Las Vegas Sun, NV
Jan 31 2005

Editorial: Girls’ ordeal should never be repeated

The injustice was apparent the moment Emma and Mariam Sarkisian were
taken from their family in Las Vegas and placed in a federal holding
cell in Los Angeles. Emma, 18, is a recent graduate of Palo Verde
High School and Miriam, 17, is still a student there. Immigration
authorities learned last July that the two had no legal status to be
in this country. After receiving word that Armenia, the girls’
country of birth, would accept them, officials on Jan. 14 abruptly
took them to Los Angeles and prepared to deport them.

We were among many people and organizations calling upon the federal
government to use discretion in this case. The girls were brought to
this country by their father when they were 4 and 3. This is the only
country they’ve ever known. Immigration law is not so strict that
discretion cannot be used when warranted. As we saw it, how in the
name of justice could two girls be torn from their American home and
dropped, penniless, into a country whose customs and language are
alien to them, and where they have no family, friends or jobs
awaiting?

Twice the girls were minutes away from being boarded onto a flight,
and only fortuitous circumstances — including one day when the plane
was full — prevented their departure. With publicity and appeals
from the public growing, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
intervened on the girls’ behalf. He called Homeland Security Director
Tom Ridge, whose department oversees immigration services. After two
weeks in custody, the girls were released and they rejoined their
family on Friday. Their case is still under review, but it’s likely
now that they will be able to remain here and eventually gain
citizenship. “In the end, common sense and good people — they
prevail in America,” said the girls’ overjoyed father.

This is a quote that should be posted in block letters in all
immigration offices. Occasionally a case will come along such as this
one, where strict enforcement of the law would result in an obvious
injustice. There should be a review procedure for such cases, so that
justice doesn’t hinge on the timing of a well-placed phone call.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
January 28, 2005 Friday

Armenian activities on occupied lands affect talks – diplomat

By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

BAKU

Intensified actions of Armenia on the occupied Azerbaijani lands
“have a negative effect on the negotiations,” Deputy Foreign Minister
and special representative of the Azerbaijani president to the
Karabakh settlement negotiations Araz Azimov said at a Friday
briefing in Baku.

He said the question of illegal settlements on occupied lands, which
Azerbaijan had raised at the United Nations, was very important.
Azerbaijan “raised the question not for the sake of political
speculations but proceeding from international legal norms,” he said.

“We are ready for negotiations with Armenia but we think that
activities on the occupied lands have a negative effect on the
negotiations. So we suggest stopping these activities,” Azimov said.

He said materials on settlements and economic activities on the
occupied lands had been transferred to the OSCE mission made up of
experts of Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Sweden,
Finland and Italy.

The mission will go to the occupied lands in a day to familiarize
with the local situation, verify facts received from Azerbaijan and
draft a report. The report as such “will not solve the problem,” the
diplomat said. “Our main goal is to stop activities of the occupied
territories.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA THIS WEEK

Monday, February 1, 2005

In this issue:

NKR hosts international monitors

Kocharian meets Pope John Paul II, Italian leaders

Armenian leaders take part in Auschwitz commemoration

NKR HOSTS INTERNATIONAL MONITORS

French, Russian and U.S. envoys who have led the Karabakh mediation
efforts joined by officials from four other Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) states, arrived in the region over the
weekend to inspect areas that have served as a security buffer for
Karabakh since 1993. The monitoring mission, proposed by the mediators
and agreed to by the conflicting parties last year, seeks to determine
the number and nature of Armenian settlements in formerly Azeri areas
under Armenian control.

Meeting with the delegation, Karabakh’s President Arkady Ghoukasian
welcomed their mission, suggesting that it could finally put to rest the
many Azeri claims about Karabakh. Azeri officials had refused to endorse
of similar monitoring in the past. The mission was agreed to last
November after Azerbaijan, succumbing to international pressure, agreed
not to press for a pro-Azeri United Nations resolution with support from
members of the Organization of Islamic Conference.

