Author: Jagharian Tania

US POLICY IN CAUCASUS SMELLS OF AZERI OIL

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20. ARMINFO. The US official policy in the Caucasus
smells of Azeri oil, says academic Stepan Stepanyan commenting on US
assistant state secretary Elizabeth Jones’s statement on the necessity
of liquidation of separatist regimes in Nagorny Karabakh, South
Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transdniestria.

He says that this was the US’s curtsey to its allies especially in the
light of the Feb 24 Bratislava meeting of Putin and Bush who are
planning to discuss the Karabakh issue. “The US has forgotten that 200
years ago it was fighting for self-determination itself. And now the
Armenian people turns out to have no right for self-determination.”
“This also means bad mark for Armenia’s foreign policy and the work of
the Armenian embassies abroad,” says Stepanyan.

Armenians Remember Azerbaijan Riot Victims

.c The Associated Press

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Hundreds of Armenians, most of them refugees
from neighboring Azerbaijan, marched in Yerevan on Wednesday in memory
of the victims of riots in that country that killed at least two dozen
ethnic Armenians 15 years ago.

Marchers placed wreaths and flowers at the foot of the Armenian
capital’s Monument to the Victims of Genocide.

After the January 1990 rioting in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, Soviet
President Mikhail Gorbachev sent troops in to crush an uprising by
Azerbaijani nationalists, and more than 100 people were killed.

The outbreak of violence was one of several clashes linked to the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan that is in
ethnic Armenian hands after a 1988-1994 war that killed some 30,000
people and drove 1 million others from their homes.

No settlement has been reached over Nagorno-Karabakh, and the
unresolved conflict damages both nations’ economies and raises the
threat of renewed war.

On Tuesday, the Armenian government’s ombudswoman, Larisa Alaverdian,
a Baku native, called for compensation for refugees and deportees from
Azerbaijan and restitution of the property they left behind.

01/19/05 19:22 EST

US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC), DC
Jan 18 2005

US Extends Waiver of Section 907

President of the United States George Bush signed a Presidential
Determination to extend the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom
Support Act with respect to assistance to government of Azerbaijan on
January 13.

Section 907 prohibits U.S. assistance (with the exception of
humanitarian assistance and assistance for nonproliferation and
disarmament programs) to the government of Azerbaijan under the
Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets
Support Act of 1992 (also known as the Freedom Support Act) `until
the President determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the
Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all
blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh.’ The legislation imposed sanctions on Azerbaijan,
despite Armenia’s continued occupation of Nagorno-Karabagh and seven
additional regions of Azerbaijan.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 17 2005

Japan supports fair settlement of Garabagh conflict

Japan supports a fair settlement of the Upper Garabagh conflict,
Japanese Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Ichiro Aisawa said
in a Friday meeting with Parliament Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov.
Alasgarov informed the Japanese official of the Garabagh conflict,
pointing out the fruitless activity of the OSCE Minsk Group. He also
said the Azeri government attaches great importance to collaborating
with Japan.
Aisawa, in turn, said bilateral relations will further strengthen
with the upcoming opening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tokyo.*

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
January 3, 2005 Monday 1:38 PM Eastern Time

Several buses stuck in Georgia en route from Russia to Armenia

By Eka Mekhuzla

TBILISI

A total of seven passenger buses have gotten stuck on the Georgian
Military Road – the major highway linking Russia and Georgia across
the Caucasian Mountain Range – en route from different Russian cities
to Armenia.

Several days ago, they passed the Upper Lars checkpoint on the
Russian-Georgian border and reached the Georgian border post of
Dariali, where they had to stop.

The reason was the closure of a road section near the village of
Kobi, as pavement icing made the passage of heavy-duty trucks and
buses impossible.

The passengers had to find private cars and taxis to continue their
trips, but bus drivers are still with their buses near the Dariali
post, border officials said.

