Siamanto

HERMAN DE CROO SAYS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MAY EXERT PRESSURE TO END KARABAGH DISPUTE Armenpress 08 April BAKU, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS: The speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives, Herman de Croo, told reporters in Baku that the international community may move to place strong pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan to force them to end their dispute over Nagorno Karabagh if they fail to reach a peace deal. De Croo arrived in Baku on the third and last leg of his visit to the South Caucasus, which he began by visiting Yerevan. He warned against attempts to try to resolve the conflict by the use of military force, saying the parties should seek a dialogue instead to negotiate an effective peace formula. The Belgian official praised the OSCE and some other international communities for their efforts to end the conflict and emphasized the role of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), a new EU initiative to help some countries, including Azerbaijan and Armenia, to build democracy and market relations, saying both nations' participation may play a positive role in terms of their desire to end their dispute. Herman de Croo avoided giving a direct answer to a reporter's question who wondered whether Belgium recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, saying his country as an EU member defends all efforts of the OSCE Minsk group. "I believe these efforts will eventually produce positive results," he said. http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107680.html

CO-CHAIRS TO POSE QUESTION TO OSKANIAN AND MAMEDIAROV IN LONDON AZG Armenian Daily #063, 09/04/2005 Artsax issue The OSCE Minsk group co-chairs are going to hold separate meetings with foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in London, April 15. According to reliable diplomatic sources, Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mamediarov will be asked some questions to clarify Yerevan's and Baku's positions. Official Yerevan does not confirm Baku's statements that Oskanian and Mamediarov will meet in London. Mamediarov himself and deputy foreign minister, Araz Azimov, stated days ago that indeed he will meet his Armenian counterpart in London. According to April 8 publications of the Azeri press, Araz Azimov said that there are "key elements" in the Armenian-Azeri confrontation that demand solution in the course of settlement process. Those "key elements", as Azimov sees them, are the elimination of the conflict's aftereffects, i.e. withdrawal of Armenian forces from the supervised territories, revival of the infrastructures, return of the refugees and solution of political issues. Azimov said that Baku keeps claiming return of the 7 regions but meanwhile it considers difficulties connected with "simultaneous liberation of the territories" and accepts the stage-by-stage variant. To put it simply, Baku will not be against if Armenia gradually leaves the security zone. The Azeri press keeps silent as to what Baku will offer Nagorno Artsax against the removal. By the way, the issues on the agenda of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents have been specified. According to information we possess, there are 4 issues concerning the status of Nagorno Artsax and elimination of aftereffects of the conflict -- buffer zone, guarantees, return of the refugees etc. By Tatoul Hakobian http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107682.html

DESTRUCTION OF OLD YEREVAN GOES ON AZG Armenian Daily #063, 09/04/2005 Home The buildings 9 and 11 in Byuzand Street are included in the list of the historical-cultural monuments. These days, the deconstruction works are at full swing in there. By the order of the owner of the building, the workers are ruining the old-fashioned balconies of the building from the yard's side. Daily Azg informed Artiom Grigorian, head of RA Agency for Historical-Cultural Monuments' Preservation, about this. He promised to let know a relevant department of the Yerevan Municipality. The dwellers of the yard that found themselves in dust and rubbish were extremely irritated and angry at the ignoring attitude displayed to them. The workers were transferring the logs of the ruined balconies in front of our eyes. A representative of Glendale Hills ltd. introduced himself as the owner and rather cynically said: "Many people just like you came, watched and went away but they didn't managed anything. If you come the day after tomorrow you will find this building totally ruined. Nothing will be left here, we are going to destroy everything." I told him to show the permission to destroy, he answered that it isn't with him. The ignorant "boss" who was destroying a historical-cultural monument and was fancying himself "an owner" had no idea of the building's value. "Many films have been shot here. Famous Armenian and foreign directors and actors worked here. "Sweet Mother," "Serob's Tree" and "My Dear Yerevan" as well as many other films were shot here. I can't remember all of them," Mrs. Emma, a dweller of one of the apartments of 9 Byuzand Str said. By Ruzan Poghosian http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107684.html

