ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RELIEVES ARMEN BAIBURDYAN OF POST OF RA AMBASSADOR
TO NEPAL, INDONESIA, SRI LANKA
YEREVAN, May 24. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan signed a decree
relieving Armen Baiburdyan of the post of RA Ambassador to Nepal,
Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The RA presidential press service reports
that RA Ambassador to India Ashot Kocharyan replaced Armen Baiburdyan
at this post. P.T. -0–
Leader of world Armenians arrives in Isfahan
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran
May 22 2005
Isfahan, May 22, IRNA — The spiritual Leader of the World Armenians
Archbishop Jasliq Aram I Keshishian arrived in the ancient city of
Isfahan, central Iran, on Sunday.
During his stay in Isfahan, the leader of world Armenians is to
confer with Armenians residing in this city as well as the Friday
prayer leader and the provincial governor general.
Archbishop Jasliq is scheduled to visit the city of Shahin Shahr,
north Isfahan province, and confer with the Armenians in this city.
Armenian settlement in Isfahan dates back to the Safavid era. Most
of the Armenians in Isfahan live in the historical region of Jolfa.
The spiritual leader of the World Armenians arrived in Tehran on
Thursday, May 12 for a 14-day visit. He has already visited Iran
three times.
During his stay in Iran, he has visited Tehran and Markazi provinces
and is currently touring Isfahan before going on to the provinces of
West Azarbaijan and East Azarbaijan.
He also paid tribute to the founder of the Islamic Revolution the
late Imam Khomeini on Thursday, May 19.
The Armenian citizens in Iran enjoy citizenship rights and they are
present on the scene to elevate their country, Iran, said the Armenian
leader last Sunday, May 15 in Arak, Markazi province.
The total number of Armenians around the world stands at 15 million,
he said, adding that the 300,000 Armenians in Iran freely perform
their religious duties.
The religious center of the World Armenians is located in Lebanon and
the center follows up all various issues of the Armenian population
throughout the world, he added.
Archbishop Jasliq Aram I Keshishian conferred with President Mohammad
Khatami in Tehran on last Saturday, May 14.
Opinion: Is Azerbaijan next for a revolution?
Alexei Makarkin
Middle East Times
UPI
May 17, 2005
MOSCOW — Four presidents attended an April session of the GUUAM
regional organization of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan
and Moldova in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. Uzbek President Islam
Karimov ignored it because his country was preparing to withdraw
from the organization. The news was made public officially on May 5,
changing GUUAM into GUAM.
Presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine and Mikhail Saakashvili of
Georgia, who did attend the summit, were brought to power by so-called
“color” revolutions – the “Orange” revolution in Ukraine and the
“Roses” revolution in Georgia. President Vladimir Voronin of Moldova
prevented a revolution in his country by becoming a sharper critic
of Russia than the revolutionaries.
The only exception was Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. He went to Chisinau
but does not want this to affect his country’s relations with Russia
and also hopes to prevent a color revolution at home.
Color revolutions are timed for elections, as the methods behind
them are based on using public protests against the real or imaginary
falsification of election results. Observers from the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe have criticized all the elections
held in Azerbaijan, which Aliyev’s opponents can use as an additional
argument. This April the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe Monitoring Committee once again criticized Baku for failing to
ensure the freedom of speech and meeting, which are vital conditions
for free and fair elections.
The next parliamentary elections will be held in Azerbaijan this
November. The opposition is pinning its hopes on them, thinking
Aliyev’s regime will be weaker than his father’s.
Three political forces that are opposing Aliyev’s regime – Musavat,
the People’s Front and the Democratic Party – have created a coalition
that hopes to win the elections. Musavat and the Democratic Party are
led by the former parliament speakers, Isa Gambar and Rasul Guliyev,
who now live in the United States. The leader of the People’s Front
is Ali Kerimli, a comrade of the late president Abulfaz Elchibei.
In April the regional activists of these parties met with US Ambassador
Reno Harnish, which provoked great displeasure of the political forces
that are loyal to the current authorities.