Azerbaijan has backed off serious negotiations over Karabakh’s status,
with its President Ilham Aliyev saying last year that he was not “in a
hurry” to settle the conflict. Instead Aliyev has called for
intensification of what his officials have described as “information
war” against Armenians in all international venues. The Azeri president
has also significantly boosted spending for the country’s military
forces, long plagued by under-funding and disarray, in an effort to
substantiate his frequent threats to unleash a new war in Karabakh.

Karabakh Defense Army Commander General Seyran Ohanian said last week
that judging by military intelligence reports, “Azerbaijan is not
prepared to start hostilities.” Nevertheless, his command was taking
Azeri threats seriously. Ohanian told a press conference that his forces
made significant progress in improving their defense posture and were
prepared to undertake retaliatory operations should fighting resume.
(Sources: Armenia This Week 11-1; Mediamax 1-26; RFE/RL Armenia Report
1-26; Noyan Tapan 1-27)

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN VISITS WITH POPE JOHN PAUL II, ITALIAN LEADERS

Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian completed a three-day official
visit to Italy and the Vatican last week. Meeting with Kocharian, Pope
John Paul II underscored “friendly and respectful relations between the
Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.” Armenia, having
adopted Christianity in 301 AD, some years before Rome, has had an
independent church since 451 AD. Relations between the two churches have
grown closer since a 1996 joint declaration that addressed theological
differences. Earlier this month, Pope John Paul II blessed the statue of
the Armenian Church founder, St. Gregory the Illuminator, that has been
placed among the founding saints that surround the exterior of St.
Peter’s Basilica in Rome. John Paul II, who visited both Armenia and
Azerbaijan in recent years, also expressed hope that “true and lasting
peace” comes to Nagorno Karabakh.

Kocharian also held talks with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, discussing ways to expand
bilateral economic relations. Armenia’s trade with European Union member
countries has increased substantially in recent years and it now makes
up the largest share of Armenia’s overall foreign trade, but bilateral
trade with Italy stood at just $68 million last year. Kocharian was
accompanied by Trade and Agriculture ministers who met with Italian
businessmen and encouraged them to invest in Armenia. (Sources: Armenia
This Week 10-5-01, 9-6-02; Arminfo 1-28, 2-1; Zenit.org 1-28)

SENIOR ARMENIAN OFFICIALS TAKE PART IN AUSCHWITZ COMMEMORATION

Prime Minister Andranik Margarian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
last week traveled to Poland and New York, respectively, to pay respect
to victims of the Holocaust. Margarian took part in ceremonies at the
site of what was the largest Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, in
present-day southern Poland, and subsequent conference on the theme in
Krakow. Last week marked the 60th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation
by Soviet forces towards the end of World War II. Up to 6 million
civilians, most of them Jews, but also Russians, Poles, Gypsies and
homosexuals, died in the Holocaust, up to 1.5 million at Auschwitz
alone.

Oskanian joined counterparts from Germany, Israel and several other
states at the United Nations special session on the liberation of
Auschwitz. The U.S. was represented at the UN by Deputy Defense
Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who lost most of his extended family in the
Holocaust, and by Vice-President Dick Cheney in Poland. At the UN,
Oskanian, himself a descendant of Genocide survivors, urged the
international community not to turn a blind eye to continued ethnic
persecution around the world and to undertake immediate action to stop
the ongoing genocidal campaign in Darfur. Speaking of the Holocaust, the
Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity, Oskanian stressed
the need for both the victims and perpetrators to transcend the trauma
by renouncing such evils and summoning the good will to forgive.
(Sources: Armenian Foreign Ministry 1-24; Reuters 1-25; Mediamax 1-31)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Tehran Times
Feb 2 2005

Physical education supremo to honor Armenians

TEHRAN (IRNA) — Physical Education Organization head Mohsen
Mehralizadeh will extend his appreciation to Iranian Armenians here
Wednesday night.

