of Alaverdi, has pledged to invest $295 million in the next 28
years in new mines in Teghut, which experts estimate have the second
biggest deposits of copper and molybdenum.
A joint Canadian-Armenian study has revealed that the Teghut mines
have around 450 million tons of ore.
This is a three-stage program. The first stage is to last 7 years and
see $125 million of investments, in the second five-year-long stage
the company will invest $85 million and another $85 million will be
invested in the last 14-year-long stage. In 28 years the company is
supposed to extract and process 21 million tons of ore annually.
Every stage of the investment program is expected to surge copper
production 3-4 times. The production surge is supposed to result in
turn in GDP rise from 2.7 percent in the first phase up to 5.5 percent
in the last one. The company has also pledged to plant 127,000 trees
in nearby 600 hectares of land in the next 25 years.
Armenia’s metallurgical enterprises reported last year a 33 percent
rise in aggregate output to about 130 billion drams ($290 million),
attributed by trade and economic development ministry experts to
strong global demand in non-ferrous metals and the privatization of
the country’s largest mining plant- the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum
Combine at $132 million in December 2004 by a consortium of local
and foreign investors led by German’s Cronimet metals group. Cronimet
has pledged to invest an additional $157 million by 2008.
TENDER TO BE ANNOUNCED FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF A YEREVAN QUARTER
Armenpress
Mar 27 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS: The Yerevan municipality will announce
this week a tender for redevelopment of a quarter in downtown
Yerevan that will house about three dozens of old buildings which
are considered to be architectural monuments.
Part of these buildings, located originally in several central
Yerevan streets, were dismantled to give room for construction of
modern residential and business premises . They will be re-assembled
in the new quarter that will be called Old Yerevan.
Samvel Danielian, chief architect of Yerevan, said today they will be
re-assembled in line with a design developed by his subordinates that
preserves all major environmental features of a 19-century Yerevan
quarter. He said the area will not be residential and will comprise
museums, restaurants, snack bars, exhibition halls and underground
parking lots.