Author: Kharatian Ani

–Boundary_(ID_csKdrbr5ujtg9qdtoF0wFA)
Content-typ e: message/rfc822

From: [email protected]
Subject: The Building of the ARS Birthing Center in Akhurian Completed

ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY, INC.
Central Office
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472

Contact Person: Hamesd Beugekian
Tel: 617-926-5892
Fax: 617-926-4855
E-Mail: [email protected]

The Building of the ARS Birthing Center in Akhurian Completed

The Central Executive Board of the Armenian Relief Society is pleased to
announce the completion of its Birthing Center, adjacent to the ARS
`Mother & Child’ Health Center in Akhurian, Armenia.

Eight years ago, in 1997 to be exact, the Akhurian site was chosen by
the ARS of Eastern United States, to build a Ministry of Health
licensed, non-profit Health Center, operating entirely with the
financial support of the ARS. At its inception, the Center was meant to
serve a population of some 22,000, living in the Akhurian Region’s six
adjacent villages; today, it has expanded its reach to more than 50,000
people, covering a large area of the Shirak Marz.

Staffed with an efficient medical and support personnel of 24, the
Center operates with modern medical equipment, including Sonography and
Mammography units, and provides gynecological, pediatric pre- and
post-natal care, all free of charge to the residents of the region. With
the recent addition of the Birthing Center wing, the survival rate of
both mother and new-born infant will improve considerably, bringing the
effective care of women’s and infants’ health in the region to full
cycle.

With on-going staff training and teaching, the Center provides
professional care and training to improve the overall health awareness
in the region. The Center has worked with Centers of Learning, such as
UCLA and UMASS, United Nations agencies such as UNICEF and UNFPA,
national and international organizations such as the World Health
Organization, IRD, AMCHOR, USAID, World Vision and American
International Medical Committee.

Presently, with the cooperation of the University of Massachusetts
Medical Center’s HIV Clinic, a study in preventive measures against
sexually transmitted diseases and HIV is being conducted. The ARS-U Mass
team is proceeding with its work backed by a grant from the World AIDS
Foundation.

Construction work of the much needed Birthing Center wing — started in
Sept. 2003 — is now completed and its official opening is scheduled to
coincide with the 90th Genocide Commemoration in April, 2005, to affirm,
once more, the triumph of life over death.

Built to safeguard precious lives dependent on proper care, this new
unit adds approximately 7,200 square feet to the existing facility, at
an eventual cost of approximately $450,000 — including much needed
equipment and furnishings, still to come. The ARS Central Executive
calls upon all its supporters to donate generously in order to expedite
the successful completion of this project designed to give generations
yet to be born a healthy start in life.

December 30, 2004

Starting November 1, 2004 the ARS Inc. Office’s email addresses will
change to the following:
Central Executive Board: [email protected]
Office Manager : [email protected]
Executive Secretary : [email protected]
ARS Orphans Program : [email protected]
ARS Publications : [email protected]

Azeri parliament protests at NATO official’s remarks on Karabakh

MPA news agency,
29 Dec 04

BAKU

Azerbaijan’s parliament has sent a letter of protest to the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly’s president, Pierre Lellouche, in connection
with his statement that it is necessary to “hand over Nagornyy
Karabakh under the provisional control of Armenia”.

The letter of protest in connection with Lellouche’s remarks was sent
to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on behalf of Azerbaijan’s
parliament. Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said at the parliament’s session
that in the letter, the Azerbaijani legislature demanded explanations
from the president of the assembly concerning the aforesaid remarks.

The incumbent opposition has to quit the political stage of
Azerbaijan, Alasgarov said. “Let younger forces replace them and
establish opposition parties which will re-start the struggle for
power,” he said. In Alasgarov’s view, a new opposition has to be
created in Azerbaijan.

Let’s Cook – Armenian Cookbook Review

SARAH SOGHOMONIAN
STAFF WRITER
Hye Sharzhoom
California State University, Fresno,
Armenian Studies Program
December 2004

Hungry? Craving delicious, authentic, traditional Armenian food? Well,
don’t run to the closest Armenian deli, be adventurous, make your
favorite Armenian foods from scratch. Simply Armenian: Naturally
Healthy Ethnic Cooing Made Easy , a new cookbook by Barbara Ghazarian,
is here to guide you through the steps to making delicious Armenian
delicacies.

