Author: Dabaghian Diana

Regional railway project discussions due

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Aug 18 2005

Transport ministers of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan will meet
in Istanbul on August 24 to discuss the Gars-Tbilisi-Baku railway
construction project and a relevant draft agreement developed by
Azerbaijan.

The initial draft document on establishing a corridor, which includes
a 68-km section in Turkey and a 30-km section in Georgia, will be
developed over the next five months. The construction operations will
be funded on equal terms by the three countries.

The Gars-Tbilisi-Baku route will be used for transportation of
containers as well. Kazakhstan has expressed its interest in the
project.

Armenian officials have opposed the project, claiming that the
Gars-Armenia corridor is a more beneficial option, in an apparent move
to counter allocation of loans for the project by international banks.

Azerbaijani Deputy Transport Minister Panah Musayev has said that
the route proposed by Armenia is 200 km longer than the existing route.

PKK: The Name of the Metal Storm in Turkish-US Relations
by Melih Can

Zaman, Turkey
Aug 17 2005

Not a single day goes by that Turkey does not face a new PKK attack
or a mine explosion. And not a single day goes by that Turkey does
not enter into a polemic on “terrorism” with countries it thinks
are friendly.

It is true that lately, Turkey’s agenda has almost gotten stuck
on terrorism and the fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK), also in the context of terrorism. The problems in the
fight against terrorism and the PKK, which were the main topics Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President George W. Bush discussed
during Erdogan’s visit to the United States, continue full swing.

Under this framework, controversial statements made recently on
the PKK issue, especially by Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
leader, Massoud Barzani, who has been elected the president of the
northern Kurdish region, Bush congratulating [Jalal] Talabani and
the Iraqi Kurds on the “regional government,” and all the events that
surfaced afterwards, were obvious realities even though they seemed
to us like an April Fool’s Day joke made by our strategic partner.
New developments seemingly will occur in Turkish-American relations
both in the South and the East. And there are efforts to increase the
confusion in Turkish foreign policy day after day with the carrot and
stick policy. There are efforts to drag Turkey into a real paranoia
by putting it in a dilemma over “how much a friend and how much an
enemy?” On the other hand, some try to inculcate into us the “wait and
see policy.” But why? First of all, frankly speaking, developments
that are taking place in the south of Turkey, in the north of Iraq
and the US attitude towards the PKK continue to disturb Turkey, and
these constitute the biggest confidence problems in relations. The
recent events and counter statements that will aggravate the issue do
not elude attention, pieces come together and become more meaningful.

Treating the terrorist as a militia

The BBC and Reuters referring to the PKK terrorist organization as
“militia” recently, was in fact not a chic attitude. As a matter
of fact, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European & Eurasian
Affairs Dan Fried said that the PKK, which is a terrorist organization,
is also America’s problem and implied that a trans-border operation
in northern Iraq by Turkey against PKK terrorists could “bring the
forces of both countries against each other,” adding, “There are
words Iraq will also say.”

Frankly speaking, we wonder whether these words will be in Arabic
or English? And we also know that the “dominant” one will do the
talking. In this context, when the fact that Barzani was elected
the president of the Kurdish region in the north and the attitude
displayed against the PKK by the US government are put together,
Turkey comes face to face with a terrible scenario. In particular,
the role given to Barzani and the Barzani tribe during this transition
period is very important. Even the personality of Massoud Barzani
automatically answers many questions. Contrary to Talabani, Barzani
is presented to us as more uncompromising, an inflexible man who
orchestrates chaos, a tribal leader who can start and continue a
bloody war over a so-called Kurdish state in the north.

Hence, the Barzani tribe is a right choice, especially at a time
when allegations about “their genes” and expectations about the
establishment of a so-called “Kurdish state” under the umbrella of the
Unites States and mentorship of the Israeli state are at the peak. At
this very point, as an interesting coincidence, the PKK steps in and
its place in this game can be better perceived.

The attitude of the regional countries, Turkey, Syria and Iran against
a Kurdish state is known. Some red lines – if they do not change
afterwards – have been formed on this subject. And despite statements
by these three countries that they would not allow the establishment
of such a state, the presence of Kurds in their respective countries
in various proportions is a reality. In other words, if in case they
object, these countries, in the first place, may have to deal with the
problems within their own borders. This is called the PKK in Turkey. On
the other hand, the uneasiness of US administration over the warm
cooperation that has been taking place among the regional countries
in recent years, and Washington’s expectations in this context, are
quite obvious. The latest events have a potential of breaking Turkey’s
resistance and creating “doubts” and “problems” in its relations
with the other countries in the region. Even this joint attitude,
that is not very well formed, is enough to perturb the US. And the
name given to it is the call for democracy, reforms and integration
with the world. In plain words, its name is double-standards.

