Author: Khoyetsian Rose

RIA Novosti, Russia
Aug 19 2005

CIS and Baltic press on Russia

[parts omitted]
ARMENIA

The media continue to show interest in the subject of the need for
Armenia’s integration with Europe. “Armenia has no alternative to
integration with Europe… In foreign policy, the republic should be
guided exclusively by economic interests, that dictate the need to take
a course for integration with the European Union” (Aravot, August 16.)

At the same time, the press continues assessing prospects for the
development of the Commonwealth of Independent States. “The CIS is
an interstate structure which really exists in the geopolitical sense
and which should be reckoned with… The Commonwealth has a positive
dynamics of the development of all-round ties”.(Armenpress, August 12.)

Experts are sure that Russia, which is interested in the preservation
of the status quo, fully controls the situation in Armenia. “As a
result of a revolution, our country may find itself under Russia’s
control, the way this happened in Kyrgyzstan… Russia may provide
assistance in carrying out a revolution in Armenia. Outstripping other
countries in this respect, Russia will try to preserve Armenia’s
pro-Russian authorities, which are suitable for it” (Aravot,
August 11.)

Against the background of a lull in political life in August,
several criminal incidents in various regions of Russia in which
Armenians suffered are widely covered in the press. The press is
publishing detailed reports about the incidents, refraining from
making comments yet.

Armenians take captive Azeri officer – TV

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
16 Aug 05

The Armenian army has taken hostage Ramin Xudaverdiyev, a 23-year-old
warrant officer of the Azerbaijani army.

The head of the working group of the Azerbaijani state commission
for POWs, hostages and missing people, Firudin Sadiqov, has told
“Son Xabar” that the commission does not know where and when the
warrant officer was taken captive. The International Committee of
the Red Cross has been informed of the case, he said.

Xudaverdiyev, whose service term expired some time ago, was recruited
from Baku’s Xatai district.

AZG Armenian Daily #143, 16/08/2005

Healthcare

BLOOD: A MATTER OF BARGAIN

Only Voluntary Donoring Guarantees Safe Blood

The process of hospital privatization gave birth to private blood
departments and banks. The post-soviet era of market relations made blood a
subject of bargain. In Armenia, there are state-run blood transfusion
stations only in 5 provinces – Shirak, Armavir, Syunik, Kotayk and Lori. In
other provinces people get blood in appropriate departments of central
hospitals. The Haematology Center is empowered to control all state and
private blood banks. “There are many private companies that are better
equipped than the state-run Haematology Center, and in this respect it’s
somewhat irrational to supervise them. We often feel shame to go to a blood
bank for an inspection when we ourselves have far humbler conditions. This
is an issue demanding urgent solution as all blood services within a state
should be regulated by the same standards and methods, and each patient
getting blood transfusion should trust the quality of the blood”, head of
the Haematology Center Smbat Daghbashian said.

The head of the Haematology Center indicated that the overwhelming majority
of paid donors are socially vulnerable people who are more likely to have
blood infections. A donor in Armenia gets 20-50 USD for one portion of
blood. There is a danger that social conditions can make donors conceal
their diseases, used medicines etc. Having their services refused at one
clinic they may turn to another till they get the money they need. Center N1
is in charge of inspection over blood infections. Thanks to the computerized
process an ill donor that was declined at one place but managed to sell his
blood somewhere else can be easily detected.

“Donoring should be on voluntary terms to guarantee safe blood”, Daghbashian
said.

Only 5-6 percent of donors in Armenia are volunteers. 80-85 percent donoring
falls to the relatives’ lot. Blood collection at the Center is carried out
by means of special scales acquired by the help of German Embassy. Other
clinics do not posses such scales and the measurement is approximate.
Correct freezing of blood is another guarantee for safe blood. Elements of
blood are kept in certain temperature and under certain procedure, which
differ depending on each case. Blood freezing requires special refrigerators
that the Center lacks so far.

To solve the issue of safe blood each country needs 40-50 volunteer donors
in every 1000 population. In Armenia, only 3-4 people enlist as donors in
every 1000. People, very passive in giving their blood in daily life, get
activated in case of disasters such as the earthquake of 1988 and the Beslan
tragedy.

