The East Coast tour of Armenia National Assembly member Armen Rustamyan concluded on Sunday, December 13, after a guest appearance at the New York ARF’s commemoration of the Federation’s 119th anniversary. During his December 9-13 visit, Rustamyan met with Congressional and other US government representatives and visited east coast communities.
Pasadena ANC Visits Local Armenian Businesses With State Assemblymember Portantino
Leaders of the Pasadena Armenian National Committee took California State Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-44) on a tour of Armenian American businesses in the City of Pasadena on December 11, 2009 to help the Assemblymember better understand the challenges facing Armenian American business owners in this challenging economy and what actions, if any, the State can take to improve the economy.
Boxer, Lieberman, Sanchez Co-Sponser Senate, House Genocide Bills
Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) became, this week, the most recent additions to the growing bipartisan group of legislators supporting the Armenian Genocide Resolution (S.Res.316 and H.Res.252), reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
Bipartisan Senate Letter Rebukes Turkey for Worsening Israel Ties
A bipartisan letter sent to the Turkish Embassy from 10 US senators on December 7 sharply rebuked the Turkish government for the “downward trend of relations between Turkey and Israel this past year,” reported the Weekly Standard’s Blog on Monday.
Sarkozy Urges Quick Agreement on Karabakh Deal
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to come to a quick agreement on the basic principles of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group, AFP reported.
ARF Parliament Leader Meets with U.S. Representatives, East Coast Communities
Armen Rustamian, a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Supreme Council in Armenia is touring East Coast Armenian-American communities visiting with congressional and other U.S. government representatives, announced the ARF Eastern US Central Committee. Rustamyan is also a member of Armenia’s National Assembly, serving as chairman of its Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. During his visit, he will discuss a wide range of issues tied to Armenia’s foreign policy and will reiterate the ARF’s continued opposition to the Armenia-Turkey protocols.
Armenia Needs New Approach to Protocols
The tacit rebuke by foreign minister Eduard Nalbandian of the forceful comments made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Washington signals official Yerevan’s ambivalence to the political goings on around it and further reinforces the need for a new approach to diplomacy by Armenia.
Kremlin Ready To Reopen Georgia Border Crossing
Russia is ready to reopen its main border crossing with Georgia heavily used by Armenian exporters despite refusing to deal with the current Georgian leadership, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
AYF Pushes Social Justice With Music; Joins Visa, LA Mission to Feed Homeless on Thanksgiving
The Armenian Youth Federation last month teamed with experimental-fusion rock band Visa and a host of local socially-conscious artists to put-on a special benefit concert that helped feed the less fortunate on Thanksgiving Day through the Los Angeles Mission, a non-profit serving the homeless of Downtown Los Angeles.
Israel Seeks Direct Talks With Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday told the members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel is interested in direct talks with Syria over Turkish mediated negotiations, adding that his government would prefer Paris over Ankara in a situation in which a mediator is required, reported the Israeli Web site ynetnews.com.