Armenian News- Panoram-Zaman-RFE-A1+‏

OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS AND THE CUP IN ARMENIA
Panorama.am
20:51 26/11/2008

At 19.00 the airplane from Drezden landed in "Zvartnots" airport
taking hone Olympic champions, who are the evidence of the fact that
Armenia is a powerful chess country. A concert is organized in Karen
Demirchyan sport-concert complex in the honor of the champions.

The Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Deputy Minister, and
fans collected in the airport to meet our champions.

Remind that in World Chess 38th Olympiad Armenian men team became

Olympic Champion for the second time.

ARMENIA: ARMY TARGETS STUDENTS
Alarm about demographic slump leads to proposed enlistment on army-age students.
By Sara Khojoian in Yerevan

The Armenian government is working on amendments to legislation which would force

more students to do military service, thereby overcoming a potential shortfall in recruits.

The defence and education ministries are drawing up the changes to three existing laws,

but have not yet presented them to parliament.

"They foresee removing the right to academic leave during military call-up and setting

certain benefits for students [for the duration of their army service]," said Mary Harutiunian,

government spokeswoman.

Currently post-graduate students doing a master's or doctorate are entitled to "academic

leave" which exempts them from having to serve in the military so they can concentrate

on their studies.

While the final details of the proposed changes are not yet clear, there has already been

an outcry against the overall plan.

The government says that it needs to act now to tackle a lack of conscripts for the armed

forces. Beginning from this year and over the next decade, conscripts will be young men

born in the 1990s, the number of whom is constantly declining, as the year 1991, when the

Soviet Union broke up and Armenia became independent, marked a fall in the birth-rate.

According to national statistics, in 1990-92 the birth-rate (for both boys and girls)

was 70,000 but it has declined sharply since then to 48,000 in 1995 and 37,000

in 2006, after which it began a modest recovery.

These trends are considered to be a threat to the country in two official documents, the

National Security Strategy and the Military Doctrine.

However, some experts say that the answer to Armenia's military needs is to move away

from conscription altogether.

Former deputy defence minister Artur Aghabekian - currently a deputy and head of the

Armenian parliament's committee on defence, internal affairs and national security - told

IWPR, "There is really a demographic problem in our country but I personally believe that

general conscription is not the solution."

Aghabekian said it had been a mistake to close military departments in colleges and

universities, which train students in army-related subjects during their studies and which

he said were an important institution for preparing youngster for careers in the armed forces.

Aghabekian said that Armenia needed to form a professional army by giving out temporary

contracts to professional soldiers.

The military currently do have units staffed by soldiers on contracts, amongst them Armenia's

international peacekeeping battalion, but there are no plans to expand this practice.

Another former deputy defence minister Vahan Shirkhanian also believes the army needs to

move away from full reliance on conscription, particularly since emigration was becoming a

big problem. "From 2001 to 2006, 27,000 school-children left Armenia and, this year,

from January to August alone, 83,000 people left Armenia. People who leave the

country take their sons with them," he said.

"So just imagine how many [potential recruits] we are losing every day, which is why our eyes

are always turned to universities, to call up 18-year-olds. But that's not how the problem gets

solved.

"This plan could cause a lot of problems for education and science and also hurt the

relationship between the public and the army. All the more so when problem number one

for our military security is the restoration of trust between army and the public."

Research shows that young men do not want to serve in the army and parents are reluctant

to send their children there because they consider it corrupt.

Surveys carried out by the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International in 2002

and 2006 reveal that attitudes towards the army had not changed in those four years. In the

first poll, 46.6 per cent of those surveyed said they considered the army extremely corrupt,

four years later the figure was 40.4 per cent. The corresponding numbers of people who

said the army was merely corrupt were 16 and 25.1 per cent.

A major reason for public distrust of the army is the high death-rate amongst conscripts,

with frequent reports of young men dying in unexplained circumstances.

Armenia's human rights ombudsman Armen Harutyunian has sent an official letter to the

head of the government administration Davit Sargsian, saying that Armenian law was

currently in line with the Europe-wide Bologna Declaration on higher education and that

the rights of students to continuous study risked being abused under the new legislation.

The chairman of parliament's education committee Armen Ashotian said that every effort

should be made to soften the impact of the new law on students - through new benefits

paid to them while they serve - but insisted it was necessary.

"We all understand that the age of conscription is approaching the 'demographic pit', that

starts with the years 1990-1992 ," said Ashotian. "Men born at that time should soon be

called up into the army and everyone understands that the most important task is increasing

the efficiency of the army."

