Author: Karagyozian Lena

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 24 2004

Radical group leader says not to give up struggling

Akif Naghi, chairman of the Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO),
who has recently released form jail, held a news conference on
Thursday.
Highly appreciating the role of media in their release, Naghi
stressed that the Azerbaijani people took the unified position
towards the Garbagh issue and demonstrated unity.
`Despite the conditional imprisonment for its members, the GLO will
continue its course and won’t give up struggling,’ Naghi said.
The GLO chairman underlined that Armenian parliamentarians won’t be
allowed to participate in the meeting of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly scheduled to be held in Baku late in November.
According to Naghi, the Armenian parliamentarians helped Armenia
occupy Upper Garabagh, which is part of Azerbaijan and their
participation in NATO exercises, is as important as that of Armenian
officers.*

VARTAN OSKANIAN: “KARABAGH IS INVALUABLE”

Azg/am
23 Sept 04

One Can’t Frighten Armenia with Statements That It Is Left Without
Energetic and Transportation Projects

“Nagorno Karabagh is invaluable. If someone connects the regional
energetic and transportation projects with the issue of Nagorno
Karabagh, I can definitely say that we can make no connection between
them, as Nagorno Karabagh is invaluable and we can exchange it neither
with railways nor oil pipelines and roads,” Oskanian said in
yesterday’s press conference.

“One can’t frighten or bother Armenia with statements that it is left
without the energetic and transportation regional projects, and we
should make concessions and prompt the settlement of the issue. We
absolutely reject this argument and one can’t frighten Armenia with
that. Maybe that was possible in 1992. At present Armenia can not
only survive without that, but also develop and during the next
century it will develop without railways and oil pipelines,” Oskanian
said.

According to the calculation of the experts, Armenia would get $50
million annually, if all the oil and gas pipelines, as well as the
railroads pass through its territory. This sum makes only 10 % of our
country’s budget.

Oskanian said that Armenia is ready to be involved in the regional
programs, if “the other side wishes.” Particularly, he said, that
Yerevan is ready to open Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railroad that stopped
functioning because of Turkey’s blockade of Armenia since
1993. According to trustworthy diplomatic sourcesof Azg Daily, the
Armenian side offered Turkey to open this railroad, besides, Yerevan
would demand no transportation taxes.

Ra Foreign Minister is to leave for New York to participate in 59-th
Session of UN Assembly. According to preliminary agreement, the
meeting of Oskanian with Abdullah Gul is envisaged. Oskanian said that
Armenia hasn’t changed its position, as regards achieving positive
results without preconditions. “The issue remains unchanged, i.e. to
fix development in Armenian -Turkish Relations, to open the railroad,
to establish some bilateral exchanges, to open the border-gate and to
establish diplomatic relations, as the final goal,” he said.

Oskanian stated that at present no agreement has been reached yet for
the meeting with Abdullah Gul. “I think there will be some break
before gettingnew instructions from the presidents. Our evaluation is
the following: the foreign ministers have completed the first stage of
the negotiations, four meetings took place. We are expecting new
instructions from the presidents. If we get the instructions, we can
say that the negotiations on the level of foreign ministers will enter
the second stage, that will be higher and closer to the settlement of
the issue from its qualitative aspect than the first one,” Vartan
Oskanian said.

Presidents Robert Kocharian and Heydar Aliyev have reached a definite
stage in the negotiation process. In reply to the question whether
Azerbaijan preserves the consistency of the negotiations, Oskanian
said: “The possibility of consistency isn’t denied. I can’t say that
consistency is preserved. Anyway, some variant of consistency is being
discussed and it isn’t rejected by Azerbaijan.”

In response to the question put by Azg Daily, whether a negotiation
basis was created as a result of the four meetings of the foreign
ministers, Oskanian answered, “According to the foreign ministers,
some basis was created and passed to the presidents. There were some
expectations that the presidents will give consent or give special
instructions to the foreign ministers to continue in that
direction. There was such an expectation, but that wasn’t achieved
during the meetings of the presidents (in Astana). Certainly, it
doesnâ=80=99t mean that the presidents rejected that. Kocharian and
Aliyev positively estimated the work done by the foreign ministers and
I believe that the things that were submitted to the presidents are in
the center of their attention and they will continue discussions
around them. After coming to conclusion, there may be definite
instructions given to both OSCE Minsk group and the foreign
ministers.”