There is one more opposition bloc, New Policy, which consists of
prominent figures, including the first president of independent
Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, who now lives in Moscow, Lala Shovket
Gadzhiyeva, the leader of the National Unity Movement, Etibar Mamedov,
former head of the National Independence Party and former premier Ali
Masimov. According to Gadzhiyeva, “If large-scale falsifications are
registered during the parliament election, there will be a revolution.”
The so-called Gongadze case greatly helped to discredit Leonid
Kuchma in Ukraine. Azerbaijan could explode because of the killing
of opposition journalist Elmar Guseinov.
What do the Azerbaijan authorities hope to achieve? They hope
Azerbaijan’s participation in GUAM will prevent the export of a
revolution into the country. Georgian activists helped Ukrainians last
year and Ukrainians are now helping Belarussians. Aliyev is acting
as a political ally of Yushchenko and Saakashvili, which makes him
“untouchable” to the activists of color revolutions.
Second, GUAM membership is complemented with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil pipeline project, which the West went to great lengths to
promote. The project is to be commissioned on May 25 in the presence of
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. By the end of the year, when
the parliamentary election is due in Azerbaijan, the first oil tanker
will depart from Ceyhan. Therefore, Baku’s leaders do not believe that
the West will rock the boat in such a strategic country as Azerbaijan.
Third, Azerbaijan is involved in the US-Iran confrontation. The April
12 visit of Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld to Baku is indicative in
this context. There were rumors before the visit that a US military
base might be established in the country. They have been refuted so
far, which is not surprising, as the truth may sour Baku’s relations
with Tehran and Moscow, but this does not mean that the base may not
appear some time in the future.
It is notable that Robert Simons, a special representative of the
NATO secretary-general to the Caucasus and Central Asian countries,
has announced that though the bloc’s leaders have not approved the
deployment of troops in the South Caucasus for the protection of
the oil pipeline and other economic facilities, the issue may be
discussed later.
The Americans are energetically cooperating with Azerbaijan’s security
services. Foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov said: They “are helping
us fulfil several very interesting and important security programs”.
Will this guarantee peace and tranquility in Azerbaijan? Hardly. The
problem is that not everything in color revolutions depends on the
external or economic factors. Much depends on the effectiveness
of the ruling regime and the ability of the opposition to use the
available resources.
If the regime preserves its own stability and becomes the main factor
of stability in the country, the revolutionaries will have to wait
for another chance. But if the regime becomes eroded the opposition
may use this situation to claim the role of a guarantor of stability,
just like it did in Georgia.
NEWS OF PROGRESS ON KARABAKH TALKS GETS CAUTIOUS RECEPTION IN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
Samvel Matirosyan and Alman Mir Ismail 5/20/05
Eurasianet Organization
May 20 2005
While officials in Armenia and Azerbaijan have expressed guarded
optimism about the possibility of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement,
significant obstacles remain in place that could block any potential
deal.
Various reports suggested that the May 15-16 meeting between Armenian
President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev moved
the search for Karabakh peace forward. At the same time, there are
few details on the substance of the discussions available, as the
participants have generally declined to elaborate on the talks.
Much of the reaction in Armenian and Azerbaijani media has focused
on Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s assertion that
Armenia agreed to a “step-by-step” peace formula, under which Armenian
forces would withdraw from seven regions of Azerbaijani territory that
surround Karabakh. [For additional information see the accompanying
EurasiaNet story].
In the days leading up to the Kocharian-Aliyev meeting in Warsaw,
Azerbaijani media considered the Armenian withdrawal to be a foregone
conclusion. “The Armenians Have Given Their Consent: The Seven Occupied
Regions Will Be Liberated,” read a headline in the Azerbaijani daily
Sharg on May 13.
An underlying assumption held by some Azerbaijani analysts seemed
to be that Armenia had no choice but to accede to Azerbaijani
demand for a step-by-step formula. “With the near completion of
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
gas pipeline, along with the start of construction on a
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railroad and the launch of a North-South
transport corridor, the regional isolation of Armenia would seem
inevitable [without a Karabakh agreement],” television reporter Ganira
Pashayeva said in a commentary broadcast by the Azerbaijani station
ANS on May 15.
