Author: Chmshkian Vicken

PRESS RELEASE
MIDDLE EAST & MIDDLE EASTERN AMERICAN CENTER
The Graduate Center
City University of New York

365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016-4309
Tel: 212-817-7570
Fax: 212-817-1542
Email: [email protected]

Taner Akçam
Talk and Book Signing for
“From Empire to Republic:Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide”

Dr. Akçam will examine the relationship between Turkey’s transition
from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic in the opening decades of
the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and the process of
democratization in Turkey today. He will analyze the socio-political
and historical factors behind that complex and crucial history,
and provide a framework for understanding Turkish nationalism and
its on-going relationship to the Armenian Genocide.

Contextualizing the long-term development of Turkey and the reasons
for Turkish silence and denial regarding the Armenian Genocide,
Akçam will discuss the role of the Armenian Genocide in the process
of democratization in Turkey today. Through an exploration of the
obstacles to dialogue, he will offer some hope for reconciliation
between the Turkish and Armenian communities.

Taner Akçam is currently Visiting Associate Professor in the Department
of History, University of Minnesota. He was born in the province
of Kars-Ardahan in the northeast of Turkey and became interested in
Turkish politics at an early age. In 1977 he settled in Germany as a
political refugee. Akçam received his Ph.D. from Hanover University
with a dissertation titled, Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian
Genocide: On the Background of the Military Tribunals in Istanbul
Between 1919 and 1922. He has since published five books and half
a dozen articles on the topic in Turkish and German. From Empire to
Republic was published in March 2004 by Zed Books, London.

Friday June 4, 2004,6:30-8:30 pm
Elebash Recital Hall
Co-sponsored by the Zoryan Institute (Toronto)

Books will be available for purchase
Admission free, but voluntary donations welcome

Armenia met most of European body’s demands, official says

Mediamax news agency
31 May 04

Yerevan, 31 May: A delegation of the monitoring committee of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will visit
Armenia on 14-17 June. This was announced by Jerzy Jaskiernia, PACE’s
co-rapporteur on Armenia, at a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the
National Assembly Tigran Torosyan today, the press service of the
National Assembly told Mediamax news agency.

At Jaskiernia’s request, Torosyan commented on the domestic political
situation in Armenia and the implementation of the resolutions passed
at the winter and spring sessions of the PACE. Torosyan said that
the opposition had rejected the proposals of the ruling coalition for
resolving the existing problems through a political agreement. Instead
the opposition opted for the tactics of staging demonstrations.

Torosyan said that the Armenian authorities met most of the demands
of the PACE resolutions, and that a detailed report will be prepared
before the visit of the monitoring committee.

Responding to Jaskiernia’s question on bringing to book those who
violated laws during the latest presidential and parliamentary
elections in Armenia, Torosyan said that the Prosecutor-General’s
Office had recently submitted additional material on those cases. This
document will be discussed by the National Assembly when the temporary
parliamentary commission on European integration will deliver its
report, Torosyan said.

If need be, the additional material on the case will be submitted to
the monitoring committee during its visit to Yerevan, he said.

Armenian leader favours integration into “family of democratic countries”

Mediamax news agency
27 May 04

Yerevan, 27 May: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said in Yerevan
today that “Armenia will continue its way to full integration into
the family of democratic countries, which requires lengthy and
consistent work”.

According to Mediamax, Kocharyan said this at a meeting with the
ambassadors of foreign countries to Armenia, whose residences are
outside Armenia.

“Attaching special importance to Armenia’s close cooperation with
European and other international organizations, we believe that
our country should keep abreast of the modern world,” Kocharyan
said. According to him, loyalty to the complementary policy, which
became the basis of Armenia’s foreign policy several years ago,
has yielded rather serious results.

Speaking about the economic situation in the country, Kocharyan added
that the first stage of reforms had ended. This is proved by the
stable pace of economic growth and good macroeconomic indices, which
have been maintained over the last few years. Despite this, Kocharyan
said, part of Armenia’s population lives on the verge of poverty, and
a solution to this problem is the Armenian government’s priority today.