Touching upon the fact that Armenian officers were not allowed going
to Baku to participate in NATO military exercises, Vartan Oskanian
said, “It was a good opportunity to restore trust between the two
armies. If Azeri government yielded and was under the pressure of some
minority’s demands, we are seriously concerned with the fact whether
new Azeri authorities will be able to make serious mutual concessions
in Nagorno Karabagh settlement issue.”

Oskanian evaluated unacceptable the report of Terry Davis, OSCE
Karabagh Issue Reporter. “That report has no legal status at
present. It is still being discussed. The reporter has been
changed. The newly appointed reporter should prepare his own report,
taking into account the report of Davis or ignoringit,” he
said. Oskanian is also concerned with the statements of the newly
appointed reporter, Stinckson. They are not in the interest of
Armenia.

By Tatoul Hakobian

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Communications Officer
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 23, 2004
___________________

Week of September 17 to September 23, 2004
* * *

PRIMATE TO CELEBRATE WITH HARTFORD CHURCH

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), will travel to Hartford, CT, this weekend
to help the St. George Church celebrate its name day and its 51st
anniversary.

Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian, pastor of the St. George Church, will celebrate a
special Divine Liturgy at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2004,
which is the Feast of St. George. That will be followed by the blessing
of the madagh.

The Primate will visit the parish on Sunday, September 26, 2004. He
will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at 10:15 a.m. That will be followed
by a banquet marking the church’s 51st anniversary at the Colonnade
Banquet Center in Glastonbury, CT. The parish’s Armenian School
students will perform Armenian songs and recite poetry, and the guest
speaker will be Jeff Masarjian, executive director of the Armenia Tree
Project.

The St. George Church is located at 22 White St. in Hartford, CT.

(Source: St. George Church, 9/23/04)
* * *

SUNDAY IS THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS OF VARAK

In communion with other churches, the Armenian Church celebrates three
feasts associated with the Holy Cross: the Discovery of the Cross, the
Apparition of the Cross, and the Exaltation of the Cross. But the
Armenian Church has one unique cross celebration, the Feast of the Holy
Cross of Varak, which will be marked on Sunday (9/26).

The feast commemorates the apparition of the Holy Cross near the
historic Armenian city of Van in the mountains of Varak, possibly in the
year 660 A.D. For more, click to our website:
;selmonth=9&sel
year04

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 9/23/04)
* * *

KHRIMIAN LYCEUM OPENS SATURDAY IN NYC, BOSTON, CHICAGO

The Diocese’s Khrimian Lyceum, a six-year educational program for parish
Armenian School graduates, begins Saturday (9/25). The program started
in New York City, and this year will be the second year for the
program’s expansion in the Boston and Chicago areas. For more
information on the program, and how to sign up, click to our website:
;selmonth=5&sely
ear04

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 9/23/04)
* * *

PRIMATE REPRESENTS CHURCH AT INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

On Monday (9/20), Archbishop Barsamian delivered the benediction during
the annual Appeal of Conscience Foundation Awards Dinner. The
international ecumenical organization presented awards to the prime
minister of Sweeden, the chairman of HSBC Holdings, and the chairman of
the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. For more on the Primate’s
role at this event, click to our website:
;selmonth=9&sel
year04

This was one of several recent programs the Primate attended as a
representative of the Armenian Church. On September 13, 2004, he and
Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral, were among the 15
clergymen invited to attend a special prayer service to mark the opening
of the United Nations General Assembly. The prayer service, at the Holy
Family Catholic Church, was organized by Edward Cardinal Egan, the Roman
Catholic Archbishop of New York City. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
spoke during the service, which brought together ambassadors, as well as
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, The Vatican’s Nuncio to the United
Nations.

Fr. Chevian also represented the Primate at the 12th “Path to Peace”
award ceremony on Monday (9/20), which honored Roman Catholic Cardinal
Angelo Sodano, the Vatican’s secretary of state.

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 9/23/04)
* * *

FIND SOMETHING TO DO

This weekend, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and the Diocesan College
Ministry program will both be reaching out to parishes in New Jersey.
The seminary will send its seminarians to the St. Mary Church of
Livingston, NJ; while Jason Demerjian, Diocesan College Ministry
facilitator, will meet with parishioners at the St. Leon Church in Fair
Lawn, NJ.

