Author: Tadevosian Garnik

Black Sea organization diplomats meet in Azeri capital

ANS Radio, Baku
30 Apr 04

A meeting of the council of foreign ministers of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation Organization opened in Baku today. The meeting is
chaired by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. The meeting
is discussing cooperation in various fields among the organization’s
member states. Georgia is represented by its foreign minister and
other countries are represented by deputy foreign ministers at the
meeting.

The Armenian foreign minister was officially invited to the meeting,
but he did not come to Baku.

Armenian opposition MPs comment on PACE session

Mediamax news agency
3 May 04

YEREVAN

Artashes Gegamyan and Shavarsh Kocharyan, representing the opposition
in the Armenian delegation in PACE, did not put their signatures under
the initiative to put the issue of the internal political situation in
Armenia on the agenda of PACE’s spring session.

The leader of the National Unity Party [MP of the National Assembly],
Artashes Gegamyan, said this in Yerevan today, Mediamax
reported. According to him, “a number of European parliamentarians”
concerned about “the state of democracy in Armenia” came out with the
initiative to put this issue on the agenda. Justice block
representative Shavarsh Kocharyan denied the authorities’ statements
that the PACE resolution on the situation in Armenia was supported by
the Azerbaijani and Turkish parliamentarians.

The parliamentarian said that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan will
address PACE’s summer session in Strasbourg on 21 June. According to
Shavarsh Kocharyan, “if by this time the authorities do not solve the
problems contained in PACE resolution adopted on 28 April we will
address the president right during the PACE meeting”.

Sometimes a vote can hang on one word

Eric Black, Star Tribune
May 4, 2004

Massis Yeterian of Shorewood considers himself a conservative on most
issues.

In 2000, he voted for George W. Bush for president and contributed to
his campaign.

But he went to the John Kerry fundraiser Monday at the Minneapolis
Convention Center, contributing to the campaign of the liberal
Democrat who hopes to prevent Bush from serving a second term.

Why? Yeterian, a retired microbiologist, is a single-issue voter; at
least, just one issue comes immediately to his lips when he explains
his change of heart about Bush.

If you’re thinking it’s anything related to the war in Iraq, you’re
way off (although Yeterian was born and raised in Iraq before moving
to Minnesota in 1 949 to attend the College of St. Thomas).

Tax cuts? Jobs? The deficit? You’re still off, and by about a century.

Yeterian is an Armenian-American. At about the time Kerry’s plane
landed in Minnesota, Yeterian made his Kerry contribution far from the
main action, at a small gathering of Armenian-Americans for Kerry.

Several public policy issues are of special interest to
Armenian-Americans.

They care about U.S.-Armenian relations, especially because Armenia is
locked in a long struggle with its neighbor, Azerbaijan.

But they care passionately about the choice of a particular word to
describe the greatest tragedy in Armenian history — the death of more
than 1 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks during and
after World War I.

The word is “genocide.”

As a candidate courting the Armenian vote in 2000, Bush sent a letter
to two Armenian supporters in which he called what happened to the
Armenians a “genocidal campaign.”

But as president, when issuing the traditional statement about the
deaths on the anniversary of the beginning of the killing, he referred
to it as “the great calamity of 1915.”

The Bush State Department has opposed Armenian efforts to get state
legislatures to adopt resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide.

The hang-up is that Turkey, an important U.S. ally, rejects the word
“genocide” about as passionately as Armenians insist upon it.

But that excuse doesn’t fly with Yeterian, who said he felt that Bush
had made a commitment and broken it. “Once you break your word to me,
I cannot trust you again,” he said.

Two weeks ago, as the April 24 anniversary of the onset of the
slaughter approached, Kerry issued a statement declaring, “I join
Armenian-Americans and Armenians worldwide in mourning the victims of
the Armenian genocide, and I call on governments and people everywhere
to formally recognize this tragedy.” Armenian-Americans for Kerry has
scheduled 10 fundraisers across the country.

Minnesota, which according to the 2000 census is home to 1,154
citizens who claim Armenian ancestry, was the second. The roughly 60
people attending contributed about $20,000 to the Kerry campaign.

The census found 385,488 Americans who claim Armenian ancestry. The
number of them who will base their vote on the historical word choice
is unknown.

Yeterian grew up in Iraq because that’s where his parents fled to
escape the killing.

Eric Black is at [email protected].

Batumi News
May 4 2004

Adjara still imports power from Russia

The AS Telas stopped the import of power from Armenia since May 1.
the company is supplied with power from the local power generation
stations, what is sufficient only for the permanent power provision
for the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi.

The totally consumed power by the Georgian capital is 6.1 million
kwt. within 24 hours, of which 5 million kwt. Is being purchased by
the Telas from the wholesale market, and 1.1 kwt. from its private
sources.

