Author: Karakhanian Suren

ArmenPress
Oct 6 2004

ARMENPRESS AND BTA SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenpress news agency and
Bulgarian state news agency, BTA signed on October 5 a cooperation
agreement. It was signed by BTA executive director Maxim Minchev and
Armenpress executive director Hrayr Zoryan. Minchev is in a Bulgarian
delegation, headed by president Georgy Parvanov who is on an official
visit in Armenia.
Maxim Minchev met Tuesday with Armenpress staff and spoke about
his agency. He said the agreement will allow both parties to get
first-hand information, exchange experience and carry out joint
projects.
BTA was founded in 1898 by Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand and
cooperates with around 30 news agencies worldwide.

Austrian defense expert argues against Turkey’s EU membership

Kurier, Vienna
5 Oct 04

The issue of Turkey’s EU membership has now entered the intensive
phase of the debate. Irrespective of any arguments for or against, it
is somehow regarded as a fact that Turkey joining the EU will be of
considerable advantage in security-policy and strategic terms.

Turkey’s geostrategic position and large armed forces, the argument
goes, give the European Union greater influence and security
benefits. This argument is entirely inappropriate. The opposite is
true. A NATO member, Turkey is firmly integrated in the Euro-Atlantic
security system. There is no need to act out of security policy
concerns.

Let us look at Turkey’s geostrategic position. Turkey shares borders
with Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, among others. Relations
with these countries may be called problematic. Turkey has no respect
for minority rights, although it is a country with considerable
minorities. Because of its strategic partnership with Israel and/or
the strategic triangle with the United States and Israel, Turkey is
not only a player in the Middle East, but it is directly and
indirectly involved in Mideast problems. The European Union would have
external borders with Iraq and Iran, thus becoming a frontline state
in the largest crisis region in the world.

As a result, the European Union would not, as it hopes, reach the
status of objective mediator in the Middle East as a result of
Turkey’s membership, but become itself part of the Middle East
problems. Turkey is confronted to a great extent with problems of
transnational terrorism and organized crime and would bring these
problems into the EU. On top of this, Turkey is a kind of “natural”
competitor of Russia when it comes to influencing the Caucasus and, in
particular, Central Asia. Its accession would contribute nothing at
all to the EU in security policy terms, if the European Union wants to
develop its own security policy profile alongside NATO.

[Passage omitted]

HIGH FEST INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS: The second High Fest
internationaltheater festival started in Yerevan on October 2. The
first was held in 2003 The festival is organized by the Union of
Armenian Actors, SCF/BCCP-Armenia (Stichting Caucasus Foundation-The
Netherlands/Bureau for Caucasian Cultural Programs) and “ALFAEL”
Productions. The main goal of the festival is to present the World
Theatrical Art in Armenia and to promote the Armenian Theatre in other
countries.

The festival offers the audience a unique opportunity to see the
highly artistic samples of multi-genre theatrical art, such as drama
and comedy, musicals and dance performances, marionette and puppetry,
plastic and verbal, mime and street performances.

Theatre companies (more than 120 participants) from 18 countries
(UK, France, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Korea, Sweden, Spain,
Serbia, Israel, Georgia, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania
etc.) are participating. On the sidelines of the festival playwriting
workshop with world famous writer Paulo Coelho will be held.

Performances are being held on 14 venues of Yerevan. Besides the
main program of the festival other events, such as seminars, master
classes willbe organized to create a favorable atmosphere for exchange
of ideas and experience. The VIP experts will lead a number of
seminars aimed at increasing the awareness of Armenian students and
artists on Arts and Cultural Management, International Cooperation in
Arts, Cultural Policy issues. The master classes led will concentrate
on new trends and methods of contemporary theatrical art and will
present the new approaches in different spheres of theatre.

Armenian leader, outgoing Israeli envoy discuss bilateral ties

Arminfo
4 Oct 04

Yerevan

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Israeli ambassador Rivka Cohen
today discussed the possibilities of developing bilateral relations.

At the meeting, Rivka Cohen, who is completing her diplomatic mission
in Armenia, thanked the Armenian president for his support during her
three-year tenure, the presidential press service told our agency
today. According to the source, Cohen informed Kocharyan of the
developments in the Middle East.

