Author: Nargizian David

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

August 19, 2005
___________________

ENDOWMENT FUND INCORPORATES, LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

A gift to the Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF) lasts forever.

To protect funds bequeathed to it, the board of ACEF incorporated as a
separate entity at the beginning of 2005. And to ensure that the newly
reorganized ACEF meets all the rules and requirements that now apply,
the ACEF Board of Trustees has hired Kay Wight as its new director of
administration.

“Our goal is to ensure ACEF’s safety and growth within all the new laws
and regulations that cover such non-profit organizations,” said Wight,
who has a long resume in the world of foundations and non-profits.
“Like all foundations, the ability to increase our endowment and to
ensure the safety and protection of our programs is vital.”

Wight has an extensive background steering and advising non-profit
foundations, including the New York City Police Foundation, the G&P
Foundation for Cancer Research, and the MacAndrews & Forbes/REVLON
Foundation. She has also worked for American Express, CBS, and as an
aide to New York City mayors Koch and Dinkins.

In ACEF, she’s found a well-organized, quality foundation, she said.

“It is in an excellent place. It has an extraordinary board of trustees
and from the Primate and executive committee to the staff, everyone
should be quite proud of the strength of this organization,” said Wight,
who is taking over some of the administrative responsibilities
previously handled by former ACEF executive director George Kassis. “I
am here to ensure this newly incorporated organization adheres to all
the laws and guidelines, and that it exercises due diligence, so we can
focus on increasing our endowment to provide more support for our
beneficiaries.”

ACEF WORKS TO AID NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS

ACEF filed for its incorporation on February 9, 2005, and was stamped by
the state of Delaware on March 29, 2005. The purpose of incorporation
is to make official the independence of the fund from the Eastern
Diocese, which is just one of the beneficiaries of investments managed
by ACEF.

At the end of 2004, the funds in ACEF-managed accounts totaled
$65,054,650. Last year ACEF distributed $2.9 million to 130
beneficiaries.

“ACEF is one of the best ways for our community to support future
generations. Today’s gifts are invested forever, providing a steady
income stream for our programs and ministries for generations to come,”
said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese and
president of ACEF. “We’re glad to welcome Ms. Wight to the
organization, and we know she will continue the skilled and professional
management of ACEF that we have come to depend on.”

An endowment established with ACEF can benefit any Armenian non-profit
organization designated by the donor, from the Diocese or a local parish
to St. Nersess Seminary or the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR). Funds
are invested and managed by the ACEF board of trustees, chaired by
Kevork Hovnanian, in a manner to ensure that the designated beneficiary
receives a steady annual income from the investments. The principle of
the investment can never be touched, so it will provide income from its
interest forever.

Endowments can be established through gifts, bequeaths and wills, or set
up as charitable gift annuities. If you have any questions or wish to
set up your own ACEF endowment, contact Kay Wight by e-mailing
[email protected] or calling (212) 686-0710 ext. 46.

— 8/19/05

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Kay Wight, the newly appointed director of
administration for the Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF), fields a
question on endowment funds.

# # #

Azeri ministry confirms one serviceman killed, another wounded in mine blast

ANS TV, Baku
17 Aug 05

One soldier of the Azerbaijani national army was killed and another
wounded in a mine blast along the contact line between the two armies
near the village of Qapanli in Tartar District.

Private Zamiq Asgarov is being treated at Sarcali hospital and his
condition is satisfactory. Ilqar Nuraliyev, 19, recruited from the
Azizbayov district [in Baku] enlistment office on 1 April 2004,
was killed, the Karabakh bureau of ANS TV reports.

This fact was also confirmed by the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry.

PACE CHAIRMAN TO VISIT ARMENIA ON AUGUST18-20, 2005

ARKA News Agency
Aug 17 2005

YEREVAN, August 17. /ARKA/. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rene van der Linden will visit
Armenia on August18-20, 2005 at the invitation of the RA National
Assembly Speaker Arthur Baghdassaryan, press-service of the RA NA
reports. Mr. Linden is expected to meet with the Ambassadors of
the member countries of the Council of Europe, as well as with the
representatives of Armenian NGOs on August 18, 2005. He also will
visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II will receive him the same day.

