Author: Karabekian Emil

GERMAN ENVOY URGES COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN

Noyan Tapan news agency
15 Apr 04

YEREVAN

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer is to visit Armenia on 22
April within the framework of his regional visit.

In the run-up to the visit, the German ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary to Armenia, Hans-Wolf Bartels, has agreed to give an
interview to Noyan Tapan news agency correspondent Susanna Petrosyan.

(Passage omitted: European officials visited Armenia recently)

(Correspondent) How do you assess the domestic political situation and
the human rights situation in Armenia?

(Bartels) As for the current developments, I hope that the opposition
and government will be able to return to a peaceful dialogue, for
state and political issues should be debated peacefully. Important
issues such as freedom of speech and movement can be included into the
agenda.

(Passage omitted: Armenian parliament adopted laws in this regard)

(Correspondent) Germany comes second after the USA in terms of
investment in Armenia. What can you say about the current level of
Armenian-German economic relations and what prospects can you see in
the development of bilateral economic relations?

(Bartels) Yes, German is the second biggest investor in Armenia after
the USA. It must also be noted that the overall assistance provided by
EU member countries makes over half of the funds received by
Armenia. Germany is carrying out effective projects here such as the
Armenian-German Fund which issues loans to small and medium-sized
businesses through local banks. A total of 16m euros have been
allocated within the framework of the project, and this figure is
increasing.

Unfortunately, German investment is not so big. A representative
office of the German Lycos information technologies company has been
operating in Armenia for one year already. The office employs 60-70
people and is planning to expand. I think it will be a good example
for other German investors.

(Correspondent) What hinders the inflow of German investment into
Armenia – laws or small market?

(Bartels) Both. Apart from this, it is difficult to export goods from
Armenia since transport costs through Georgia are high, and the route
through Iran is long. There are always problems with customs and
taxes, these are practical problems, and therefore, conditions for
investment are not quite favourable. Interestingly, the Armenian
diaspora is not investing much in Armenia either. Reasons are the
same, I understand.

(Correspondent) How important is the South Caucasus region from the
point of view of European security? The countries of the region are
members of the Council of Europe and it cannot be ruled out that the
three countries will be included into the Wider Europe – New
Neighbourhood initiative.

(Bartels) I think the region is of great importance to European
security. If something dangerous happens here, this will have a direct
impact on European security, and therefore much attention is being
paid to the South Caucasus. The appointment of a special
representative of the EU corroborates this policy. I do not doubt that
the region will be included into the Wider Europe – New Neighbourhood
initiative.

The settlement of the Karabakh conflict is of great importance to
Armenia, and not only from the point of view of regional
security. Closed borders and the frozen, but still existing, conflict
hinders the country’s development. We hope very much that this problem
will be resolved in the near future.

I do not see good prospects for the region without regional
cooperation, which Armenia and Azerbaijan do not have. The Karabakh
conflict is not the only one here, there are very complicated
conflicts in Georgia.

It must be noted that we also had bitter conflicts back in Europe and
believed that the French and the German were permanent enemies. But
thank God, we managed to settle these conflicts and establish good
neighbourly relations. In the future, I hope, this will be possible
for Armenia and Azerbaijan as well.

ISSUES OF COOPERATION DISCUSSED BETWEEN DEFENSE MINISTRIES OF
AZERBAIJAN AND ROMANIA

Azer Tag
April 17, 2004, 13:07:57

On April 16, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, colonel-general Safar
Abiyev has met the ambassador of Romania in Azerbaijan Nikolay Ureke.

As was informed to AzerTAj from the press-service of the Ministry of
Defense, the Minister has congratulated N. Ureke on new appointment
and has wished, that the Azerbaijani-Romanian relations during his
activity as the ambassador had risen on a new level.

Colonel-general S. Abiyev has noted, that the national leader of
Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev and the President of Romania Ion
Iliescu has laid the foundation of the Azerbaijani-Romanian relations,
and now these relations are at a desirable level. Also at a good level
is the Azerbaijani Romanian military cooperation. After visits of the
Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan to Romania and Minister of Defense
of Romania to Azerbaijan this cooperation has even more become
stronger.

