MAY 7, 2011 MirTHE rARoMENr IAN -Spe ctator Volume LXXXI, NO. 43, Issue 4187 $ 2.00 NEWS IN BRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Garni Temple Receives Sargisian Calls UNESCO Award YEREVAN (news.am) — Garni temple received the For Broader United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Melina Mercouri International Prize (UNESCO-Greece) award. Genocide The award is handed out annually to sites, which are best preserved and safeguarded. Garni is a pagan temple complex located in the Kotayk region Recognition of Armenia, dating back to the first century, BC. In addition to Garni, the Palestinian village of BERN, Switzerland (RFE/RL) — Batir also received the top prize. President Serge Sargisian on Tuesday The award ceremony will take place on May 24 at urged more countries to recognize the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Armenian World War I-era mass killing of Armenians Foreign ministry announced. in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, saying that it would not damage their relations with Turkey. 1,400th Anniversary of Making an official visit to Switzerland, Anania Shirakatsi Sargisian cited a relevant resolution that was adopted by the Swiss parliament in Recognized by UNESCO 2003. He argued that its passage, strongly condemned by Ankara, did not prevent the YEREVAN (Arminfo) — The 1,400th anniversary of Swiss government from mediating in the birth of astronomer Anania Shirakatsi has been Turkish-Armenian fence-mending negotia - included in UNESCO’s honorary list of anniver - tions held in 2008-2010. saries for 2012. “By recognizing the Genocide, The application for marking Shirakatsi’s birth Switzerland condemned that despicable was submitted by the Burakan Observatory. This is crime against humanity and thereby … pre - no accident, as he was the author of Cosmography and the Calendar , a 48-chapter work that discusses Keynote speaker Dr. Richard Hovannisian astronomy, meteorology and physical geography. Shirakatsi had progressive views for his time and left a huge legacy; he is considered the founder of Times Square Commemoration of the study of the natural sciences in Armenia. For centuries, his books were used at schools in 96th Genocide Anniversary Draws Thousands Armenia as textbooks. Because of his contributions, an international NEW YORK — The gathering of several thou - scientific conference is being dedicated to sand Armenians in a public square in one of By Aram Arkun Shirakatsi and to the study of tangible and non-tan - the most visible sites in the United States Mirror-Spectator Staff gible monuments. seems a fitting way to remember the past, and remind others who want to forget it. President Serge Sargisian inspects the This year because Easter was celebrated on April 24, the Times Square com - troops along with Swiss President Micheline USAID to Allocate memoration of the 96th anniversary took place on the following Sunday, May 1. Calmy-Rey during a visit to Bern. Organizers estimated at least 2,000 people were present, and hundreds of thou - $27 Million to Armenia sands more walked by, or watched it on television. Turkish state television, along YEREVAN (Arka) — The United States Agency for vailed over all geopolitical and military-eco - with several Armenian television and radio stations, recorded the event. International Aid (USAID) will allocate Armenia $27 nomic considerations,” Sargisian said after see COMMEMORATION, page 11 million, the press-service of USAID reported, based talks with his Swiss counterpart, Micheline on the visit of Senior Deputy Administrator for Calmy-Rey. Europe and Eurasia Roberta Mahoney to Armenia. “Most importantly, that absolutely didn’t The money will be aimed at reducing poverty, prevent Switzerland from supporting the improving rule of law, providing better access to normalization of Turkish-Armenian rela - Banquet in New Jersey Honoring health care and social benefits, and strengthening tions within a short period of time,” he said private sector and infrastructure. at a joint news conference. “In this regard, Mahoney was in Yerevan in regard with 20 years Mirror-Spectator Set for June 4 Switzerland’s example is the best one, and of cooperation of Armenia with USAID. it should serve as a lesson for many coun - She met with representatives of the Armenian newspaper with a gala fundraising event tries of the world.” government, private sector and partner organiza - because of its very close ties with the Sargisian similarly stressed the impor - By Aram Arkun tions. The parties discussed US-Armenia bilateral Mirror-Spectator. Vartan Ilanjian, one of tance of Armenian Genocide recognition Mirror-Spectator Staff relations, USAID assistance programs in the areas the advisors in the Greater New York chap - during Calmy-Rey’s visit to Yerevan in late of democracy, economic growth, health and social ter of Tekeyan, noted that the efforts of March. He said he has personally asked US reform and Armenia’s development challenges. TEANECK, N.J. — The Tekeyan Cultural three pillars of ongoing support of the see RECOGNITION, page 2 Association and the Friends of the Mirror- newspaper in the