But many young people are opposed to the proposed changes.

Twenty-six-year-old Alexander Chilingirian, who has gained a doctorate in physics, said

that he would never have completed his studies if he had to serve in the army.

"The army breaks a person," said Chilingiran. "And it doesn't matter if you join the army

at 18 and come out at 20 or if you join at 21 and come out at 23, you don't have the will to

carry anything on. In two years in the army the brain doesn't just switch off, it degrades."

Sixteen-year-old Mikael Sandrosian, a second-year geology and metallurgy student in

Yerevan, takes a similar view.

"If I go into the army that it will definitely have a bad effect on my studies," he said. "In the

first place if I join up, I will forget everything I know in two years and when I return it will be

hard and I won't have the will to carry on learning."

Government spokesperson Mary Harutiunian said that the draft changes were now being

studied by experts, then discussed in government before being presented to parliament.

She said there was no time-frame for their approval.

She said Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian had promised wide discussion of the issue to

ensure that the eventual changes had public support.

Sara Khojoian is a correspondent with Armenianow.com in Yerevan.

MORE TALKS PLANNED WITH AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
Today's Zaman
Nov 27 2008
Turkey

Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan are scheduled to intensify diplomatic
contacts, boosting prospects for reconciliation in the troubled
Caucasus.

The Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that Foreign Minister Ali
Babacan will travel to Azerbaijan this weekend. Today's Zaman has
also learned that Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who
visited Ä°stanbul this week to attend a ministerial gathering of the
Black Sea countries, is planning to invite Babacan to Yerevan for
the next meeting of the regional group.

Nalbandian was in Ä°stanbul on Monday for attending a meeting of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), a regional
cooperative organization with Armenia currently holding the rotating
presidency. While in Ä°stanbul, Nalbandian met with Babacan.

Nalbandian told Today's Zaman that he planned to invite Babacan "at
the earliest opportunity" to a foreign ministers' meeting of the BSEC
which will be hosted in Yerevan on Apr. 29, 2009.

Turkish diplomatic sources declined to comment on Ankara's possible
response, noting that they haven't received an official invitation
yet. The eventual decision will be made in reference to "the course
of affairs" in the ongoing negotiations with Armenia, the same sources
told Today's Zaman.

Ahead of the foreign ministers' meeting, Yerevan will host working
meetings for BSEC energy ministers on March 13, for BSEC transportation
ministers on March 27, for BSEC agricultural ministers in first week
of April, and for environment ministers on Apr. 10. Stressing the
importance attached to the BSEC by Ankara, diplomatic sources haven't
excluded the idea of Turkey's participation in these meetings.

Turkey severed its diplomatic ties with Armenia and closed its border
in 1993 in protest against the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh
in Azerbaijan. Ankara says the normalization of relations depends on
Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh and an end to Yerevan's
support for the Armenian diaspora's efforts to win international
recognition for claims that Armenians were subjected to genocide at
the hands of the Ottoman Empire. But a visit by President Abdullah Gul
in early September to Yerevan to watch a World Cup qualifying match
between Turkey and Armenia's national teams broke the ice between
the two countries. Officials have been holding talks on the possible
normalization of relations since that historic visit.

In September, on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting in
New York, Babacan and Nalbandian had three-way talks with Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute.

The Foreign Ministry yesterday announced that Babacan will travel to
Baku on Sunday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of his
Azerbaijani counterpart.

In addition to bilateral and regional affairs, the two ministers will
also discuss Ankara's proposal for a Caucasus Stability and Cooperation
Platform to promote dialogue between the countries of that region,
the ministry said in a brief statement.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) in Helsinki in early December is expected to offer an
opportunity for a new trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers
of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, although no formal decision on
such a meeting has been made yet.

RFE/RL Armenia Report - 11/28/2008

Donors Pledge Record $35m for Pan-Armenian Charity

Armenians around the world have more than doubled on their last year's
donation pledge for a Diaspora-funded pan-Armenian charity as a result
of a 12-hour Thanksgiving Day telethon in Los Angeles, USA.

Despite the global financial crisis that has hit the world's major
economies this year, the All-Armenian Fund Hayastan on Thursday managed
to attract more than $35 million in donation pledges from Armenians in
the United States and other parts of the world for its infrastructure
projects in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. A similar telethon staged a
year ago raised only $15.3 million.