Simply Armenian contains every recipe you can think of and is divided
into sections and subcategorizes for your convenience.

The first section is titled “Appetizers and Spreads” and has specific
areas focusing on those two subjects. Under “Appetizers” you will find
recipes for Armenian staples, such as, Rice-Stuffed Grape Leaves
(Yalanchi) and Pickle Fresh Vegetables (Tourshi) along with less
traditional, but still Middle Eastern influenced items, such as, Feta
Cheese-Topped Eggplant Rounds and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Pine
Nuts. Under “Spreads” one finds recipes for Hummus, Zesty White Bean
Dip, and Black Olive and Yogurt Cheese Spread, to name a few.

After indulging in hors d’oeuvres, one is ready for the first
course. Under the section titled “First Courses” one finds
subcategorizes dedicated to Grains and Vegetables, Salads, Soups and
Stews, and Stuffed Pastries (Boreks). “Grains and Vegetables” offers
recipes from Bulgur and Rice Pilaf to egg plant dishes to a spinach
casserole recipe. There are salad recipes titled Parsley Salad
(Tabouli), Cracked Wheat-Tomato Salad (Eetch), and Four-Bean
Salad. Recipes for Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup, Tomato and Bulgur
Soup, and Lamb and Rhubarb Stew are found in the Soups and Stews
sub-category. Craving Cheese Borek or Spinach Borek? You can find
these and other Borek recipes in the stuffed Pastries (Boreks)
subcategory.

Ready for the main course? What will it be? Lamb, Pork, Fowl,or Fish?
You will find recipe featuring these foods under “Main Courses.” The
sub-category, Lamb, features recipes for Shish Kebab, Armenian Tartare
(Kheyma), and Lamb-Stuffed Grape Leaves (Sarma) and many others that
are sure to fill your tummy.

There is a section of the cookbook titled “Armenian Basics.” It is
divided into the following topics: Flatbreads, Loaf Breads, Pizzas,
Tea Breads, Eggs Sauces, Dairy Basics and Drinks. So, if you want to
make your own Armenian Cracker Bread, Lahmejun. Choreg, Madzoon or
Tahn, Simply Armenian is where to turn.

Everyone loves dessert! Recipes for Cakes and Pastries; Cookies;
Fruits, Spreads and Candy; and Quince lie in the Sweets category. Who
needs the bakery? Make your own Paklava!

Simply Armenian: Naturally Healthy Ethnic Cooking Made Easy is by
Barbara Ghazarian of Hartford, Connecticut. She loves to cook and
hopes to have created an easy way for cooking ethnic
cuisine. Ghazarian states, “The journey into a foreign cuisine is not
necessarily an easy one. Armenian cooking can be intimidating for the
novice.”

After looking over Simply Ar-menian, I can tell you the recipes are
laid out in away that seems to be easy to follow and that is important
no matter how experienced a chief you are.

So, be adventurous; take Armenian Cuisine head on. It will be fun,
filling and will make Grandma proud! Happy eating!

FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE
Pour la Justice et la Démocratie
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
1000 Bruxelles
Tel : +32 2 732 70 26
Tel / Fax : +32 2 732 70 27
Email :[email protected]
Web :

Pour Diffusion immédiate
22 décembre 2004
Contact: Talline Tachdjian
Tel.: +32 (0)2 732 70 27

LES PAYS-BAS RECONNAISSENT LE GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

Mardi 21 décembre, les parlementaires néerlandais ont adopté à
l’unanimité une motion reconnaissant le génocide des Arméniens. Cette
motion avait été déposée dès le vendredi 17 en réaction à l’occultation
de la question arménienne par le Conseil européen. Les parlementaires
néerlandais, et singulièrement les Chrétiens-Démocrates (CDA)
à l’origine de la motion, avaient peu apprécié de voir leur
Ministre des Affaires Etrangères, M. Bot, se déjuger, en taisant
– contrairement à ses promesses – la question du génocide lors du
Sommet de Bruxelles. Ainsi la motion adoptée demande au gouvernement
des Pays-Bas « de soulever continûment et explicitement la question
du génocide des Arméniens dans le cadre du dialogue avec la Turquie ».

