Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

Nagorny Karabakh: 10 Years and Counting

The Moscow Times
Tuesday, May 18, 2004. Page 11.

SAATLI, Azerbaijan — Tergul Husseinova used to live in a little wooden
house with geraniums in the window boxes and chickens scratching in
the yard. She had two cows and 35 sheep, and her family of five lived
a simple, happy life, she told me.

But all that changed 10 years ago. Armenian troops stormed the
village where she lived, and she was forced to leave. She piled
all her belongings onto a horse and cart and headed east to Saatli,
where she still lives today in a hut made of mud and straw.

Last week saw the 10th anniversary of the cease-fire that was signed
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It marked the end of a bitter war
over the disputed territory of Nagorny Karabakh, and the start of
talks to find a lasting solution to the conflict.

But no one has been celebrating. The war may have ended, but tension
between the once-friendly neighbors is worse than ever. Earlier this
year, an Azeri officer on a NATO training exercise in Hungary hacked
to death an Armenian officer with an ax. He said the Armenian had
been taunting him about Karabakh.

Neither side benefits from the current situation. Armenia is all but
cut off from the rest of the world. Two of its borders are closed —
with Azerbaijan, to the east, and Turkey, Azerbaijan’s long-time ally,
to the west. The economy is in dire straits, and over the last 10
years more than 1 million people have left the country in search of
a better life abroad.

Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has been saddled with the biggest refugee
population per capita of any country in the world. Some of the Azeris
who were forced out of Karabakh and the six surrounding districts now
under Armenian control are living with relatives. Others have moved
to Russia.

But the majority, like Tergul and her family, still live in makeshift
accommodation — railway carriages, half-finished buildings with no
heat or light, or corrugated iron shacks. The government has built
a few more permanent houses for the refugees. But relocating all of
them would mean accepting that Azerbaijan lost the war and will never
see the return of its lands — something no one here would allow.

On the anniversary last week, the Azeri president, Ilham Aliyev,
traveled to a military base just a few kilometers from the Armenian
border and warned that his army was ready to go back to war. But few
have taken him seriously.

Tergul says she just wants to go back home before she dies. But peace
talks are going nowhere and, in all likelihood, she and thousands of
others like her will never see their homes again.

Chloe Arnold is a freelance journalist based in Baku, Azerbaijan.

DASHNAKTSUTYUN PARTY’S ACTIVITY CONTRADICTS ARMENIAN LAW

A1 Plus | 14:45:22 | 17-05-2004 | Politics |

Supreme Council parliamentary club issued a statement on Monday
saying activity of Dashnaktsutyun Party, a ruling coalition member,
in Armenia contradicted to Armenia’s law on parties. It means the
party has to be dismissed.

Supreme Council parliamentary club is struggling for that. The club
appeal to different authorities – from courts to president Kocharyan –
but received no response.

The club members reiterated their determination to keep on struggling.
“Armenian government makes absolutely no efforts to prevent corruption,
especially at top levels”, they say.

Not a single party in the republic cares about constitutional
violations, the statement says.

Curtain rises for Eurovision
By Sibel Utku Bila

The Age
May 16, 2004

Istanbul – Two dozen nations are set to battle for the crown in
Eurovision, the pan-continental song fest which attracts millions of
viewers worldwide despite the much-derided quality of its music.

The 49-year-old event, strongly ritualised by many and mocked
by others, this year offers a variety of attractions ranging from
whirling dervishes and dancers akin to leather-clad hobbits, to an
abundance of ethnic tunes and theatrical floorshows.

The contest is taking place amid heavy police presence, prompted by
several massive al-Qaeda-linked suicide bombings that hit the host city
Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest metropolis, last November, and in March.

About 2000 officers, some special forces armed with automatic rifles,
were on duty at the venue, a police official said. Traffic in the
vicinity was restricted.

Eurovision this year attracted a record number of 36 entries, with
Eastern Europeans making a particular effort to prove themselves on
the pan-continental music arena.

The increased interest forced organisers to hold a semi-final on
Wednesday, in which 12 countries were knocked out.

The winner will be chosen by the audiences of participant countries
through tele-voting, which, organisers say, will make Eurovision 2004
the biggest tele-voting event in television history.

The show, to be watched by an estimated 100 million people, will
also be broadcast in Armenia, Australia, Kosovo, Puerto Rico and the
United States.