The meetings with the members of Armenian delegation to PACE,
members of Committee of Foreign Relations, as well as meetings with
representatives of political forces of Armenian parliament will be
held on August 19, 2005. PACE Chairman will have tete-a-tete meeting
with RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdassaryan. He will also meet with RA
President Robert Kocharyan, RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan,
and RA Minister of Justice David Harutyunyan. A.A. -0–

INDIAN VICE-PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO ARMENIA TO GIVE FURTHER STIMULUS TO
BILATERAL COOPERATION, DEEPAK VOHRA MENTIONS

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Indian Vice-President’s visit to
Armenia is expected in September. That will pass further stimulus to
bilateral cooperation. Deepak Vohra, the Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of India, finishing his diplomatic mission to Armenia,
mentioned about this at the August 16 meeting with RA President Robert
Kocharian. He thanked the authorities of Armenia for the assistance
shown during his officiating. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA
President’s Press Office, stating with satisfaction about the high
level of the Armenian-Indian cooperation, R.Kocharian thanked the
Ambassador for the active and effective work.

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
Aug 8 2005

THE CONSPIRATOR AS BRAGGART

By Vladimir Socor

Monday, August 8, 2005

Azerbaijani opposition movement leaders under pressure On August 4
and 5, Azerbaijani television channels screened a videotape of a
meeting held on July 29 in Tbilisi between Ruslan Bashirli, leader of
the Baku-based Yeni Fikir (New Thinking) youth association, and two
Georgians who claimed to represent a youth group supporting regime
change in Azerbaijan and offered clandestine assistance to that end.

Yeni Fikir itself seeks to spearhead an “orange-revolution”-type
movement in Azerbaijan and has clad its followers in orange shirts,
preparatory to street demonstrations in connection with the upcoming
parliamentary elections. The group is affiliated with (though not a
part of) the People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party (PFAP). Yeni Fikir
activist Osman Alimuradov, who accompanied Bashirli to Tbilisi,
promptly reported to the Azerbaijani authorities and turned over the
videotape, which he said had been made by the Tbilisi hosts who
retained a copy. Bashirli was detained on August 4 on criminal
charges of conspiring to overthrow the constitutional order.

Bashirli, who is 27 years old, has been interrogated by a Baku court
in the presence of his lawyer, Elchin Gambarov. The lawyer as well as
PFAP leader Ali Kerimli, Musavat Party leader Isa Gambar, and others
seek to mobilize political support for Bashirli. Official media,
using the case to discredit PFAP, accuse Bashirli and other
opposition members of working with Armenia’s intelligence services,
but they adduce no evidence other than the Armenian names of some of
Bashirli’s alleged contacts in Tbilisi. Bashirli’s defenders suggest
that the videotape was doctored.

Beyond the welter of far-fetched mutual accusations in the media,
however, Bashirli and his defenders have admitted to the accuracy of
at least some of the content of the videotape. Thus, they concede
that Bashirli has accepted a $2,000 donation — the receipt for which
he is seen signing and heard confirming on the videotape — and a
promise for a further $20,000 donation later this month. By way of
mitigating circumstances, they cite Bashirli’s assertion — on tape
and again to the court — that he would use the initial donation to
buy technical equipment for Yeni Fikir and to cover expenses for his
wedding party.

Kerimli told a news conference that the case is a provocation by the
authorities “aiming to discredit Yeni Fikir, [out of] fear that the
movement will grow in the run-up to the election.” Bashirli “should
be held responsible morally, not criminally. He makes incorrect and
inappropriate statements that the United States is preparing a
revolution in Azerbaijan … He wants to present himself as a more
important figure [than he is] in order to impress his interlocutors.
All this is of course regrettable and makes him responsible before
his comrades-in-arms,” Kerimli stated. He cautioned PFAP members to
refrain from attending dubious meetings or drinking alcohol, and
generally to control their emotions (ANS TV, Turan, August 5).