area in its early period — Spectator are hosting a banquet in antici - Dr. Moses Housepian, Jack Antreassian and pation of the 80th anniversary of the Armine Dikijian — would be commemorat - ed at the event, and more Top Iranian Defense INSI DE information will be present - ed about them. Official Visits Armenia Ilanjian declared: “The role of the Mirror-Spectator YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Iranian Deputy has been great in the United Defense Minister Reza Mozafari Nia dis - Dickranian States, though its reach has cussed military ties between Iran and been global. It has played a Armenia during a visit to the capital on School vital role in maintaining and Tuesday. perpetuating cultural values Mozafari Nia met with Armenian Defense page 10 and ideology. Though some Minister Seyran Ohanian and his first ask why we need newspa - deputy Davit Tonoyan. pers while there is the A short statement by the Armenian Internet, as an information Defense Ministry said they spoke about Singer Datevik will perform at the banquet. technology professional I “issues related to Armenian-Iranian cooper - INDEX would tell you this: Over the ation in the area of defense.” It did not elab - years there have been orate. Armenia . 2 Arts and Living . 14 A ministry source linked the talks with Armenian Mirror-Spectator on June 4. numerous changes in media. The value of Calendar . 17 The idea for the first solely English-lan - technology can be tremendous if and only Ohanian’s official visit to Tehran last July. Community News. 4 guage Armenian paper in the United States if you can retrieve information from it. The The source said that they focused on the Editorial . 18 was proposed in 1931, and realized in only media that so far has withstood the implementation of Armenian-Iranian agree - International . ... 3 1932. The Tekeyan Cultural Association test of time has been printed media. So we ments reached during that trip. has undertaken the effort to support the see BANQUET, page 20 see VISIT, page 2 2 S ATURDAY , M AY 7, 2011 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenia, EU Hail ‘Good Progress’ Three Armenian Soldiers Towards Association Accord Killed in Karabagh STEPANAKERT (RFE/RL) — Three Armenian sol- YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — The European diers were killed in continuing skirmishes along Union (EU) and Armenia on Friday the main Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of contact” reported “good progress” in their ongo - around Nagorno Karabagh, military authorities in ing negotiations on an association agree - Stepanakert said over the weekend. ment meant to significantly deepen the Karabagh’s Army said one of the soldiers, Vazgen country’s political, economic and other Bakhshian, was shot dead on Friday, while the two links with the EU. others died on Saturday at unspecified sections of In a joint declaration signed in the frontline. In a short statement, it did not iden- Yerevan, the EU’s Commissioner for tify the latter victims or give other details. Enlargement Stefan Fuele and The statement said the deadly shootings were Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard the result of fresh ceasefire violations by Nalbandian said the signing of the agree - Azerbaijani forces. ment will elevate those ties to “a differ - The Armenian Foreign Ministry was quick to con- ent level.” They also reaffirmed the demn the deaths and accuse Baku of torpedoing Armenian government’s stated commit - international efforts to bolster the shaky ceasefire ment to implementing wide-ranging regime in the conflict zone. “This behavior reforms required by the 27-nation bloc. deserves the most severe condemnation by the The declaration signed after Fuele’s international community,” read a ministry state- talks with President Serge Sargisian says ment issued on Saturday. the EU’s main executive body, the European Commission, is ready to sig - EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fuele and Armenian Foreign Minister nificantly increase financial assistance Eduard Nalbandian meet, with President Serge Sargisian standing behind them in Defense Ministry provided to Armenia. According to the the photo. EU Delegation in Yerevan, it will double Opposes Exempting to 157 million euros ($232 million) in the Seminarians next three years. Fuele stressed the importance of free those reforms. The association agreement stems from trade and visa facilitation agreements to The EU says democratization, human YEREVAN (news.am) — In the future it will be nec- the EU’s Eastern Partnership program be signed within the framework of the rights protection and a stronger rule of essary to reduce the number of seminarians covering six ex-Soviet states, including association process. His declaration with law are another necessary condition for exempted from military service, said Defense neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan. Nalbandian says the Armenian side will Armenia’s participation in the Eastern Minister Seyran Ohanian at a recent press confer- Armenian and EU officials formally take “further steps” to pave the way for Partnership.