Tipped as a hot favourite is Greek heartthrob Sakis Rouvas, whose
number Shake It comes complete with an explosive dance spectacle
involving stripping dancers.

He is expected to face a strong challenge from Ukraine’s Ruslana,
a charismatic brunette who wears leather costumes reminiscent of
the Lord of the Rings and performs a stompy dance inspired by ethnic
traditions in the Carpathian mountains.

The songs of Albania, Belgium, Cyprus, Malta, Serbia and Montenegro
and Sweden have also received warm receptions from audiences during
rehearsals.

Also closely watched will be James Fox, who is seeking to restore
Britain’s Eurovision pride following the dreaded nil points with
which his country’s entry was humiliated last year.

For Turkey, the gala event is seen as a unique publicity opportunity
to boost its image in the eyes of a European public often skeptical
over the Muslim nation’s bid to join the European Union.

They hosts are eager to convey messages of religious and cultural
tolerance – the title of the contest is “Under the same sky” and the
stage design is reminiscent of Istanbul’s world-famous monuments such
as the Hagia Sophia church and the Blue Mosque.

Even though Eurovision has marked the onset of several outstanding
careers including those of Abba and Celine Dion, it is mostly
associated with music of questionable merits, bizarre costumes and
last but not least, political bias in the voting.

Cyprus and Greece, for instance, would traditionally award their
respective entries with the maximum points, while countries from the
Baltics, the Balkans and Scandinavia would often extend a helping
hand to neighbours.

And the zero points Britain received last year, many believe, was
Europe’s punishment for Britain’s support for the US-led occupation
of Iraq.

Turkey won the right to host the show when one of its top pop divas,
Sertab Erener, came first in last year’s contest in Riga, after
decades of disappointment for the Muslim nation.

The Eurovision Grand Final will screen on SBS tonight (Sunday) at 7.30.