ARKA News Agency
Dec 28 2004

30 Armenian businessmen receive honorary certificates for sponsorship
of first international film festival `Gold Apricot’

RA Ambassador to Iran released from his position

Armenian Prime Minister expresses condolences to his colleagues in
countries of South-Eastern Asia hit by tsunamis

Head of Armenian Government invites sitting of Armenian National
Water Council

ARKA Armenian News Agency awarded certificate for full coverage of
economic develpoment of the country

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30 ARMENIAN BUSINESSMEN RECEIVE HONORARY CERTIFICATES FOR SPONSORSHIP
OF FIRST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL `GOLD APRICOT’

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. 30 Armenian businessmen received
honorary certificates for sponsorship of first international film
festival `Gold Apricot’. According to Honorary Chairman of the
Festival, RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, first film festival
was successful enough and created backgrounds for conduction of
similar festivals in the future. He said that Armenian businessmen
provided about $100 thousand for conduction of festival. `Without
their participation the festival would not take place’, he stressed.
He also expressed hope that `Yerevan will be placed on a map of
international festivals’.
UMEA Chairman Arsen Kazarian in his turn expressed satisfaction with
the fact that `businessmen related with understanding to culture
initiative and realized that when business gives hand to culture the
success is guaranteed’. At this he said that in few years demand to
the quality of culture will grow along with the growth of capital of
businessmen.
According to RA Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs Hovik Oveyan,
film festival promises to become annual.
On June 30 – July 4 international film festival `Gold Apricot’ took
place in Yerevan. 55 films from 16 countries were demonstrated in the
frames of the festival. L.D. –0–

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RA AMBASSADOR TO IRAN RELEASED FROM HIS POSITION

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. RA Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to Iran Gegham Garibdjanian released from taken
position in accordance to President’s decision, RA President’s press
office told ARKA. L.D. –0–

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ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES TO HIS COLLEAGUES IN
COUNTRIES OF SOUTH-EASTERN ASIA HIT BY TSUNAMIS

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. Today, the Prime Minister of Armenia,
Andranik Margaryan expressed condolences to his colleagues in the
countries of South-Eastern Asia hit by tsunamis. According to the
Public Relations and Press Department of RA Government, telegrams of
condolences were sent to Prime Ministers of Sri-Lanka, Malaysia,
Thailand, Bangladesh and India. Margaryan asked to give his
condolences to the families and relatives of the dead. L.V.-0–

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

HEAD OF ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT INVITES SITTING OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL
WATER COUNCIL

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. Armenian PM Andranik Margarian invited
a sitting of the Armenian National Water Council. As Armenian
Government Public and Press Relations Department told ARKA, Armenian
Ecology Minister Vardan Ayvazyan mentioned during the sitting that
the main grounds for forming of legislation basis in water sector was
the Armenian Water Code which was passed in 2002, after which 45
standard-legal acts have been adopted for the sector. He particularly
stressed the importance of adoption of the governmental decree on
setting up procedure for estimation of economic activity on water
resources that defines the sum of losses incurred by the country
water sector. Minister also mentioned that a number of project
`Strategy of payments for use of water resources’, draft law on `Main
provisions of the water policy of Armenia were developed with support
of the USAID. He added that the financial support of the USAID is
also expected for implementation of works targeted at the development
of the national water policy of the Republic.
In his turn Chairman of the Water Committee at the Armenian
Government Andranik Andreasyan added that in 2002-2004 the Committee
presented 34 draft governmental decrees, 2 draft laws and 2 draft
decrees of the Armenian PM. He said that in 2005-2006 the State Water
Committee is intended one governmental decree and draft law on
potable water. He also mentioned that the process of transferring of
irrigation systems and properties to the non-refundable use of
Association of Water Users was completed this year and the body is
going to launch establishing of Union of Water Users which also would
receive irrigation systems and property. T.M. -0–

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ARKA ARMENIAN NEWS AGENCY AWARDED CERTIFICATE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. The Armenian Development Agency and the
Secretariat of the RA Entrepreneurship Assistance Council awarded
ARKA Armenian News Agency a certificate for full coverage of economic
development of the country. `We express our deep gratitude for the
full coverage of the economic development of the country, as well as
for providing qualitative information to the community of Armenia and
foreign countries ‘, says the certificate.
ARKA News Agency specializes in financial, economic and political
information. It has been functioning since May 1, 1996. The
professional credo of the agency is authentic, reliable and on-line
information. According to the results of 2000, ARKA Agency was
recognized by the Central Bank of Armenia the best economic agency of
Armenia. In 2002 and 2003, Business Initiative Directions recognized
ARKA worth the prize of International Star Award for Quality in Gold
category. L.V. -0–

Turkish History Institution President: Armenians Committed Genocide

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 24 2004

The so-called Armenian Genocide allegation backed by France seems to
be the issue which will trouble Turkey most during the negotiation
process for full membership to the European Union (EU).