On May 18, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gamlet Gasparian
adamantly denied that Armenian forces would be moving out of the
occupied territories. He called reports of a promised withdrawal
to be “absolutely contrary to the facts,” and “wide of the mark,”
according to various Armenian media reports.
Some Armenian politicians and experts believe that domestic
political factors in Azerbaijan were pushing Azerbaijani officials
to misrepresent the issues discussed in Warsaw. A widely held view
in Yerevan is that Aliyev’s administration is feeling pressure from
the country’s opposition parties. With Azerbaijan scheduled to hold
parliamentary elections later this year, members of the Aliyev team
are anxious to score a political victory ahead of the election,
Armenian observers believe.
Galust Sahakian, the legislative leader of the Republican Party, the
largest faction in the Armenian parliament, told the A1+ television
station: “Allegations concerning the [Armenian occupied] territories
are connected with the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan.”
Sahakian went on to suggest that some forecasts circulating in
Yerevan indicate that the Azerbaijani election could produce a
“change of power.”
Many political analysts believe Kocharian also has little room
for political maneuver. Any perception that Kocharian was making
concessions to Azerbaijan could upset a delicate political balance
in Yerevan, providing opposition parties with fresh ammunition to
damage the president’s domestic political position.
Recent polling data indicates sharp divisions within Armenian society
on the Karabakh issue. According to a poll conducted by the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies in April, 50 percent
of Armenia’s population believes that concessions to Azerbaijan are
needed to produce a Karabakh settlement. Meanwhile, 37.7 percent is
categorically against any compromises. The remainder does not have a
strong opinion on the issue. At the same time, almost all Armenians
polled believe that Karabakh must remain outside of Baku’s control.
Some Armenian media outlets have suggested that the latest round of
Kocharian-Aliyev talks made little headway in the search for lasting
peace in Karabakh. “Although the results of the meeting between Robert
Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev, which took place May 15 in Warsaw, were
kept secret, everything is clear: they failed,” said a commentary
published by the Armenian newspaper Aravot on May 17.
A significant portion of the Azerbaijani population also remains
skeptical that peace in Karabakh may be within reach. “They
[governments] give these promises for many years, but no results. I
don’t believe that anything will be achieved any time soon,” said
Akif Rahmanov, 58 year old engineer.
Editor’s Note: Samvel Martirosyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst. Alman Mir Ismail is a pseudonym for a Baku-based
writer.
ARMENIAN DIAMOND SALES UP 10.9%
May 16, 2005
Tacy Ltd., Israel
May 16 2005
Armenia increased cut diamond output by 5.5 percent to US$63 million
during the first quarter of 2005, as compared to the same period
in 2004, says a spokesman for the country’s Trade and Economic
Development Ministry. Sales rose 10.9 percent to US$61.6 million,
while exports increased 12 percent to US$61.5 million.
Shogakn, one of the biggest cutting plants, boosted output 79 percent,
Lori, another major cutting plant, raised production 22 percent and
output by Jacobs Jewelry Armenia soared 350 percent.
Azeri soldier killed in Karabakh truce violation – TV
Lider TV, Baku
18 May 05
An Azerbaijani serviceman has been killed in a truce violation in
Karabakh, Lider TV reported on 18 May.
The soldier was killed in Agdam District on the night leading to 16
May, the report said.
PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS MEETS WITH SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIALS
His Holiness Aram I continues his official visit to the Islamic
Republic of Iran, where he met with the chief of Iranian intelligence
services and information, Ayatollah Younis on May 16.
The current situation of Lebanon, the political status of the Middle
East and issues related to the Armenians of Iran were discussed during
the meeting, which was held on the Iranian official’s request.
The two sides emphasized the importance of the Armenian community’s
useful participation in the process of Iran’s development and progress.