– AFP

INTERVIEW WITH SECRETARY OF NKR SECURITY COUNCIL K. BABURIAN

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
May 10, 2004

Mr. Baburian, it is the tenth anniversary of the cease-fire on the
Karabakh front. Negotiations go on but even ten years later the
president of Azerbaijan again speaks about starting the negotiations
from the zero point. How would you characterize the present stage of
the negotiations and how big is the probability of breaking the
cease-fire? â^À^Ó The cease-fire signed by both Azerbaijan and Karabakh
and maintained for already ten years once again testifies to the fact
that for the settlement of any problem Azerbaijan must negotiate with
the government of Nagorni Karabakh. As to the new wave of appeals for
military actions, these have always existed. In my opinion, giving
consent to the construction of the pipeline Baku-Geihan and the
inflow of billions of loan Azerbaijan significantly reduced the
probability of solving the problem through military ways. The big
interests of great powers have come forth in the region, and the
great powers are not interested in destabilization of the situation
in the region, which they have stated for a number of times. As to
the negotiations, these are held confidentially. I cannot, therefore,
say anything definite about the latest meeting of the presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan. â^À^Ó Special reporter of the EU on Karabakh
conflict Terry Davis stated that in his report he would pay special
attention to humanitarian problems, especially that of the refugees.
During his visit to Stepanakert Mr. Davis stressed the necessity of
return of refugees of the both parties. Armenian refugees, as the
polls of public opinion show, do not want to return, whereas the
Azerbaijani refugees still living in tents are ready to return at any
moment. â^À^Ó How will these problems be solved? â^À^Ó The problems of
refugees, status of Nagorni Karabakh and the occupied territories,
which are guarantee of the security of the population, are mutually
interrelated. These are the core questions of the conflict with
Azerbaijan and must be solved in a complex way, that is in a package
way. â^À^Ó Let us suppose that the problem of the status of Nagorni
Karabakh is settled but at the same time 500 thousand Azerbaijani
refugees return to Karabakh. How will this affect the demographic
situation in the region and to what extent is the â^À^Üobligatory returnâ^À^Ý
of the refugees probable? I think any question, even the most
delicate one, may be discussed and mutually acceptable solutions can
be found. Azerbaijan must by all means sit at the table of
negotiations with Nagorni Karabakh. â^À^Ó The so-called organization for
liberation of Karabakh announced about its intention to organize a
march to Shoushi on May 9. It is true that according to the
Azerbaijani mass media the force agencies of that country did not
react to the appeals of that organization. Nevertheless, to what
extent are we secure and prepared for such actions? â^À^Ó This is an
utter lie. The entire state and its armed forces organized a â^À^Ümarchâ^À^Ý
against Nagorni Karabakh and were bitterly defeated; against this
background the announcements of a group of provocateurs may be
described as a propagandist gesture. â^À^ÜEchoâ^À^Ý of Baku proudly published
in one of its editions that diplomatic Azerbaijan had declared a
wide-scale war against the communication company â^À^ÜKarabakh Telecomâ^À^Ý,
and started the war in Uzbekistan. â^À^Ó Azerbaijan constantly conducts a
war against the people of Nagorni Karabakh and tries by all means to
deprive them of elementary conditions for a decent life. Thus Baku
proves that it does not recognize the population of Nagorni Karabakh
as its citizens. After the recent developments in Batumi and the
assistance of Sahakashvili to the Adzhars it is apparent that
Azerbaijan has never had such attitude towards the people of Karabakh
and has got used to the idea of losing it. â^À^Ó Let us continue the
topic of Adzharia. They say Adzharia will be followed by Abkhazia,
Osia, and all this will have its influence upon Karabakhâ^À¦ – Those are
completely different problems. In Adzharia people came out to the
streets with the portraits of Mikhail Sahakashvili and the slogan
â^À^ÜMisha, we are with youâ^À^Ý. Is it possible to imagine the people
organize a demonstration in Stepanakert with the pictures of Ilham
Aliev and express their solidarity? Besides, Adzharia has never had
the problem of seceding from Georgia and Adzharia never declared its
independence. â^À^Ó One more question. Recently, the question of
relationships of Armenia and Karabakh is widely circulated in the
Azerbaijani press. There were even articles with sensational
headlines such as â^À^ÜArmeniaâ^À^Ùs New Enemy â^À^Ó Karabakhâ^À^Ý, etc. In
fact, did
something come between Armenia and Karabakh? â^À^Ó I think it is natural
that the Azerbaijani machine of propaganda should try to tap a wedge
between Karabakh and Armenia. Unfortunately, certain adventurous
people favour them. All their attempts, however, are doomed. The
unity of the Armenian nation was obtained at a high cost through hard
trials and I am sure the people themselves will not allow anyone
disrupt their unity. â^À^Ó Recently the NKR parliament has made changes
in the staff of the Constitutional Commission. Does this mean that
the commission will activate its work? â^À^Ó On the whole the work on the
constitution was not interrupted, however, after the election to the
parliament, the rotation of the cadres 2/3 of the staff of the
commission was, actually, unable to work. As to the adoption of the
Constitution, this question was always on the agenda and had a
significant place in the election program of president Ghukassian.
Presently the constitutional experience of other countries is
studied. For us it will be easier in the sense that the basic laws
have been adopted and are in effect in our country. – And the last
question. There are rumours that the former minister of defence
Samvel Babayan was pardoned. Some people relate this with the pardon
of General Syuret Huseinov in Azerbaijan. â^À^Ó As the head of the
commission on amnesty I assure that we did not receive any
applications from either S. Babayan, or his next-of-kin applied for
amnesty. Besides, in the given case the initial application of the
convict is important because by the request of his relatives we
started gathering the necessary data for the amnesty and came across
such facts that the convict himself refused the application of the
act of amnesty. I must say that the president of the country had a
rather humanistic approach to the problem and continues to. It is
known that a number of other participants of the terrorist act were
released and the terms of the others were shortened. 

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN

US publisher demands British envoy to Armenia be evicted

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
13 May 04

[Presenter] The attitude of the foreign countries’ ambassadors,
accredited to Armenia on Armenian genocide is being discussed in the
circles of the Armenian Diaspora.

[Correspondent] The British ambassador to Armenia, Thorda Abbott-Watt’s
remarks made at the end of January 2004, on that the 1915 bloody events
are not genocide made quite a noise. Armenian communities all over
the world are concerned by this remark. Harut Sassounian, publisher
of The California Courier in his article expressed a complaint about
the British ambassador’s remark. In an interview with Armenian Public
TV, Mr Sassounian stressed that it is very hurtful for him that the
similar words were sounded in Yerevan.