PRESS RELEASE Armenian National Committee of Toronto 45 Hallcrown Place North York Ontario Contact: Vahan Ajamian Tel: 416.491.2900 Fax: 416.491.2211 E-mail: anct@armenian.ca In memory of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Community Centre in Toronto and the Armenian National Committee of Toronto would like to bring to your attention the following commemorative events: Armenian Genocide 90th Anniversary Commemorative Events. *Sunday, April 10, 11:00am Cross Country Run at Armenian Community Centre, Toronto. The event is organized by Homenentmen Toronto with all proceeds donated to the Armenian National Committee of Toronto. *Sunday, April 17th, 3:00 pm Commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian Community Centre, 45 Hallcrown Place, Willowdale (Highway 401 & Victoria Park Avenue). Official commemoration commences at 3:00 p.m. Key note speaker is Dr. Gerald Caplan, renowned Genocide Scholar, Author of ?Rwanda: The Preventable Genocide?. * Wednesday, April 20th, 8:00 pm. ?Cultural Genocide: the Destruction of Armenian Monuments in Turkey? Exhibition of Photographs, by Samuel Garabedian. North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street, Toronto. The exhibition will be open to public till Sunday April 24, 2005 The event is organized with collaboration of Hamazkayin Toronto chapter. *Thursday, April 21, 6:30 pm. Candlelight Vigil, Queen?s Park, Front Garden. Organized by Armenian Youth of Toronto. Reception to follow at Hart House, U of T. *Sunday, April 24, 2005. Ottawa Ralley ? This year the rally will take place at the Turkish Embassy, 197 Wurtemburg Street, Ottawa. Departure at 6:30am from the Armenian Community Centre. 45 Hallcrown Place, Willowdale, Ont. *Friday, April 29, 8:00 pm at the Hamazkyin Theatre (50 Hallcrown Place), attend Hamazkayin film screening of Hagop Goudsouzian?s ?My Son Shall Be Armenian?, a National Film Board of Canada production. In addition, Sunday April 10th 2005 at 2:00pm the Armenian National Committee of Toronto will host its second ANC T Update. The update will take place in the ACC Library. Armenian National Committee of Toronto 45 Hallcrown Place, Willowdale, Ont. Tel: (416) 491-2900 Fax: (416) 491-2211 anct@armenian.ca http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107700.html

8 April 2005 -- The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mammadyarov, will meet in London on 15 April to discuss new proposals drafted by the OSCE Minsk Group for resolving the Artsax conflict, a Moscow correspondent for RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on 5 April quoting Yurii Merzlyakov, the Russian Minsk Group Co-chairman. Merzlyakov did not give details of the new peace plan, other than to warn that it will require mutual concessions from both sides. Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian warned last week that "painful" concessions are unavoidable (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 March 2005). The London talks will also determine whether Armenian President Robert Kocharian will meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliev in Moscow next month on the sidelines of a Council of Europe summit in Warsaw. Two trends in recent weeks had seemed to call into question the prospects for further progress towards a peaceful solution of the Artsax conflict. In late February, Oskanian fell ill with pneumonia, and was unable to travel to Prague for a further round of talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 March 2005). Oskanian had hinted at the beginning of a "new phase" in the conflict settlement process following his previous meeting with Mammadyarov in January (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," 21 January 2005). But the Minsk Group's failure to reschedule the Prague meeting fuelled speculation that unanticipated obstacles to the peace process had emerged. Second, a considerable number of minor violations of the ceasefire agreement signed 11 years ago have been registered in recent weeks on the Line of Contact separating Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. At least six servicemen have reportedly been killed in those exchanges of fire (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 March 2005). Several Armenian politicians have construed that escalation of low-level hostilities, which Oskanian said on 29 March is the result of Azerbaijani efforts to move their front line closer to Armenian positions, as evidence that Azerbaijan is preparing for a major new offensive -- an assumption that is corroborated by the militant rhetoric of Azerbaijani President Aliev and Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev. Oskanian initially told journalists on 23 March he thinks such rhetoric is intended for a domestic audience, Noyan Tapan reported. But one week later, addressing the Armenian parliament, he admitted the possibility that Baku may seriously intend to start military actions (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 March 2005). It is not clear whether, as Oskanian and defense officials from the unrecognized Nagorno-Artsax Republic (NKR) have claimed, Azerbaijan was indeed the aggressor during the recent spate of shootings along the Line of Contact. But it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Baku was prepared to risk provoking such limited exchanges of fire and blaming them on the Armenian side in order to deflect public attention from the recent report released by the OSCE Minsk Group on the situation in the seven districts adjacent to the NKR which are under Armenian control. That report, presented to the OSCE's Permanent Council in Vienna last month, effectively demolishes Azerbaijani allegations that the Armenian government has over the past decade engaged in a deliberate and systematic attempt to resettle tens of thousands of Armenians on those territories. An OSCE fact-finding mission that toured the districts in question in late January and early