What should Turkey do?

While Turkey continues to be contented with “strategic relations,”
the US continues creating its own “strategic partners” in the region.
This name was Israel in the past but is now the so-called states of
“Kurdistan” and “Mountainous Karabakh.” Each of them is a piece of a
chain, stretching out from Khazar to the Red Sea. What would happen
if you want to interfere in these goings-on and terrorism being
nourished just beyond your borders? The answer is quite simple, you
would be invited to the “Metal Storm” with an implied threat by the
“mandated” country. The justification is handy: “Violating the borders
of a sovereign state.” Especially at a time when a “pre-emptive
strike” sword is hanging over your head. Turkey is being dragged
into a real deadend in its foreign politics. The reflections of this
deadend inevitably have also started to manifest themselves in its
domestic politics. As a matter of fact, True Path Party (DYP) leader
Mehmet Agar claimed that Turkey has lost its ability to carry out a
military operation beyond its borders during Justice and Development
Party (AKP) government. Agar claimed that Turkey has been made to
depend on foreign countries even in the fight against terrorism, in
addition to its economy and foreign policy. Similar expressions are
often used by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal as
well as other politicians. In reply to all these criticisms, Prime
Minister Erdogan tries to display a determined attitude and says,
“We have to overcome the PKK problem. Consult or not consult, we can
use our right of hot pursuit.”

This situation created between the PKK and the AKP is certainly a
matter the present government does not approve of, either. However,
the fact that the AKP government has put Turkey into a reform
and restructuring process, especially into the process of full EU
membership, and it seems to be doing all these with the EU reccipe,
will certainly continue to make these allegations and accusations
remain on the agenda. Like every political party, the AKP government
as well would certainly like to be in Turkish political movement in
the process after this. Maybe because of this, in order to be able to
overcome its “obsession and blindness with the West” a little bit, the
AKP recently has started to turn its attention more to the “East” and
“South.” It would not be wrong to evaluate the recent visits in this
sense. Turkey has started to understand the necessity of compensating
for the disappointments it experienced in the West by turning to the
East just as the other Eastern states did. At least, this is what our
historical memory seemingly orders us to do. As a matter of fact,
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw did not utter these words in
vain, “Let’s not treat Turkey harshly, let’s be more courageous,
let’s put Turkey next to us instead of pushing it far aside.” The
British vigilance has said this so far and will also continue to do
so tomorrow. But what is important is our wakefulness and vigilance.

The Kurdish factor, in the context of the PKK and Northern
Iraq, continues to create important curves and testing fields in
Turkish-American relations. In other words, the current attitude
and policy the US is pursuing in the region, within its intentions,
is far beyond being a turning point in relations between “two allied
countries,” but is galloping at full speed towards a breaking point.
“Turkey’s terrorism test” continues. Turkey is looking for an
attitude between “Metal Storm” and “being in bed with an elephant.”
In this case, Turkey will either find another course to flow into,
or renew its marriage or return to its roots. However, in any case,
the one who loses will be “the pawn” again!

NO 19-20 POINTS ON SUBJECT “CREATIVE COMPETITION,” ONLY 3 ENTRANTS GET 18 POINTS

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The entrance examinations on the
subject “Creative Competition” finished on August 13. 108 entrants
from 137 ones took the entrance exams on that subject. 14 ones from
them got “Bad” marks, and 3 entrants got 18 points. No 19 and 20
points were fixed. As Mushegh Hovsepian, the Chairman of the subject
examination commission informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent, during
the last years, lack of a creative mind, bright imagination is noticed
among entrants having chosen the faculty of journalism. According to
M.Hovsepian’s estimation, works of entrants are incomplete in the sense
of the national thinking, presentation of national values as well. So,
one of the themes was dedicated to the Artsakh heroic battle: but no
one from 12 entrants mentioned any date. It was also mentioned that,
in total, 5 entrants appealed their marks on this subject whose marks
left unchanched.

Anglican Primate to join a Canadian ecumenical delegation to Armenia
BY DIANA MAVUNDUSE

Anglican Church of Canada (press release), Canada
Aug 15 2005

AUGUST 15, 2005 — The Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada,
Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, is part of a five-member ecumenical
delegation set to visit Armenia from Aug. 24 to Sep.1, 2005.

