Eurasia Daily Monitor – 03/15/2006

Eurasia Daily Monitor — The Jamestown Foundation
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 — Volume 3, Issue 51

IN THIS ISSUE:
*Kyiv revisits RosUkrEnergo’s role in Gazprom deal
*Will Russian become a second state language in Ukraine?
*Ethnic conflict flares in Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia

ROSUKRENERGO SNEAKING BACK INTO UKRAINE

Pending the March 26 parliamentary elections, official Kyiv has shelved
the deeply damaging gas deals it signed on January 4 and February 2 with
Gazprom and its offshoot RosUkrEnergo. President Viktor Yushchenko and
those close associates who confused him into advocating for these deals
seemed prepared to ignore the widespread criticism, until unpublicized
U.S. intercessions finally caused the presidency to delay any decision
until a new government is formed and to exclude the shadowy RosUkrEnergo
from whatever agreements are eventually reached with the Russian side.
Yushchenko has dropped the subject altogether since mid-February.

However, indirect attempts seem to be under way to keep those deals
alive and set the stage for reactivating them after the elections. On
March 13, Gazprom’s deputy chairman Alexander Medvedev declared that it
will be RosUkrEnergo [not Ukraine] that will pay Gazprom for the gas
consumed by Ukraine in January above the volume stipulated for that
month; and that the price of that gas will be 0 per one thousand cubic
meters — i.e., under the terms of the January 4 agreement. In what
looks like a parallel move, Naftohaz Ukrainy chairman Oleksiy Ivchenko
declared that Kyiv would pay RosUkrEnergo [not Gazprom] for that same
volume of gas, at the price of per one thousand cubic meters — again,
under the January 4 agreement (Inter TV, March 13).

Taken together, these moves seem designed to keep the January 4
agreement alive, implement at least some of its provisions, and cement
RosUkrEnergo’s role as intermediary. If this were done, Kyiv would
severely weaken its case for dropping out of that agreement after the
election.

One week earlier, Ukraine’s National Energy Regulatory Commission
awarded a five-year license to the UkrGazEnergo closed joint-stock
company to deliver gas on Ukraine’s internal market. UkrGazEnergo is a
joint venture of RosUkrEnergo and Naftohaz Ukrainy and was created by
the secret February 4 agreement that triggered a storm of criticism when
it was leaked. Thus, Gazprom — acting via RosUkrEnergo/UkrGazEnergo —
is capturing a share of Ukraine’s market and access to the internal
infrastructure. The Regulatory Commission’s move also seems designed to
make certain that RosUkrEnergo via UkrGazEnergo enters Ukraine to stay
(Interfax-Ukraine, March 9).

The Regulatory Commission’s chairman happens to be a candidate for
parliament for the Party of Regions. However, support for RosUkrEnergo
and UkrGazEnergo by a handful of strategically placed officials clearly
cuts across partisan lines, given the fact that Ivchenko is Yushchenko’s
choice for Naftohaz chief and his political ally in the Our Ukraine
bloc.

Kyiv now apparently seeks to regain the chance to buy Turkmen gas
directly, without corrupt intermediaries, possibly in the second half of
2006 or at least in 2007. Ashgabat demands repayment of Ukrainian
arrears as a pre-condition to resuming negotiations on a supply
agreement. Ivchenko and Fuel and Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov lost that
opportunity in the final months of 2005 — the negotiations went down to
the wire until December 28 — by stonewalling on a debt-settlement
agreement or even denying the existence of the debt. Kyiv now seems to
change that negotiating approach and certainly the negotiator.

On March 10-12, a delegation led by Naftohaz Ukrainy commercial director
Anatoly Popadyuk held what appear to be conclusive debt-settlement
negotiations in Ashgabat. The delegation acknowledged that Ukraine owed
9 million, most of it for Turkmen gas delivered in 2005, as Ashgabat had
all along claimed. At the end of Popadyuk’s visit, the Ukrainian side
apparently disbursed .5 million in cash, pledged to pay another million
also in cash, and made a commitment to supply million worth of
Ukrainian goods, including million worth of steel pipes for
Turkmenistan’s oil and gas industry (Turkmen Foreign Ministry press
release, Turkmenistan.ru, March 12).