Transitions Online

‘Easy-Cards’ Made Hard

by Emil Danielyan
30 September 2004

You might be able to buy it from any newspaper kiosk in Moscow, but in
Armenia buying an activation card for your cellphone either takes months or
costs up to $200.

YEREVAN, Armenia–Felix Sahradian looked frustrated after scanning the
numbers on a notice board outside the Yerevan office of Armenia’s only
telephone company. Again, he was not among the lucky ones whose number had
come up, a number that would have granted him the right to one of the most
coveted goods in Armenia: a prepaid SIM card to activate a mobile phone.

Prepaid SIM cards may be cheap and readily available for sale around the
world, but, in Armenia, you have to register with ArmenTel, the deeply
unpopular national telecommunications operator, and wait for at least a year
in order to be able to buy one at a reasonable price.

Sahradian signed up in January and is one of tens of thousands of people who
remain on ArmenTel’s waiting list. “They say I’ll get a card in the near
future,” he said skeptically. “But why should I wait for months and years?
You can buy them in any newspaper kiosk in Moscow.”

The 51-year-old civil servant could buy this tiny chip without any wait, by
turning to speculative traders. But few people in this impoverished nation
can afford the black-market price, normally $120 but, this summer, as much
as $200. ArmenTel charges only $24 apiece. That includes 27 minutes of free
local phone calls.

HAVE MOBILE, WON’T PHONE

This Soviet-style rationing underscores the underdeveloped state of mobile
telephony in Armenia. The problem is a key bone of contention in the
Armenian government’s long-running dispute with Greece’s Hellenic
Telecommunications Organization (OTE) which purchased ArmenTel in 1998.
Exclusive rights to all telecom services were a key clause of the $200
million deal. ArmenTel is now on course to lose its monopoly rights to
mobile-phone services.

The Greeks pledged to modernize Armenia’s obsolete telecom infrastructure
and claim to have already invested $200 million. The authorities in Yerevan,
however, say that figure is grossly inflated. They also accuse ArmenTel of
abusing its monopoly. The dispute intensified early this year, when the
government deciding to unilaterally revoke the company’s exclusive rights to
provide cellphone and international internet services.

ArmenTel and its parent company denounced the move as illegal, filing two
separate lawsuits with the International Court of Economic Arbitration in
London. The Greeks accused the government of breaching its contractual
obligation to allow a steep increase in fixed-line phone charges in Armenia.

The two sides agreed in June to try to reach an out-of-court settlement,
with the government agreeing to delay the termination of ArmenTel’s monopoly
until 29 September-and now, by another two weeks. No details of the talks
they have held since have been made public. Armenian officials have made it
clear that the market will be liberalized regardless of their outcome. The
only question, they say, is whether the country will have one or two more
mobile-phone operators. One Russian-based firm is already lobbying for a
license, promising to invest $75 million in its own network.

Whatever the arguments, one thing is clear: ArmenTel and its owner, a
telecom giant with an annual turnover worth billions of dollars, have failed
to meet Armenian demand for a service that has developing rapidly in most
parts of the world. In mid-August there were just 140,000 mobile-phone users
in Armenia. Local analysts believe that number will at least double once
supply matches demand.

Most subscribers prefer to pay in advance for their phone calls, first
buying a SIM card package and then buying top-up cards at newspaper kiosks
whenever their credit runs out. ArmenTel dubbed the enabling SIM card an
“easy-card” when it was introduced a few years ago. The choice of the name
could have hardly been more ironic. In late August the operator began
distributing a new batch of “easy-cards” for the first time in over a year.
That, of course, was far too little to meet demand (though, at $0.36 per
minute, calling on a mobile phone is not cheap in Armenia). In Yerevan’s
central administrative district, for example, only one-third of the 12,000
registered applicants were able to lay hands on them.

The situation is not much better even for contract customers, who pay a
monthly fee of $18 and a per-minute charge of 15 cents. SIM cards for their
phones have been available only in small numbers for years. Their unlimited
sales resumed a month ago.

Another problem has been the poor quality of wireless communication network.
Making phone calls in peak hours in the afternoon is often a nightmare,
suggesting that the network’s capacity is inadequate even for the current
very modest number of users. The network still covers less than half this
mountainous country.

