NKR President’s Visit To America

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
23 Nov 04

Within the framework of his visit to the USA for participating in
the November 25 telethon NKR president Arkady Ghukassian arrived
in Detroit on November 17. “If the highway ‘Goris -Stepanakert’ is
a road of life for Nagorni Karabakh, the road ‘North – South’ will
become the backbone of Artsakh,” said the president at the public
forum in Detroit with the participation of the Armenian community of
the city. The sum raised during the telethon is supposed to be spent
on finishing the construction of the road ‘North – South’ which will
connect almost all the regions of the republic. The president appealed
to the participants of the forum to take part in the telethon thereby
making their contribution to the social and economic development of
Artsakh. In Detroit as in New York during all the meetings of Arkady
Ghukassian they endorsed the NKR president’s line of democratization
of the public and political life in Nagorni Karabakh, building of a
civil society, reforms in the economy and revival of the cultural and
religious life of the country. The participants shared the opinion that
the successful democratic reforms in Artsakh encourage the Armenian
community in the USA to aid Artsakh more actively for its economic
development and settlement of present problems. Similar moods were
felt during the November 18 meeting of the president at Ann Arbor with
the students and professors of the University of Michigan. Briefly
introducing the history of the problem of Nagorni Karabakh, Arkady
Ghukassian emphasized that official Stepanakert is absolutely for
the peaceful regulation of the conflict with Azerbaijan which, as
different from the Karabakh side, tries to do it through force in spite
of its fiasco in the wide-scale military aggression against Karabakh
possessing several times less forces and munitions. “If Azerbaijan
were seriously bound for peace he would agree to direct talks with
Nagorni Karabakh,” stated Arkady Ghukassian. During the president’s
meeting with the pupils and teachers of the school after Alex and Mary
Manougian the necessity for closer relationships between the Artsakh
and USA Armenian secondary schools was pointed out. The president
thanked the family Manougian for their constant assistance to Artsakh.
Then he visited the museum on the campus, which bears the name of Alex
and Mary Manougian too. He got acquainted with the exhibits of the
museums, the exclusive collection of ancient Armenian manuscripts,
ancient objects used in household, carpets as well as works by great
Armenian artists Ivan Ayvazowsky, Martiros Sarian and others. On the
same evening a reception was held in the house of Martin and Diana
Shoushanian for the NKR president. The visit of NKR president to USA
is continuing.

AA.
23-11-2004