His Holiness also met with chief of the Iranian judicial branch,
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroud. The two discussed issues related
to the rights of Iran’s Armenian Community.
The press office of the judicial branch’s highest institution expressed
its gratitude to Catholicos Aram I for the visit. The press office
hinted that in light of the meeting, the Islamic Republic of Iran would
exert continuous efforts to assure that the rights of minorities are
fully respected in Iran.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about
the history and the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may
refer to the web page of the Catholicosate,
The Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church
is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
American Historian Shaw Says Switzerland Is Not Civilized
Turkish Press
Published: 5/18/2005
ANKARA (AA) – Stanford Shaw, author of the “History Of the Ottoman
Empire”, described Switzerland which opened a legal procedure against
Turkish Institute of History (TTK) Chairman Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu
about his statement on allegations of so-called Armenian genocide,
as “uncivilized”.
In an interview with the A.A on Thursday, Shaw, a lecturer at the
Bilkent University in Ankara, said that accusation against Halacoglu
was violation of academic freedom and freedom of expression, adding
that it was an uncivilized manner.
Noting that it was already known that Halacoglu would explain results
of his own studies at the meeting in Zurich, Shaw said that he
considered attitude of Switzerland “dictatorial”.
An experienced historian like Halacoglu should not waste his time by
dealing with such accusations, he said and called on all historians
in Turkey to send letters of protest to Swiss authorities.
Recalling that some groups including Greek Cypriots and Armenians
raided his classes of Ottoman History, Shaw said that assailants had
even tried to destroy his house in Los Angeles.
Noting that one-third of the Ottoman population had died between 1911
and 1923 due to several reasons such as mass murders, starvation and
diseases, Shaw said that British naval forces had prevented dispatch
of foodstuffs to Anatolia.
If we are talking about a genocide, it was Britain, Russia and France
who committed this crime by trying to occupy the Ottoman Empire,
Shaw added.
Penalty Bill for ‘Genocide Denial’ Discussed Today
By Anadolu News Agency (aa)
Published: Wednesday 18, 2005
zaman.com
Belgium Senate’s Justice Commission has postponed sessions regarding a
bill envisioning penalties for those, who deny the so-called Armenian
genocide allegations, to today due to its busy agenda.
If the bill is approved at the Justice Commission, is aimed to be
presented for the approval of the executive board prior to July. The
bill asks for penalties to be imposed on those who deny the so-called
genocide allegations, either with imprisonment between eight days to
a one year or with a fine of between 26 to 5,000 euros.
Brussels
‘TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER SHOULD OPEN’
AZG Armenian Daily #088, 18/05/2005
Armenia-Turkey
Turkish Milliet newspaper published an article entitled “The
Turkish-Armenian Border Should Open” which highlighted the press
conference given by Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign minister in
Warsaw. According to the article, “on the eve of the meeting that
was expected to take place between Erdogan and Kocharian on May 16,
in response to the question put by Milliet RA foreign minister Vartan
Oskanian said that in case of improvement of relations with Turkey
we are ready to discuss the issue of the Armenian Genocide.
At the same time, RA foreign minister stated that he expects that the
envisaged inter-governmental committee will contribute to the opening
of the borders between the two countries. “If the committee discusses
the issue of improving the relations, we can wait for six months
more. But Armenia-Turkey border should opened,” Vartan Oskanian said.
In response to the question by Milliet whether the exchange of
letters between Erdogan and Kocharian helped to put forward various
suggestions and whether the creation of inter-governmental or the
historians~R committee is a priority, Oskanian said: “There may be
two committees. If the inter-governmental committee is created for
the improvement of the relations, we can already think of creating a
committee of historians. But opening of the borders is the required
precondition for improving the relations.”
RA foreign minister also added that no relations can be considered
normal if the borders remain blocked. “Though there exist the
issues of Cyprus and the Aegean Sea, Turkey and Greece still have
relations. While the blocked Armenian-Turkish borders create a strange
situation in the world,” Vartan Oskanian said.
By Hakob Chakrian