Westerners living in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, find the situation
particularly shocking. “To pay $120 to use a prepaid mobile card is
absolutely ridiculous, particularly given the quality of the service one
receives,” said Audrey Selian, a Swiss doctoral candidate researching the
use of information technology by Armenian government agencies. “It is
appalling what a shortage there is of them.”

A MARKET (AND ECONOMY) STUNTED

ArmenTel’s failure to achieve market saturation in the six years (and more)
since its takeover by OTE has still not been clearly explained. Its Greek
executives rarely speak with local journalists. Their spokeswoman, Hasmik
Chutilian, blamed the “weak network” on the ongoing row with the Armenian
authorities, saying that the government has scuttled some of the investments
ArmenTel was planning. She also said that the company committed a “marketing
mistake” six years ago when it decided to concentrate on fixed-line
telephony.

The landline network was in dire straits at the time. In this area at least,
ArmenTel can claim some success. Its investment has improved the service
markedly, especially in the Armenian capital, where 68 percent of phone
lines are now connected to digital exchanges. There are now more than
530,000 fixed-line phone users in this country of 3 million, the company
says, making its “teledensity” rate relatively high by ex-Soviet standards.

But Serge Sargsian, the government’s representative on the ArmenTel board,
counters that the improvement has largely been confined to Yerevan, which
now accounts for just over half of subscribers. Only 12 percent of regional
exchanges have been digitalized and phone access in rural areas has
“declined terribly,” he says.

Ian Beeby, a representative of the California-based WFI Consulting firm that
audited ArmenTel, made a similar point last year. “We have seen a number of
villages where exchange capacity did exist and now no longer exists,” he
said.

Another source of discontent has been ArmenTel’s grip on internet traffic to
internet service providers abroad. This has led to high prices without any
corresponding increase in quality. Local internet service providers and
other business executives believe that ArmenTel’s monopoly has been stifled
the development of information technology, one of the promising sectors of
the Armenian economy. “The kind of communication for which we pay tens of
thousands of dollars each month would cost just $100 in America,” Hovannes
Avoyan, head of the Lycos Armenia firm, complained recently.

The Armenian government seems to share these concerns. But it still remains
to be seen how far it is prepared to go in liberalizing the telecom market.

—
Emil Danielyan is a journalist based in Yerevan and a long-time contributor
to TOL, and to its print predecessor, Transitions.

Abkhaz presidential race in final lap
By Zaal Anjaparidze for The Jamestown Foundation (30/09/04)

Georgia has watched the unfolding of the presidential race in its breakaway
republic of Abkhazia with a strangely Olympian calm.

On 3 October, voters in Abkhazia will choose a successor to their
ailing president. Vladislav Ardzinba led the region in its fight for
independence from Georgia in 1992 and 1993 before becoming president
of the self-declared republic in 1994. The new president of Abkhazia
will win a five-year term, subject to a two-term limit. The Georgian
government has watched the unfolding campaign with an Olympian
calm. As recently as 21 September, Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili described plans to re-incorporate Abkhazia into Georgia
at the 59th session of the UN General Assembly. No comments on the
election were made at the traditional commemoration of 27 September,
the day the Abkhaz capital, Sukhumi, fell 11 years ago, effecting the
secession of the region. Earlier, Saakashvili dismissed the elections
as illegitimate and Nino Burjanadze, chair of the Georgian parliament,
warned Russia against conferring any recognition or legitimacy on
the elections.

Favored candidate, radically anti-GeorgianA number of candidates have
registered, although several refused to comply with a controversial
new law passed on 3 August that requires candidates to pass an
Abkhaz-language test and to have been resident in Abkhazia for the past
five years. Alexander Ankvab, a popular former Abkhaz interior minister
now living in Russia, and Nodar Khashba, a former mayor of Sukhumi
and now a high-ranking official in the Russian Civil Defense and
Emergencies Ministry, were denied registration by the Central Election
Commission (CEC) after they refused to sit the Abkhaz language test and
failed to meet residency criteria. Among the registered candidates,
the front-runner is Raul Khadzhimba, a former prime minister. His
running mate is Vitaly Smyr, the Abkhaz minister of agriculture and
food. Khadzhimba has a KGB background and the endorsement of President
Ardzinba plus rumored backing from Moscow. He also is supported by
many divisions and bureaucrats in Abkhaz state agencies. Georgian
commentators depict Khadzhimba as the most radically anti-Georgian
of the candidates. Khadzhimba has already made it clear that he plans
to make major changes to the constitution if elected. The amendments
include giving the president the power to dissolve parliament and
introducing parliamentary confirmation of new governments.