According to the Fund's report, Russia's wealthy businessman Samvel
Karapetian had made the biggest single donation of $15 million during
the annual fundraiser held for the eleventh time. The businessman
designated the money for the construction of a hospital in
Nagorno-Karabakh's capital Stepanakert.

Several wealthy businessmen and philanthropists from Armenia and its
Diaspora again accounted for a large part of the telethon donations.

The fundraiser's total proceeds also include the pledges made during
charity dinners as well as phone-a-tons and other charity actions held
in Diaspora communities in the month preceding the main event.

`We have proved again that our nation is strong in its unity,' said
Hayastan Fund Acting Executive Director Ara Vartanian. `It is hard times
not only for Armenia and Karabakh, but for the whole world considering
the continuing global economic crisis. But against all the odds the
worldwide Diaspora has again extended a helping hand to compatriots in
the homeland.'

The latest telethon in Los Angeles also featured Karabakh President Bako
Sahakian, Head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Abp. Pargev Martirosian, donors and other prominent Armenia and Diaspora
figures.

The Fund will use the proceeds from this year's telethon for its core
projects in remote rural areas of Armenia and Karabakh targeting
healthcare, water and education infrastructures.

POPE REFRAINS TO USE TERM GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.11.2008 19:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 23, Catholicos of Cilicia, His Holiness
Aram I visited Vatican where he met with Pope Benedict XVI, Times
Online reports.

At the audience, at which the Pope was accompanied by Aram I, the
pontiff deplored "misunderstandings among Christians". He said the
Armenian leader's "fraternal visit" is "an occasion to strengthen the
bonds that exist and a further step in the journey toward full unity,
which is the objective of all Christians and a gift of the Lord."

For his part, Aram I said, "Churches, religions and states should
recognize all genocides, including the Armenian Genocide, and they
should commit themselves to preventing all genocides."

Earlier, a high-ranking Vatican official has emphasized that the Holy
See regards the Armenian Genocide as a fact.

"The Armenian Genocide is a fact. The Vatican's stance on this issue
was stated during a visit to Armenia by [late Pope] John Paul II. The
pope attended the Armenian Genocide memorial and did use the term
Genocide, although this did not please Turkey," said Cardinal Walter
Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity.

The cardinal's remarks came ahead of meeting between Pope Benedict
XVI and a group of visiting Armenian clerics led by Catholicos of
Cilicia Aram I, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Lebanon.

"Genocide is not an allegation, but is a reality. This is not an
issue of term. It is a historical fact with a lot of victims and
this memory needs to be healed. I don't know what the Vatican can do
to ease Turkey-Armenia relations. But this is also an important case
for peace in the Middle East. First of all, the Catholic Church sides
with the victims. This is the most important principle for us while
determining our manners," the Cardinal said.

APARTMENT PRICES FALL IN YEREVAN
A1+
[07:49 pm] 27 November, 2008

As of October 2008, there were 14,550 real estate deals in
Armenia. This number has gone down by 9.1% compared to October 2007,
while the number of houses sold rose by 10.0% in September 2008.

In October 2008, 82.3% of 5,035 alienated real estate deals were
sale and purchase, 16.5% were donations and 1.2% was barter. 30.0%
of alienation of real estate was registered in Yerevan, while 31.7%
of alienated real estate was the homes of apartment buildings.

According to data provided by the State Management Agency for Real
Estate Management, the average market prices for apartments in
multi-apartment buildings measuring 1 square meter went down by 0.3%
in October 2008 compared to prices in September 2008.

In October 2008, besides Yerevan, 426 apartments were sold in the
Marzes; that number rose by 9.8% compared to September 2008 and 20.7%
compared to October 2007.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Economist - the worrying Tayyip Erdogan‏

Turkey

The worrying Tayyip Erdogan

Nov 27th 2008 | ANKARA
From The Economist print edition

Turkey’s prime minister once promised big reforms to bring his country closer to the European Union.

He seems no longer to be pushing them

Reuters

WHEN Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his Justice and Development (AK) Party narrowly escaped banning by the constitutional court in July, the big question was which Erdogan would then come to the fore. Would it be the non-ideological pragmatist, whose bold reforms had helped Turkey to secure the start of membership talks with the European Union in 2005? Or would it be the dogmatic and erratic leader who had provoked Turkey’s meddlesome generals, always anxious to undermine the AK Party because of its Islamist roots, by seeking soon after his election victory in July 2007 to ease the ban on the Islamic-style headscarf in universities?