Turkey has stayed on the defensive against these allegations until
now, but Turkish History Foundation President Professor Yusuf
Halacoglu proposes to take action instead of remaining silent.
“Turkey should not avoid an open discussion on Armenian claims of
genocide.” said Halacoglu. He emphasized that many studies had been
conducted in the archives of several countries, and mostly in that of
the Ottoman Empire, but they have not turned up a single document or
record mentioning genocide. Halacoglu asked Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to found a commission which includes social
scientists in order to conduct research regarding the so-called
genocide claims. Halacoglu says that if Turkey undertakes this study,
the opposition will retreat. Halacoglu argues that contrary to the
claims of genocide, in fact Armenians killed 519,000 Ottomans and
said that names, birthplaces, and the fathers’ names of those
murdered by Armenians were kept on record in one of the archives.

Professor Halacoglu wants Turkey to take precautionary measures
without any anxiety. As this issue will be repeatedly raised in the
EU membership negotiations, Turkey should deal with it now. Halacoglu
stresses: “Our state should tell the EU that we should handle this
issue on a level on which our historians and social scientists can
discuss it. We should also establish a commission to report on what
we find.”

The professor signified that the claims that 1.2 million were killed
are inconsistent as according to official documents and records the
Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire was only 1.5 million.
Halacoglu notes that the Western sources also show the same number
and says, “The US archives give the numbers for Armenian migrants who
fled to other countries after the Lousanne Treaty in 1925 as
1,299,000 for those who migrated to countries other than Turkey,
Greece and Armenia. According to Turkish population censuses, there
were 281,000 Armenians living in Turkey. If we add these we already
have 1,681,000 Armenians. If we include 60,000 in Greek camps and
25,000 who emigrated to the US, we have a total of 1,760,000. Taking
into account population increase this corresponds to the Ottoman
Empire’s figures. So how, then, can it be claimed that 1,200,000
Armenians were killed.”

Professor Halacoglu calculates the loss of life by Armenian emigrants
in 1915 as 80,000, who died mostly of diseases and attacks from
bandit groups. Pointing out that diseases were spread all around the
world at that time, Halacoglu says: “The Ottoman army’s lost 400,000
through diseases in the World War I while the US lost 500,000, and
Italy 278,000 in 1918. Similarly many European countries lost
hundreds of thousands during the World War I.” He refers to records
in Ottoman archives including warnings to travel in groups for
security, and the spending of large amount of money for drugs and
food despite the war conditions as clear indicators of Ottoman good
will.

‘We will open 7 mass graves in 2005’

Professor Halacoglu announced that the Turkish History Institution
will open mass graves in spots they have identified based on archive
documents to prove that the Armenians committed massacres in
Anatolia. He noted that they have already begun excavation studies
and reminded that they most recently opened a mass grave of 336 dead
in the village Derecik near Kars in northeastern Anatolia. Saying
that they have identified about 100 mass graves in 20 different
places, Halacoglu says, “We have, for example, identified that
Armenians committed genocides in 21 villages in the Igdir region
alone. There are also regions of Cukurova, Erzurum, Ardahan, Kars,
Bitlis, and Mus. We will conduct excavation studies in 6 or 7 regions
because Armenians will make some important claims because of their
so-called 90th anniversary. That’s why we are trying to unearth what
really happened.”