The visit organised by the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Church, is in response to an invitation by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, to
visit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. It is the first ever visit by
such a delegation from Canada to Armenia. Led by the Primate of the
Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Bishop
Bagrat Galstanian, the delegation will discuss future prospects for
the role and mission of Christian churches and cooperation between
the Eastern and Western churches. The delegation will also meet with
Armenian government officials.

Other members of the delegation are: Archbishop Sotirios, Metropolitan
of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Canada, Archbishop Brendan
O~RBrien, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
and Professor Richard Schneider, President of the Canadian Council
of Churches.

The dates for this visit were chosen to coincide with celebrations
commemorating the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian
alphabet, which take place between Aug. 24 and Sept.1st. The delegation
will have an opportunity to participate in the celebrations.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the pre-eminent centre of
authority in the worldwide Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
Located near Yerevan, the capital city of the Republic of Armenia,
it includes The Mother Cathedral of the entire Armenian Church, the
residence of the Catholicos, a monastery, the Gevorgian Theological
Seminary and a museum that houses the religious artefacts and
treasures of the Armenian Church. The Cathedral dates to the 4th
century, and is considered to be the oldest Christian cathedral in
the world. Holy Etchmiadzin became the seat of the Catholicate of the
entire Armenian nation in the 4th century, following the conversion
of King Tiridates III to Christianity by St. Gregory the Illuminator
in AD 301. Christianity became a powerful force in preserving the
identity of the Armenians who have lived under foreign rule for much
of their history.

The Armenian Orthodox church is a member of the Oriental Orthodox
family of churches that includes Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopian,
Eritrean and the (Indian) Malankara. There is an on-going theological
dialogue between Anglicans and the Oriental family. In November 2002,
the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission reached an
Agreed Statement on Christology.

The Rev. Canon Harold Nahabedian of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto,
(the only Armenian Anglican priest in Canada), is a member of the
Commission.

Formal dialogue between the Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox
churches stemmed from recommendations of the Lambeth Conferences of
1988 and 1998 and the decisions of the Oriental Orthodox Churches that
the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue be upgraded from a forum (1985-1993)
to a commission.

Armenians dispersed throughout the world after the Armenian Genocide
of 1915 when 1.5 million Armenians perished and millions more fled.
Today there are more Armenians living outside the country than inside
Armenia. It is estimated that over 80,000 Armenians live in Canada.

In 2002, the Federal Government of Canada designated 24 April as a
day of remembrance of the 1915 genocide, the first genocide of the
20th century.

The relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Canadian
Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church, dates back 125 years, when
in the absence of Armenian sanctuaries, the Anglicans offered the
Armenians liturgical space and hospitality in Anglican churches.

Through the Scholarship of St. Basil the Great, administered by the
Anglican Foundation, the relationship between the Armenian Orthodox
Church and the Canadian Anglicans has been strengthened and become
better known.

The scholarship, established by Bishop Henry Gordon Hill, retired
bishop of the Diocese of Ontario, is meant to facilitate exchanges
between members of the Anglican Church of Canada and members of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Assyrian Church of the East.

In 1997, Rev. Sargis Boyajyan of the Armenian Orthodox church was the
second recipient of the scholarship. He studied theology and English
and is now serving in the diocese of Montreal.

Another recipient, the Rev. Canon Philip Hobson, travelled to Armenia
and Jerusalem where he spent four months sharing in the life of the
Armenian Apostolic Church and lecturing on the Anglican Church.

For further information on the visit please contact: Deacon
Hagop Arslanian, assistant to the Primate Armenian Holy
Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese 615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont
Quebec H2V 3H2 Tel: 514~V276-9479 Email:[email protected]
Website:

Transitions Online, Czech Republic
Aug 8 2005

In Search of a Stable Eurasia

by Igor Torbakov
8 August 2005

Russia and Turkey forge new ties on security and trade. From
EurasiaNet.

Turkish Prime-Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent talks with
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggest that the two Eurasian
countries have found common ground on a number of key regional
security issues.

`It’s our fourth meeting during the last seven months, and I guess,
all of you understand what that means,’ Erdogan said at a news
conference following the 17-18 July negotiations at Putin’s posh
summer residence in the Russian Black Sea resort town of Sochi. `Our
views totally coincide with regard to the situation in the region as
well as to the issues concerning the preservation of stability in the
world,’ Erdogan was quoted as saying.