February at the request of the Azerbaijani government concluded that resettlement is "quite limited," strictly voluntary, and not the result of a deliberate Armenian government policy, and that most of the Armenians resettlers involved are displaced persons from other regions of Azerbaijan. It estimated the total number of such Armenian settlers as less than 15,000, in contrast to Azerbaijani projections of over 30,000 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 March 2005). Despite the recent ceasefire violations, both Oskanian and Mammadyarov remain publicly committed to the search for new blueprints for resolving the conflict -- even though their respective priorities may be difficult to reconcile. On 29 March, Oskanian addressed a special two-day session of the Armenian parliament devoted to the conflict settlement process. As the only senior official in either country who has been actively engaged in that process since the early 1990s, Oskanian provided an overview of the OSCE's efforts to resolve the conflict, which he subdivided into four stages. Oskanian reiterated the three principles which Yerevan considers central to any formal solution: that the unrecognized NKR not be vertically subordinated to the Azerbaijani central government (which would rule out autonomous status, but not a joint or federal state); that the NKR should have an overland link with Armenia (which would entail de facto recognition of Armenian control over the so-called Lachin corridor); and that the security of the Armenian population of the NKR should be guaranteed. At the same time, Oskanian made some statements that are in all likelihood unpalatable, if not anathema, to Baku. He argued that the international community should abandon its insistence that the principle of territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan consistently adduces as central to any settlement of the conflict, should not automatically take precedence over the right to national self-determination. In that context, he cited the examples of East Timor and the ongoing discussion over the future status of Kosova, independence for which could set a precedent for Artsax. He substantiated the argument in favor of self-determination for the NKR by pointing out, as he has done on previous occasions, that the region has never been part of an independent Azerbaijani state; that it seceded legally from Azerbaijan (in a referendum in September 1991) in accordance with the Soviet legislation in force at that time; and that the Azerbaijani government has had no control whatsoever over the region for the past 15 years, during which time democratization has made far deeper inroads in Artsax than in Azerbaijan itself. Finally, he argued that by perpetrating violence against the Armenians of the Nagorno-Artsax when the region was still formally a part of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan "lost the moral right" to hegemony over them. Mammadyarov, too, has new suggestions to air at his next meeting with Oskanian, according to OSCE Chairman in Office Dmitrij Rupel, who met with Armenian leaders in Yerevan on 30 March and in Baku with President Aliev and Mammadyarov two days later. Also during his talks with Rupel, Mammadyarov signaled a softening of Azerbaijan's position on one key issue: he admitted that "sooner or later" the Armenian community of the NKR should join in the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on resolving the conflict because "we cannot take any steps without them," according to the independent ANS television station. But Mammadyarov added, "We think we should continue the talks with Yerevan and achieve some results." Previously Baku has ruled out the participation of the NKR in such talks unless the Azerbaijanis who fled the enclave in the late 1980s are also included. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/...9bd8fbf7c5.html

A1plus | 12:36:19 | 08-04-2005 | Social | AKHALQALAQ DOES NOT NEED HISTORY The Akhalqalaq Museum of Regional Studies is the only one in the Akhalqalaq region. With its unique exhibits it carries out a special role in the Javakhq cultural life. There are five parts in the Museum - friendship of nations, Javakhq history, Javakhq ethnography, war glory, the Soviet period and that of intellectuals. One of the unique exhibits of the Museum is the sun calendar. At the same time it must be mentioned that because of ignorance and absence of financing exhibits are disappearing from the Museum. During the 70s the copper cannons of Paskevich's time disappeared from the Museum. Hakob Hambaryan, head of the Museum mentions that if there is a small possibility of state care towards the Museum, they can not only protect what is left, but find the lost exhibits and bring new ones to the Museum. According to the agency "A-info", the state of the Museum building is much graver. It was built in 1830s and is now considered subject for deconstructing, and it can be destroyed any time. Mels Mahtesyan, deputy governor of the Akhalqalaq region mentions that the reconstructing of the building is meaningless and the Museum needs a new building. The directors of the Museum have no hope of getting help from the state. And the regional deputy governor hoped that thee Javakhqians living in Moscow will try to save the only museum of the Akhalqalaq region. http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107812.html

http://www.azg.am/palm/?lang=EN&num=2005040603

If Edward Tascən and Edward Tashji are the same person; then yes: that is how he presented them during the seminar with Hilmar Kaiser.

The next one(s!)