If you’re not in New Jersey, don’t worry, there’s plenty going on
throughout the Diocese. From a special speaker on the topic of
stewardship in Cambridge, MA, to a performance by the Shushi Dance
Ensemble in Wynnewood, PA, to a gala concert in Providence, RI — find
details on those and many more events throughout the Diocese by clicking
to our website’s Calendar of Events:

If your parish has something to list on the highly viewed Calendar of
Events, e-mail the details to [email protected].

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 9/23/04)
* * *

MAKE PLANS FOR COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND

Columbus Day Weekend (10/8-10/11) is fast approaching, and there are
three great events to get involved in this year. But you need to make
your plans today to save your spot.

The St. Nersess Seminary will hold a special weekend retreat exploring
the uniquely Armenian “Service of the Oil-Bearing Women,” a beautiful
weekly remembrance of Christ’s resurrection. The weekend is
specifically designed for deacons and altar servers, but is open to
everyone. It will be at the Diocesan Ararat Center in Greenville, NY.
Registration deadline is October 1. For more information, visit the St.
Nersess Seminary website:

The Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) will bring its
Archbishop’s Basketball Tournament to the Holy Trinity Church of
Cambridge, MA, on Columbus Day weekend. With sports, a dance, a Divine
Liturgy, and sightseeing, the weekend is a wonderful chance for 18- to
28-year-old Armenians to make new friends and get together with old
ones. Registration deadline is tomorrow (9/24). For more information
and to register, click to the ACYOA website:

Younger parishioners are invited to attend the ACYOA Jrs. Sports
Weekend, hosted by the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI.
The weekend, for students between the ages of 13 and 18, will feature
games, a dance, an educational session, and a banquet presided over by
Archbishop Barsamian. The official registration deadline is tomorrow
(9/24). For more information, contact your parish priest.

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 9/23/04)
# # #

Bulgaria says no military cooperation with Azerbaijan, Armenia until settlement

Trend news agency
16 Sep 04

Baku, 16 September, Trend correspondent S. Agayeva: “Bulgaria will
cooperate in the military sphere with neither Azerbaijan nor Armenia
until the conflict around Nagornyy Karabakh is settled,” Ivan Palchev,
Bulgaria’s charge d’affaires in Azerbaijan, has told journalists.

Palchev said that the Bulgarian Defence Ministry had been successfully
cooperating with the defence ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia only
in the military-technical sphere. Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar
Abiyev’s official visit to Sofia is scheduled for late October. The
Azerbaijani and Bulgarian defence ministers will discuss prospects
of future cooperation during the visit.

Palchev added that official Sofia adhered to its position on the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict believing that “Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity must be preserved, while Nagornyy Karabakh’s status is
Azerbaijan’s internal affair”.

USA backs Baku-Yerevan dialog on Nagorno Karabakh – diplomat
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 15, 2004 Wednesday 12:26 AM Eastern Time

YEREVAN, September 15 — The new ambassador of the United States to
Armenia, John Evans, said at his first press conference on Wednesday
that the USA supports the concept of a dialogue between Yerevan
and Baku on the settlement of a conflict around the mostly Armenian
populated Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno Karabakh.

The ambassador said the USA together with Russia and France works
in the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno Karabakh. He reminded the press
conference that the USA had contributed to a meeting of Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan and Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev,
scheduled in Astana on Wednesday. It has also contributed to talks
between the two countries’ foreign ministers.

Itar-Tass reports from Astana that Russian President Vladimir
Putin is expected to take part in Astana late on Wednesday in a
three-party meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. “The
new three-way meting was initiated by Moscow,” a source from the
Kremlin administration told Tass.

Kremlin proceeds from the fact that the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents should “come to terms with each other, while Russia
could “make its contribution to the development and expansion of
the dialogue”.

Kremlin sources do not rule out that Kocharyan and Aliyev may hold
tete-a-tete talks in Astana.