This result constitutes major progress toward removing an issue that has
poisoned Ukrainian-Turkmen relations, restricting Kyiv’s margin of
maneuver vis-à-vis Gazprom. As recently as February 17-18, Plachkov
and Ivchenko were stonewalling on the debt issue in their talks with
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov in Ashgabat. Their stance may have
reflected their role as the main authors on the Ukrainian side of the
January 4 and February 2 agreements with Russia. Back in Kyiv from
Ashgabat, Ivchenko told mass media that the debt “does not exist” and
accused Turkmenistan and its president of “displaying Eastern perfidy,”
“humiliating Ukraine and damaging its image.” Ivchenko urged Ukraine to
“renounce Turkmen gas altogether” and stop holding talks with
Turkmenistan, and he threatened to sue Turkmenistan in the Stockholm
Arbitration Court for breach of contract. He assured the public that
Ukraine would in any case receive gas for per one thousand cubic meters
(RosUkrEnergo’s price), but did not explain the reasons for such
confidence (One Plus One Television [Kyiv], February 20).

Just as Ivchenko’s statements seemed to contradict Yushchenko’s February
14 announcement on shelving the deals with RosUkrEnergo, so the March 13
convergent statements by Medvedev and Ivchenko and the Energy Regulatory
Commission’s licensing of UkrGazEnergo raise questions about who is in
charge of Ukraine’s energy policy and about the authority of the
president’s word with some of his officials (see EDM, February 16, 17,
23).

–Vladimir Socor

UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES CAMPAIGN FOR RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

The Russian language issue has been employed in the run-up to the March
26 Ukrainian parliamentary election probably more actively than in any
past poll. Unlike in previous elections, where marginal groups and
low-key candidates played the Russian-language card, now such
heavyweights as the frontrunner Party of Regions (PRU) has made
elevating the status of Russian a key promise.

“This issue has a significant conflict potential, that is why it is very
tempting to use it in elections,” Andriy Bychenko of the Razumkov Center
think tank said, presenting the results of a December 2005 nationwide
opinion poll on the attitudes toward the Russian language. The poll
showed that more than 60% of Ukrainians are in favor of raising the
status of Russian, including 37% who believe that Ukrainian and Russian
should have equal status. The 1996 Constitution, however, does not
provide for any status for Russian whatsoever, but stipulates that
Ukrainian is the sole state language. Hence the high conflict potential
and temptation to abuse the issue.

Feelings about the Russian language are especially strong in eastern and
southern Ukraine, including Crimea. In those areas, according to an
April 2005 poll by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the
Kyiv-based Sociology Institute, support for the idea of making Russian
either a second state language or an official regional language hovers
around 90%. More than half of western Ukrainians are against this,
according to the same poll.

The parties that regard the Russophone eastern and southern areas as
their strongholds have been capitalizing on what they describe as the
authorities’ failure to address the Russian-language issue. In the
current campaign, all those parties represent the opposition, while the
national-minded west and center of Ukraine have stayed loyal to the
parties that used to form the Orange Revolution coalition. Playing the
Russian-language card is nothing new for the radical leftists — the
Communist Party (CPU) and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSPU) of
Natalya Vitrenko. Elevating the status of Russian to a second state
language has always been among their main slogans. In the current
campaign, however, they have at least two very strong rivals playing in
the same field: the United Social Democratic Party (SDPUO) of Viktor
Medvedchuk, who was a key aide to former president Leonid Kuchma, and
the Party of Regions (PRU) of former presidential candidate Viktor
Yanukovych.

One of the main slogans of the SDPUO’s campaign reads: “Against NATO,
for the Single Economic Space with Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, and
for the Russian language.” The text reads more like a communist leaflet.
The appearance of strong rivals playing in the same field is arguably
the main reason behind dwindling popular support for the CPU and the
PSPU. One telling example is the Russophone Donetsk Region, which was
the main electoral base of the CPU a decade ago, but now is the
stronghold of the PRU.

PRU leader Viktor Yanukovych, who routinely spoke Ukrainian when he was
prime minister in 2002-2004, ostensibly speaks Russian on his campaign
trips. The PRU’s campaign brochure “50 questions and answers” promises a
nationwide referendum in order to give Russian “the state status, on par
with Ukrainian,” as “56% of Ukrainian citizens routinely use the Russian
language in everyday life.”