Online Armenian Newspaper Yerkir An ARF Publication Armenia: Facing New Challenges Raffi K. Hovannisian Armenia's first Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1991-92 and the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) founding director Dear readers, Between March 14 and 21, 2005, you had an opportunity to address your questions on the Yerkir's website to RAFFI K. HOVANNISIAN, Armenia's first Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) founding director. See the full version of the interview in Armenian. Thank you for your active participation: Spartak Seyranian, editor-in-chief of "Yerkir" Weekly. Hosein Tabatabaei - Dear mr. Hovhannesian. What is you opinion about Iran - armenia relationship and cooperation ? Raffi K. Hovannisian - Armenia and Iran share long-standing cultural and civilizational traditions, which continue to this day. Iran plays an important role in regional cooperation and security. Hosein Tabatabaei - How do you think about similarities and diferences in cultural view of piont ? shat shenoragalootion. R. H. -- Real strength comes from respectful diversity. Stepan - Dear Mr. Hovhannisyan, Could you comment on prospects of Armenia as transit country, especially recent developments regarding gas from Iran. Thank you R. H. -- Armenia must strive to diversify its economic, energy, and security strategy at home and abroad. New transit prospects flowing from the Iran-Armenia line must be developed to safeguard Armenian and regional energy security and the respective sovereignties of all concerned parties. Vatche Iskedjian - Mr. Hovannisian, According to you, what's the best to tackle `corruption' in Armenia? How can we elect a parliament which serves the people and not the oligarchs who `buy' their seats in parliament by bribing voters? R. H. -- Bribery, corruption, abuse of power, and the broader scourge of conflicts of interest between public service and private gain have become endemic in Armenia. It gives us no consolation that other countries are corrupt as well. And the problem by no means resides solely in the parliament. It is presidential, governmental, judicial, oppositional, societal-in short, system-wide. Administratively, Armenia continues to be a very vertical place, so the example `up top' is crucial. If the president or a key official is corrupt, if they or their family member or their staff pronounce beautifully on the rule of law and a variety of anti-corruption programs but in reality abuse their office for personal benefit, then the average citizen loses confidence in his or her leaders and tries to beat the system as well. A vicious circle indeed. What is needed are personal example; political will; amendment of legislation to enable the formation of an independent investigative and prosecutorial body that starts with the presidency and moves down through every nook and cranny of the administration and society; application of mechanisms for citizen empowerment and public oversight; and finally, broad popular support to stand together against the inevitable reactions of violence from affected quarters both in and out of government. Gevork Ter Astvadsadrian - Hello Mr. Hovannisian, I'd like to know what Armenia's alternatives are in light of recent PACE pronouncements , and what are possible consequences if Armenia is declared to be an aggressor? What is the impediment to the recognition of the independence of Atsakh, what are possible disadvantages if any, and advantages. Thank you for your good work, and your efforts to get recognition for Artsakh as Foreign Minister, and your commitment to our homeland R. H. -- Thank you for your kind words. I have always favored Armenia's recognition of Artsakh's right to liberty, self-determination, and decolonization?under international law, domestic Soviet legislation, and historical-political benchmarks. These legitimate advantages notwithstanding, we have not done our utmost to design and pursue a comprehensive blueprint for realization of its quest for freedom. Often we have sent out conflicting signals and suffered from partisanship and parochialism under both administrations. We need new leadership. Eric - Are you going to participate in the upcoming presidential elections in 2008? R. H. -- Presidential elections are not an end unto themselves. I plan to the best of my abilities to continue contributing to Armenia and a dignified, democratic future for all of its citizens. Each of us must do his or her part. For now, the best answer I can offer is that no decision has been made nor any option ruled out. In any event, that high office is not my raison d'etre. Eric - Do not you think that with the current educational level of the members of Armenian Government the country cannot progress with the pace the rest of the world does? The Government consists mainly of `strangers�=80=9D in the areas they are responsible for. R. H. -- On the whole I agree, though there are happy exceptions to the rule. We must do our utmost to keep our best and brightest-especially ouryouth-in the country and offer them meaningful, contemporary avenues for self-advancement and public service. M. Moradian - Do you think that Armenian government should approach the US and the West in order to make closer ties with them or the authorities should remain a Russian ally and base in Caucuses? Why? R. H. - 21st-century Armenia should chart a course founded on its own national interest, the absolute sovereignty of its state, the unity and security of its nation, the democracy of its system, and the liberty of its citizen. All else is in the derivative domain of strategic and tactical implementation according to global and regional developments, political consensus-building, and public confidence. A successful, proactive policy of outreach would engage a variety of partners on the basis of healthy competition, common causes, andshared interests. Armenia's freedom to establish multilateral, mutually