12.23.2004
Erdal ªen
Ankara

–Boundary_(ID_Mu3J6FoUBN4dqPOUCYwvEw)–

ARMENIA THIS WEEK

Monday, December 20, 2004

In this issue:

Armenia’s top mining company sold for $132 million

Online chess and e-visas amid Armenia IT expansion

Azerbaijan wages worldwide anti-Armenian campaign

TOP MINING COMPANY SOLD IN MAJOR PRIVATIZATION DEAL

The Armenian government finalized last week the privatization of
the country’s largest mining enterprise. Germany’s Chronimet and
subsidiaries bought the Zangezur copper-molybdenum complex for $132
million, in what is the second biggest privatization deal for Armenia
since the $142 million takeover of Armentel by the Greek Hellenic
Telecommunications Organization (OTE) in 1998.

The privatization will be financed by German credit institutions,
including the Deutche Bank, with Chronimet pledging to invest at least
$250 million by 2012 and boost production by over 50 percent. Armenia’s
Industry Minister Karen Chshmaritian said that the government picked
Chronimet over the U.S. Comsup Commodities and Russia’s Soyuz Metal,
with Chronimet also pledging to process the molybdenum ore at its
Yerevan smelter.

The government further decided to allocate $32 million from the
proceeds to the town of Kajaran, where the mining complex is located,
with $25 million going to cover the 2005 budget deficit and the
remaining $75 million to the government’s special privatization
account.

Foreign investments in Armenia amounted to over $175 million in the
first three quarters of 2004 (without the Zangezur privatization),
up five percent year-on-year. Most of the investments came from
Greece ($61 million), Russia ($28 million), Argentina ($26 million)
and the United States ($19 million). Armenia’s rapid privatization
process, while frequently criticized domestically, has been praised
internationally.

Speaking in Tbilisi last month, the U.S. Undersecretary of Treasury
John B. Taylor urged Georgia to step up privatization to reduce
the size of government and encourage growth. Taylor noted that the
private sector in Armenia accounts for 75 percent of total employment,
compared to 40 percent in Georgia. Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) grew by 10 to 14 percent in 2001-3 and by another 10 percent
in the eleven months of 2004. (Sources: Armenia This Week 11-8;
U.S. Dept. of Treasury 11-22; Arminfo 11-30, 12-16, 20; RFE/RL
Arm. Report 12-14; Interfax 12-17)

ONLINE CHESS COMPETITION SEEN AS REFLECTION OF ARMENIA’S BURGEONING IT
SECTOR

Armenia is this week playing host for the world’s first-ever online team
chess tournament. Top players from Armenia, China, France and Russia are
competing for the $55,000 prize fund. The tournament is part of
year-long events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of
Tigran Petrosian, a past chess world champion. The tournament organizers
hope to promote Armenia as a center for information technology, as well
as chess.

Two years ago, Armenia became only the second country in the world
(after Australia) to introduce an electronic visa system for foreign
visitors. In its first year, the new program saw over 2,200 applicants
and the number of e-visa users has grown monthly since. The overall
number of tourists visiting Armenia grew by 27 percent in 2003 and by a
further 30 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

Armenia’s breakthroughs in online chess and consular services are a
reflection of the growing size of the country’s information technology
sector. In recent months, Armenia saw the arrival of the U.S.-based
Synopsys, Inc. and expansion of the Netherlands-based Lycos-Europe, two
leaders in their respective fields of semiconductor design software and
provision of online portals. Lycos, which took over the Armenia branch
of then U.S.-based Brience Inc. in 2002 has since invested over $8
million in Armenia operations and plans another $7 million in
investments next year. Synopsis, which took over Armenia-based LEDA
Design last October, plans tens of millions of dollars in Armenia
investments. (Sources: ;
; ; ; Arminfo
10-27, 11-30; Noyan Tapan 12-2; RIA-Novosti 12-18)

AZERI LEADER DECLARES “COLD WAR” ON ARMENIANS

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev told his subordinates earlier
this month that he is waging a “cold war” against Armenia and
the ongoing negotiations were only a way to achieve unilateral
Armenian concessions on the Karabakh issue. Armenia and Azerbaijan
are currently engaged in what is typically referred to as a “peace
process.” Aliyev said that as part of this “war” he would continue to
boost Azerbaijan’s military spending and tighten the ongoing economic
blockade against Armenia. Speaking last week at London’s Royal
Institute for International Affairs, Aliyev said that he would not
engage in any confidence-building measures and that he had “no desire”
to tone down his country’s war-mongering and anti-Armenian propaganda.