For his part, Gambarov told a news conference that the donation was
part of a grant received via Georgian non-governmental groups.
Bashirli was to have spent part on it on his wedding party planned
for August 10 (ANS TV, August 6; Turan, August 6, 8). Yeni Fikir’s
vice-chairmen, Said Nuriev and Fikret Faramazoglu, while defending
Bashirli, told their press conference that their leader was “drunk
and bragging” (AFP, August 5). In fact, drink was a topic of
discussion several times on the videotape — an element seized on by
the authorities to discredit an opponent in this Muslim nation.

On the tape, Bashirli is seen and heard saying that the
Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) is instructing
Yeni Fikir about organizing mass protest rallies and “preparing for
revolution.” In Washington, NDI’s Eurasia regional director, Nelson
Ledsky, responded in a statement that NDI does not support any party
or individual candidate in the parliamentary elections. NDI’s Baku
office in turn responded that allegations that NDI is funding a
revolution are untrue, as NDI cooperates with all political parties
to promote free and fair elections (Turan, August 5, 6).

The flap over Yeni Fikir and Bashirli, while overblown, seems to
demonstrate the immaturity and volatility of some of the opposition
circles.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 6 2005

Opposition Party to Appeal to Georgian Secret Service

Baku Today / Assa Irada 06/08/2005 10:59

The opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) will appeal
to Georgia to achieve a transparent conduct of investigation into
the incident related to chairman of the Yeni Fikir (New Thought)
youth movement Ruslan Bashirli.

Bashirli has been arrested on charges of plotting with representatives
of the Armenian secret service to stage a coup in Azerbaijan.

PFPA chairman Ali Karimli told a news conference on Friday that his
party will make every effort to draw Georgian secret service bodies to
the investigation. “This may help the investigation to identify those
who are said to be employees of the Armenian secret service,” he said.

Karimli added that their goal is not to acquit Bashirli but to
‘ascertain the truth’.

Alcatel Draws Four Aces: MAN, DSL, IPTV & GSM

TELECOMWEB NEWS DIGEST
August 3, 2005

Alcatel, in the space of barely 24 hours, has disclosed a string of
broadband and wireless contract wins at carriers in Belgium, China,
Armenia and Egypt plus a deal with Israel’s Amdocs to craft a joint
end-to-end IPTV solution. The first of the deals cover DSL, where
Alcatel claims 37.8 percent of the global DSL market, with more than
68 million DSL lines shipped at the end of the second quarter of 2005.

In Belgium, it signed a key broadband deal with fixed and mobile
operator Mobistar to help it roll out DSL infrastructure. Mobistar
currently derives the majority of its revenues from mobile – about $772
million of the company’s $834.3 million in total revenues for the first
half of this year. Its decision to team with Alcatel indicates that it
wants to become more of a force away from its core mobile market, where
it has a 33-percent share with nearly 2.9 million customers. Mobistar,
which hopes to put pressure on Belgacom in all areas of the Belgian
telecom market, recently launched a pilot TV-on-mobile project,
which will run from July to September.

Mobistar is buying Alcatel’s 7301 Advanced Services Access Manager,
managed by the Alcatel 5523 ADSL Work Station, and the Alcatel
5530 Network Analyzer, Michel Rahier, head of Alcatel’s fixed
communications activities, said of the deal, “Mobistar’s entry into
the fixed broadband business moves them toward a one-stop- shop model,
which we see as a clear trend in many advanced markets. Being already
the supplier of Mobistar’s mobile core network, we are extremely happy
to now contribute to the development of its fixed broadband business.”

In a second DSL deal, Alcatel inked a frame contract to supply Nile
Online, an Egyptian ISP said to have one of the largest Internet
backbones in the country, with the hardware and installation services
for 30,000 DSL lines during the next year. The deal reinforces
Alcatel’s already commanding position in the Egyptian broadband market,
where it claims a 60-percent market share.

Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel will supply Nile Online
with its Alcatel 7302 Integrated Services Access Manager (ISAM),
which hit the market nearly a year ago. Alcatel says the order is
its first for the 7302 from a Middle Eastern country, and that Nile
Online is its 11th customer worldwide for the widgetry.

Meanwhile, in China, Hubei Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom,
ordered Alcatel’s IP service routing solution to expand and optimize
its metropolitan area network (MAN) in Hubei Province, China. The
contract, won by Alcatel Shanghai Bell, calls for deployment of the
Alcatel 7750 Service Router (SR) in the province’s three major cities:
Wuhan, Yichang and Huanggang.

The order continues Alcatel’s relationship with China Telecom, which
has already installed the 7750 in 11 other Chinese provinces. China
Telecom says its upgraded network in Hubei is going to be used to
deliver services including a bundled triple- play offering, high-speed
Internet access for residential users, and Layer 2 and Layer 3 virtual
private network (VPN) services for enterprises.

Meanwhile, on the wireless side, Alcatel disclosed landing what was
described as a “multimillion Euro” contract to deploy a GSM/GPRS mobile
network for VivaCell, the second mobile operator in Armenia. Alcatel,
which partnered in the project with Greek telecommunications integrator
Intracom, actually won the contract some time ago, but waited until
the gear was deployed to disclose it.

Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel deployed a complete GSM
network based on its multi-standard Evolium solution. Alcatel’s
solution, which will cover the whole territory of Armenia, will
include Mobile Switching Centers for 400,000 subscribers, more than 200
base-station subsystems with natively embedded GPRS capabilities, and
a backbone based on Alcatel’s next-generation SDH Optical Multi-Service
Node systems and access network.

In a final deal, Alcatel and Amdocs crafted a pact to integrate
Amdocs’ IP Convergence Solution software for IPTV with Alcatel’s IPTV
infrastructure offerings. The two say they have immediately begun
development of an interoperability lab that will simulate real-world
production environments, including the infrastructure, full broadband
access network, switching, routing, transport and applications. The
two companies also will create a joint architectural map-and-service
offering, and they are planning joint sales and marketing efforts.

Armenian president goes on two-week holiday

Arminfo
1 Aug 05

Yerevan, 1 August: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today took
a two week’s leave which he will spend in Armenia, the president’s
press service told Arminfo.

FM to meet US officials in Washington

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Aug 2 2005

Baku, August 1, AssA-Irada — Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov left
for Washington on Sunday on the invitation of US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.

During the visit to last till Friday, Mammadyarov will hold meetings
with US government officials at the White House and Pentagon to discuss
issues related to economic and political cooperation between Azerbaijan
and the United States, relations with international organizations
and democratization processes in Azerbaijan, Foreign Ministry said.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh will be in focus
of discussions as well.*

PanArmenian News Network
July 29 3005

UKRAINIAN DNEPR TO COMPETE WITH YEREVAN BANANTS

29.07.2005 09:41

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today the casting of lots of the UEFA Cup second
round qualifiers was held at 5:00 p.m. today. As a result Ukrainian
Dnepr will compete with Yerevan Banants. According to the UEFA
official website, after being defeated by Tbilisi Lokomotivi (2:3),
Banants was close to having the same fate as Mika. However yesterday
Yerevan football players scored 2 unresponsive goals in the guest
match, which was sufficient to step forward. The first goal to the
Tbilisi team was scored by Aram Hakobyan, who had also distinguished
himself in the first match. 9 minutes before the end of the period
Ara Khachatryan scored the decisive goal. As a result the
Lokomotivi-Banants return match finished 0:2. Playing with Ukrainian
Dnepr may be a return match for the Mariupol Ilichevets beating
Banants past season. It should be noted that Banants will play UEFA
Cup second round qualifiers with Ukrainian Dnepr in Yerevan August
11, the response guest match will take place August 25.