« Nous adressons nos plus vives félicitations aux parlementaires
néerlandais, qui à l’image de leurs collègues slovaques il y a quelques
semaines rachètent la dignité de l’Europe et permettent à ses citoyens
de croire encore au projet européen. » a déclaré Hilda Tchoboian,
présidente de la Fédération Euro-Arménienne. « Nous compliments vont
aussi à l’ensemble des associations arméniennes des Pays-Bas qui,
par le travail qu’elles mènent depuis plusieurs années, en commun et
avec abnégation, ont permis ce résultat » a-t-elle continué.

« Aujourd’hui, les chefs d’Etats et de gouvernement des 25 apparaissent
de plus en plus esseulés et en fracture avec leurs opinions sur la
question turque. Les citoyens européens ont compris ce qu’est l’Union,
pas leurs exécutifs qui sont prêts à vendre le projet européen pour
une mésalliance avec une Etat ultranationaliste et négationniste. 25
chefs d’Etat ne peuvent avoir raison contre 500 millions d’Européens
» a-t-elle conclu.

–Boundary_(ID_oKECF4bLupv7H5Jm8e+BMQ)–

Raffarin repose les termes du débat sur la Turquie

Libération
mardi 21 décembre 2004 (Reuters – 17:37)

PARIS – Quatre jours après le conseil de Bruxelles qui a donné à
Ankara une date d’ouverture pour des négociations en vue de son
éventuelle entrée dans l’Union européenne, le débat organisé mardi
à l’Assemblée nationale a permis à plusieurs partis de redire leur
scepticisme à l’idée d’une Turquie européenne.

Pour entrer dans l’Union, la Turquie devra faire sa “révolution
européenne”, leur a répondu Jean-Pierre Raffarin, qui a repris les
arguments avancés par le président Jacques Chirac dans ce dossier.

“Oui à l’entrée de la Turquie à terme, si elle remplit les critères
d’adhésion à l’Union européenne”, a dit le chef du gouvernement.
“Pourquoi ? Parce que, si les conditions sont réunies, ce sera
l’intérêt de la France et de l’Europe”.

En cas d’échec des négociations, “s’il s’avérait que la Turquie ne
veut pas ou ne peut pas adhérer à l’ensemble de ces réformes, l’Union
lui proposera un lien partenarial en lieu et place de l’adhésion”,
a ajouté le Premier ministre à l’adresse particulière de l’UMP,
favorable à un “partenariat privilégié” avec Ankara.

A Bruxelles, les Vingt-Cinq ont décidé qu’en cas d’échec des
pourparlers, des dispositions seraient prises “pour que le candidat
concerné soit pleinement ancré dans les structures européennes par
le lien le plus fort possible”.

La séance spéciale de questions-réponses de mardi à l’Assemblée a
été décidée à la suite du conseil européen de jeudi et vendredi, qui
a fixé au 3 octobre la date d’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion
avec Ankara.

Le président de l’UDF François Bayrou et les présidents des groupes
communiste, UMP et socialiste, Alain Bocquet, Bernard Accoyer et
Jean-Marc Ayrault, se sont exprimés tour à tour pendant une dizaine de
minutes. Jean-Pierre Raffarin leur a ensuite fait une réponse commune.

Le Premier ministre a ensuite fait une déclaration au Sénat.

“Rien ne condamne la Turquie à l’exclusion éternelle de l’Europe”,
mais “il n’y a pas automaticité de la négociation à l’adhésion”,
a souligné Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

“La Turquie doit consolider sa démocratie, progresser dans le
respect des droits de l’homme et des minorités avec notamment les
tragiques questions arménienne et kurde, confirmer le processus de
réconsiliation régionale qui a été engagé avec la Grèce et régler la
question de Chypre”, a-t-il ajouté, résumant les conditions posées
par le conseil européen.