The question of which version of Mr Erdogan is in charge has gained extra urgency because Turkey is grappling with mounting violence in the mainly Kurdish south-east. It also matters to the financial markets as the government tries to protect its fragile economy from the global financial typhoon. Worryingly, the answer seems to be: the second version. Mr Erdogan appears increasingly autocratic and out of touch. And because he lacks any credible political opponents, either within or beyond the AK Party, this is making Turkey look stagnant and adrift—and further away from EU membership than ever.

Mr Erdogan’s odd behaviour was on display during his most recent trip to America. When asked in Washington for his view about Iran’s nuclear ambitions he retorted that “those who possess nuclear weapons do not have the right to tell others to not acquire them too.” This comment did not go down well with American officials, whose memories are seared by Turkey’s refusal in March 2003 to let America use its soil to launch a second front against Iraq. A recent gas deal struck by the Turks with Iran has not helped. For all of Turkey’s assistance over Iraq since 2003 (some 70% of non-combat materiel for American troops goes through Turkey) and in Afghanistan (where Turkey has 1,200 troops), America is asking new questions about Turkish dependability as a Western ally.

Another thundercloud is gathering over demands by the Armenian diaspora in America, most of whom strongly supported Barack Obama’s election as president, that he stick to the view he expressed as a senator that the massacre of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 should be seen as “genocide”. Turkey’s recent efforts at reconciliation with Armenia, motivated in part by hopes of staving off a formal recognition of genocide by the Obama administration, seem to be making little progress. Some Western diplomats ascribe this to the pressure hawks in the diaspora have applied to the Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan.

But it is at home that Mr Erdogan is causing the most concern. The hope was that, with his legal travails behind him, the prime minister would resume much-delayed political and economic reforms. Instead he has adopted an increasingly strident nationalist line. There is talk of his having struck a deal with Turkey’s new, hardline chief of staff, Ilker Basbug, according to which Mr Erdogan has promised to freeze reforms that dilute the army’s power in exchange for his party’s not being attacked in court again.

Mr Erdogan’s new approach was most evident in a speech he gave earlier this month in the predominantly Kurdish town of Hakkari. Responding to a wave of bloody protests that has racked the Kurdish region, he invited those who were not happy to “go wherever they please”. Ibrahim Guclu, an independent Kurdish politician, says that “in other words, he was telling the Kurds to get out.” This is a far cry from a ground-breaking speech Mr Erdogan made in Diyarbakir three years ago, when he admitted that the Turkish state had made mistakes with the Kurds.

Now he is giving the army much freer rein in its 34-year campaign against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). When Taraf, a liberal Turkish newspaper, exposed army negligence in a recent PKK attack that killed 17 soldiers at an outpost in Hakkari, he chose not to order an investigation and attacked the newspaper instead. His aides are reported to have blamed leaks of the intelligence reports cited by Taraf on Israel and the CIA.

Meanwhile EU-inspired work on drawing up a new constitution to replace the current one, drawn up by the generals after a military coup in 1980, has stalled. Reports of police torture and extra-judicial killings are on the rise. Turkey’s liberal intelligentsia, long among Mr Erdogan’s stalwart supporters, is grumbling, as is the European Commission. Mr Erdogan’s response has been to rescind the press accreditation of several journalists who cover the prime ministry. All of this is giving more ammunition to those EU members that have never wanted Turkey to join their club.

Mr Erdogan owes much of his electoral success to the unprecedented economic stability of his time in office. By sticking firmly to IMF prescriptions Turkey helped foreign investment to soar, tamed inflation and narrowed the budget deficit. But the IMF standby arrangement expired in May. And although Mehmet Simsek, the economy minister, has repeatedly hinted that it should be extended, a deal remains elusive. Foreign investors, who hold as much as 70% of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, have been pulling out, and the lira has tumbled by more than a third against the dollar this year. Growth of GDP has dipped sharply, to below 2%. Turkey’s huge current-account deficit makes it more vulnerable than many other emerging markets. Although it has so far been relatively unaffected by the world financial malady, it is only a matter of time “before it catches the bug”, says one Istanbul-based banker.

Mr Erdogan’s supporters insist that the government’s inertia is mainly to do with municipal elections being held next March. An IMF deal would preclude a pre-electoral spending spree. Being too nice to the Kurds might strengthen the nationalist opposition in the face of spiralling PKK terrorism. “Once the elections are over, you’ll see the old AK,” promises Abdurrahman Kurt, an AK deputy from Diyarbakir.