Having thanked colonel-general S. Abiyev for warm reception and
congratulations, ambassador N. Ureke has agreed with the idea that
political relations of two states are at a good level. However, the
Ambassador has noted, that our economic links do not correspond the
level of political relations. He told:`The Romanian state already is a
member of the NATO. This membership means the new status for the
Romanian society. Henceforth, Romania more will provide confidently
the national safety. The next desire of people of Romania is
membership of the country in the European Union’.

Having informed then about the stages gone by Romania up to admission
to the NATO, he has told, that to one of primary factors of it was
radical reformsin the Army of Romania.

Ambassador N. Ureke informed Minister of Defense on participation of
divisions of the Armed Forces of Romania in combat against the
international terrorism.

Colonel-general S. Abiyev has congratulated Romanian people and the
state on the occasion of admission of Romania to NATO. He had
comprehensive exchangeof opinions on the existing military-political
situation in region of the Southern Caucasus, the reasons and
sequences of the Armenian -Azerbaijani conflict. The Minister has
noted that having placed on occupied territories of Azerbaijan a
significant amount of military techniques {technical equipment},
weapon and ammunition, Armenia thus breaks the contract `On
conventional armed forces in Europe’. It is serious threat of national
security of Azerbaijanthat creates great danger to realization of
large economic projects. He told:`Azerbaijan opposes terror and
separatism. Azerbaijan participates in antiterrorist
operations. Divisions of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan adequately
carry out and will carry out henceforth the peace-making mission to
Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq ‘.

Then, the parties have discussed questions of cooperation between the
Ministries of Defense of Azerbaijan and Romania.

Spreading the word on genocides

Organizers to use Charter Channel 6 to reach wider audience for Week of
Remembrance

Glendale News-Press
April 16, 2004

By Josh Kleinbaum

GLENDALE CITY HALL – The city’s annual Week of Remembrance kicked off
Thursday night in traditional fashion, with a panel discussion on the
Armenian Genocide and other atrocities.

But event organizers are trying to bring this year’s weeklong event,
which officially begins Monday and commemorates the lives lost in all
genocides, including the Armenian Genocide, to a wider audience than
usual, including non-Armenians and youth.

“The whole point of this committee was to educate non-Armenians,” said
Ardashes Kasakhian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee and a member of the Week of Remembrance’s organizing
committee. “A large part of Glendale knows April 24 commemorates
something, but I’ve heard people call it a celebration. We’re not
celebrating. It’s an international day of mourning.”

From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Turks and the Republic of Turkey are
accused of killing 1.5 million Armenians, in an attempt to eliminate the
Armenian people known as the Armenian Genocide.

To reach that wider audience – the people who do not already know about
the history of the Armenian Genocide and the significance of April 24 –
the committee is taking to the airwaves.

The city’s cable network taped the kickoff discussion, attended by
Glendale Community College students, and will air it on Charter
Communications Channel 6 throughout the week, beginning Monday. For a
schedule of show times, visit .

Along the same lines, the committee will launch a yearlong
public-service announcement contest, modeled after a contest sponsored
by moveon.org for commercials deriding President George W. Bush. The
contest winners will be announced and aired on Channel 6 during the 2005
Week of Remembrance.

“People will have a whole year to prepare this,” said Mayor Bob
Yousefian, who also chairs the organizing committee. “We’ll have people
in the movie industry act as judges. They’ll pick one, and we’ll
continue to play those PSAs on Channel 6.”

The committee is planning a handful of other events for the Week of
Remembrance, including an art exhibit, blood drive, formal program and
candlelight vigil at the Glendale Civic Auditorium on April 24, and a
monthlong book drive for the Glendale Central Library’s new genocide
collection.

But the panel discussion and the public-service announcements underscore
the committee’s effort to reach a wider audience. Both will reach
Channel 6’s diverse audience, and appeal to youth.