“DECALAGE ABYSSAL” ENTRE CHIRAC ET SARKOZY

Le socialiste Jean-Marc Ayrault n’a pas manqué pour sa part de
souligner “le décalage abyssal” entre la position du président Jacques
Chirac, favorable à une Turquie européenne, et celle du président de
l’UMP Nicolas Sarkozy, qui y est opposé.

“Y-a-t-il un pilote dans l’avion ?”, a-t-il lancé.

“C’est le grand concert de la discorde, c’est la polyphonie des
peurs”, a ajouté Jean-Marc Ayrault, qui a accusé l’UMP et l’UDF de
“faire assaut de simplisme pour expliquer que la Turquie et l’Europe
sont incompatibles”.

Le communiste Alain Bocquet, dont le camp milite pour l’entrée de la
Turquie dans l’Union, a déploré le “oui d’opérette”, le “oui frileux
prononcé du bout des lèvres” par les Vingt-Cinq, qui ont posé selon
lui des conditions “pour décourager la candidature” d’Ankara.

L’élu communiste a par ailleurs accusé le gouvernement de créer une
confusion entre le référendum sur le projet de Constitution européenne
“que vous prévoyez d’avancer en toute hâte au printemps prochain”
et l’adhésion de la Turquie qui représente 15 ans de négociations
aléatoires entre Etats au sein des institutions”.

“Il s’agit là d’une manipulation d’opinion qui trouble le débat sur
les véritables enjeux”, a-t-il estimé.

En réponse aux inquiétudes de François Bayrou, selon qui la France a
“renoncé à son droit de veto” après avoir “renoncé à porter un projet
européen différent”, Jean-Pierre Raffarin a assuré que la France
n’avait “pas abandonné” ce droit “qu’elle exercera le moment venu si
le projet turc n’est pas conforme au projet européen”.

Le Premier ministre a promis aux élus un dialogue “régulier” et
“transparent” sur cette question.

Ce dialogue “durera tout au long des négociations qui peuvent
s’échelonner jusqu’en 2020. J’engage donc mes successeurs !”, a-t-il
dit, rappelant toutefois que ce dossier relevait en premier lieu
du président de la République et que l’entrée de la Turquie ferait,
le cas échéant, l’objet d’un référendum en France.

“Nous serons toujours disponibles pour un débat mais ne comptez
pas sur moi ni sur mon gouvernement pour mettre à mal les principes
de la Ve République (…) qui donnent au chef de l’Etat la mission
essentielle de négocier les traités et qui donne au Parlement et au
peuple la possibilité de le ratifier.”

“Le peuple souverain aura le dernier mot. Telle est la conception
que j’ai de la Ve République”, a conclu Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

–Boundary_(ID_B1Q30JOJi7kIg3UVjwkalA)–

“USA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE KARABAKH AS PART OF AZERBAIJAN”

Azg/arm
22 Dec 04

A new map drawn in the US and depicting Nagorno Karabakh as an
“arguable territory” and not an Azeri region captured the attention
of two Baku newspapers who responded in yesterday’s issues.

In an article titled “Azerbaijan Without Karabakh?” Zerkalo wrote
that the map was drawn by the US National Geographic Center. Besides
Nagorno Karabakh, there are other states as well bearing the indication
“arguable territory”, namely, the West bank of the Jordan river,
Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia. The paper noted that
the map weighs 5 kg and costs $165.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry is going to charge its embassy in
Washington with a mission to find out how Nagorno Karabakh happened
to be of other color than Azerbaijan in the American map and was
labeled as an “arguable territory”.

Another Baku newspaper,Yeni Zaman, wrote that the USA are the next
country after Armenia that is directly aiding the Armenians of
Karabakh. According to the paper, American annual aid to Karabakh
will amount to $3 million by 2005.

The paper notes that still in 1970s the CIA top-secret documents
“considered Nagorno Karabakh a historic Armenian territory, and
Karabakh systematically attempted to legally unite Armenia”.