But such promises are beginning to ring hollow. When Mr Erdogan won power a second time, with an even bigger share of the vote, in July 2007, he promised to reach out to all Turks “including those of you who didn’t vote for me.” He seems now to be alienating such voters. And as corruption also starts to infect the AK’s ranks, it is beginning to resemble many of the tired old parties that it buried at the polls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Economist - the worrying Tayyip Erdogan‏

Turkey

The worrying Tayyip Erdogan

Nov 27th 2008 | ANKARA
From The Economist print edition

Turkey’s prime minister once promised big reforms to bring his country closer to the European Union.

He seems no longer to be pushing them

Reuters

WHEN Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his Justice and Development (AK) Party narrowly escaped banning by the constitutional court in July, the big question was which Erdogan would then come to the fore. Would it be the non-ideological pragmatist, whose bold reforms had helped Turkey to secure the start of membership talks with the European Union in 2005? Or would it be the dogmatic and erratic leader who had provoked Turkey’s meddlesome generals, always anxious to undermine the AK Party because of its Islamist roots, by seeking soon after his election victory in July 2007 to ease the ban on the Islamic-style headscarf in universities?

The question of which version of Mr Erdogan is in charge has gained extra urgency because Turkey is grappling with mounting violence in the mainly Kurdish south-east. It also matters to the financial markets as the government tries to protect its fragile economy from the global financial typhoon. Worryingly, the answer seems to be: the second version. Mr Erdogan appears increasingly autocratic and out of touch. And because he lacks any credible political opponents, either within or beyond the AK Party, this is making Turkey look stagnant and adrift—and further away from EU membership than ever.

Mr Erdogan’s odd behaviour was on display during his most recent trip to America. When asked in Washington for his view about Iran’s nuclear ambitions he retorted that “those who possess nuclear weapons do not have the right to tell others to not acquire them too.” This comment did not go down well with American officials, whose memories are seared by Turkey’s refusal in March 2003 to let America use its soil to launch a second front against Iraq. A recent gas deal struck by the Turks with Iran has not helped. For all of Turkey’s assistance over Iraq since 2003 (some 70% of non-combat materiel for American troops goes through Turkey) and in Afghanistan (where Turkey has 1,200 troops), America is asking new questions about Turkish dependability as a Western ally.

Another thundercloud is gathering over demands by the Armenian diaspora in America, most of whom strongly supported Barack Obama’s election as president, that he stick to the view he expressed as a senator that the massacre of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 should be seen as “genocide”. Turkey’s recent efforts at reconciliation with Armenia, motivated in part by hopes of staving off a formal recognition of genocide by the Obama administration, seem to be making little progress. Some Western diplomats ascribe this to the pressure hawks in the diaspora have applied to the Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan.

But it is at home that Mr Erdogan is causing the most concern. The hope was that, with his legal travails behind him, the prime minister would resume much-delayed political and economic reforms. Instead he has adopted an increasingly strident nationalist line. There is talk of his having struck a deal with Turkey’s new, hardline chief of staff, Ilker Basbug, according to which Mr Erdogan has promised to freeze reforms that dilute the army’s power in exchange for his party’s not being attacked in court again.

Mr Erdogan’s new approach was most evident in a speech he gave earlier this month in the predominantly Kurdish town of Hakkari. Responding to a wave of bloody protests that has racked the Kurdish region, he invited those who were not happy to “go wherever they please”. Ibrahim Guclu, an independent Kurdish politician, says that “in other words, he was telling the Kurds to get out.” This is a far cry from a ground-breaking speech Mr Erdogan made in Diyarbakir three years ago, when he admitted that the Turkish state had made mistakes with the Kurds.

Now he is giving the army much freer rein in its 34-year campaign against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). When Taraf, a liberal Turkish newspaper, exposed army negligence in a recent PKK attack that killed 17 soldiers at an outpost in Hakkari, he chose not to order an investigation and attacked the newspaper instead. His aides are reported to have blamed leaks of the intelligence reports cited by Taraf on Israel and the CIA.

Meanwhile EU-inspired work on drawing up a new constitution to replace the current one, drawn up by the generals after a military coup in 1980, has stalled. Reports of police torture and extra-judicial killings are on the rise. Turkey’s liberal intelligentsia, long among Mr Erdogan’s stalwart supporters, is grumbling, as is the European Commission. Mr Erdogan’s response has been to rescind the press accreditation of several journalists who cover the prime ministry. All of this is giving more ammunition to those EU members that have never wanted Turkey to join their club.