The PRU collected 300,000 signatures for a local referendum on the
status of the Russian language earlier this year in Crimea, which is,
ironically, the only region where Russian actually enjoys a special
status, according to the local constitution. Based on this, on February
22 the Crimean parliament voted to hold a local non-binding referendum
on the status of Russian on March 26, to coincide with the general
elections. The Ukrainian Justice Ministry, however, warned that the
referendum would be illegal.

For the moment, it is not clear whether the referendum will be held at
all. It is clear, however, that it will have no legal consequences,
which its organizers readily admit, saying that their goal is just to
raise public awareness of the problem. The Crimean Tatars, who back the
government in Kyiv, will ignore the Russian language referendum, their
leader, Mustafa Dzhemilev, told Glavred web site.

On March 6, the city council of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine voted to
grant Russian the status of a regional language. President Yushchenko’s
legal adviser, Mykola Poludyony, said the council’s decision was
illegal, as the council had acted outside its remit. Kyiv’s official
position is that there is no Russian language problem. “This is
speculation by certain politicians ahead of the election,” Yushchenko
said on a trip to western Ivano-Frankivsk last month. On March 11, in
his regular weekly radio address to the nation, Yushchenko warned
against “provoking conflicts around the language issue in the heat of
the election campaign.”

(LIGABiznesInform, May 5, 2005; proUA.com, February 22;
Interfax-Ukraine, February 24; Glavred.info, March 3; Itar-Tass, UT1,
March 6; UNIAN, February 7, March 7; Ukrainian radio, March 11)

–Oleg Varfolomeyev

KARABAKH CONFLICT HANGS OVER GEORGIA’S ARMENIAN-POPULATED REGIONS

Tensions are running high in Tsalka and Akhalkalaki, two regions of
Georgia that are predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians.

The latest problem began in Tsalka on March 9, when a trivial brawl at a
restaurant between local Armenians and Georgians resulted in the death
of Gevork Gevorkian, a 24-year-old Armenian, and injuries to four other
Armenians. However, Maria Mikoyan of the Armenian Union in Georgia (Nor
Serund) claimed that the fight began because the Georgian young men were
irritated by the Armenian music playing in the restaurant.

Although police have arrested five Georgian suspects, about 500 Armenian
protesters gathered outside the Tsalka administrative building on March
10, calling for prosecution of the suspects. On March 11, the upheaval
spread to Akhalkalaki, a town in the predominately Armenian populated
Samtskhe-Javakheti region in southern Georgia.

About 300 participants in the Akhalkalaki rally were Tsalka Armenians.
They later took their appeal to the Georgian government and demanded
that Tbilisi “stop the policy of pressure by fueling interethnic
tensions” and “stop the settlement of other nationalities in
Armenian-populated regions.” Later, the protesters voiced demands
related to the right to conduct court proceedings and government
business in the Armenian language. Specifically, they want the central
government to make the Armenian language a state language equal to
Georgian in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Reiterating the alleged
threat to the rights of Armenians in Georgia, the appeal also demanded
political autonomy for the region.

The rally soon turned violent. The protesters, mostly youth, left the
government building and raided a local court chamber, ousting a Georgian
judge. They also attacked a building on Tbilisi State University’s
Akhalkalaki campus and a local Georgian Orthodox Church. Later on
Khachatur Stepanian, a representative of the council of Armenian civic
groups in Samtskhe-Javakheti, which organized the rally, attempted to
soften the anxiety and called the incident a “provocation” staged by
“someone else.”

On March 11, leaders of the public movement Multiethnic Georgia and the
Armenian Union in Georgia complained that police had brutally dispersed
the rally in Tsalka where “ethnic confrontation is increasingly becoming
a reason behind crimes.” They said that if tension in Tsalka and
Samtskhe-Javakheti continues, then Tbilisi would be forced to establish
direct presidential rule there.

Although Georgian Public Defender Sozar Subari investigated the Tsalka
incident and ruled it to be a “communal crime,” the majority of the
Armenian communities in these regions consider the incident to be a
demonstration of ethnic hatred towards Armenians, which they believe is
the result of the Georgian government’s misguided policies towards
ethnic minorities. They further alleged that Georgian law-enforcement
agents were working in tandem with those who committed the crime.