beneficial relations, and not multilateral dependency, should constitute the most telling index of its integral independence. Against this background, a considered foreign policy for the Armenian nation-state, requiring as it does the assumption of the hard lessons that history has dealt, recognizes its sovereignty as a supreme value to be treasured atall cost; defines maintenance of a peaceful geopolitical environment as its vital national interest; and accepts steady pursuit of dignified bilateral ties with all, near and far, as the most effective modality for achieving national security. To these ends, it behooves Armenia to cultivate a straightforward, sovereign partnership with Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States; to reconcile words and deeds in its attempt to integrate into European institutions; to explore new connections in the Middle Eastern and Asian dimensions; and to continue to bridge common domains with neighborly Iran and transatlantic America. The world after September 11 avails Armenia of the ways and means to check and balance these policy directions. M. Moradian - If the border between Armenia and Turkey re-opens, what would be the challenges that Armenian businessmen, farmers and people will face? R. H. - The frontier in question was closed unilaterally by the Republic of Turkey in flagrant violation of the 1921 Treaties of Moscow and Kars on which it so often relies-to the point that the validity of those documents is now in deeper question than ever before. This is Turkey's issue, though both nations stand to gain from an open border and full normalization of relations basedon a brave facing of history that includes acknowledgment, atonement, and ultimate accommodation. Obviously, Armenian farmers, entrepreneurs, and the people at large would gain in terms of access to markets and consumer prices, but would benefit even more if Armenia found itself in advance in a more developed state of economic affairs. Self-confidence abroad requires first putting our own house in order. Zohrab keropian - I want to express my deep gratitude towards his Excellency for the excellent job that he did while in office, during that difficult times and not forgetting the raising of the Armenian genocide issue in Constantinople Turkey. I want to ask his Excellency on his political standings remembering the fact that during presidential elections he supported the opposition candidate for no clear reason thus can you give us a clear glimpse on your political grounds? R. H. - Thank you for your kind words. The political precepts that guide me are inalienable sovereignty for our republic, security in unity for our nation, democracy for our society, and liberty for each and every citizen. When by application of double standards and fear-based presidential decreesI was denied my own civil right to seek election, I decided not to sit in a corner, instead endorsing the distinguished candidate from the opposition. I exercised this option because I felt that, all things considered, he was the better candidate. What do you think, will our generation ever witness a fair, dignified election by which authority is transferred peacefully from incumbent to challenger? Regardless of personalities, such a transition is imperative for Armenia's future development. It is only with a legitimate, democratic, and rule-of-right homeland that we can expect fulfillment of foreign-policy objectives in the region and beyond. Stealing the vote-and thus conscience-from one's own citizens, brutally cracking down on them, and employing violence at every turn are domestic realities directly connected with our national capacity to seek and attain justice for other watershed issues in the international arena. The unjust state of our state -which has lost 1.5 million of its citizens to emigration during the years of its own independence-relates immediately to the efficacy of our demands for justice in the name of the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide. The world, in essence, has become one long chain and these are its links-apparently distant, but intertwined nonetheless. Gaytzag Palandjian - Would you consider a highly necessary post, as Minister for Diaspora-Affairs? If and when created? R. H. - The position, if one of substance and not of imitation, is worth considering at the highest levels. I believe there would be several candidacies better than mine. Kind regards. Gaytzag Palandjian - Would you not consider as imperative invigoration/Re-organization of the Diaspora, to become a Super-structure with Head, i.e. a Supreme Council with five departments:-1. The Legal-Political in Strasbourg(next to RA rep.)2. The Economic in Geneva, CH with 16-field representing chambers of Professional Colleagues Associations. The Executive in N.Y.,next to RA 's U.N. Rep.4. The Social Services and Repatriation in Moscow. Spiritual at St. Etchmiadzin in constant contact with Great House of Cilicia? Thanking you in advance, Respectfully, g.p R. H. - It reads well on paper and in concept. The Armenian reality will probably prove otherwise. Still, the aspiration is commendable and might contribute to an informed public discourse on both individual and structural contributions to development of a contemporary Diaspora working professionally for its own longevity and for the Homeland's perpetuity. Strategy should be Armenia-driven. Gevork (CAN) - Mr. Hovannisian what is, from your point of view, the best recipe or mechanism by which Armenians worldwide can optimize the level of involvement of the Diaspora in the homeland. Is it dual citizenship? Or maybe just time is needed for Armenians to fully comprehend the concept of state as well as the mentalities of each other (spyurk and hayastan)? Or maybe there is something else that we still have not understood? Everybody agrees that Diaspora has done a lot to help Armenia, but I think most also agree that incomparably more