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HEAD OF CAUCASIAN MOSLEMS DEPARTMENT ALLAHSHUKUR PASHAZADE CHARGES ARMENIAN GRIGORIAN CHURCH WITH KINDLING KARABAKH CONFLICT APRIL 18. ARMINFO-TURAN. Patriarch Bartholomew I, currently staying on official visit in Baku, has been received by Sheikh-ul-islam Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasian Moslems Department, told TURAN. In his welcoming speech, Pashazade expressed hope that this visit would open a new stage in inter-religious dialogue and serve to linking of nations of various religious affiliations. Pashazade stressed that Azerbaijan was a multi-national and multi-confessional country and equal conditions are established for all confessions and religious tolerance. Similar conditions were provided to the Armenian religious community, but, under instigation of the Armenian church, it occupied a hostile position towards Azerbaijanis, said Pashazade. He believes that the Armenian church played an important role in instigation of the Karabakh conflict and still occupies that position. Simultaneously, sheikh has informed the guests about efforts made by religious leaders of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia for peace settlement of conflicts in the region. The patriarch thanked sheikh for the reception and called it an example of toleration. Scientific-technological achievements made the world a shorter place, emphasizing the necessity for peace and consent among nations. He considers that inter-religious dialogue and cooperation are dictated by time. "Unlimited is the time to do good", the patriarch has said. He expressed hope this was not his last visit in Azerbaijan.
This was followed by a celebrating lunch in honor of the
patriarch.
MATERIALS ABOUT TRIAL OF MURDER OF TALAAT PASHA TRANSLATED INTO
TURKISH
APRIL 18. The Turkish publishing house "Belge" has published a 182-page book about the trial of the murder of Talaat Pasha. This is a Turkish translation of the trial-related materials published by Armin Wegner and Tesa Hofman in 1921 and 1980 respectively.
One of the key organizers of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey
Talaat Pasha was killed by Soghomon Teileryan in Berlin Mar 15 1921.
The local court acquitted Teileryan three months later thereby
confirming Talaat Pasha's complicity in the Armenian Genocide.
TRIAL OF OCT 27 CASE POSTPONED AGAIN
APRIL 18. The trial of the Oct 27 case has been postponed again, this time because of the illness of one of the defendants Vram Galstyan. The judge Samvel Uzunyan said that Galstyan has high blood pressure and is being given medical aid.
To remind, the trial was suspended three months ago because of the
illness of Uzunyan.
CC CHAIRMAN COMMENTS ON CC's DECISION ON REFERENDUM ON CONFIDENCE IN
PRESIDENT
APRIL 18. Armenia's Constitutional Court was by no means expressing distrust in President Robert Kocharian, as it is presented by some mass media and political figures. The Cc only proposed a way of relieving the public tension, which was observed in Armenia before and aggravated after the presidential election, CC Chairman Gagik Harutiunian told a press conference. He gave the example of Poland, where the Constitutional Tribunal proposes to the President and the Parliament a way-out of certain crises every year. By making its decision the CC meant harmonizing Armenia's Law "On referendum" with the European standards. No political implications can be here nor any abuse of authorities on the CC's part is in question, Harutiunian said.
Armenia's Parliament has the right to ignore the CC's proposal. In
any case, the reason for this point of the CC's decision is "not the
gravity of violations during the presidential election", but a wish
to "show" the way-out of the public tension. This is only a proposal,
Harutiunian said, expressing his surprise at "how many people have
read the Constitution lately." He urged Armenia's mass media and
politicians to examine the CC's decision once more and restrain from
making incompetent statements in future.
PLAN ON CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD CROSSING ARMENIAN CEMETERY IN AZERBAIJAN
HAS EXISTED SINCE SOVIET TIMES
APRIL 18. The plan of construction of a road crossing the Armenian cemetery in the subregion of Montino in Baku has existed since the Soviet times, Azeri human rights activist Eldar Zaynalov told ARMINFO's correspondent. Zeynalov participates in a seminar for NGOs held in Stepanakert under the aegis of the "Caucasian Forum" NGO.
He said the construction should embrace one-third of the given
cemetery, wherein mainly Armenians are buried, as well as Russians
and Jews. Unfortunately, the issue of reburial of the remains
received no official resolution and is considered from the political
angle. Zaynalov said the participation of the relatives of those
buried Armenians in the process is practically impossible.-
FOUR ARMENIANS, LIVING IN IRAQ, DIED AS A RESULT OF MILITARY
OPERATIONS
APRIL 18. Four citizens of Iraq of Armenian nationality died as a result of military operations of the anti-Iraq coalition. The Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian told the journalists today. He added that they were killed accidentally during the exchange of fire.