The recent Russian-Turkish encounter came after the Kremlin leader’s
official visit to Ankara in December 2004 and Erdogan’s trip to
Moscow in January 2005. Last May the Turkish prime minister also
attended festivities in the Russian capital commemorating the 60th
anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Such a sharp increase in top-level contacts appears to be the result
of both countries’ wariness toward political turbulence in their
overlapping `near abroads’ – specifically, in the South Caucasus and
Central Asia, regional analysts say.

Both Moscow and Ankara are closely following the geopolitical changes
that are taking place in post-Soviet Eurasia – particularly those
brought about by the `color revolutions.’ In the South Caucasus, the
`frozen conflicts’ between Tbilisi and the breakaway territories of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the stalemate between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh drive these shared concerns.

In public, both Russian and Turkish leaders have stressed their
commitment to the peaceful settlement of the inter-ethnic conflicts
in the Caucasus. However, a number of Turkish and Russian experts
argue that Ankara and Moscow seem reluctant to embrace political
changes in the Commonwealth of Independent States’ southern tier and
would rather support the preservation of the status quo.

Even before the Putin-Erdogan meeting in Sochi, some regional
analysts suggested there might be joint Russian-Turkish attempts to
solve the Armenian-Azeri conflict. As Armenia’s main geopolitical
ally, Russia can be expected to mediate between Turkey and Armenia on
a number of issues, they say.

Russian media reports confirmed that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was
discussed during the Russian-Turkish talks. The Russian government
newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported on 19 July that Moscow had
expressed its readiness to pursue the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh
`more actively,’ and that Ankara had agreed to cooperate on this
issue. Furthermore, according to some Russian and Azeri sources,
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, who made an official visit to
Baku on 18-21 July, hinted that Ankara is interested in a
normalization of relations with Yerevan and discussed with the Azeri
leadership the prospects of Turkey’s participation in the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

At the same time, Turkey appears keen to act as a mediator in the
Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. Turkey is home to a sizeable Abkhazian
community, and Ankara has established friendly ties both with Moscow
and Tbilisi, some Turkish commentators note.

`We don’t want to live in a world where enmity dominates; we need a
world where friendship reigns supreme,’ Erdogan said in Sochi,
referring to the urgent need to settle the South Caucasus’s
conflicts.

Both leaders, however, appear to share a strong apprehension
regarding potential political upheavals on post-Soviet territory.
While both Moscow and Ankara understand fully that a huge potential
exists for political change in the Caucasus and Central Asia, the
Putin administration and Erdogan government are unlikely to welcome
the revolutionary transformation of the authoritarian regimes in the
region, some Turkish analysts contend.

Azerbaijan’s November 2005 parliamentary elections are a case in
point, noted Suat Kiniklioglu, head of the Turkish office of the
German Marshall Fund of the United States. For Russia, securing
stability in this energy-rich Caspian state is important within the
framework of the Kremlin’s strategy of preserving its influence in
the Caucasus, Kiniklioglu said. But Turkey too wants to see
Azerbaijan stable, and keep secure the delivery of crude oil via the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export pipeline, he said in an interview with the
Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

Similarly, Turkey and Russia are seeking to maintain the geopolitical
status quo in Central Asia. According to Kiniklioglu, both the Turks
and the Russians would prefer to deal with the likes of Uzbek
President Islam Karimov and other autocratic regional leaders than
face the uncertainty of revolutionary turmoil. A number of Turkish
foreign-policy experts suggest that Ankara’s strategic perspective on
Central Asia is much closer to the Russian position than to that of
the United States. `Neither Moscow nor Ankara is happy to see U.S.
forces in the region,’ wrote analyst Semih Idiz in the mass
circulation daily Milliyet.

The talk of shared security interests extends to economic issues, too
Bilateral trade and energy issues figured prominently during the
Sochi meeting. The two leaders said they aim to raise the volume of
trade between the two countries from the current $11 billion to $25
billion.

The Russian president signaled that Russia would like to increase
energy exports to Turkey. Putin set out plans for new gas pipelines
through Turkey to supply southern European markets and also raised
the possibility of electric power exports to Turkey and Iraq. Erdogan
appeared to welcome Moscow’s intention to boost gas supplies to
Turkey. `There is serious potential for increasing supplies through
the Blue Stream pipeline,’ the Turkish prime minister said. According
to Erdogan, the pipeline has a capacity of 16 billion cubic meters
per year, but current supplies amount to only 4.7 billion cubic
meters. The 1,213-kilometer Blue Stream gas pipeline under the Black
Sea was completed in 2002, but has since been a source of dispute
between Russia and Turkey over gas prices.