,1,5974466.story

Azeri opposition party threatens Russian envoy with extradition campaign

Ekho, Baku
15 Apr 04

Text of T. Alili’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on 15 April
headlined “The Hope Party asks to summon to court Russian envoy” and
subheaded “The opposition believes that Nikolay Ryabov could be
summoned to trial as witness”

“The Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Nikolay Ryabov, must be
summoned as witness to the trial of the opposition leaders charged
with organization of the 15-16 October riots,” Anvar Agayev, deputy
chairman for media issues of the Hope Party, has said.

“Ryabov said that MP Iqbal Agazada, the chairman of the Hope Party, is
the organizer and instigator of the 15-16 October events during his
interview in the 16 October 2003 evening news bulletin Xabarlar on the
state-run station [Channel One]. Such remarks by the ambassador
testify to the truth of numerous reports linking [Russia’s former
Interior Minister Vladimir] Rushaylo, [ex-chief of the Russian
president’s administration Aleksandr] Voloshin, and the group Alfa
[special-purpose unit] with the 15-16 October events.”

“We reckon that Russia is implicated in the arrest of Agazada because
of his repeated remarks in Milli Maclis [Azerbaijani parliament]
against handing over to Russia the Qabala radar station. He also
offered evidence on the Russian army’s involvement in the Xocali
massacre [during the Azerbaijani-Armenian war over Nagornyy
Karabakh]. It seems the position of the chairman of the Hope Party has
affected the Russian ambassador’s attitude to him,” Agayev said.

“The ambassador of a foreign country interferes in public and
political developments in Azerbaijan, and accuses an MP of organizing
some events. By this he proves the interest of his country in those
processes,” Agayev said.

Should the court fail to summon Ryabov, then the Hope Party “will
start a campaign to extradite Ryabov from Azerbaijan as ‘persona non
grata'”, Agayev said.

The Russian embassy has refused to comment on Agayev’s remarks.

Armenian opposition to continue fight “by constitutional means”- party leader

Mediamax news agency
14 Apr 04

YEREVAN

National Unity Party leader Artashes Gegamyan said in Yerevan today
that the opposition will keep on struggling for changing the Armenian
authorities “by constitutional means”. Artashes Gegamyan, whom the
police think to be one of the organizers of the disorders that took
place in Yerevan on the night of 12-13 April said this at a briefing
at the Armenian National Assembly today.

He said that the opposition is now discussing the tactics of its
further actions. Artashes Gegamyan said that the dispersal of the
rally by the police “has again demonstrated that the Armenian
leadership leads us to the loss of statehood, and the change of power
is the only way out of this situation”.

The leader of the National Unity party said that after the dispersal
of the rally representatives of the law-enforcement bodies broke the
doors of the party’s headquarters and seized all documents.

“If Robert Kocharyan had read all those analytical articles which were
among the documents he would have immediately resigned,” Artashes
Gegamyan stated.

Defence minister says USA wants “strong and battle-worthy” Armenian army

Mediamax news agency
14 Apr 04

YEREVAN

“We would like the level of battle-worthiness of the Armenian armed
forces to rise through military cooperation with the United States,”
Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan said today.

Mediamax news agency quoted the Armenian defence minister as saying
that “the USA is interested in having a strong and battle-worthy army
in Armenia for it to act as a guarantor of stability in the region and
to perform peacekeeping functions if need be”.

Western Prelacy
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
E-mail [email protected]
Telephone 818-248-7737
Fax 818-248-7745

Prelate’s Easter Message

Today Angels descending from heaven the give tidings of great joy to
mankind: “He who was crucified is risen and has resurrected you with
Him.” Let us then renew our lives with renewal as a new people today
through the Resurrection of Christ. (from the Patrum Chant of Easter
Morning)

Being obedient to the Will of His Father, the Son of God stretched His
immaculate arms upon the Cross, thereby perfectly fulfilling His
earthly mission. He was buried in a new tomb, and then rose from the
dead on the third day as the immortal and heavenly groom. By His
death He trampled upon Death, and He granted new life to all those who
believed in Him, and who followed His Way, His Truth, and His Life.

With the glorious Resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ completed the
mission of the revelation of God, and as the Lamb of God, He took away
the sin of the world.

Behold once again the supreme meaning of our Faith and the foundation
of its victory are celebrated with the joyous tidings of the
Resurrection which fill our hearts and enkindle our souls with new
breath.