United Javakh, a radical Armenian organization in Samtskhe-Javakheti,
issued a statement accusing Tbilisi of “discriminatory policies” against
“the Armenian population of Javakh,” the Armenian nomenclature for the
region. They described the recent dismissal of the region’s ethnic
Armenian judges for ignorance of the Georgian language as “cynically
trampling on the rights of the Armenian-populated region.” Georgian
authorities insist the judges were dismissed for misconduct.

The United Javakh statement warned about “destructive trends in the
Georgian government’s policy” aimed at artificially creating a “climate
of ethnic intolerance” and “crushing the will of Javakh’s Armenian
population to protect its right to live in its motherland.” Finally the
statement demands that Tbilisi show “political prudence” and put an end
to the “infringement” of the Armenian community’s rights.

The content and tone of this and previous statements by United Javakh
and other radical Armenian organizations reportedly have strong backing
from political forces in Armenia. In fact, the statements recall the
language used by the Armenian community in Karabakh in its relations
with the Azerbaijani government before war erupted. Vardan Akopian,
chair of the Javakh Youth organization, argued, “The current situation
in Javakheti is a cross between situations in Nakhichevan and Karabakh.”
Several protestors explicitly cited the Karabakh precedent.

Symptomatically, on October 8, 2005, Garnik Isagulyan, the Armenian
president’s national security advisor, bluntly warned Tbilisi to be
“extremely cautious” with regard to Samtskhe-Javakheti “because any
minor provocation can turn into a large-scale clash” (EDM, October 12,
2005). Various Armenian political parties, officials, and media have
actively discussed the problems of the Armenian community in
Samtskhe-Javakheti. Some Armenian members of the Georgian parliament
linked this activity with the approaching parliamentary elections in
Armenia.

Recently Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian released a paper on
security issues in which he expressed concern over the situation in
Samtskhe-Javakheti. The excessively critical tone of the Armenian
minister towards Tbilisi’s policy in Samtskhe-Javakheti reportedly
alarmed Georgian politicians and analysts, but they preferred to stay
tight-lipped, perhaps to avoid upsetting the already-complex
Georgian-Armenian relationship (EDM, August 3, June 7, May 24, March 23,
2005). Russia has tried to capitalize on the problem by fueling tensions
in Akhalkalaki, location of a Russian military base slated for closure.

Although the Georgian government is continuously downplaying the ethnic
aspects of the disturbances in Armenian-populated regions, this factor
appears to lurk beneath the surface. Georgia remains Armenia’s sole
transport route to Russia and Europe due to the ongoing blockade by
Turkey and Azerbaijan. Thus an unstable Samtskhe-Javakheti would hardly
be a gain for Yerevan. However, the “Karabakh syndrome” should not be
removed from the agenda.

(Resonance, March 9, 11; Akhali Taoba, Civil Georgia, Rustavi-2, Regnum,
vesti.ru, March 11; Imedi-TV, March 10, 11)

–Zaal Anjaparidze

The Eurasia Daily Monitor, a publication of the Jamestown Foundation, is
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President Kocharian Welcomes Charles Aznavour

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN WELCOMES CHARLES AZNAVOUR

Armenpress
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian has welcomed
today the renowned French singer Charles Aznavour who arrived here
by the maiden flight of Air France to Armenia. Kocharian was quoted
by his press office as telling Aznavour that he should pay at least
two visits to Armenia a year to see not only the capital city Yerevan
but also Armenian provinces.

“I am happy to see the life here to move forward,” Aznavour was quoted
as saying. The presidential press office said Kocharian and Aznavour
discussed a set of humanitarian issues, spoke about the progress of
several projects implemented in Armenia by Aznavour our l’Armenie
Foundation. Kocharian was reported to expand also on a string of
joint Armenian-French projects.

Legislative Assembly of Brit Columbia recognises Armenian Genocide

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia recognises the Armenian
Genocide

ArmRadio.am
06.04.2006 12:48

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia unanimously adopted a
Private Member’s Motion 59, recognising the Armenian Genocide and to
designate April 24th of every year as a remembrance day for the 1.5
million Armenians who fell victim to the first genocide of the 20th
Century.

The debate on the Motion, which was sponsored by Member of the
Legislative Assembly (MLA) Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway), commenced
at 11:00 p.m. and was voted upon at the end of the allotted one hour
according to Private Member’s Motion rules.