[Harut Sassounian, captioned] At least, we can complain. If we
cannot change a position of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,
we can at least express our dissatisfaction. We can do this, can’t
we? Because it does not demand money or strong force. We must express
our position. We have obligations and rights.

[Correspondent] Harut Sassounian drew parallels between this diplomatic
scandal and the Israeli ambassador to Armenia, Rivka Cohen, who made
similar remarks in 2002. According to Sassounian to hear such remarks
from an ambassador of that country which also was a victim of genocide,
was the most hurtful. In an interview with Armenian Public TV the
British ambassador noted that she does not wish to comment on this
remark. Here is Mr Sassounian’s assessments.

[Harut Sassounian] Bravo, she has learnt something from this event. The
other ambassadors, starting from the US ambassadors and others must be
more careful. It is right that they cannot express another position
against the their government’s position, but, at least, they should
shut their mouths and will be more cautious.

[Correspondent] What is needed to be undertaken in the current
situation? Mr Sassounian answered that only the Armenian government
must solve this issue.

[Harut Sassounian] They must solve this problem themselves. It not
necessary that the ambassador must be evicted from the country. It
they will do that there will be left no ambassadors in Armenia.

[Correspondent] Shortly after our interview, Mr Sassounian made a new
announcement, where he demanded the recall of the British ambassador
from Armenia. According to Mr Sassounian in such cases the Armenian
side’s diplomatic steps are a worthy reply not only to those who do
not respect our people’s hurtful feelings but also it reminds the
Turks that our demand has not been forgotten or a book of history is
not past issue.

WNNE-TV, VT
May 12 2004

Developer Hopes To Buy Church To Give To Other Church

NASHUA, N.H. — A real estate developer plans to buy a Catholic
church for $1 million and then donate the property to the Armenian
Orthodox Church.

Vatche Manoukian, of Hollis, N.H., has entered an agreement with the
Catholic Diocese of Manchester to buy St. Francis Xavier Church and
give the property as a gift to his church, said Manoukian’s lawyer,
Gerald Prunier.

The sale faces several obstacles, however, including a lawsuit filed by
former St. Francis Xavier parishioners who argue that church officials
have no right to sell the property. A century-old deed at the center
of the debate states that the property must always hold a place of
religious observance.

KARABAKH SEPARATISTS WARN AGAINST “UNBALANCED SUPPORT” FOR REGIONAL COUNTRIES

Mediamax news agency
12 May 04

Yerevan, 12 May: The Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR) Foreign Ministry
has issued a statement in connection with the 10th anniversary of
the cease-fire in the conflict zone.

According to Mediamax news agency, the statement particularly reads:

“The cease-fire agreement concluded between Nagornyy Karabakh,
Azerbaijan and Armenia with the mediatory efforts of the Russian
Federation came into force on 12 May 1994. The NKR Foreign Ministry
views the signing of this agreement as one of the serious achievements
in the process of the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement. The legalization
and preservation of the cease-fire for 10 years became possible
because all three conflicting sides took equal responsibility for
ending military operations”.

The NKR Foreign Ministry statement emphasizes that “the observance
of the cease-fire regime without the involvement of international
peacekeepers testifies to the fact that the sides have potential
required for transforming the cease-fire into a lasting peace”.

At the same time, “the NKR Foreign Ministry believes that the
cease-fire regime is first of all due to the current political-military
balance of forces in the conflict zone.”

“In this connection, we draw the attention of all the interested states
and organizations to the circumstance that any unbalanced support
for the countries of the region is fraught with a violation of the
established balance and may seriously destabilize the situation in
the whole of the South Caucasus. The NKR Foreign Ministry confirms
once again that the NKR authorities adhere to the cease-fire regime
and are ready to settle the conflict with Azerbaijan exclusively in
a peaceful way,” the NKR Foreign Ministry statement reads.