The Yeni Zaman referred to CIA report which named Nagorno Karabakh
“an Armenian cultural and religious center” in 1988. The report
highlighted the fact that “Karabakh was a semi-independent unit for
centuries and was ruled by Armenian rulers even in times when other
Armenian regions were under Turkish and Persian yoke”.

Armenian Encounter
By Ali Bayramoglu ([email protected])

Yeni Safak newspaper
11/26/2004

The Alcazar Music Hall in Marseilles occupies a significant place in
French cultural history. This old music hall where the most important
past virtuosos of “chanson francaise” like Edith Piaf, Yves Montant
were born, where the spirit of French resistance was represented during
the German occupation of World War II and which has been turned into
a library today was the place of an interesting meeting the other day.

Put more correctly, an interesting encounter was experienced.

In the meeting entitled “Europe/Turkey: A Key for Understanding”
Turkey’s EU membership, or to put more correctly, the perceptions of
the French and France on Turkey was discussed.

Any meeting in France, especially in Marseilles, cannot be held
without the Armenian problem.

Actually this was the target of the meeting from the out start.

This was a meeting instigated especially by Jean Kehayan, the
journalist from the Liberation newspaper, and organized by those
people who are truly a minority within the Armenian diaspora because of
their views that the solution of the Armenian problem, the successful
confrontation of the events of 1915, the expansion of Armenia’s living
space are all possible through the will of the Turkish populace and
Turkey’s democratization and membership in the EU, and that external
pressures generate attempts that are reactionary in nature.

Its purpose was to create an encounter between the Armenians of Turkey
and diaspora Armenians, put more correctly, to enable the Armenians
of Turkey to provide an account of Turkey to them from within seen
through a democratic lens and to explain to them why they as a
community defended Turkey’s EU membership.

The meeting was attended from Turkey by Etyen Mahcupyan and Hrant Dink.

And I accompanied them in order to narrate the process of change Turkey
underwent and to explain how the Armenian problem was perceived and
lived by different segments of society.

The encounter was rough…

The analyses undertaken by the Turkish Armenians, their different
attitudes, their criticisms of the diaspora politics in relation to
Turkey, the image of the Turk, and Armenian identity first had the
effect on the audience of a cold shower. Then it led to a heated
discussion.

For instance, Etyen Mahcupyan’s argument that the fact the diaspora
executed its ‘genocide recognition’ politics through their attitudes
toward the Turks and Turkey meant that they did not actually want
this recognition to take place caused uproar in the hall.

That the diaspora heard from Etyen himself how this problem nurtures
Armenian nationalism and the identity of the Armenian diaspora in a
very unhealthy manner was a very striking encounter and confrontation.

Likewise, Hrant Dink’s stating that “some of the steps you are taking
here is damaging the future of the Armenian world” and making similar
criticisms within the same framework created a similar consequence.

This much is evident:

Turkey’s advent to EU membership has escalated the differences
among Armenian communities, politicized them, and set into action a
differentiation process.

We have to comprehend and digest… With the exception of elements
such as identity and culture, the common denominator of different
Armenian communities is inarguably and inescapably the events of 1915.
Regardless of however much this trauma is denied by us, and in however
many ways it is proved, it is a serious trauma bringing the past into
the present with severe and permanent effects on society. Actually it
is this trauma that lies behind modern Armenian nationalism.

–Boundary_(ID_8pzAepp7ZxSDSI9/qiB5jA)–

Armenian leader says jealousy behind Azeri counterpart’s “outpost” remarks

Arminfo
20 Dec 04

Yerevan, 20 December: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is under
the impression that Azerbaijani President [Ilham Aliyev] is currently
worried about Armenia’s warm relations with Russia. This opinion was
voiced by Kocharyan at a press conference during a working visit to
Armenia’s Lori District. He was commenting on Aliyev’s statement that
Azerbaijan does not know who to talk to: Armenia or the real owner
of this outpost [Russia].

Aliyev had in fact misinterpreted Russian State Duma Speaker Boris
Gryzlov’s statement that Armenia is Russia’s outpost in the south.