MLAs Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway), Rob Fleming (Victoria-Hillside),
Randy Hawes (Maple Ridge-Mission), Dave S. Hayer (Surrey-Tynehead),
John Horgan (Malahat-Juan De Fuca), Murine Karagianis
(Esquimalt-Metchosin), Leonared Krog (Naniamo), Kevin Krueger
(Kamloops-North Thompson), John Nuraney (Burnaby-Wellingdon), Micheal
Sather (Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows), and John Yap
(Richmond-Stevenston) spoke in support of the Motion.

Since last August The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC),
The Armenian National Committee of Canada – West (ANCCW), and The
Armenian National Committee of Vancouver (ANCV), have worked closely
with the MLAs Dix, Hawes, Sather, and Hayer to build non-partisan
support for Motion 59. The ANCC, ANCCW and ANCV delegates had numerous
meetings with various MLAs to brief them on the Motion’s importance as
a universal human rights issue. In addition, the delegates presented
historical overview of the Genocide and supporting documents.

The executive director of The Armenian National Committee of Canada
Aris Babikian, on behalf of the Canadian-Armenian community, thanked
MLAs Adrian Dix and Randy Hawes for their leadership role in the
successful adoption of the Motion. Furthermore, Mr. Babikian thanked
members who spoke in favour of the Motion and the members who voted to
adopt it.

Mr. Babikian said: “This is a historic day for our community in Canada
and in British Columbia. The steadfast support and the unanimous vote
of the MLAs demonstrates once again that the Turkish Government’s
denial policy and rewriting of history will not succeed.

We call upon the Turkish Government to be constructive, to come to
terms with its dark history and to acknowledge its predecessors’ guilt
and extend a hand of atonement and reconciliation to the Armenian
People.”

MFA: FM concluded a one-day working visit to the Syrian capital

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

08-04-2006

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian concluded a one-day working
visit to the Syrian capital.

In Damascus, on April 8, Minister Oskanian met with Syrian Foreign Minister
Walid al-Moualem. During that meeting, the two spoke at length about
bilateral as well as regional matters. They specifically focused on
cooperation in international forums, educational and economic exchange, as
well as institutional cooperation. They also spoke at length about the
Nagorno Karabakh negotiation process, Armenia-Turkey relations, as well as
the situation in Iraq and other matters in both regions.

Earlier in the day, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also received the
Armenian delegation. Minister Oskanian informed him about political and
economic developments within Armenia and in the region. President Assad
expressed his appreciation at the traditionally warm relations between
Armenians and Syrians and said that should serve as a foundation for
deepening ties, especially in the economic sphere.

The Minister’s Damascus visit concluded with a reception at the embassy,
attended by representatives of community organizations and religious
leaders.

On Sunday, the Minister will be in Aleppo at the 100th anniversary
celebration of the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the 75th
anniversary celebration of the Armenian Youth Association.

www.armeniaforeignministry.am

Transcript: State dept. regular news briefing with Sean McCormack

Congressional Quarterly
April 7, 2006 Friday

SEAN MCCORMACK HOLDS STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING

WASHINGTON, D.C.

STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING

APRIL 7, 2006

SPEAKER: SEAN MCCORMACK,
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

[parts omitted]

QUESTION: I was looking for a readout on the Azerbaijan foreign
minister’s meeting.

MCCORMACK: The secretary met with the Azerbaijan foreign minister.
They discussed a number of issues of bilateral interest, both to the
United States and Azerbaijan. They talked about Nagorno- Karabakh.
They talked about economic reform and democratization in Azerbaijan.

The secretary emphasized the importance of respect for human rights
and moving forward on the democratization process in Azerbaijan.

QUESTION: Was there any talk of a visit to the United States by the
president of Azerbaijan?

MCCORMACK: In as much as a visit to the United States by the
president of Azerbaijan might concern the White House, I’ll leave it
to the White House to discuss such visits — potential visits.

QUESTION: Nagorno-Karabakh was the very first initiative that
Secretary Powell dove into when he took office. And I was just
wondering if Secretary Rice had any inclination to become more
involved in mediating the conflict.

MCCORMACK: She actually has been very much involved in this. There
was a recent meeting in (inaudible) France where we had great hopes
that the two presidents, the Armenian and the Azerbaijani president,
would be able to come to some resolution, some agreement on the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In advance of that meeting, the secretary spoke with both of the
presidents, and she has also been very much involved with Assistant
Secretary Dan Fried, as well as others who have been working to move
this issue toward a resolution.