Kocharyan said that he welcomed the idea of an annual meeting in
Yerevan between the non-resident ambassadors. According to him, regular
meetings of this kind with the diplomats, who do not permanently
live on Armenian territory, “will allow us to present the processes
in the country in a better way”.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT

A1 Plus | 20:32:05 | 27-05-2004 | Politics |

Amnesty International organization has issued its annual report. The
organization placed it on record that hundreds of the opposition
supporters had been arrested during both presidential and parliamentary
elections in Armenia. Facts of stealing ballot box and committing
violence against international observers were mentioned in the report
as well.

Some 100 people were tried and convicted behind closed doors, the
report says.

Amnesty International also says in its report that justice principles
were infringed in the trial of Nari Hunanyan, the key perpetrator of
the October 27 terrorist attack: “There is some concern in Armenia
that justice failed”.

At the same time, the report noted with satisfaction that Armenia
managed to abolish death penalty ahead of the trial end.

The Rising Cost of Poor Azeri Healthcare
By Chloe Arnold

Moscow Times
May 25 2004

BAKU, Azerbaijan — To look at the row of boutique shops that just
opened round the corner from my house, selling Versace shirts, Armani
suits and Manolo Blahnik shoes at crippling prices, you’d never guess
that Azerbaijan has an infant mortality rate similar to some of the
poorest countries in Africa.

In fact, more babies die in Azerbaijan every year than in any country
in the former Soviet Union, bar Turkmenistan. For every 1,000 children
born here, 74 will die before their first birthday as compared to
just five in Britain, 18 in Russia and 79 in Senegal.

It’s a shocking figure by anyone’s standards, and more than double
the rate of its former Soviet neighbors Georgia and Armenia, with 24
and 30 infant deaths per 1,000 births respectively.

And it doesn’t seem to make sense. The wealth per capita here is
far greater than in many former Soviet states thanks to the flood of
foreign investors eager to get their hands on the country’s oil.

True, it’s not Kuwait, and the government is not rolling in money.
But neither is it sub-Saharan Africa. They should have enough income
from the export of their crude oil to be able to fund a decent public
health service.

So why are the levels of infant mortality so high? One explanation is
Azerbaijan’s refugee population. Hundreds of thousands of people who
fled the war with Armenia in the early 1990s now live in miserable
camps, which are breeding grounds for diseases like malaria.

But there is another reason. According to a report by UNICEF, the
United Nations children’s fund, part of the reason for Azerbaijan’s
high infant mortality rate is “the declining quality and rising cost
of public healthcare services.”

The key phrase here is the “rising cost” of health services. You see,
in Azerbaijan healthcare is supposed to be free. But, of course,
it isn’t. My Azeri friends tell me that if you go to the doctor,
you have to slip him a few crisp notes before he will even let you
into his consulting room.

What this means is that the poorest families can no longer afford to
get proper treatment. Women give birth at home, or they save up to
go to hospital, but cannot pay if there are complications.

Of course, Azerbaijan is famous for its high levels of corruption. In
international surveys of graft it comes out near the top and ranks
along other champions of corruption like Nigeria and Bangladesh.

No one expects bribery and corruption here to disappear — it’s
simply a part of life. But when babies are dying in critically high
numbers because their parents can’t afford to pay for basic treatment,
perhaps the government needs to sit up and take notice.

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

CIS states study possibility of joining efforts on air defense

Associated Press Worldstream
May 21, 2004 Friday

YEREVAN, Armenia — Twelve former Soviet republics are studying the
possibility of creating a united system of air defense to protect
the region, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday.

“This is a vital system, and it has proved so in exercises held
recently,” Ivanov said in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, which hosted
a meeting of defense ministers from the Commonwealth of Independent
States.

He gave no further details.

The CIS, comprised of 12 former Soviet republics, was set up after
the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union to encourage cooperation between
the countries. However, those efforts have largely been hamstrung by
regional squabbles and fears of Russian domination.