“Today Angels descending from Heaven give tidings of great joy to
mankind: He who was crucified is risen and has resurrecuted you with
Him.”

Such encouraging words! Such a hopeful testimony! Such inspiring
good tidings!

The Apostle Paul, the famous preacher of the Resurrection, conveys to
us the great message with the same inspiration and emphasis:

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”
(Colossians 3:1)

The Oil-bearing Women who discovered the empty tomb early on the first
day of the week and told the Disciples were indeed the first witnesses
of the Resurrection. They saw the risen Lord, they received His
peaceful greeting, and as He commanded them, they went out to the
entire world, baptized all who believed, preached salvation, and by
giving testimony of the hope of the Resurrection, turned the eyes and
attention of the faithful to the gloriousSecond Coming of the Lord.

>From the earliest days following the Pentecost, the lives of our
people have been miraculously transformed through the miracle of the
Resurrection because our fathers and mothers not only understood the
mystery of the Resurrection but in fact effected the very mystery of
renewal in the life of the Armenian nation.

Today, more than ever, the Feast of the Resurrection invites us to
accept the responsibility of renewal by abiding in the way of truth.

Dear faithful,

As children of the Armenian nation and as members of the same Church,
let us go forth in the spirit of the message of the Holy Resurrection,
remembering the words of the Apostle Paul:

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection:
knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body
of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of
sin.” (Romans 6:5-6)

Our Lord Jesus Christ comforted His disciples, saying:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

With these same words of encouragement, as children of God and
children of the Armenian nation, let us strive to overcome our own
tribulations, weaknesses, and doubts. Let us flee from all those
conditions and lifestyles which obscure and indeed which thwart the
manifestation of the risen Lord in our life. Let us be mindful of the
message of Apostle Paul not to follow in the ways of those who choose
not to be obedient to God, and enhanced with the spirit ofthe
Resurrection in our personal, family, national, and church lives, let
us “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with
his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge
according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:9-10).

Dear faithful,

Let us comprehend the mystery of the Resurrection according to the
encyclical of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia, by which he has declared 2004 to be the “Year of the Armenian
Family.”

Let us renew and restore our family life by strengthening our
Apostolic Faith, by rediscovering our traditions and customs, and by
reconnecting theyouth of the community with our ancestral virtues.

May the presence of the resurrected Saviour within every Armenian
family bestow a new life therein and transform us into a family of
Paradise so that our attention and focus may be directed heavenward.

By the Resurrection of Christ may every Armenian family be cleansed of
transgressions, and being rejuvenated, may every Armenian family
resume theWay to Truth and Eternal Life.

+++

Renewed by the message of the glorious and holy Resurrection, we
convey our love and Easter Greetings and Blessings to the Reverend
Clergy, the Central Executive, the parishes and parochial
institutions, educational and cultural organizations, charitable
foundations, and all of the faithful who serve and are served within
the Prelacy. We pray that our Lord who renews all may grace us
likewise, and through His Resurrection may He grant newness of life in
Armenia, in Artsakh, and throughout the Diaspora.

Christ is risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ!

Prayerfully yours,

Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Easter, 2004

Prelate, Western United States

CanadianChristianity.com, Canada
April 8 2004

Bayrakdarian’s star blazing

By David F. Dawes

CANADIAN soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian has been considered a ‘rising
star’ for the past few years. But judging from the response of
various audiences and critics, it is now more accurate to state that
she has arrived as a true star, establishing herself as a presence to
be reckoned with on the world stage.

Her latest CD, Azulao, won recognition April 4 as best classical
vocal album at the 33rd annual Juno Award ceremony. A collection of
Spanish and Latin American music, the album is Bayrakdarian’s second
solo CD for CBC Records. Her first was Joyous Light, featuring an
exquisite set of Armenian hymns. In addition to high-profile opera
roles and recitals which have been garnering high praise from
critics, she has made her mark in TV appearances — and on film
soundtracks, such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

It’s an interesting turn of events for someone who originally
attended university with the intention of becoming an engineer.
Having been raised in the choral tradition of the Armenian church,
she was instead inspired to pursue music.