By Karine Danielian

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS WITH THE DIRECTOR
OF THE “ARMENIA FUND”

His Holiness Aram I received the director of the “Armenia fund” Naira
Melkoumian, the Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon Arek Hovhannisian and the
representatives of the fund in France and Germnay, Bedros Terzian and
Gilbert Momdjian on August 11.

His Holiness Aram I stressed the importance of the fund, especially within
the context of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation. He praised the work done by the
directors of the fund and particularly the dedication of Naira Melkoumian.
He pointed out that the fund should carry out more organized work within the
dioceses of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The discussions during the meeting revolved around the Armenian community of
Lebanon. His Holiness emphasized the importance of reforming the fund’s
local committee in Lebanon so Lebanese-Armenians can more actively
participate in the building of Armenia.

##

View picture here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

86% OF YEREVAN POPULATION BELIEVES MAYOR OF YEREVAN SHOULD BE DIRECTLY
ELECTED

YEREVAN, August 9. /ARKA/. 86% of the Yerevan population believes that
the Mayor of Yerevan should be elected by the population through
direct elections, the public opinion study center Vox Populi reports.
The Center has conducted a survey through telephone inquiry of 684
inhabitants of Yerevan. According to the survey, 9% of respondents
believe that the Mayor should be appointed by the President or the
Prime Minister and 2% believe that he should be elected by the Council
of Elders of Yerevan. 3% of respondents found it difficult to respond
to the question. The respondents were of age 18 and over. A.A. -0–

Azeri opposition leader accuses president of masterminding attacks on his
party

Yeni Musavat, Baku
8 Aug 05

Excerpt from Kanan’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 8
August headlined “Ilham Aliyev has been dragging Azerbaijan into
bloodshed” and subheaded “Ali Karimli: ‘We are ready to counter the
authorities by any mean of struggle'”

A big campaign was launched against the PFAP [Peoples Front of
Azerbaijan Party, reformist wing] after the arrest of Ruslan Basirli,
head of the Yeni Fikir [New Thought] youth organization. In line with
the rules of Soviet propaganda, “working people” are making speeches
on TV channels and trained bands have repeatedly made attempts to
stage rallies outside the PFAP office. However, these attempts failed
due to heroism of the party members. The campaign is expanding and the
“working people” now demand the closure of the PFAP.

We yesterday contacted PFAP Chairman Ali Karimli to learn his attitude
to these events. He described them as another black campaign by the
authorities.

[Passage omitted: Karimli says those attempting to stage a rally
outside the party office on 6 August were civil servants]

[Karimli] In fact, the [ruling] New Azerbaijan Party attempted to
bring about a serious civil confrontation in the capital. Over the
past two days, we have seen four attempted attacks on the PFAP and
me. Those attempts were foiled only thanks to bravery and courage of
the PFAP members.

[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev is dragging us into bloodshed
before the eyes of the whole world. I am saying that Ilham Aliyev is
behind this policy. He is deceiving international organizations
saying that he will hold democratic election. He is putting up a
smokescreen by meaningless decrees and statements. But in reality, he
is dragging the country into a serious confrontation by issuing orders
to all his subordinate [government] bodies.

[Passage omitted: authorities are using all their resources against
the PFAP]

I think this provocation by the government has already been
exposed. This process is about to finish. God willing, the
provocateurs’ identity will be established in the near future. It will
become clear that they were not Armenians, but Georgian citizens
recruited by Azerbaijan’s special services to work as actors in this
special operation [reference to footage showing Basirli’s alleged
meeting with Armenian special agents]. Then this campaign will be
turned against the authorities with all its strength.

[Passage omitted: footage of Basirli’s meeting with alleged Armenian
intelligence officers has undergone many changes]

Karabakh gets new composition of main electoral body

Arminfo
8 Aug 05

Yerevan, 8 August: New members of the Central Electoral Commission [CEC] of
the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] have been appointed.

NKR President Arkadiy Gukasyan has recently appointed Sergey Nasibyan as CEC
chairman, Seyran Ayrapetyan as CEC deputy chairman and the chief specialist of
the department for state and legal issues under the NKR security council
staff, Karen Sagiyan, as CEC member, an Arminfo correspondent reports from
Stepanakert .