PRESS RELEASE

German-Armenian Society (DAG)
Web:
Contact: Ilyas Kevork Uyar
Gernsheimer Str. 17
51107 Köln
e-mail: [email protected]

German-Armenian Society

Berlin series of lectures

We would like to invite you

on Monday, 20th of September, 19:30,

to the permanent representation of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

located in the Ministergärten 3 10117 Berlin,

to the lecture of

Dr. Otmar Oehring
Leiter der Fachstelle Menschenrechte

Missio – Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk e.V., Aachen

about the subject

The Current EU-Reforms in Turkey
and their Implications on the Christian Minorities

On the EU-Summit 2002 in Copenhagen the members of the EU decided to give
a vote on the beginning of negotiations on membership of Turkey on the
basis of the 2004 EU commissions report about progress made in Turkey on
their way to membership.

Condition for membership is the fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria,
negotiations will begin, when especially the political criterion will
most extensively be fulfilled. This includes establishing the legal
prerequisites as well as proving the practical transfer of the law. If
and to what extent religious freedom in Turkey has evolved in the last
years and which implications this had on the Armenian minority is subject
of this lecture.

****

Wir laden Sie ein

am Montag, 20. September 2004, 19.30 Uhr,

in die Vertretung des Landes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern beim Bund,

In den Ministergärten 3, 10117 Berlin,

zum Vortrag von

Dr. Otmar Oehring
Leiter der Fachstelle Menschenrechte
Missio – Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk e.V., Aachen

über das Thema

Die aktuellen EU-Reformen in der Türkei und die Auswirkungen auf die
christlichen Minderheiten

Die Veranstaltung wird von Herrn Dr. Stephan Heymann geleitet.

Zum Thema: Beim EU-Gipfel 2002 in Kopenhagen wurde beschlossen, auf der
Grundlage des Berichts 2004 der Europäischen Kommission über die
Fortschritte der Türkei auf dem Weg zum Beitritt ein Votum über die
Aufnahme von Beitrittsverhandlungen mit der Türkei abzugeben.
Beitrittsbedingung ist die Erfüllung der Kopenhagener Kriterien,
maßgeblich für die Aufnahme von Beitrittsverhandlungen ist die
weitestgehende Erfüllung des politischen Kriteriums. Dafür müssen nach
vorherrschender Meinung sowohl die rechtlichen Voraussetzungen geschaffen
als auch die praktische Umsetzung der entsprechenden gesetzlichen
Regelungen nachgewiesen werden. Ob und inwieweit sich die
Religionsfreiheit in der Türkei in den letzten Jahren fortentwickelt hat
und welche Auswirkungen dies für die armenische Minderheit hat wird
Gegenstand des Vortrages sein.

Otmar Oehring, geboren 1955 in Saulgau, aufgewachsen 1955 bis 1971 in
Ankara, Türkei; 1975-1981 Studium der Kultur und Geschichte des Nahen
Orients und der Rechtswissenschaft in München; 1981-1982 als Stipendiat
der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Aufenthalt in Istanbul, Türkei; 1983
Promotion an der LMU, München, über ^ÄDie Türkei im Spannungsfeld
extremer Ideologien (1973-1980)^Ó; seit Ende 1983 Referent in der
Auslandsabteilung von missio – Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk,
Aachen, – zunächst mit Schwerpunkt ^Äislamische Länder^Ó; 1991-2000
Referatsleiter Afrika/Naher Osten; seit dem 1.1.2001 Leiter der
Fachstelle Menschenrechte; seit 1981 Gutachter in Asylverfahren.

150 tonnes of relief sent to Beslan from RF cities, other states

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 10, 2004 Friday

MOSCOW, September 10 — Humanitarian aid is supplied to the small
North Ossetian city of Beslan affected in the terrorist act from all
over the world. About 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid were supplied
after the tragic events in North Ossetia, a source in the Russian
Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass on Friday. “This is medicines,
medical equipment, bandages, syringes, mobile medical stations,
donor blood and ambulances,” the source emphasised.

Airplanes from Russian cities, CIS and other countries with
humanitarian aid have come to Beslan already for a week.

In particular, only Moscow, St. Petersburg and Mineralnye Vody sent
39 tonnes of medicines and foodstuffs in this North Ossetian city.
Italy, the United States, France, Norway, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Greece,
Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and Finland sent humanitarian
aid. The authorities of these countries sent to Beslan not only
medical equipment and medicines that are needed for the treatment
of the terror victims but also foodstuffs and clothes. Citizens of
Armenia and Greece have donated more than 200 kilograms of blood for
the wounded people in the terrorist act, and this blood has already
been supplied to the Vladikavkaz blood donor station.