Mehralizadeh, who is also vice-president, is to honor the minority
Armenians in a ceremony on the occasion of Ten-Day Dawn in Ararat
Sports-Cultural Club in western Tehran.

He will meet Armenian athletes and club directorate officials.

ArmenPress
Feb 1 2005

SPORT POLAND REFUSES FRIENDLY GAME WITH ARMENIA

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Football Federation said
Poland’s national team refused to play a friendly game with Armenia,
as was agreed earlier, choosing instead a game with neighboring
Belarus.
The Federation said Armenian footballers will play a friendly game
with another country, either with Saudi Arabia or Mexico.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER – February 2, 2005

MUSICAL ARMENIA CONCERT RECEIVES
ACCLAIM OF CAPACITY AUDIENCE
The Musical Armenia concert last Sunday, January 30, was received
enthusiastically by the sold-out audience.
The first part of the program featured the baritone Oshin Gregorian, who
thrilled the audience with his renditions of works by Gomidas, Mozart,
Donizetti, Puccini, Ravel, Ganatchian, Gregorian and Sayat Nova.
The second part featured the works of the young composer Eric Hachikian
played with great expression and feeling by the Motyl Chamber Ensemble. The
audience was enthralled with Voyage to Amasia and Saint Sarkis Suite.
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate, expressed his deep appreciation of
the exceptional talent of these two young artists. He noted that the
creative art a nation produces is the best indicator of the health of that
nation.
The Musical Armenia series began in 1982 and has continued its
commitment to promote young Armenian artists.

CATHOLICOS ARAM I ISSUES ENCYCLICAL
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 1600TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE CREATION OF THE ARMENIAN ALPHABET
His Holiness Aram I has issued an Encyclical concerning the 1600th
anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet. His Holiness has
directed all dioceses within the jurisdiction of the Holy See of Cilicia to
mark this milestone anniversary with appropriate commemorations during 2005.
The Eastern Prelacy in conjunction with the Armenian Chair at Harvard
University will host an international conference on this occasion during the
month of October 2005.
To read the Encyclical by Aram Vehapar go the catholicosate web site at

TOWN HALL MEETINGS WITH AMBASSADOR
John Evans, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, will host a series of town
hall meetings in the United States this month. He will be accompanied by
USAID Director Robin Phillips and colleagues from the U.S. Department of
State.
The schedule includes the following: February 11-12, New York/New
Jersey; February 14-15, Boston; February 15-17, Los Angeles, Glendale,
Pasadena; February 18, Fresno; February 19, San Francisco; February 22-23,
Washington, DC.

YOUNG ORGANIST FILLS KEY ROLE
Without doing any extensive research we can say with fair certainty that
Vahe Hovhannisyan is the youngest organist in any Armenian Church, and
perhaps, any Church in the country. Vahe, at age nine (he will turn 10 next
month), plays the entire Divine Liturgy each Sunday at St. Stephen Armenian
Church in New Britain, Connecticut.
Last year, the long-time organist of the church, Shirley Kevorkian,
wanted a respite from her duties. Vahe came forward and told the priest,
Rev. Fr. Krikoris Keshishian, that he would play the organ. And he did and
continues to accompany the choir and deacons for the more than two-hour
service each Sunday. Last year the Hartford Courant featured a front-page
article about the young organist.
The next issue of Outreach will feature the full story about this
exceptional young man.