Most Russian and Turkish commentators gave a very positive overall
assessment of the outcome of the Putin-Erdogan meeting. The rapid
rapprochement between the two Eurasian powers could serve as useful
leverage for boosting each country’s geopolitical stature, they
argue.

The strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Turkey `adds
significantly to our country’s international prestige,’ noted one
Russian commentary posted on the Politcom.ru website. Many Turkish
experts seem to agree. Argued Milliyet foreign-policy columnist Idiz:
`It may be an exaggeration to call our bilateral relations `strategic
partnership,’ but Turkish-Russian relations have already grown in
importance to the extent that they affect the entire region.’

Igor Torbakov is a freelance journalist and researcher who
specializes in CIS political affairs. He is now based in Istanbul,
Turkey. This is a partner-post from EurasiaNet.

PanArmenian News Network
Aug 2 2005

CoE TO INVESTIGATE FACT OF ARMENIAN FLAG DISAPPEARANCE

02.08.2005 06:23

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In view of the disappearance of the Armenian flag
from the area of the Council of Europe building, Armenian Foreign
Ministry has addressed a note of protest to the Council of Europe
Secretary General Terry Davis, Director of the Council of Europe
Secretary General’s Personal Office Jan-Lois Loran and Head of the
Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers Leonardo Davis, RA MFA
press center reported. Armenia’s permanent representation in the
Council of Europe was informed the Council of Europe Security
Services will do their best to put the Armenian flag in its place as
soon as possible. As for the investigation, the Council of Europe
Secretary General’s Personal Office stated that negotiations with the
French police responsible for the security of the building and the
territory adjacent to it have been already held. To remind, On July
30 evening the Armenian flag and nameboard disappeared form the area
of the Council of Europe building. Armenia’s permanent representation
in the Council of Europe immediately informed the Council of Europe
Security Services and demanded to put the Armenian flag in its place.
At present the Armenian flag is hanging in its place. The Armenian
Foreign Ministry has addressed a note of protest to the Council of
Europe General Secretariat condemning the incident and demanded to
find out the circumstances and carry out relevant measures. “Armenian
Foreign Affairs Ministry resolutely protests against the incident and
demands to implement necessary steps for preventing vandalism against
the national symbols of the Council of Europe member countries,” the
note says

15rounds.com (press release)
July 26 2005

USA OLYMPIAN VANES MARTIROSYAN
ON ERIK MORALES/MANNY PACQUIAO
FIGHT CARD SEPT 10 AT STAPLES!

USA Olympian Vanes ‘Nightmare’ Martirosyan, a hard-hitting super
welterweight, will box on Top Rank’s big fight card which will
feature three-time world champion Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales and
former world champion Manny Pacquaio at the STAPLES Center on
Saturday, Sept. 10.

Martirosyan, handled by Shelly Finkel and trained by Freddie Roach,
is from Glendale, Calif. Martirosyan is 2-0-0 as a pro and lives and
trains in Glendale, Calif.

“I was born in Abozyan, Armenia,” said Vanes. “My Dad was an amateur
boxer and I guess he saw it in me too. He said I had a lot of energy
because I was always running around the house. He took me to a local
boxing gym and at the age of seven I began to box. I wound up with
130 amateur fights and won 120 of those.

“I speak Armenia, of course, English and I know a little Spanish. I
can pronounce some words in Russian too,” he said.

Martiroysan will be at the Top Rank press conference on Wednesday.
Morales and Zahir Raheem will be at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Rodeo
Room, at 11:30 a.m. to discuss their upcoming bout at the STAPLES
Center in Los Angeles.

FIGHT NOTEBOOK – Raheem, handled by Cameron Dunkin, is trained by Don
House who works with Kid Diamond and Steven Luevano at the new ‘House
of Champions’ gym on Flamingo in Las Vegas….House will be at the
Wednesday press conference. He will outline a blueprint for Raheem to
take on Morales.

Armenian politician critical of Venice Commission’s media reform findings

Arminfo
25 Jul 05

YEREVAN

“We are perplexed by some provisions contained in the conclusions made
by the working group of the [Council of Europe’s] Venice Commission
regarding constitutional amendment proposals,” the chairman of the
Democracy public organization, Vardan Pogosyan, said in a conversation
with an Arminfo correspondent today.