Mr Erdogan owes much of his electoral success to the unprecedented economic stability of his time in office. By sticking firmly to IMF prescriptions Turkey helped foreign investment to soar, tamed inflation and narrowed the budget deficit. But the IMF standby arrangement expired in May. And although Mehmet Simsek, the economy minister, has repeatedly hinted that it should be extended, a deal remains elusive. Foreign investors, who hold as much as 70% of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, have been pulling out, and the lira has tumbled by more than a third against the dollar this year. Growth of GDP has dipped sharply, to below 2%. Turkey’s huge current-account deficit makes it more vulnerable than many other emerging markets. Although it has so far been relatively unaffected by the world financial malady, it is only a matter of time “before it catches the bug”, says one Istanbul-based banker.

Mr Erdogan’s supporters insist that the government’s inertia is mainly to do with municipal elections being held next March. An IMF deal would preclude a pre-electoral spending spree. Being too nice to the Kurds might strengthen the nationalist opposition in the face of spiralling PKK terrorism. “Once the elections are over, you’ll see the old AK,” promises Abdurrahman Kurt, an AK deputy from Diyarbakir.

But such promises are beginning to ring hollow. When Mr Erdogan won power a second time, with an even bigger share of the vote, in July 2007, he promised to reach out to all Turks “including those of you who didn’t vote for me.” He seems now to be alienating such voters. And as corruption also starts to infect the AK’s ranks, it is beginning to resemble many of the tired old parties that it buried at the polls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Presentation of designs for restoration‏- Gibrahayer

GIBRAHAYER e-magazine www dot gibrahayer dot com The largest circulation Armenian emagazine Circulates every Wednesday Established in 1999 TURKISH-OCCUPIED SOURP ASDVADZADZIN COMPLEX ON THE WAY TO RESTORATION TEAM OF EXPERTS TO PRESENT DESIGN ON TUESDAY NIGHT AT THE UTUDJIAN HALL OF THE ARMENIAN PRELATURE Gibrahayer - Nicosia - Saturday 29 November, 2008 - The Armenian Prelature of Cyprus has announced that the team of experts of The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ACT will present to the Armenian community of Cyprus the final design for the restoration of the Turkish-occupied Church Complex, including Sourp Asdvadzadzin Church, Armenian Prelature, Melikian Ouzounian schools and adjoining areas. The team of experts comprise of Italian architects who specialise in Venetian architecture and have been working on this project over the last year, in co-operation with the Armenian Church of Cyprus. The invitation of the Secretariat of the Armenian Prelacy reads: "You are cordially invited to attend the public presentation of the final design for the restoration of the Armenian Church Sourp Asdvadzadzin in occupied Nicosia, by the team of experts engaged for this project by the UNDP - ACT." The presentation will take place at the Utudjian Hall of the Armenian Prelature on Tuesday, 2 December at 7.00 pm Gibrahayer Calendar

Every Saturday at 6:00 pm at AYMA - Weekly AYF Badanegan meetings (8-13 year olds) resume. An educational and fun environment for the younger generation of our community. Games, trips, parties and lots of fun in a family environment. For more information contact Kevork Keoshgerian on 99817806. Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm - Community gathering at The Armenian Club of Larnaca, followed by dinner.

Tuesday 2 December at 7:00 pm - Presentation at Utudjian Hall of the Armenian Prelature by the team of experts for the restoration of Sourp Asdvadzadzin complex in Turkish-occupied Nicosia. Sunday 7 December 2008 starting at 4:00 pm - Annual Christmas Charity Tea and Handicraft Bazaar at the Cleopatra Hotel, Nicosia organised by The Armenian Relief Society of Cyprus (HOM). As always the proceeds from the Charity Tea will be used to fund the numerous charity programmes sponsored by our Society to Armenia. Sunday 7 December at 3:00 pm – Holy Liturgy at the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Paphos, next to Saint George Hotel (Paphos - Coral Bay Avenue). A memorial will follow for the victims of the 1988 earthquake. Sunday 7 December - following the Church service at Saint George Church, a reception / gathering will follow for the Armenian community of Paphos. This gathering is organised by the Church Committee and the Office of the Armenian Representative Vartkes Mahdessian, to discuss the spiritual, educational and cultural needs of the Armenian community of Paphos. Saturday 20 December - Nor Serount Ball - details to follow. Thursday December 25 at 9:00 pm - Annual AYMA Ball at The Cyprus Hilton