VARTANANTZ COMMEMORATION
Tomorrow is the Feast of Vartanantz, perhaps one of the most popular
feast days for Armenians. It is always observed on the Thursday before the
beginning of Great Lent.
Vartanantz commemorates the memory of Vartan Mamigonian and his soldiers
who went into battle against the mighty Persians to defend their faith and
preserve their identity. The definitive battle between the Armenians and the
Persian forces (with three times the strength of the Armenians) took place
on the fields of Avarayr in 451. It was a fierce battle, and ultimately
Vartan and most of his men were martyred. The Armenian Church showed its
great respect for them by consecrating the entire group collectively as the
Saints of Vartanantz. Armenian resistance to Persian rule continued with a
nephew of Vartan, Vahan Mamikonian, who conducted guerilla warfare with a
number of successes. In 485 King Vagharsh of Persian sent envoys to a
village named Nvarsak (northwestern corner of Iran), to meet with Vahan and
Armenian nobles. Ultimately they signed a treaty (Treaty of Nvarsag) that
guaranteed the right of the Armenians to practice their religion, among
other provisions. The Treaty of Nvarsag is rightfully regarded as one of the
first (if not the first) human rights documents.
In a sense, it can be said that it was on the battlefield of Avarair,
where Vartan and his men fell, that Christianity truly became an indelible
part of the national identity of Armenians.

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL BE WITH
STS. VARTANANTZ PARISHES IN NEW JERSEY AND RHODE ISLAND
Tomorrow, on the occasion of Vartanantz, Archbishop Oshagan will
officiate over the Divine Liturgy at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield,
New Jersey. Attending the services and partaking Communion will be students
of the Hovnanian School in New Milford, New Jersey. As in previous year, the
students will present a Vartanantz program during the luncheon that will
follow the services.
On Saturday and Sunday, February 5 and 6, His Eminence will visit the
Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence, Rhode Island. On Sunday he will
officiate at the Divine Liturgy.

SUNDAY IS POUN PAREGENTAN
This Sunday, February 6, is Poun Paregentan. Poun means main and
Paregentan means good living or mardi gras. The Armenian liturgical calendar
has many occasions of Paregentan, but Poun Paregentan is associated with the
start of the long period of abstinence leading to Easter and the Feast of
the Holy Resurrection.
Traditionally, Poun Paregentan is a day of lavish tables, rich foods,
and festive family gatherings.
Monday begins the Medz Bahk (Great Fast), which is accompanied with
prayer and introspection. In the Armenian tradition during this period no
animal based food is permitted, including dairy products, eggs and fish. The
diet is confined to vegetables and grains and vegetable oils.

COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE COMMEMORATED
This Saturday, February 5, the Armenian Church commemorates the first
Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, which took place in 381 by order of
Emperor Theodosius.
It is traditionally accepted that the Armenian Catholicos, Nerses the
Great, attended this Council, although there is no hard and fast proof. The
Armenian Church accepts and commemorates this and two other Ecumenical
Councils.

PASSION NARRATIVES FOCUS
OF LENTEN PROGRAM
The Prelacy Lenten program will focus on passages from the passion
narratives. The program will begin Wednesday, February 9, and continue each
Wednesday during Lent. The Lenten programs will take place at St.
Illuminator Church, 221 E. 27th Street, New York City, beginning with a
Lenten Service at 7:30 pm and Bible Study at 8:00 pm, followed by Fellowship
with a Lenten meal prepared by the Prelacy Ladies Guild. The Bible Study
will be conducted by Deacon Shant Kazanjian with the following schedule:
February 9: The Passion of Jesus-Predicted and Interpreted
February 16: The Last Supper
February 23: The Trial
March 2: The Crucifixion
March 9: The Burial
March 16: The Resurrection
All are welcome to the series sponsored by the Armenian Religious
Education Council and the Prelacy Ladies Guild. For information contact the
AREC office, 212-689-4481.