As part of the campaign Azeri propagandists use rhetoric reminiscent to
the ‘traditional’ anti-Semitic discourse, arguing that all ethnic
Armenians should be treated “not as a nation, but as an organization,”
which is aggressive and dangerous, yet weak. At its core, this
disinformation campaign includes falsification of the nature and history
of the Karabakh conflict, as well as exaggeration of the size of the
territories that came under Armenian control as a result of the war and
the number of Azeri displaced and imprisoned.

This disinformation campaign also spreads into areas of global concern,
such as baseless accusations of support for Islamic terrorism, weapons
proliferation and drug trafficking, and into more “exotic” claims that
Armenians are behind everything from crop failures to unexplained
natural phenomena. (As strange as they are, some of these claims are
picked up by uninformed and/or unscrupulous foreign officials and
commentators.) Azeri officials’ claims that Armenia is a weak and a
‘dying’ country are contradicted by concurrent claims that the world
Armenian ‘cabal’ is behind all international criticism of Azeri
corruption and human rights abuses.

Last month, Azeri officials revealed for the first time that it was
their policy not to allow ethnic Armenians, no matter their citizenship
or political background, into Azerbaijan (although a few exceptions have
been made for state officials under pressure from foreign governments),
since their ‘security could not be guaranteed’ and since they themselves
pose unspecified security risks. The statement came after Baku airport
officials barred the entrance for a Bulgarian sports journalist of
Armenian origin, who arrived to cover the Bulgaria-Azerbaijan soccer
match. Azeri parliamentarians have this week called for a law that would
also bar all ‘pro-Armenian’ foreign citizens from visiting Azerbaijan.
(Sources: 525-ci Gazet 4-1-03; Armenia This Week 11-1, 15; Azad
Azarbaycan 11-18; Interfax 12-8; Azertag 12-16; Ekho 12-21)

Note to Readers: Armenia This Week will not be issued in the next two
weeks. It will resume publication on January 10. Happy Holidays!

A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA

122 C Street, N.W., Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 393-3434 FAX (202) 638-4904

E-Mail [email protected] WEB

French Prime Minister Raffarin uses ‘Genocide’ Term

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 22 2004

French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin has followed the lead of
his Foreign Minister, Michel Barnier, in using the expression
“Armenian Genocide” publicly.

At a session organized at the French Parliament to discuss the
opening of membership negotiations between the European Union (EU)
and Turkey, Raffarin disclosed that they have prepared a law on
“Armenian Genocide” at the parliament and that the Armenian and
Kurdish issues will be raised with Turkey. Raffarin pointed out that
Turkey’s EU perspective was assigned in 1963 and that no French
administrations have considered Turkey’s EU membership as a subject
worth discussing since then. He emphasized that nothing can keep
Turkey out of Europe once Turkey fulfills all the requirements and it
will become an EU member.

12.22.2004
Ali Ihsan Aydin

THOUSANDS OF ARMENIAN CITIZENS REFUSED FROM SOCIAL CARDS

PanArmenian News
Dec 12 2004

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Based on religious and legal reasons thousands
of Armenian citizens refused from social cards. Many of those, who
were forced to get the cards or were deceived to get them, today
convey them to the Armenian Center for Protection of Constitutional
Rights and ask us to return them to the Ministry of Labor and Social
Affairs, as respective services refuse to receive them,” the Center
President Gevorg Manukain noted at a press conference in the House
of Journalists. The requests of 130 citizens are complied. In Gevorg
Manukian’s words a note was received from the Ministry, which reported
that the personal records of the citizens, who refused from social
cards, are blocked. Virtually from January 1, 2005 hundreds of people
can be deprived of minimal means of existence – the opportunity
to get salary and pension. The Armenian Center for Protection of
Constitutional Rights and other human rights organizations state that
further steps on the way of fulfillment of the Law on Social Cards
are fraught with serious consequences.