According to Vardan Oskanian, houses of Armenians, living outside
Armenian quarters of Baghdad, were plundered. At the same time, he
stressed that on the whole the Armenian community has not suffered
considerable losses. Armenian church in Baghdad and the building of
Armenia's Embassy didn't suffer as well. Oskanian informed that the
issue of return of the Armenian diplomats to Baghdad is being
considered now. Armenian side is ready to send a group of rescuers to
Iraq for rendering humanitarian assistance to the victims if it is
necessary.
DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN CULTURAL MONUMENTS CONTINUES IN AZERBAIJAN
APRIL 18. Mass destruction of Armenian cultural monuments is continuing in Azerbaijan, Armenian foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian told a press conference on the results of the 8th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the BSEC member-countries. "If Azerbaijan has counter-charges against Armenia, we are ready to receive a UNESCO commission," Oskanian said, adding that Armenia has repeatedly advanced initiatives to invite a UNESCO commission to Armenia, Nagorny Karabakh and Azerbaijan to study the situation with the cultural heritage in the three countries. However, the proposals were not accepted. "Nevertheless, if Azerbaijan has any claims to Armenia, we are ready to receive a commission of UNESCO or any other international organization and show all the monuments of whose destruction were are being accused, " Oskanian said. In his turn, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Makhmud Mamed-Ghuliyev stated that this issue is invested. EXHIBITION OF ILLUSTRATION TO BOOKS FOR CHILDREN "MAGIC PENCIL" OPENS IN YEREVAN ON APR 23 APRIL 17. An exhibition of illustration to the books for the children "Magic pencil" opens in Yerevan's Khnko Apor Library on Apr 23. The exhibition is organized by the British Council. ARMINFO was informed in the organization, 60 works of 13 famous British illustrators will be exhibited. A contest of children's illustrations will be held at the same time. About 60 pupils 7-15 years old from 20 schools of Yerevan will take part in the competition. The competition winners will be awarded with books concerning the English literature. ARMENIAN "WEB STUDIO" AND SWISS "FRANCK MULLER" COMPANIES CONCLUDE CONTRACT FOR CREATION OF OFFICIAL WEB-SITE APRIL 18. The Armenian "Web-Studio" and Swiss "Franck Muller" companies concluded a contract on creation of an official web-site, Director of the Armenian company Vahan Kamalyan told ARMINFO's correspondent. He said at the moment "Web-Studio" has started an active fulfillment of the order of the world leader on production of mechanical and quartz watches. Kamalyan said the web-site will be fully ready for service in a month. It should be noted that the company worked on such projects as creation of a promote-site at the request of "Sony Music" for the well-known Armenian-American rock-group "System of a Down" and the official web-site of the National Assembly of Armenia.- HEADLINES OF 18 APRIL
GAS AND WATER BILLS TO BE SHORTLY PAID THROUGH ARCA PAYMENT SYSTEM
ANNUAL COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS IMPORTANT, THE MORE SO, AS TURKISH GOVERNMENT STILL DENIES THIS FACT APRIL 19. Every April 24, Armenians around the world remember the Armenian Genocide, a period from 1915 to 1923 when the Ottoman Turkish government killed 1.5 million Armenians and deported another 600,000. Many nations, including the United States, do not officially recognize the massacre as a genocide, and Turkey's policy has been to deny it. That is precisely why it is so important to commemorate it each year, said Watertown resident Ara Arakelian, a representative of the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts and co-chairman of the Greater Boston Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee. When countries deny the systematic killing of a group of people and rewrite history to eliminate it from people's consciousness, it essentially gives regimes and ethnic groups the green light to kill other groups unchecked, Arakelian said. "By not recognizing genocide...you pave the way for human suffering," Arakelian said. The Massachusetts Legislature has been commemorating the Genocide since the 1985, when then-Speaker George Keverian, the son of Genocide survivors, started the tradition. This year, the ceremony is scheduled for Friday, April 25, 11 a.m., in the House Chamber. The featured speaker will be Yair Auron, senior lecturer at the Open University of Israel and the Kibbutzim College of Education, and author of "The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide."