AND, FINALLY, THIS FROM A SOON TO BE PUBLISHED BOOK:
.Yazdigerd tried to persuade the Armenian princes to accept
Zorastrianism by pledging to grant them a status equal to that of the
Persian nobility. They refused, whereupon Yazdigerd issued a decree ordering
all of the nations in the empire to become “worshippers of the sun,” as
Eghishe characterizes the Zorastrians.
When the Armenians, together with the other Christian nations of the
Caucasus, refused, Yazdigerd summoned their cavalries together and had them
tortured. Even in the face of torture, they would not renounce Christianity.
He sent some of the nobility off into the distant desert to fight against
the Huns, who were attacking the eastern parts of the empire. Yazdigerd also
imposed heavy taxes on the Armenians, and for the first time taxed the
churches and monasteries. He appointed a Persian governor for Armenia. And
he ordered the chief magus to compose a letter refuting Christianity and
presenting Zorastrianism as the true religion.
When the Armenians received the letter, the bishops gathered together
and wrote a response. The bishops letter, as Eghishe presents it, is an
important document. The bishops did not challenge the political authority of
the Persian king. Rather, they pledged loyalty to him as long as they were
free to remain Christians:
All our possessions and properties are in your hands and our bodies
stand before you; do [with them] whatever you will. If you leave us with
[our] faith we shall not exchange you for another lord on earth.
There was no room for compromise over Christianity, however:
From this faith no one can shake us, neither angels nor men, neither
sword nor fire nor water nor any kind of cruel torture.

>From LIGHT FROM LIGHT: An Introduction to the History and Theology of the
Armenian Church by Michael B. Papazian

Visit our website at

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 31 2005

Azeri officer to stand trial February 8

BAKU

The trial of senior lieutenant Ramil Safarov, an officer in the
Azerbaijan Army, charged with murdering the Armenian serviceman
Gurgen Markarian in Budapest, Hungary, will be held on February 8.
The Azerbaijani officer will be provided with the second attorney
from Hungary to better defend his rights, lawyer Adil Ismayilov said.

Talks on the issue are underway and the Hungarian lawyer will be
named within the next two days, he said.
Safarov, who comes from Jabrayil District, Azerbaijan’s region
occupied by Armenia, murdered the Armenian officer for humiliating
his honor and dignity.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 1 2005

OSCE fact-finding mission to visit Azerbaijan’s another occupied region

BAKU

A 10-member OSCE fact-finding mission led by representative of the
German Foreign Ministry, Emily Haver, visited Lachin District,
another Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia, on Tuesday.
On Monday, the OSCE mission met with the Armenian families settled in
Kalbajar District and conducted a survey to determine how long they
have been settled in the region.
The fact-finding mission will carry out a week long monitoring of the
settlement of Armenians in 7 occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
A report to be prepared by the mission within 10 days will be
presented to the Vienna-based OSCE Permanent Council.
Haver told the Armenian media that some interesting facts had been
discovered during the surveys. `These facts will help give a true
assessment of the situation,’ she noted.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Feb 2 2005

14,000 RURAL HOUSEHOLDS BENEFIT FROM DEEP WELLS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS: Researchers and professors of
Agribusiness training center, an affiliation of the Armenian
Agricultural Academy, conducted recently a study in 55 rural
communities to learn whether 75 deep wells built or reconstructed in
these communities with the assistance of the US Department of
Agriculture, Yerevan office, have had any impact on their
socio-economic conditions.
According to their findings, the wells have brought irrigation
water to 14,000 rural households and 2,562 hectares of land. The
immediate outcome were doubled volumes of agricultural products and
less people choosing to emigrate. Another result was that their plots
have risen in price, about 25 percent.

ArmenPress
Jan 31 2005

ARMENIA TO SHOWCASE ITS MACHINE -BUILDING AT USA FAIR

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Development Agency
(ADA) will take several samples of Armenian machinery building to
showcase them at WestTech fair that will take place in the USA on
April 4-7. On the sidelines of the exhibition a conference on
investment opportunities will be held.
Armenian representatives will also take part this year in another
business forum in China. The ADA will also represent Armenia at
AICHI-2005 exhibition in Japan.
Apart from that the ADA plans also to conduct three major
advertising campaigns to showcase Armenia’s achievements in organic
chemistry, high technology and bio-technology. The first will be in
Europe, the second in the USA and the third in Australia.