The central council of the Free Motherland Party appointed Samvel Arakelyan,
head of the staff of the party, and Inga Sarkisyan, a clerk of the party, as
members of the CEC.

The central council of the Democratic Party of Artsakh [Nagornyy Karabakh]
endorsed Raya Nazaryan as secretary of the CEC. Semen Afiyan, head of the
protocol section of the NKR Foreign Ministry, was appointed CEC member.

CBS2 Chicago, IL
Aug 4 2005

Magazine Article Claims Hastert Took Bribes
Story Alleges Hastert Took Money To Block Armenian Resolution

Mike Flannery
Reporting

(CBS) A spokesman for speaker of the House Speaker Denny Hastert
tonight is ridiculing a magazine story that claims Hastert may have
taken bribes.

There is little hard evidence to support the explosive allegations.
The claim is that Hastert may have accepted tens of thousands
of dollars in campaign contributions in exchange for blocking a
Congressional resolution about a bloody Armenian-Turkish Conflict.

As CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports, that conflict 80
years ago claimed more than one million Armenian lives.

It was only after a personal appeal from then-President Clinton
that Speaker Hastert agreed to block a Congressional vote on the
resolution. Armenian-Americans have long wanted the U.S. government
to declare that Turkey was guilty of genocide in 1915, when more than
one million Armenians died.

“My own family were driven into the Syrian desert, where almost
everybody perished. My father and his brother were among the few
survivors,” said Ann Lucine.

Enter Vanity Fair magazine’s David Rose. In next month’s edition,
he claims that sources told him of secret recordings in which
diplomats from Turkey were heard referring to Hastert as “Denny-Boy”
and allegedly discussed making campaign contributions of $500,000 to
get Hastert to block the genocide resolution.

Hastert was in Japan today, one stop on an official trip to AsIa.

In a statement, a spokesman said: “This story is nonsense. It makes
for great summertime reading. Next thing you know, they’ll blame the
speaker for the Jennifer Aniston/Brad Pitt breakup.”

“I took a quick look at the Vanity Fair article,” Lucine said. “I
would be shocked if the allegations of bribery or criminal actions
were true.”

Like Ann Lucine, Armenian-American activists disagreed strongly
with Speaker Hastert when he withdrew the genocide resolution from
a House floor vote he had promised. But they knew President Clinton
and then-Sec. of State Madeline Albright were pressuring Hastert,
telling him of Turkish threats to close American military bases
vitally needed for the fight against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug 1 2005

VARARAKN, NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC’S STATE CHOIR CONDUCTED BY NINA
GRIGORYAN TAKES PART IN CHOIR AND CHAMBER MUSIC ANNUAL FESTIVAL IN
SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

STEPANAKERT, August 1. /ARKA/. Vararakn, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s
state choir conducted by Nina Grigoryan has taken part in choir and
chamber music annual festival in Salzburg, Austria. ARKA News Agency’s
correspondent reports from Stepanakert that the tour to Salzburg was
taken at Cantus Salisburgensis association, the festival organizers,
with financial assistance of Hayastan All-Armenian Foundation and
at the NKR Education, Culture and Sports Ministry’s request. The
choir performed works of Komitas, Armenian composer, and came back
to Karabakh with a diploma. M.V. -0–

ANNUAL 8TH EXPOSITION “GOLDSMITH – 2005” WILL BE HELD IN YEREVAN SEPT
29- OCT 3

YEREVAN, JULY 29. ARMINFO. The annual 8th exposition “Goldsmith –
2005” will be held in the session hall of the Armenian Governmental
House Sept 29- Oct 3.

Talking to ARMINFO, Executive Director of the Association of Jewelers
and Diamond Producers of Armenia Artur Gyulnazaryan said traditionally
jewelry from precious stones and metals will be exhibited. He said
according to the forecasts of the Association, like the exposition
Goldsmith-2004, this year’s exposition will attract at least local and
foreign 50 organizations. He said at present some 10 foreign companies
and 10 local organizations have already applied for participation in
the exposition. In particular, Italian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian
and Georgian companies, as well as Yerevan Jewelry Factory and
others. Gyulnazaryan pointed out that the cost of 1 sq.m will
fluctuate between $60- $90.

The exposition will take place with support of the Confederation of
the Unions of Jewelers of the Commonwealth and the Armenian
Government.