may be done if the proper conditions and settings are created on both sides. R. H. - You are right. Time, mutual respect, hard work, and an uncommon ability to look beyond the limitations of one's own vantage point are part and parcel of the `optimization formula.' Dual citizenship�=80'which requires that thoughtful programs be tailored for the discharge of civic obligations by dual-national applicants and that minimum residency thresholds be set for exercise of electoral rights-is one important measure for ascertaining greater involvement and inclusivity. But standing alone it is not a panacea. A grand design, which entails a unifying cause and mutual accountability, is in order. Gevork (CAN) - Mr Hovannisian, as the director of ACNIS, how would you assess the morale of the citizens of Armenia today (is it more or less similar to that of citizens in other Caucasian states). If you have information about the same issue in spyurk I would be glad to read it as well. R. H. - As you know, we are a nation that cherishes individual thought and enterprise. One can find a multiplicity of views and dispositions across the Homeland-Diaspora divide. Despite our trials, errors and tribulations, there still are points of light at both ends of the bridge. Generally speaking, however, an independent analysis would reveal relatively low morale and overall malaise both at home and in our communities. M. D. Ajemian - Mr. Hovannisian, Has ACNIS developed any reparation scenarios in the event that Turkey (within the context of their 10 year or so E.U. accession talks) accepts the validity of the Armenian Genocide? And would it not be a good idea to start a national discussion on the various possible scenarios including defining and delimiting Western Armenia? Much of the land of Western Armenia has been abandoned due to the Armenian Genocide and Turkishpolicy over the last 80 years.(It should be noted that 80% of eastern Anatolia is owned by the Turkish government) Should we not start promoting the fact that eastern Anatoila today is not as populated as the Turkish statistics claim,making it easier for Turkey to give up these lands which are not essential to the existence of the Turkish State? R. H. - A national discussion is always a good idea, though we have trouble from time to time in graduating beyond our partisanship and parochialism to achieve that level. A comprehensive framework for examining the Genocide, its legacy, and its consequences for Armenia and the Armenian people-both historic and contemporary-is part of this challenge. At the same time, we must take a critical, honest look at the state of affairs in the small parcel of the Armenian patrimony which survives today as the Republic of Armenia. We of all people do not need double standards. We reject them when they are applied by Turkey, Azerbaijan, and sometimes the international community. We certainly should not accept them in our own nation-state and among our leaders, whether elected or not. These cannot, and shall not, be the criteria by which we make judgments on the matters of yesterday and of tomorrow. M. D. Ajemian - Mr. Hovannisian, When I was a college student in the late 70's and early 80's I attended many discussions on the future of Soviet Armenia and the possibility of an independent Armenian State. I was one of the few people who believed that the Soviet Union because of its corrupt and economically mismanaged system would not survive for long and that an independent Armenian State would emerge. Now most take it for granted that Armenia is independent including those who laughed at the idea. I for one believe that the Turkish Republic could emerge into a different entity if all the players in Turkey's future push hard enough to break the hold of the Kemalist elite. There are ways to do it. It is a limited number of people who prevent Turkey from being a European state. Should we not start making an effort to start Turkish-Armenian conciliation with various Turkish groups in Europe initially and as the E.U. process unfolds with groups in Turkey? R. H. - There is today an emerging Turkish voice, still in the vast minority, seeking a brave reexamination of Turkish history, the foundations of the modern Turkish state, and Turkish-Armenian relations in particular. These beginnings of a crack in the official wall of silence are gradually approaching the seminal crossroads of the Armenian Genocide. Unbeknownst to them, this follows in the exceptional tradition of thousands of Turkish families who in 1915, at the risk of losing their own lives, endeavored to hide and save individual Armenians from certain death. My grandmother owed her life to one such righteous family of heroes, who to this day remain unsung because of the official Turkish dialectic. Whether in Turkey or abroad, this new generation of compelling, liberated Turkish thought should be engaged on all levels. And, yes, potential Turkish and Armenian accession to the European Union should become the major causal thoroughfare for a truly European coming to terms with history, a settlement of accounts, an inevitable normalization, and the joining of forces for regional security and cooperation-both as neighbors and as states member in the EU. No one should be the odd man out. Feasibility or fantasy? The answer lies within. See the full version of the interview in Armenian. http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107164.html