So she’s certainly up to date on where the discussions stand. We hope
that both sides can in the wake of the talks in France again provide
some renewed impetus to those discussions and come to an agreement
that would resolve this longstanding issue.

Lawmakers To Honor Genocide Victims, Weigh Immigration Regulations

LAWMAKERS TO HONOR GENOCIDE VICTIMS, WEIGH IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS
By Candice Hall

NorthJersey.com, NJ
April 5 2006

ROSA PARKS HIGH SCHOOL

WAYNE – On Tuesday, the House Committee on the Judiciary met during
the second preliminary session of the 2006 Model Congress.

The committee, brought to order by Chairman Thomas Agresta, passed
two bills: one to reform current immigration regulations and one
commemorating the sacrifices of victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill that commemorates the
Armenian Genocide on April 24.

“Foreign countries tend to look down on us Americans,” said Agresta.

When asked of the reasoning behind the bill, Agresta responded,
“It’s a compassionate reach-out.”

Later in the session, the committee passed another bill which combined
previous measures to substantially reform current U.S.

immigration regulations by eliminating physical barriers.

This bill placed a small tax on each dollar spent on tanning services,
tobacco and alcoholic beverages.

CAPITOL REPORT
——————————————- ————————————-
Legislators wage battle of the presidential sexes Finance committees
pass slate of bills Republican leadership caught in power struggle
Bills on health concerns, living wills weighed ‘Superbill’ takes
aim at putting FEMA house in order Committee weighs in on Iraqi
sovereignty, pulling troops Lawmakers to honor genocide victims,
weigh immigration regulations Lawmakers act on incentives to protect
environment Committee seeks to leave no child behind Immigration,
teenager emancipation bills proposed

“There was a surplus of funds and too great of an increase,” said
Rep. Ben Kochman.

The House Committee on the Judiciary is one of 11 congressional
committees that met prior to the first joint session of the 2006
Congress scheduled for May 22 at the Business School of William
Paterson University.

There are 67 Democrats and 71 Republicans serving in the 2006 Herald
News Model Congress. This is the third year the Congress has been
held. During the school year, bills are drafted by more than 145
student legislators at 14 participating high schools from Passaic
and southwest Bergen counties.

Student legislators were assigned to parties and committees by their
faculty advisors. As in the U.S. Congress, Republicans hold slight
majorities in both houses.

The Congress is a legislature with two houses – the House and the
Senate – designed to teach students how government works by playing
the roles of legislators. Each house has six committees, ranging from
finance to judiciary.

Congress sponsors include William Paterson University, the Nicholas
Martini Foundation, Verizon, Public Service Electric and Gas Co., the
Office of the Passaic County Superintendent of Schools and the North
Jersey Media Group Foundation, which serves as the group’s charitable
arm. The group is the publisher of the Herald News and The Record,
as well as more than 30 weeklies in northeast New Jersey.

Ambassador Markarian Visits the Armenian Community of Philadelphia

PRESS RELEASE March 30, 2006
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected] ;Web:

Ambassador Markarian Visits the Armenian Community of Philadelphia

Ambassador Tatoul Markarian, accompanied by his wife Anna, visited the
Armenian-American community of Philadelphia on March 11, 2006, meeting with
the representatives of nineteen Armenian organizations and prominent
activists. A reception hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Papken and Anahid Megerian
brought together organizations representing the entire spectrum of the local
Armenian-American community.

In his remarks before the community members, Ambassador Markarian presented
the current developments in Armenia and the region. He outlined the current
state of U.S.-Armenia relations, and presented the bilateral cooperation in
political, economic, commercial, and security areas. The Ambassador then
discussed the Government’s vision for further expanding the synergies
between Homeland and the Diaspora.