He emphasized that the agreement between the Venice Commission and the
Armenian parliamentary delegation envisaged the involvement of the
Armenian National Assembly in forming the media-regulating bodies,
such as the Council of the Public TV and radio of Armenia [CPTRA]. He
proposed to introduce a new way of forming them, similar to how the
National Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia (NCTRA) is
formed.

Pogosyan considers the changes envisaged under the latest proposals
for constitutional reforms in forming the NCTRA as insufficient,
especially so because some members of the commission were elected
until 2011 and parliament can appoint only two representatives of the
NCTRA in 2007.

“The conclusions proposed by the Venice Commission’s working group
contradict the resolution of the Council of Europe adopted earlier,
since in response to previous suggestions by the Council of Europe
regarding the CPTRA reform, Armenian authorities used to refer to
imperfections in the Constitution,” Pogosyan said.

He expressed the confidence that the Council of Europe’s appeal to
avoid political speculation in appointing media-regulating bodies is
impossible to meet when the Council of the public TV and radio is set
up solely by the president.

JAPANESE TOURISTS WILL DISCOVER ARMENIA IN 2006

Azg/arm
21 July 05

“Japanese tourist will be interested in all these that we saw in
Armenia”, representative of one of five Japanese tour operators
visiting Armenia on July 16-20, Eiji Koyama, said. At a meeting
with Armenian Agency for Tourism Development (AATD) yesterday the
Japanese tour operators presented the aim of their four-day visit
and the possible expectations.

Representation of Armenia at JATA International Tourism Exhibition in
2002 and 2004 made Japanese turn their look to Armenia as a possible
destination to attract Asian tourists. The AATD marketing expert said
that the visit was of familiarizing character and aimed at introducing
Armenia to Asia.

Mr. Koyama said that the visit has changed their understanding of
Armenia. Armenia, along with the other states of the region, is seen
to the Japanese as a dangerous country. But Mr. Koyama stated that
there is no trace of danger, that Armenia is an interesting country
and that the Japanese will be interested in the history, production
and daily life of Armenia.

The Japanese tour operator was greatly impressed by the Mount Ararat,
the Monastery of Geghard and the nature of Armenia. “It would be nice
if there were better roads and less cows on the roads”, Mr. Koyama
said. He noted that he had visited Khor Virap, Noravank, Hakhartsin,
Sanahin, Haghpat, Etchmiadzin, Matenadaran and the Cognac and Wine
Factory. The Japanese guests greatly enjoyed the process of lavash
(flatbread) baking in one of Armenian villages.

Armenia, at any rate, is not a good option for Japan for one-way
tourism in view of the long distance from Japan to Armenia.

The Japanese tour operators will look to organizing regional trips
including Armenia in the list with its neighboring countries. The
group may comprise South Caucasian countries or may be a separate group
of Armenia and Turkey. As a result of the newly launched cooperation
first groups from Japan will visit Armenia in 2006.

By Aghavni Harutyunian

Vic’s no lightweight: Fenech

Sydney Morning Herald , Australia
July 21 2005

Jeff Fenech has predicted his IBF world champion Vic Darchinyan could
become one of the greatest flyweight boxers but warned him against
overconfidence and the right hand of Colombian challenger Jair Jimenez.

Darchinyan will make the second defence of his IBF title at the Sydney
Entertainment Centre next Wednesday.

Already boasting an imposing professional record of 23 consecutive
wins (18 by KO), 29-year-old Darchinyan will start a warm favourite
against his ninth-ranked opponent.

Fenech, who persuaded Darchinyan to move to Australia after he
represented Armenia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, praised his fighter.

“I watched him spar yesterday and the maturity he showed me was
something that I’d been looking for for a long time,” Fenech said
yesterday.

“He was patient and I watched him spar the same guy five times and it
was unbelievable, he was just dictating so well. My biggest problem
with Vic is that it’s great to be arrogant and great to be confident
but this kid is sometimes a little over [confident].

“I just want him to realise the guy he is fighting is going to be a
very, very tough fighter.

“If Vic doesn’t go out there and listen and do the right thing,
it’s as easy to lose the title as it is to gain it, I just hope he
realises that. If he does what he did yesterday, this kid has got
the potential to go down as one of the greatest flyweights ever.”