Bayrakdarian won the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions in 1997,
and went on to win first prize at the Placido Domingo ‘Operalia’
competition in 2000; she also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden
Jubilee medal. In the past several years, she has played major roles
in operas such as The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, The Merry
Widow and A View from the Bridge. She has appeared internationally,
most notably at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. She also
performed Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5 on CBC TV, and
Rachmaninov’s Vocalise on Bravo Arts Television.

Critics have been charmed, frequently using the word ‘luminous’ to
describe her. Urjo Kareda, in the Globe and Mail, found her singing
“instinctively dramatic and expressive,” asserting that Bayrakdarian
“is able to inhabit whatever music she sings.” After her 2002
Carnegie Hall recital, Matthew Gurewitsch of Opera Now described her
as “an exotic, dark-eyed beauty blessed with a gracious platform
manner,” adding: “What Teresa Berganza was to her generation,
Bayrakdarian should prove to be for ours.”

A 2001 Vancouver appearance prompted the often-acerbic Lloyd Dykk to
proclaim the soprano “a great new voice in music, one no less than
equal to Anne-Sophie von Otter or Renee Fleming.” Referring to her
appearance in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Hamilton critic Hugh
Fraser enthused: “Don’t, whatever you do, miss soprano Isabel
Bayrakdarian as Adina . . . Come, marvel and then forever hold your
peace. At least you were there once.”

In an interview with La Scena Musicale, the singer indicated that she
puts a lot of thought into the characters she plays. Regarding
Zerlina, in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Bayrakdarian said: “She is not a
victim, I will never portray my characters as victims, because in
life I’m not a victim, I’m a survivor and I aim for honesty in every
way on stage. Sure, Zerlina has people around her who physically and
emotionally toss her around, but she’s not accepting it and doesn’t
get stuck in self-pity.”

Regarding Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, she said: “There are
some roles that you identify so much with that it almost ceases to
become acting and pretending, where the vocal writing suits your
voice perfectly and it becomes almost like speaking. It becomes me in
a way on the stage, it’s just pure pleasure.”

She also indicated that, in her view, opera is still a vital creative
medium with much to offer contemporary audiences. “We are a
generation that is used to multimedia and I think directors are
responding to that, possibly a bit more in Europe than in North
America. But the main thing is that you have an honest, committed
performance. It’s the same with any kind of live performance. Why is
it that people get so carried away in concerts as opposed to
listening to a CD, whether it’s a pop-group or something else? In the
live performance there’s the adrenaline and that extra magic that I
think people will always crave. I hope!”

It is evident that Bayrakdarian has a faith rooted deeply in her
Armenian Orthodox background. She is featured on the soundtrack of
Atom Egoyan’s film, Ararat, performing a traditional Good Friday
piece. Canadian composer Christos Hatzis was so inspired by her
singing that he wrote an Easter oratorio especially for her, based on
Armenian hymns. Light from the Cross, commissioned by the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, was performed
several times in 2002 and 2003, and has yet to be recorded.

Hatzis writes that the singer’s childhood experience singing in
church directly influenced the composition in several ways.

“When conductor Mario Bernardi asked me to get involved with this
project and gave me printed arrangements of some of these hymns as
well as a CD of similar hymns recorded by Isabel, I realized that
there were quite a few discrepancies between Isabel’s renderings and
the actual notation of these melodies. Hers was a ‘liquid,’ flowing
rendering with a myriad of small vocal modulations and ornamentations
that defied notation. Knowing that she grew up with these hymns —
and therefore with the oral tradition that has preserved them to this
day — I preferred to follow her far richer renditions rather than
the notated versions of the same hymns.

“I had Isabel record the hymns for me unaccompanied . . . and then
used these recordings as the basis of my own composition, creating an
orchestral ‘presence’ around her actual pre-recorded voice. I
composed the work using a computer, and it was a great inspiration to
hear her voice constantly as I was sculpting the music around the
minutest inflections of her recorded rendering.”