ARMENIA SET TO BENEFIT FROM WORLD BANK LOANS

Mediamax news agency
5 May 04

YEREVAN

Three new credit programs approved for Armenia by the World Bank board
of directors will be realized in four to five years, the head of the
World Bank’s office in Yerevan, Roger Robinson, said today. He said
that the World Bank’s board of directors made a decision to allocate
three credits to Armenia to the overall amount of 35m dollars, 23m of
which will be used for the municipal water and wastewater project;
10.15m dollars for the public sector modernization project and 1.75m
dollars for the agricultural reform support project.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
May 5, 2004

Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian
Telephone: 818.500.1918

ANC PRAISES REPUBLICANS ADVANCING GENOCIDE REAFFIRMATION IN CONGRESS AND
ACROSS THE NATION

GOP Elected Officials Spearhead Efforts For Genocide Acknowledgment In
Congress and Western United States

Los Angeles, CA – The largest Armenian-American grassroots public
affairs organization in the Western United States issued a statement
today praisinga number of Republican legislators in the U.S. Congress.
The statement issued by the Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region praisedGOP members of Congress for their outstanding
support on issues of concern to tens of thousands of Armenian American
voters throughout California, Nevada and other western states.

The statement went on to praise Republican Governors in the states of
Idaho, Montana, and Nebraska for joining the growing list of states
that have officially acknowledged the Armenian Genocide. April 2004
marked a month when a record number of Governors issued proclamations
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and April 24th as a Day of
Remembrance. The list includes Republican Governors Dirk Kempthorne
of Idaho, Judy Martz of Montana, and Mike Johannsof Nebraska.

In addition to praising these states for their acknowledgement of the
Genocide, the ANCA-WR praised Republican Governor of California,
Arnold Schwarzenegger for designating April 24th in the State of
California, as a Day of Remembrance for the Genocide. Republican
State Senator Chuck Poochigian presented the proclamation to the
Armenian-American community at the ANCA-WR organized April 24
Commemoration in Montebello, California.

`We appreciate the work of our Republican friends, particularly
theGovernors and members of Congress who supported the ANC’s
initiatives to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide and urge
Congress to pass resolutions acknowledging this crime against
humanity,’ stated ANCA-WR Government Relations Director Armen
Carapetian.

Last week the Nevada ANC honored Senator John Ensign (R-NV) as the
â=80=9CANC Man of the Year’ for his staunch support of Armenian
American issues. Senator Ensign introduced Senate Resolution 164,
which reaffirms America’s commitment to preventing genocides and
punishing perpetrators of genocide. The legislation also clearly
recognizes the mass murder of Armenians from 1915 to 1923 as a case of
genocide. Currently the bill has the support of over 39 Senators,
including 9 Republican Senators.

Several months ago, the Orange County ANC honored Congressman Ed Royce
(R-Fullerton) with the local chapter’s Freedom Award. Rep. Royce
serves on the influential International Relations Committee and has
had a long track record of support of issues that are of concern to
his Armenian-American constituency. During his remarks at the ANCA
Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance last week, Rep. Royce
renewed his pledge to fight for official acknowledgment ofthe Armenian
Genocide.

The ANCA-WR honored Republican Congressman George Radanovich
(R-Fresno) as its `Man of the Year’ several months ago at its largest
event of the year. Radanovich is the principal author and sponsor of
H.R. 193, which acknowledges the Armenian Genocide. That legislation,
which was passed unanimously by the House Judiciary Committee on May
21, 2003 is awaiting a vote on the House Floor.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughoutthe United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

#####

ArmenPress
April 28 2004

AUTHORITIES IN KARABAGH SAY MAY 8 MARCH AIMS TO STIR UP PROVOCATIONS

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS: Authorities in Nagorno Karabagh
responded on Tuesday to purported plans of so-called Azerbaijani
organization Karabagh Liberation Organization (KLO) to march to
Karabagh on May 8, the date of the “occupation” of the second-largest
town of Shushi by Armenian troops.
A statement issued by Karabagh foreign ministry says the march,
portrayed in Azerbaijan as a public initiative, is a propaganda and
populist idea, designed by top authorities of that country. The
statement says this initiative could have been be assessed as a move
aimed at building the climate of confidence should not it have been
plotted by KLO leader Akif Naghi, who has won a notoriety by his
anti-Armenian and racist announcements. The statement also says there
is no doubt that the “peaceful march” has been designed to instigate
provocations on the line of contact between Azeri and Armenian
troops.
Earlier Akif Naghi was quoted by Azeri news media as saying that
the Turkish embassy in Baku and some political parties were
indifferent towards his plans. Naghi said the KLO was going to
determine the route of their planned march. He said 7,150 people are
expected to start action from the Martyrs’ Alley in Baku on May 8 “to
let the world community know about the real truths of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.”