United AbkhaziaSergei Bagapsh, director-general of the Chernomorenergo
electricity company, trails Khadzhimba. Bagapsh served as prime
minister from 1997 to 2001. He is standing as a candidate for the
recently merged United Abkhazia movement and the Amtsakhara veterans’
organization and is regarded as the main opposition candidate. His
chances are thought to have increased after the disqualification
of Aytayra movement candidate Alexander Ankvab, who, in return for
urging Aytayra supporters to back Bagapsh, has been promised the
post of prime minister in the event of a Bagapsh victory. Both the
Georgian and Abkhaz media have made a point of the fact that Bagapsh
has a Georgian wife, but remain divided over how this will affect his
policies and popularity. Analysts speculate that a united opposition
would decrease the chances of a Khadzhimba victory. Bagapsh’s running
mate is the historian Stanislav Lakoba. Sergei Shamba, former foreign
minister, is running third with a platform urging “greater political,
economic, and humanitarian” integration with Russia. Shamba has angrily
denied rumors that he intends to pull out of the presidential race at
the last minute and throw his support to another candidate. Shamba’s
running mate is Vladimir Arshba, head of the Ministry of Defense
General Staff. The other two candidates concede they have slim chances
for victory. Anri Jergenia is also a former prime minister (running
with Ruslan Kishmaria, chairman of the Gali district administration),
while Yakub Lakoba is leader of the Abkhaz People’s Party (running
with Fatima Kvitsinia, arbitration court judge).

Fairness increasingly doubtfulThe fairness of the elections is
increasingly doubtful. The CEC denied requests from the League of
Voters for Fair Elections to serve as monitors. This NGO had severely
criticized the CEC’s performance. The CEC claimed that the election
law contained no provision for NGOs to act as observers unless they
have been invited to do so by the Abkhaz authorities. The UN and
OSCE do not consider the elections legitimate and therefore will
not send monitoring teams. Instead, members of the Russian State
Duma and representatives from Russia’s North Caucasus republics,
South Ossetia, and Karabakh are expected to act as election
observers. Although the Abkhaz CEC lists 165â^À^Ù 248 eligible
voters, down from 216â^À^Ù000 in the 2002 parliamentary elections,
Georgian sources further lower this figure to 70â^À^Ù000, due to
widespread population shifts before and after the war. Additionally,
most voters in Abkhazia are believed to hold Russian citizenship, and
therefore may not be able to prove their eligibility to vote. Abkhazia
has yet to introduce internal passports and officials are issuing
special forms as an interim measure. Bagapsh shared his surprise that
the CEC still did not have the exact number for Abkhazia’s population
and the number of voters. “How can you hold fair elections without
these data?” he asked.

Abkhazia not mentally prepared for pollMore critically minded
commentators are pessimistic regarding the elections. Oleg Damenia,
an Abkhaz analyst, argues that the Abkhaz electorate is not mentally
prepared for a fair election, as its psychological makeup still
bears Soviet-era habits. “The pre-election campaign has overstepped
all permissible limits, and thus it’s difficult to forecast whether
the electorate would behave within the licit framework,” he said.
According to Damenia, losers will likely protest after election
day. Candidate Shamba has warned that vote rigging would only play
into the hands of external forces, and Abkhazia might see a replay
of the Georgian or Yugoslav revolutions. Recently, representatives
of the Sukhumi-based branch of Soros Foundation have dismissed some
media allegations that the Foundation might financially support a
“pro-Georgian” candidate. Some analysts still consider that Ardzinba’s
departure creates an opportunity to change the relationship between
Georgia and the Abkhaz leadership. They argue that Tbilisi could take
advantage of the struggle between the Moscow-backed Khadzhimba and
his opponents. But the Abkhaz separatists have resolutely rejected
any plans for reintegrating Abkhazia with Georgia. On 29 September,
the Abkhaz Ministry of State Security claimed that Georgian task
forces and weaponry are concentrating along the Abkhaz border,
and it called on residents of Abkhazia to exercise vigilance. The
ministry’s special statement also claims that President Saakashvili
directed Georgian special services to step up subversive activities
in Abkhazia, particularly in the Georgian -populated Gali district, in
order to provoke conflict among supporters of the Abkhaz presidential
candidates. Tbilisi has not responded to these statements.