Pulitzer-Prize winning author Samantha Power will be the featured
speaker at the Tufts University Armenian Club's Genocide
commemoration on Tuesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., at Goddard Chapel on
the Tufts campus. Power, a public policy lecturer at Harvard
University's Kennedy School of Government, won a 2003 Pulitzer for
her book, "A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide." On
Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m., Prof. Richard Hovannissian will speak at
the Harvard University Armenian Club's annual Genocide Symposium.-
ARMENIANS AND AZERIS OF GEORGIA NOT DIASPORA: GEORGIAN MP
APRIL 19. Georgia unlike Azerbaijan and Armenia is a specific country, where live 500,000 Azeris and 500,000 Armenians. These are our merited citizens. I do not think them a Diaspora as, Diaspora is the people who left their historical Motherland for some reasons. First Vice Chairman of the Georgian Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Givi Shugarov made this statement in his interview to the Baku "Echo" newspaper. He said both Azeris and Armenians of Georgia were born and live for many generations in Georgia. It is especially pleasant for me to say that even during the hottest phase of the Karabakh conflict, no conflicts aroused between Armenians and Azeris in Georgia, he sid. If any problems arouse in Gardaban, Marneuli and Javakhetia, it is not because of the compact residence of Azeris and Armenians, it is because of too many problems in the country. And the Government is aware of this problems, but sometimes it is simply impossible to solve them, as the country's possibilities are limited, Shugarov said. Before the elections in the country, a great importance is being attached to the role of the people on non-Georgian nationality.
He expressed confidence that President Shevardnadze is the person the
people believe in. It is noteworthy that during the previous
elections, Shevardnadze received the largest number of votes just in
the regions settled with Armenians and Azeris. The Georgian MP said
serious programs are elaborated today to improve the socio-economic
and legal situation in these regions.
"COUNTRY OF LAW" PARTY DENOUNCES ATTEMPT ON HAIK BABUKHANIAN'S LIFE
APRIL 19. The member of the Armenian Parliament, Chairman of the "Country of Law" party Artur Bahdasarian denounced the attempt on the life of his colleague Haik Babukhanian during the presidential election campaign in Artashat, on February 4. Speaking at the "Azdak" discussion club he stated that his party is against violence and against the sponsors of such actions. "Babukhanian could have been killed. It was just a lucky coincidence that the wound was not fatal," Bahdasarian said.
He confirmed that the measure of restraint applied to the only
arrestee in the case Grigor Ohanian was recently changed. He was
released from custody on the bail of 12 members of Parliament. "We
were also asked to put our signatures to the document, but flatly
refused," Artur Bahdasarian said, without naming the deputies that
put their signatures to the document.
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT EXCEEDED ITS POWERS BY CONFIRMING RESULTS OF
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: DEPUTY JUSTICE MINISTER
APRIL 19. The Constitutional Court exceeded its powers when it declared valid the results of the last presidential election, the deputy justice minister Tigran Mukuchayn said at a press-conference today. By ruling the conduct of a referendum of confidence in the Armenian president the CC misinterpreted Article 2 of the Constitution confusing referendum with plebiscite. The former implies expression of a people's will, while the latter its revelation. The current Armenian legislation does not envisage the conduct of plebiscites as it already contains democratic principles. Besides, by making such a decision the CC exceeded its powers. The very fact that the CC's decisions are irreversible lays historical responsibility on it. This may create a dangerous precedent when one or another body will make decisions exceeding its powers. Besides, the CC had no right to instruct the Prosecutor General's Office to inquire into the reports of violations during the election. However, the CC's verdict has positive aspects too, first of all the invalidation of the polls at 40 electoral districts.- GOOD FRIDAY IN HOLY ETCHMIADZIN APRIL 18. Holy Week services continued in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The services on Holy Friday are dedicated to the sufferings, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus Christ. At noon, the Order of the Crucifixion was conducted in the Mother Cathedral, commemorating the sufferings and crucifixion of the Savior. In the evening, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians presided during the Order of the Burial, when Christ's death on the cross, and his burial in a rock-hewn tomb were observed. The service began with readings from the Scriptures and the Gospel, with the symbolic Tomb of Christ situated in the chancel. During the service, the Tomb of Christ, decorated with flowers and illuminated with candles, was led in procession outside and around the perimeter of the Cathedral. The procession of the Tomb was led by His Holiness the Catholicos, escorted by seminarians, deacons, priests, and bishops of the Mother See. Hundreds of faithful, who had gathered in the Mother See to participate in Good Friday services, also joined the procession. The Tomb then re-entered the Cathedral and was placed in front of the Altar of Descent. At the conclusion of the service, the faithful passed under the Tomb three times, symbolizing the death of Jesus Christ and his Glorious Resurrection on the third day. HEADLINES OF 19 APRIL
CEC CHAIRMAN: CONSTITUTIONAL COURT'S RESOLUTION ON RESULTS OF
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION MAY DESTABILIZE POLITICAL SITUATION IN ARMENIA
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