Ambassador Markarian thanked the hosts, as well as co-chairs of the
welcoming committee, Dr. Ara Chalian and George S. Yacoubian for organizing
an event. He noted that the presence of so many Armenian-American
organizations was an indication of the spirit of unity and deep interest in
the Armenian issues that has continued unabated for fifteen years since
Armenia’s independence.

www.armeniaemb.org

Vartan Oskanian And Danish Ambassador Discussed Karabakh Settlement

VARTAN OSKANIAN AND DANISH AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.04.2006 00:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today newly appointed Danish Ambassador to Armenia
Uffe Anderson Balslev handed the copies of credentials to RA Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, reported the RA MFA press office. During the
meeting the interlocutors voiced satisfaction with the current level
of the Armenia-Denmark relations and noted that the implementation
of various joint projects will contribute their development. By the
diplomat’s request Vartan Oskanian briefed on the current stage of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

Raffi Hovhannisian In Search For New Values To Unite ArmenianOpposit

RAFFI HOVHANNISIAN IN SEARCH FOR NEW VALUES TO UNITE ARMENIAN OPPOSITION

AZG Armenian Daily
05/04/2006

Raffi Hovhannisian, leader of “Heritage” party, hasn’t decided yet
whether he is going to run for the next parliamentary elections
in Armenia or not. He said this at today’s press conference at
“Pakagits” club.

Hovhannisian stated that if the next parliamentary elections will
be held with falsifications, he doesn’t care whether there will be
regular or snap elections in Armenia. According to him, one should
be merciful and admit one’s own mistakes, but those who committed
violations in the elections do not deserve forgiveness. If needed,
Raffi Hovhannisian and his party will run for the elections, but this
is not an end in itself, he stated.

Hovhannisian said that he is looking for allies first of all among the
opposition members, but added that there are also citizens concerned
about the future of Armenia among the ruling parties, as well.

Hovhannisian said that all the political forces should unite and lead
the country to progress.

As for the further steps of his party, Hovhannisian said that the
meeting of “Heritage” party’s board will be held next week and they
will define the terms for the next congress of the party in May.

In response to the question about the compromising TV report about
him and his family shown over RA Public TV, Hovhannisian said that
nothing will make him leave his motherland. “Homeland is no source
to earn money.

I am not afraid of anything, especially of their cheap tricks. I am
not going to institute a suit against H1 TV. I am neither going to
judge them, nor to response to their accusations,” he underscored.

Chess: Another Big Talent From A Small Country

ANOTHER BIG TALENT FROM A SMALL COUNTRY
Suhit Kelkar

Daily News & Analysis, India
April 5 2006

MUMBAI: There is a new knight – albeit bespectacled and looking like
a pensive software designer – on the round table of the chess elite.

He is a 23-year-old Armenian Grandmaster named Levon Aronian. In
April, he became the world number three chess player after winning
the Linares tournament in March.

Linares is not his sole achievement but it is certainly his greatest
so far. Linares is to chess what Wimbledon is to tennis: a fabled
tournament played by the world’s best, and Aronian outranked them
all. Even current world champion Veselin Topalov. An omen, perhaps?

Winning Linares is no flash in the pan, mind you. Aronian’s resume is
packed with achievements: under-12 World Champion, FIDE junior rapid
champion at age 14, and member of Armenia’s Olympic team by age 16.

Aronian caught the world’s attention by winning the FIDE World Cup
in 2005, and now Linares.

As many commentators have said, most young prodigies burn out early.

It is still anyone’s guess whether Aronian will continue to play well
or better, or whether his King will topple on the board. For now,
though, he is leading the charge of the new generation of chess
Grandmasters.

And there are many prodigies breathing down his neck: Shakhriyar
Mamedyarov and Teimur Radjabov of Azerbaijan (what is it with tiny
countries and chess talent?), Ukrainian teenager Sergey Karjakin
(remember him? He became the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster).

Raised in a climate of immense theoretical advancement, especially
in Openings, as well as the active use of computers as playing and
training tools, these players are experimenting with new ways to play
the grand old game.

Aronian is said to be an ace at blitz play (chess games with very
small time limits) and the insane one-minute chess. He is also among
the best at Fischerandom Chess, a variant of chess which emphasises
creativity and calculation over memorisation of chess theory.

Invented by the great Bobby Fischer, Fischerandom is considered by
many to be the future of chess play and Aronian will certainly be
one of its first heroes.

Looking at his record, it is unlikely that Aronian will ascend to the
greatness of Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer or display the dazzling
tactics of Mikhail ‘The Terrible’ Tal.

But he keeps winning, and he is the new celebrity in classical chess.

There will be speculation about Aronian’s prospects for the world
title.

He has arrived.

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