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Watertown TAB & Press, MA Armenian Genocide commemoration events Friday, April 1, 2005 The Greater Boston Committee for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, an umbrella organization of all area churches and major civic groups, announces the following community-wide commemoration events for the 90th anniversary of the Genocide. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, and periodic updates, log on to www.weremember1915.org. "Genocide and Mass Killing: Origins, Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation"- Tuesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m., at Goddard Chapel at Tufts University in Medford. Presented by Ervin Staub. "Victims of 1915 and We Today"- Sunday, April 17, 10 a.m., at Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church, 200 Lexington St., Belmont. A memorial service and evocation. "Remembrance and Commemoration through Armenian Culture and Music"- Sunday, April 17, 5 p.m., at St. James Armenian Apostolic Church, 465 Mount Auburn St., Watertown. Featuring Sayat Nova Dance Company and Zulal Armenian Folk Trio. "The Road to Redemption: Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide"- Thursday, April 21, 7:30 p.m., at Boston University's Morse Auditorium, 602 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. Presented by the Greater Boston Committee for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Massachusetts State House Commemoration - Friday, April 22, 11 a.m. Details to follow. Ecumenical Service and Memorial Service - Saturday, April 23, 6:45 p.m., at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge. A service for 250 Armenian intellectuals who perished on April 24, 1915. Presented by the Honorable Clergy of Boston Armenian Churches. Requiem and Memorial Concert for the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide - Saturday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church. Presented by Erevan Choral Society, under the direction of the Very Rev. Oshagan Minassian. Rally to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide in New York - Sunday, April 24. Busses depart from St. James and St. Stephens Armenian Churches in Watertown to Times Square, for those wishing to take part in the rally to commemorate the Genocide and denounce the denial of the Turkish government. For more information, log on to www.weremember1915.org. The Films of J. Michael Hagopian - Friday, April 29 and May 6, various times, at Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge. Screenings of "Germany and the Secret Genocide" and "Voices from the Lake." Presented by the Greater Boston Committee for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, with cooperation of Kendall Square Cinema. Tickets are $5. http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg106960.html

SATURDAY, March 23, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE All-ASA Genocide Recognition Committee c/o UCLA Armenian Student Association Kerckhoff Hall Room 146 308 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90024 Contact: Raffi Kassabian E-mail: rkassab7@ucla.edu, asaucla@ucla.edu Armenian collegiate student groups join forces for genocide awareness, justice LOS ANGELES, CA - Next month, area Armenian college students will gather to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The All-Armenian Student Association's Genocide Recognition Committee, a coalition of collegiate Armenian student groups, has been busy organizing two major events set to take place this April. Aside from smaller projects, the committee has organized two major events; an educational panel presentation and an candlelight vigil for the southern California student community. On April 7th, the CSU Long Beach campus hosts a panel on human rights atrocities and genocide denial. "Since Long Beach State holds such a diverse community it is of great importance to hold a panel that reviews how denial and ignorance of genocide affect cultures and people all around the world,' explained Lisa Narinian, president of the CSULB Armenian Student Association and representative to the committee. The panel discussion will feature faculty from local universities who will address the Armenian Genocide, Rwandan Genocide and its continuation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the genocide in Darfur, as well as the Women of Juarez. The following Thursday, the UCLA campus' Bruin Plaza will serve as the site for the 2005 All-ASA Candlelight Vigil. Hosted each year at a different college campus, this year's vigil will feature a reenactment of a genocidal death march, performances by UCLA students, and the premier of an educational video feature commissioned by the committee. The event will also feature UCLA Professor Paul Von Blum, a specialist on media and genocide, as well as rapper Knowledge from the Axis of Justice, a non-profit, social justice organization formed by Tom Morello of Audioslave and Serj Tankian of System of a Down. Local student and community groups have been invited to participate and table at the event. However, the panel presentation and the vigil will not be the first genocide-related event of the year for many of the committee's participating organizations. The UCLA Armenian Student Association has also been addressing the impact of past genocides on current affairs. In February, it co-hosted a similar panel presentation on genocide denial as coalition student groups concerned about the genocide in Darfur. The event drew over 150 students and members of the faculty. "When groups of people are systematically oppressed, and targeted for destruction, it is our duty as humans to do something. Genocide and denial seems to run hand in hand," noted Matthew Sablove, a member of the Darfur Action Committee at UCLA. "Students can lead the way for social justice as well as social change to stop the current genocide in Darfur." Earlier in November this academic year, the USC Armenian Student Association, another Genocide Recognition Committee participant, co-hosted a reception and book signing featuring Colgate University Professor Peter Balakian and his NY Times Bestseller, Burning Tigris. The event was held in conjunction with the opening of USC's Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library exhibition documenting the Near East Foundation's relief efforts - commonly cited as an example of one of the first