Ivanov said that the ministers also discussed ways to expand military
technological cooperation and upcoming military exercises. In August,
the CIS militaries are planning exercises in the Central Asian nations
of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Ivanov said.

PRESS OFFICE
ARMENAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA WESTERN DIOCESE
3325 North Glenoaks blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
Tel: (818) 558-7474
Fax: (818) 558-6333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

May 21, 2004

COMMUNIQUE

SERIES OF LECTURES AND EVENTS
WITHIN THE WESTERN DIOCESE

Upon the decision and special arrangements of His Eminence
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Church of North America, the following events and series of
lectures will take place in the Western Diocesan Headquarters, as part
of the “Tarkmanchats Lsaran”:

A) Beginning in September 2004, a two year curriculum has
been organized for candidates into the Order of Priesthood, that
includes the following subjects relating to the Armenian Church and the
Armenian Religious culture:

Biblical Studies
History of the Armenian Church
Pastoral Theology
Armenian Liturgy and its Theology
Sermon and Preaching
Universal Church Fathers
Armenian Religious Literature
Monasticism and Christian Spirituality
History of Armenian Monasticism
Armenian Monastic Spirituality
History of Armenian Religious Art
Armenian Historiography and
Ideology of Armenian Identity
Classical Armenian or Grabar

B) On October 20, 21, 22, 2004, a three-day Conference will be
held, strictly for the clergy of the Western Diocese. Deacons will also
be present. Over the course of the three days prayers will take place,
as well as four lectures per day (a total of 12 lectures), which will
cover theological, ecclesiastical, spiritual, pastoral, executive,
ethical, social, instructional and various other religious topics.

C) Beginning in October 2004, another series of lectures will begin
in the evenings, which will be open to the public. These lectures will
take place ONCE A MONTH and will include a series of presentations
dedicated to the Bible, as well as topics relating to religion,
ecclesiastics, history of the church, ethics and the Armenian religious
culture,

D) In October, 2004 on the occasion of the 1600th anniversary of
the CREATION OF THE ARMENIAN ALPHABET, a three-day event will be held at
the Diocesan Headquarters, titled “THE ARMENIAN BOOK” which will
underscore the importance and significance of the Armenian Book in our
personal and ethnic lives. At the same time a book sale will take place.
This event will be open to the public.

Very Rev. Dajad Dz. Vartabed Yardemian is in charge of the
abovementioned events.

The exact dates will be published in due time.

DIVAN OF THE DIOCESE

May 19, 2004
Burbank, California

ARKA News Agency
May 20 2004

RA Government members receive social security cards

Robert Kocharian signs decree on approval of presidential premium in
the field of physical training and sport

RA NA Speaker receives OSCE Parliament Assembly Chairman

An exhibition – sale to take place in the museum of national art of
Armenia on May 22-27

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RA GOVERNMENT MEMBERS RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS

YEREVAN, May, 20. /ARKA/. RA Government members received social
security cards today. The cards to the ministers were handed by RA
Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanian personally. He
said that with the implementation of social security cards’ system it
is planned to ease the process of provision of relief, pensions,
salary and other social payments to the citizens. All of this,
according to him, will allow raising budget comings in account of
black sector of economy and will contribute to process of tax
gathering. L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

ROBERT KOCHARIAN SIGNS DECREE ON APPROVAL OF PRESIDENTIAL PREMIUM IN
THE FIELD OF PHYSICAL TRAINING AND SPORT

YEREVAN, May, 20. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian signed decree
on approval of presidential premium in the field of physical training
and sport, RA President’s press office told ARKA. Following premiums
will be instituted: Best Sports Community, Best Sports Court, Best
Sports Family. The Committee on physical training and sport is
assigned to chose the candidates, determine the place and time of
contests. L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

RA NA SPEAKER RECEIVES OSCE PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN

YEREVAN, May, 20. /ARKA/. RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasarian received
OSCE Parliament Assembly Chairman Bruce George, RA NA told ARKA. The
parties discussed problems of activation of the dialogue between OSCE
and Armenia in the issues of eurointegration, noted the importance of
practical participation of Armenia in development and signing of
Caucasus Stability Pact. Besides the parties noted the importance of
creation of Parliament Assembly of South Caucasus countries.
According to press release, George expressed his support to all
mentioned initiatives and invited Armenian Speaker to take part in
oncoming sitting of OSCE.
Arthur Baghdasarian takes part in regular summit of the chairmen of
Assembly of European Parliaments in Strasbourg. L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

AN EXHIBITION -SALE TO TAKE PLACE IN THE MUSEUM OF NATIONAL ART OF
ARMENIA ON MAY 22-27

YEREVAN, May, 20. /ARKA/. An exhibition -sale of embroidery by three
Armenians from Canada to take place in the museum of national art of
Armenia on May 22-27. According to Hayastan All-Armenian Foundation,
the means gains from the sales will be send to the fund for
construction of North-South highway (NKR).
Hayastan All-Armenian Foundation was created on March 3, 1992 by
degree of the first president of Republic of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrossian. Creation of the structure was conditioned by flow of
humanitarian aid from Armenians all over the world to help in
development of newly created Republic of Armenia and Artsakh. The
foundation includes all the basic church, political, charity
organizations, prominent figures and benefactors. The Board of
Trustees includes 30 persons.
The investments into the Hayastan Pan-Armenian Foundation amounted to
$80 mln. Within the 11 years of its activities, the Foundation’s
investments volume made $ 85 mln. A.H.–0–

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HENRY’S GOLD RUSH
by NEIL MARTIN

Daily Star
May 20, 2004

THIERRY HENRY is set to complete a sensational season by claiming
the European Golden Boot this weekend.

The French striker has already topped the Premiership scoring chart
after netting 30 league goals as Arsenal won the title with an amazing
unbeaten record.

And he is almost sure to take the European award. Ailton Concalves
needs a hat-trick for Werder Bremen against Hansa Rostock to pip him.

The European Golden Boot is now based on a weighted system with goals
in the best leagues worth two points each, compared to just one point
apiece in smaller competitions.

Although Ara Hakobyan has scored 45 goals for FC Banants in Armenia,
Henry tops the charts with 60 points ahead of Concalves on 56 and AC
Milan’s Andrei Shevchenko on 48.

Henry has already been voted PFA and Barclaycard Player of the Year.
He will miss collecting the Football Writers’ Association award in
London tonight as he is on duty with France.

Abelyan’s verbal swipe at Harrison
JIM BLACK May 20 2004

The Herald, UK
May 20 2004

William Abelyan, the WBO featherweight title challenger, loosed off a
verbal salvo at champion Scott Harrison yesterday in a clear attempt
to spice up next month’s bout at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena.

If Abelyan is to be believed, 26-year-old Harrison is constructing a
smokescreen by declaring that he will give his rival a “hammering” in
response to the Armenian’s earlier boast that he will “cook” the
Glaswegian on June 19.

Abelyan, 25, accused Harrison of “talking big and running scared”
before adding: “Harrison has got a big mouth and I am going to shut
it for him. The boxing ring is my house and Harrison is not welcome.
“I’ve read what he’s been saying and he’s talking a lot of garbage.
He’s scared and that’s why he’s talking big. But we will see if he’s
talking just as big when he’s face-to-face with me.”

The pair were originally scheduled to begin hostilities in March, but
Abelyan was forced to call-off after sustaining a hand injury during
his final sparring session at his Las Vegas training camp.

No sooner had the promoters, Sports Network, rescheduled the bout for
May 29 than Harrison damaged a bicep in is left arm while doing
pull-ups in the gym, necessitating a further delay.

Abelyan, though, insists that he has not been inconvenienced. “I’m
ready to fight Harrison right now,” he said. “If my team told me that
we were going to Scotland tomorrow I would jump straight on to the
plane because I have never been more up for a fight than this one.”

Abelyan, who moved with his parents to California from Yerevan at the
age of nine, has pledged to make an emotional homecoming once he is
champion. “I wanted to achieve something special before returning as
a hero,” he said.