This article originally appeared in Eurasia Daily Monitor,
published by The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC., at
(). Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan
organization supported by tax-deductible contributions from
corporations, foundations, and individuals.

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected]
Website;
October 2, 2004
* * *

PRIMATE OF NORTH AMERICAN (ESATERN, WESTERN US) AND CANADIAN DIOCESES MEET IN
TORONTO’S HOLY TRINITY ARMENIAN CHURCH

On Thursday, September 30, 2004 the Primates of Eastern and Western USA and
Canada met at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church of Toronto. This is the
third meeting of the Primates.

His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian (Diocese of Canada), His Eminence
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (US Eastern Diocese) and His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan
Derderian (US Western Diocese) had discussions over various issues concerning
the role and the mission of the Armenian Church in North America and Canada.

The Primates agreed to further organize and cooperate in making the mission
of the Armenian Church more vibrant. Discussions focused on Christian
Education, Youth, the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, 1600th anniversary of
the creation of Armenian Alphabet as well as pilgrimages both Inter-Diocesan
and to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
* * *

JOINT CELEBRATION OF ARMENIA’S 13TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE AND OF
LAVAL’S HOLY CROSS CHURCH’S 11TH ANNIVERSARY

Under the auspices of H.E. Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of Canada, and according to a precedence set last year
as well as in collaboration with Armenian community organizations, on the
weekend of September 25-26, the Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church of Laval
organized a large-scale celebration of the Church’s 11th anniversary and of
Armenia’s 13th anniversary of independence.

The main celebration took place on Saturday, September 25, when a candle
light dinner and dance was held under a large tent set on the church grounds. In
attendance were the Primate, Federal MP Raymonde Folco, Mayor of the City of
Laval Mr. Gilles Vaillancourt, a representative of Quebec Minister of Education
and Social services Mrs. Michelle Courchesne, representatives of
municipalities, Vicar General of Canada Rt. Rev. Fr. Ararat Kaltakdjian, Rev. Fr. Hayrig
Apegha Hovhannisian, Rev. Fr. Vazken Boyadjyan, pastor of St. Gregory
Illuminator Cathedral, Mr. Stephanos Mamdouh from the Coptic community, Diocesan and
Parish Council representatives, and community organization representatives. The
invocation was offered by Fr. Ararat and welcoming words were presented by Mr.
Shahan Keushgerian, chairman of the organizing committee. Me. Vartan
Dellekian, chairman of the Parish Council, spoke in French and acknowledged the
presence of the dignitaries. Fr. Ararat Kaltakdjian, Pastor of Holy Cross, took the
podium to hand out plaques of appreciation to a score of dedicated
parishioners of the church. He then invited Bishop Galstanian to deliver his message.

The Primate congratulated all those present on the dual anniversary occasions
and wished continued success and prosperity to Motherland Armenia and to the
Holy Cross Church.
His Eminence had special words of gratitude to Mayor Vaillancourt for his
compassion and understanding towards the needs of the Church, and expressed
optimism that working closely with the Mayor’s office, hopefully next year this
celebration will be held in the new church. “The sea hates cowards,” said the
Primate, and added, “we are in the sea and are prepared to face the challenge of
owning our church building and our community center to be able to serve better
our enlarging community in Laval.”

Mayor Vaillancourt thanked the community for the invitation and expressed
appreciation of the Armenian community in Laval for their diligence and
participation in the rapid development of this city. He then assured that everything
will be done to clear any obstacles by way of this community’s dream of a new
church building to come true. The Mayor’s words were received by a thunderous
applause. In her address, Liberal MP from Laval Raymonde Folco expressed her joy
that for the second year she is sharing the joy of the Armenian community in
the dual celebration of the anniversaries of Armenia’s independence and of
Holy Cross’ establishment.