“Ilham Aliyev is somewhat worried, I guess needlessly. No-one
prevents him from building this kind of relationship. And jealousy
is inappropriate here. We, for instance, are not worried about
Azerbaijan’s friendly relations with Turkey,” Kocharyan said. He said
that Aliyev’s statement should not affect the Karabakh settlement.

Kocharyan said he was planning to give an interview on the situation
around the Karabakh conflict, but Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan’s
recent interview to the press was so comprehensive and detailed that
he decided not to repeat what the foreign minister had said.

Iraqi Churches Thrive Despite Escalating Violence

Christian Post, CA
Dec 20 2004

In the midst of the turmoil and violence, the church of Jesus Christ in
Iraq is vibrant and alive, a Southern Baptist worker said in a recent
report published Friday. While attacks by insurgents in the war-torn
nation has escalated as its first national elections approaches,
Southern Baptists say that the Gospel is being proclaimed and new
believers are following the Messiah, gathering for fellowship and
discipleship across this land.

“American foreign policy and military might has opened an opportunity
for the Gospel in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” the worker
said, as reported by the Baptist Press. “God is moving here, and
Southern Baptists are responding.”

According to BP, people are coming to Christ across Iraq. “They often
say they are sick of religion. What they crave is a relationship with
God, and they find that in Jesus,” the news agency reported. “In a
land known for tensions between ethnic groups, Christians gathering
for prayer reflect the diversity of Iraq. They include Iraqi Arabs,
Kurds, Persians, Assyrians and Chaldeans. ”

Out of a population of 24.2 million, Christians constitute only three
percent for a total number of about 800,000 people in Iraq. They belong
to different denominations and rites such as the Assyrian-Nestorian
Church, the Syriac-Catholic Church, the Syriac-Orthodox Church; the
Armenian Orthodox Church has some members, the Catholic Church about
260,000, 70% following the Chaldean rite.

The largest Christian communities are found in Baghdad and some
northern cities like Kirkuk, Irbil, and Mosul (the ancient Ninevah).

“Here in this biblical land, the dust of time is everywhere. It swirls
about you,” the Southern Baptist worker stated. “Babylon, Ninevah and
Ur are ruins, little more than toppled stone and fragments, historical
memory. But Medes and Persians, Assyrians and Chaldeans are more
than ancient words from an old book. They are very much alive. They
are words people use to introduce themselves. It is who they are,
their heritage. To walk among them is to walk among living history.”

Iraqi Christians can proudly claim a two thousand year presence in
Iraq going back to the times of Thomas the Apostle, who many consider
to be the father of Christianity in the country.

“Out of this cultural mix came Abraham, framing his relationship
with God, fathering a nation and the lineage of Christ, which is our
heritage, too. To be here is to walk through our history, to walk on
hallowed ground,” the worker added.

Last Monday, during a meeting with Pope John Paul II, Iraq’s Minister
of Foreign Affairs vowed that the nation would protect religious
freedom, particularly the Iraqi Christian community. According to
a Vatican spokesman, the situation in Iraq and the Middle East in
general was examined in the course of the conversations.

Kenneth Chan The Christian Post

ARAM I:”INFORMATION SHOULD BE APPLYED WITH THE PURPOSE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF COOPERATION BETWEEN CURCHES”

ANTELIAS, December 17 (Noyan Tapan). The international congress of the
Christian Informational Commission organized by the World Council of
Churches completed its work on December 10. It was held in Antelias
at the Mother See Church of the Catholicosate of the Great Cilician
House. Catholicos of the Great Cilician House Aram I received members
of the Commission before the completion of the sittings. His meeting
in the residence lasted over an hour.

Emphasizing that the current period is characterized with the
significance of mass media, Catholicos Aram I particularly spoke of
the following points: it is necessary that one should refrain from the
vulgar propagandistic approaches to information, information should
be applied with the purpose of Christian education and formation,
information should be applied with the purpose of the establishment
of cooperation between the churches.

Catholicos Aram I highly estimated the work carried out by the
commission. The new programs were elaborated and decisions on their
implementation were made in the process of work.

According to the press divan of the Catholicosate of the Great
Cilician House, Head of the Inter-Confessional Commission of the
Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House Manushak Boyajian is the
head of the Commission on Christian Information.