Two Armenian law-enforcement officials arrested on bribe charges

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
7 Sep 04

National Security Service officers have arrested a Dilizhan prosecutor
of the first degree, Gamlet Matevosyan, and an assistant to the
military prosecutor of the Gugark garrison, Garnik Chakhmakhchyan,
for receiving a 800-dollar bribe to protect a defendant who was on
trial for theft. Both men were arrested during the transaction.

A legal case against Matevosyan and Chakhmakhchyan has been handed
to the Prosecutor-General’s Office, the press service of the National
Security Service has said.

[Video shows the two arrested officials and the bribe.]

Universal Postal Union protests against separatist Karabakh stamps – Azeri TV

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
1 Sep 04

The Universal Postal Union UPU has issued a statement to protest
against the circulation of stamps aimed at having the self-proclaimed
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic recognized as an independent state. The
statement that has been circulated to 200 countries says that the
move is a rude violation of norms and regulations stipulated in
the UPU Convention, as well as of regulations of interstate mail
communication. The document signed by the director-general of the
union, Thomas Leavey, calls on the member countries not to accept
these stamps.

ARKA News Agency
Aug 27 2004

Armenian PM welcomes participants to Pan-Armenian Educational Forum

Armenian PM and Danish Foreign Minister discuss modern status of
bilateral relations

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

ARMENIAN PM WELCOMES PARTICIPANTS TO PAN-ARMENIAN EDUCATIONAL FORUM

YEREVAN, August 27. /ARKA/. The Armenian PM Andranik Margarian
welcomed the participants to the Pan-Armenian Education Forum. As the
Armenian Government Public and Press Relations Department told ARKA,
in his welcome speech the Head of the Armenian Government mentioned
that during the recent years consecutive steps are being undertaken
in organization of Pan-Armenian cultural, business forums and
assemblies `that are called to consolidate new potential of maximal
support of prosperity of our state and strengthening of
Armenian-Diaspora relations’. In this relation, the Head of the
Armenian Government attached a great importance to holding of
educational forum in the country, expressing confidence that it will
give a deep analyses and evaluation of educational reforms in the
country and there will be held relevant discussions, devoted to
cultural and educational life of the Diaspora. T.M. -0–

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

ARMENIAN PM AND DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS MODERN STATUS OF
BILATERAL RELATIONS

YEREVAN, August 27. /ARKA/. The Armenian PM Andranik Margarian and
the Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig M?ller discussed the modern
status of the bilateral relations between two countries. As the
Armenian Government Public and Press Relations Department told ARKA,
during the meeting the sides mentioned necessity of development of
economic relations as well as political cooperation between two
states. In Margarian’s words, mutual visits, the first among which is
the Danish Foreign Minister’s visit can promote this in considerable
extent.
As it is mentioned in the press release, the parties also touched
upon the issue of the EU-Armenia relations. At that, the Danish
Foreign Minister reporting that Denmark is going to become the Member
of the EU Security Council, asked the Head of the Armenian Government
to present its position around eurointegration processes in Armenia
and the regional development. In Margarian’s opinion, appointment of
EU Special Representative in South Caucasus witnesses on the EU’s
increasing interest toward the region. In his words, the June’s
decree of the EU’s summit on inclusion of the South Caucasus states
in the European Neighborhood program is targeted at that. Stressing
the importance of establishing long-term peace and preservation of
the stability in the region, Margarian presented Armenia’s position
toward today’s status and Armenia’s relations with its neighbors.
Touching upon the EU’s cooperation related to the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement issue, the Armenian PM once more confirmed the
Armenian Government’s position that the issue should be settled
peacefully and the OSCE Minsk Group support is aimed at this. In his
opinion, implementation of `Enlarged Europe. New European
Neighborhood’ program will be a new stimulus for solution of the
Nagorno Karbakh as well as other regional conflicts.
Margarian also mentioned that the EU-Armenia relations development
promotes also the development of bilateral, mutually profitable,
Armenian-Danish economic relations. At that the priority sphere of
bilateral economic cooperation, in the Armenian PM’s opinion can be
energy sector. In this regard he attached importance to the use of
the Danish experience in creation of alternative sources of energy.
T.M. -0–