Following a sumptuous dinner, the music was started by Arthur Apkarian’s
dynamic band, and soon the platform was filled with dancers. At the height of
jubilation, even Mayor Vaillancourt joined the Armenian popular “shourchbar”
dances.

The next morning, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Bishop
Bagrat Galstanian, assisted by Fr. Ararat and Fr. Vazken. The altar servers and
the joint choirs of both churches conducted the singing. At the end of the
Divine Liturgy, a special ceremony of Grace and Thanksgiving was conducted to
celebrate the 13th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

The congregation was then led by a procession of the clergy and the choir to
the front yard of the church where the scouts of AGBU had erected a wooden
Cross and were prepared for the blessing of Armenia’s flag. Following special
prayers and songs of hymns, everybody joined to sing Armenia’s anthem “Mer
Hairenik”, while the flag was being raised slowly. The Primate spoke
enthusiastically thanking the scouts for their patriotism and invited everyone to join in the
major effort of building our new church in Laval and to work toward the
prosperity of the Diocese and the Armenian community in Canada.

Shortly after, the tent area was set up for lunch, and more celebrations with
music, songs and dances brought this festive occasion to a happy ending.

On Sunday, September 19, 2004 Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Toronto
celebrated the 13th Anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. Upon the
directives of His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Primate of the Armenian
Church of Canada, all churches were instructed to celebrate this event with the
blessing of the national flag. Four students representing the Armenian Schools
of Toronto from Holy Cross School, Zaroukian School, St. Sahak & St. Mesrob
Saturday School and the Holy Trinity Armenian Church Sunday School, carried the
national flag to the altar where Rev. Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian blessed
it and delivered his sermon to the faithful. In his sermon, Fr. Zareh called
upon everyone to love, cherish and support our beloved homeland, Armenia.
Following his sermon Fr. Zareh invited Mrs. Rebecca Sevazlian, asking her to say
a few words to the faithful. Mrs. Sevazlian, who is 95 years old, is the
beloved mother of our church. She is a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and
dedicated her life to the Armenian Church by working voluntarily, and giving both
moral and monetary support over the years. In a very emotional moment, Mrs.
Sevazlian proclaimed “Keep and honor our flag, for this flag represents our
beloved Armenia”, she said.
* * *

NEWS FROM THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

On Sunday September 26, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, ordained the Chancellor of Holy
Etchmiadzin, Fr. Arshag Khachatryan, as a bishop in a ceremony in the
Cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians has assigned Very
Reverend Father Megerditch Apegha Broshian as the Dean of Vazgenian Theological
Seminary in Sevan. Fr. Broshian is a graduate of Gevorkian Theological Seminary.
During the year 2001-2004 he studied at Mir field College-Leeds University and
earned the degree of Masters in Theology from the University of Cardiff.
* * *

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CANADIAN DIOCESE PARTICIPATE IN PAN NORTH AMERICAN
YOUTH MEETING

Upon the directive and instruction of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian,
representatives from the Canadian Armenian Diocese Talar Chichmanian, Shogher
Melengutchian, Armen DiMaria, David Kaprielian will participate in Pan North
American Youth meeting in Greenville, New York at Ararat Center (October 1-3).

The intent of this initiative is to bring together four young adult
representatives from each of the three North American Dioceses (Canadian, Eastern and
Western US) for a meeting to discuss common concerns and challenges related to
youth involvement in the Church. The meeting will be an appropriate occasion
to explore the possibility of a joint event that would assemble youth from the
three Dioceses as well as to investigate the feasibility of sponsoring a joint
pilgrimage to Armenia. Participants will draft a document to present to the
respective Primates and Diocesan Councils on ways to involve youth in the life
of the church.
* * *

SUNDAY SCHOOL OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL ORGANIZED APPLEPICKING

Yeretsgin Marine Zouloyan-Boyajyan

Sunday, 26 September was a memorable day for the Sunday School students of
St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral of Montreal. Organized by the Parents’
Committee of the School, the students enjoyed a day in nature by apple picking.