Speaking recently to CBC radio about the liturgical music on Joyous
Light, Bayrakdarian said: “It’s almost as if you’re listening to a
conversation with heaven . . . It comes from the soul.” The
scripture-based lyrics, she added, “are my conversation with God.”
She said she felt privileged “to sing them with the gift he’s given
me.”

That gift is in top form, judging from a recent concert appearance.
The Vancouver Recital Society presented Bayrakdarian March 19,
accompanied by pianist Serouj Kradjian. In addition to several
selections by Mozart, Vivaldi and Rossini, she performed music by two
obscure composers: Johann Adolph Hasse from the 18th century, and the
20th century’s Xavier Montsalvatge

She showed consummate musical ability, negotiating both bravura and
delicate passages with admirable ease. She also demonstrated an
acting ability reminiscent of the legendary Maria Callas —
expressing courage, intense sorrow, flirtatiousness, whimsicality and
unbridled joy with equal skill. The packed house gave her a
well-earned standing ovation.

Clearly, Bayrakdarian has a promising career ahead of her — and
evidently has a healthy perspective on it. Asked about the impact of
her success on her everyday life, she told La Scena Musicale:

“It’s good to be ambitious, but there’s a limit. It’s important to
understand how the business works, while at the same time not
becoming too immersed in it because, then you are not concentrating
on your art. You have to ask yourself if you are comfortable with the
attention you get, being in the spotlight. I’m from the Armenian
community and there you also have a kind of spotlight on you. I’ve
learned what I can accept to be known publicly and what I want to
keep private.”

In addition to a May-June stint with the Los Angeles Opera, in The
Marriage of Figaro, Bayrakdarian is also preparing her next
recording. It will be another CBC Records production, featuring
operatic portrayals of the legendary Cleopatra, by Handel and several
other composers.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 5, 2004, Monday

WAR IS SAID TO AGAIN BE POSSIBLE IN THE TRANSCAUCASIA

As far back as March 27, Gegam Arutyunyan, former deputy defense
minister of Armenia, now member of the political council of the
Republic oppositional party, urged the opposition to carry out a
“democratic revolution.” On April 1, he was supported by the National
Unity party and the Justice bloc. The unified opposition informed the
public of launching its struggle for shifting the power in the
country and even announced the specified terms of the protests –
April 5 to 13.

Speaking at the parliament, Viktor Dallakyan, a leader of the Justice
bloc, said: “Armenia found itself in a deep crisis, dismissal of
President Robert Kocharyan being the only way out.” He told the
deputies that, as reported by the unified opposition headquarters,
Armenian leaders are getting ready for the upcoming actions of
protest and intends to use the army against the demonstration. Serzh
Sarkisyan, defense minister and secretary of the National Security
Council said the situation in the republic is in a strain. However,
(…) he flatly denied the rumors saying that the Defense Ministry is
forming detachments to suppress the wave of opposition. (…)

Meanwhile, Mikael Danielyan, chairman of the Helsinki Association of
Armenia is sure that “under conditions of the current political
crisis, for Kocharyan war remains the only method to pacify the
opposition.” He doesn’t rule out that an armed conflict may arise
between Azerbaijan and Armenia because of Nagorny Karabakh already in
April. Danielyan says this could be the reason why military exercises
are conducted in Armenia now. Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar
Aliyev doesn’t rule out that an armed conflict may be resumed between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. He said on March 31 that “a war against
Armenia might occur any day now.”

Source: Novye Izvestia, April 2, 2004, p. 3

Translated by Andrei Ryabochkin

Armenian opposition members face charges of disrespecting court

Arminfo
3 Apr 04

YEREVAN

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against members of the
political council of the opposition Anrapetutyun (Republic) Party,
Smbat Ayvazyan, Leva Yegiazaryan and Aramazd Zakaryan.

Ayvazyan told Arminfo today that he was summoned to the prosecutor’s
office of Yerevan’s Centre community yesterday. He was surprised to
learn there that he and his colleagues from the party’s political
council made critical remarks on the judge when the verdict was
announced on the case related to the murder of the chairman of the
Council of Public Television and Radio, Tigran Nagdalyan, on 20
January.

The criminal proceedings against them have been instituted under the
article on “showing disrespect for the court”, Ayvazyan said.