world-wide humanitarian relief efforts in the global age - to help survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The committee also addresses issues regarding education about the Armenian Genocide such as its proper inclusion in human rights-related curricula and exhibitions such as the local Museum of Tolerance. "The Museum of Tolerance issue is a continuing source of concern to the student community," explained Arineh Der Petrosian, president of the Glendale Community College Armenian Student Association and representative to the committee. In 2003, college students protested the lack of a permanent and prominent exhibit on the Armenian Genocide at the museum. The GCC ASA supported their efforts by collecting 1,500 signatures in support of this initiative. "As of today, there is still no permanent exhibit. We think it is important that the student community continues to work on this issue. The lack of an adequate and prominent acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide in a place like the Museum of Tolerance only serves to embolden deniers of all genocides." But in the end, much of the collective effort has been leading up to this April's events. "The panel and the vigil being organized by the committee are critical not only because they mark the April anniversaries of such tragedies as the Armenian Genocide, Rwandan Genocide, and Holocaust, but also because we are living in a world today in which genocide is being committed, specifically in Darfur," emphasized Raffi Kassabian, chair of the committee and president of the UCLA Armenian Student Association. "I think this is a clear illustration that if people continue to turn a blind eye or deny such atrocities the cycle of genocide will continue to turn." MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE All-ASA GRC Events in April: "All-ASA Panel Presentation - The Blind Eye: Genocide & Denial" at the Soroptomist House, CSU Long Beach Campus THURSDAY, April 7th @ 7:30pm - featuring: presentations on the Armenian Genocide, Rwandan Genocide, genocide in Darfur, and the Women of Juarez - for more info contact: CSULB ASA - c/o Lisa Narinian "2005 All-ASA Candlelight Vigil" at Bruin Plaza, UCLA Campus THURSDAY, April 14th @ 7:30pm - featuring: genocide reenactments/recollections, performances, speakers, and a newly commissioned educational video montage - for more info contact: UCLA ASA - c/o Raffi Kassabian PHOTO # 1: http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/agsa/pho...-pr-photo01.bmp CAPTION # 1: Pictured from Left to Right: Raffi Kassabian (UCLA Armenian Student Association), Ani Nahapetian (UCLA Armenian Graduate Student Association), Ara Krikorian (Loyola Marymount University ASA), and Arineh Der Petrossian (Glendale Community College ASA). Not pictured are representatives from the AEO, ARF-SSA, CalPoly ASA, CalTech ASA, CSULB ASA, CSULA ASA, UCI ASA, UCR ASA, UCSC ASA, USC AGSA, USC ASA, Woodbury U. ASA and other All-ASA participating organizations. http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107002.html

IN 2004, ARMENIA MAKES INVESTMENTS OF 135.9 MLN USD IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The amount of foreign investments made in Armenia in 2004 grew 17.9% compared with 2003 and made 467.8 mln dollars. According to the National Statistical Service, the direct investments made 235.2 mln USD (a 49.6% growth), portfolio invetments - 1.4 mln USD (a 6.6% growth), other investments - 231.2 mln USD (a 11.1% decline). Last year, the outflow of financial resources from Armenia made 135.9 mln USD, including 91.7 mln USD as cash and deposits. In 2004, the foreign investments in the real sector of Armenia's economy (excluding those received through the banking system and the state governance) made 305 mln 550.8 thousand USD (a 33.1% growth compared with 2003 index), with direct investments making 226 mln 723.4 thousand USD (a 47.7% growth). The main investments in the real sector were done by Greece ($75 mln 70 thousand), Russia ($67 mln 204.6 mln), France ($32 mln 180.5 thousand), Germany ($38 mln 705.9 thousand), Argentina ($30 mln 401 thousand) and the US ($24 mln 97.5 thousand). http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107044.html

ONE AND A HALF MILLION CANDLES WILL BURN IN MEMORY OF THE GENOCIDE VICTIMS A1+ 01-04-2005 On April 24 this year one and a half million people will go to Tsitsernakaberd and other monuments in memory of the Genocide victims. On end a half million flowers will be put on the monument to one and a half million innocent victims, and one and a half million candles will burn that say in the Armenian churches. The Committee celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide has worked out a program of events which will be organized in Armenia, Nagorno Artsax and in many other countries of the world. The events will start from April 11. In particular, on April 18-19 in the Armenian Academy of Science a conference of Armenian scientists will be held, and on April 20-21 in Yerevan an International conference will take place with the theme Gravest Crime, Gravest Challenges; Human Rights and Genocide�=80=9C, in which most remarkable scientists, state and political bodies, artists and journalists will take part. On April 23 in the Yerevan Opera House a memory evening will be held, and on April 24 in the St. Grigor Lousavorich Cathedral an ecumenical mess will be celebrated with the participation of spiritual leaders of different religions. On April 24 in Yerevan and Nagorno Artsax people will honor the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims with a moment of silence, and all the morning bells of all the Armenian churches will ring. On those April days in Armenia and other places exhibitions, musical and theatrical plays, film shows and other events will be organized dedicated to that tragic part of the Armenian history. http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107020.html