Following breakfast hosted in the residence of the School’s principal, Mrs.
Houri Hakimian, the children headed by bus to the orchards in the suburb of St.
Eustache, accompanied by members of the Parents’ Committee. It was a joy to
see the happy children going from tree to tree, engaged in picking apples and
filling the baskets they were carrying. Some had to stay in line to climb the
ladders to be able to pick the more attractive apples.

Besides giving the children of our Sunday School a happy and memorable day,
the aim of the trip was to bring the children in contact with the God given
nature and its blessings. At the end of the day, the children expressed their
heart-felt thanks to Mrs. Hakimian for the love and care she lavishes on each and
every of them.
* * *

MEETING BETWEEN HOLY TRINITY ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH AND THE ARMENIAN
BENEVOLENT UNION

On Tuesday September 14, 2004, Rev. Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian and the
Parish Council of the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church held a joint
meeting with the newly appointed board members of the Toronto Armenian General
Benevolent Union.

The purpose of the meeting was to re-establish cooperation between the two
organizations and coordinate activities towards strengthening the Toronto
Armenian identity for future generations.

Rev. Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian stated that the time has come for these
two pillar organizations to exert a concerted effort in bringing back the
youth.
* * *

INTERFAITH COALITION CELEBRATES 20TH YEAR OF PEACE GARDEN

On Sunday, September 19, 2004 the Multi-Faith Peace Coalition celebrated its
20th anniversary. The celebration began at 12:00 p.m. in Nathan Phillips
Square at Toronto’s City Hall and continued into the late evening. The
celebration was full of performances by singers and musical bands. At 3:00 p.m.
spiritual leaders from the coalition stepped up to the stage and began prayers and
readings from Holy Books. Following the prayers a tree planting ceremony was
held as a symbol of peace and friendship. Dn. Vrej Berberian, Assistant to Rev.
Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian, represented the Armenian Holy Apostolic
Church of Toronto, and expressed the respect and homage of the Armenian Church
towards all martyrs.

Twenty years ago on March 5, 1984 Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau
turned the sod to begin the construction of the Peace Garden. On October 2, 1984
Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the Garden. On September 14, 1984 the flame in
the Toronto Peace Garden was lit by Pope John Paul II from and ember that Rev.
Fr. Massey Lombardi, Chairman of the Multi-Faith Peace Garden Coalition,
carried to Toronto from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. He also poured the water
from Nagasaki into the pool of the Toronto Peace Garden. The Peace Garden
was erected as a remembrance of the nuclear conflagration that engulfed both
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also to remind all of us of the dangers of hatred and
the importance of tolerance and mutual respect. As such the Peace Garden is
both a somber memorial and shining reminder that we must pursue peace with all
of our strength and determination for it is surely within our grasp.

Twenty years after its completion, the flame of commemoration still burns
brightly, as does the dream of peace in the hearts of men and women of good will.
But events in Canada and around the world show that peace is a delicate
thing that must be cultivated with care and diligence. It is in that spirit of
stewardship that a collation of more than 20 faith communities has recently been
formed with the Honorable Art Eggleton as Honorary Chairman, to develop a
program that would celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Peace Garden. On
Sunday, September 19, 2004, thousands of Torontonians from all walks of life came
together to celebrate the diversity that is one of our city’s greatest
strengths, and through fellowship, reaffirm our commitment to peace in this city, in
this country and in this world. Everyone was confident that the commitment of
the coalition would make this a successful event. At the same time, they hoped
that they could count on the assistance of the City of Toronto to make this
celebration a meaningful occasion for all participants.
* * *

Armenian opposition urges leader “to engage in political activities
earnestly”

Noyan Tapan news agency
1 Oct 04

YEREVAN

The [opposition] Justice bloc considers that in the current situation
in the Karabakh issue, which is unfavourable for Armenia, the
president should not miss an opportunity to speak from the rostrum of
the UN General Assembly.

At a 30 September briefing, Grigor Arutyunyan, a member of the Justice
bloc, said that it was clearly obvious from the reports by the
[former] rapporteur [of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe] on the Karabakh issue, Terry Davis, the US co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group, Steven Mann, and other high-ranking officials as
well as articles published in the western media that the position of
the international community on the Karabakh issue is obviously in
favour of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Given this, he said, [Armenian President] Robert Kocharyan is obliged
to personally answer to anti-Armenian attacks of Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev made from the highest rostrums, and not give the tasks of
this kind to Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.

The opposition calls on Robert Kocharyan “to engage in political
activities earnestly instead of studying the Chinese Wall”.

Vardan Oskanyan flew to New York to attend the 59th session of the UN
General Assembly. In turn, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan was
paying a state visit to China at that moment.

Europe, USA lobby Armenia to settle Karabakh problem – paper

Aravot web site, Yerevan
28 Sep 04

September entitled “Like a bolt from the blue” and subheaded “At
meetings with political party leaders, Western European diplomats
said that the Karabakh problem should be resolved on the basis of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity”

We have obtained details of a series of meetings between ambassadors
of European Union member countries [to Armenia] and representatives
of the National Unity Party, where the Karabakh settlement and ties
between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey were in the focus. Concrete
issues were discussed, which testifies to the fact that European
structures, in all probability, have already drawn up proposals which
will be submitted to the conflicting sides in the near future.

The German ambassador, Heike-Renate Peitsch, paid special attention
to these issues and held a lengthy conversation with the leader of
the National Unity Party [NUP], Artashes Gegamyan. On 24 September,
the NUP leader also met the deputy chairman of the Assembly of the
Western European Union and head of the Italian delegation to the
union, Marco Zacchera (he visited Armenia as part of his regional
trip aimed at drawing up a report on the South Caucasus countries),
the Italian ambassador to Armenia, Marco Clemente, and (?Floris Dego),
a representative of the assembly of the European Security and Defence
Identity.

Serious debates of processes that could take place in the region
and possible challenges and, in this context, Armenia’s potential
role were discussed. Although members of the delegations said that
the Karabakh problem should be resolved on the basis of compromises,
they nevertheless noted that they recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and this should be a major principle in the settlement.

In turn, Armenia, it goes without saying, should put forward its
position and make it clear if it has an ally in this issue which
supports its approaches and is ready to reject the principle of
territorial integrity publicly backed by almost all countries. By
strange coincidence, almost at the same time, European countries
started kind of lobbying – the secretary-general of the Council of
Europe, Terry Davis, presented his report [on Nagornyy Karabakh],
and the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Steven Mann, issued a
statement on inadmissibility of delaying a settlement to the conflict.

Dose this show that the moment when they will force us to settle
the Karabakh conflict is approaching? Artashes Gegamyan agreed with
this. “Western European countries and US diplomats never do anything by
chance, they always demonstrate tested and coordinated approaches,” the
NUP leader said. “It is noteworthy that after meeting me, Zacchera and
Clemente were to meet ambassadors of European Union member countries.”

Gegamyan also commented on the report by Terry Davis, which, he said,
the Armenian authorities are trying to go round by all means. “The
report mentions four UN Security Council resolutions which recognize
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the necessity of withdrawal
of Armenian troops from the liberated lands,” Gegamyan said. “No
comment is needed if we take into consideration Davis’s statement
that if the talks are deadlocked, the problem could be submitted to
the International Justice Court.”

The NUP chairman said he was bewildered that “the Armenian authorities
are dealing with insignificant issues and are trying to involve
the opposition in their discussions”. “How can they at this crucial
moment for the country deprive the opposition of opportunities to
debate these issues with officials live on TV so that the public is
informed about a possible turn of events. Alas, the authorities are
again playing bizarre games behind people’s back and one day they will
tell us about their decision like a bolt from the blue,” Gegamyan said.

US TO PROVIDE ABOUT $84 MILLION TO ARMENIA IN 2005

PanArmenian News
Sept 28 2004

28.09.2004 13:15

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Last weekend the US Senate approved $75 million
in assistance to Armenia in FY 2005, which represents a$10 million
increase from the aid approved by the House. The amount of the same
assistance to Azerbaijan will make $38 million. The Senate also agreed
on parity in military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan amounting in $8.75
million for each country. Besides, Nagorno Karabakh will receive $2.5
million assistance.