Notably, the Georgian power generation stations can generate 20
million kwt. Power within 24 hours, while the consumption claims for
22. 3. The only region in Georgia, still imporing power is Adjara,
importing 1.9 kwt. from Russia.

Eurasianet Organization
may 4 2004

POLITICAL ATTACKS ON BAKU MAYOR PROMPT SPECULATION ABOUT POWER
STRUGGLE IN AZERBAIJAN
5/04/04

Political analysts in Baku, culling clues from state-run media,
suggest jockeying within the ruling New Azerbaijan Party’s hierarchy
may be intensifying. Recent media attacks on Baku Mayor Hajibala
Abutalibov have fueled speculation about a potential rift within
President Ilham Aliyev’s power base.

Abutalibov has long been the target of criticism by opposition
outlets, including the Yeni Musavat newspaper. But when the official
parliamentary newspaper, Azerbaijan, published an article criticizing
the Baku mayor for letting the city’s construction boom spin out of
control, it caused a minor sensation in the Azerbaijan capital.
Shortly after publication of the Azerbaijan article, several
state-run broadcast media outlets aired features that were critical
of Abutalibov’s performance.

During a subsequent parliamentary debate, ruling party MPs both
defended and chastised Abutalibov. Some pro-government deputies
called on their colleagues, as well as state-run media, not to air
differences in public. “I believe YAP [the ruling New Azerbaijan
Party] has done a lot for Azerbaijan and the official newspaper of
the parliament should refrain from these kinds of accusations and
slanders,” said Musa Musayev, a YAP deputy.

In addition to the Baku mayor, state-run media has criticized the
Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. The newspaper
Azerbaijan said Aliyev has received thousands of complaints about the
performance of both ministries. This revelation prompted some
political observers to suspect that presidential Chief-of-Staff Ramiz
Mehtiyev may be orchestrating a media campaign to discredit his
rivals for influence within the ruling party.

Minister of Education Misir Mardanov’s response to the criticism
appeared to lend credence to the notion that Mehtiyev was somehow
involved in the attacks. “I know which forces are behind these
articles and I advise them to refrain from them,” Mardanov told Lider
TV. Mardanov and Ali Insanov, the Minister of Health, are widely
viewed as political rivals of Mehtiyev.

The New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has long been known for its internal
rivalries among various factions, political analysts in Baku say.
Some of the factions comprise politicians from the same region, such
as the Nakhichevan exclave. Other groups inside the YAP are formed
around common economic interests. Former president Heidar Aliyev was
widely recognized as a master politician, capable of maintaining a
delicate balance among factions. Aliyev’s son Ilham, who became
president in 2003, is widely viewed as not having anywhere near the
same level of political acumen as his deceased father. Thus, many
political observers predicted that Ilham might find it difficult to
keep the ambitions of his top lieutenants in check. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The YAP appeared to come together in order to ensure a dynastic
succession in Azerbaijan, formalized during the country’s
controversial presidential election last October. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. Now that the father-to-son transition
seems secure, the factions within the YAP may be focusing their
energy on securing a greater degree of influence within the younger
Aliyev’s administration, some analysts suggest.

Abutalibov makes for a relatively easy political target, given the
considerable criticism over the chaotic nature of Baku’s growth in
recent years. The construction of office buildings and other edifices
has not been well regulated, critics contend, leading to a drastic
reduction of green space in the capital. The mayor has also been
assailed for pursuing overzealous urban renewal policies that have
led to the destruction of kiosks that were a primary source of income
for Azerbaijanis displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In
addition, many Baku residents complain about the poor quality of the
city’s roads.

Aliyev has not issued any public comment on the Azerbaijan newspaper
criticism of the Baku mayor. However, the president is on record as
having earlier instructed Abutalibov to make sure that urban
development proceeds “according to the general plan of the city.”
Observers do not believe that the recent signs of maneuvering within
the YAP threaten its ability to govern. However, some analysts say
the president will have to start paying more attention to internal
YAP politics in order to prevent the intra-party rivalries from
becoming a problem down the road.

Pravda.RU:World

Armenia and USA sign military agreement

18:30 2004-04-26

Armenia and the USA have signed a military agreement on rendering mutual
services, Mikhail Arutyunyan, the Head of the Command Staff and the Senior
Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia said at today’s briefing. There has been
created a legal basis, which will allow both countries to render logistic
support to each other during joint actions and military exercises on the
terms of mutual compensation, he noted. “The rights and duties stipulated in
the agreement are mutual and will allow military forces of the two states to
establish allied relations during joint actions and exercises,” Arutyunyan
mentioned.

In his turn, U.S. General Charles Wald, the Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces
in Europe, declared that this agreement was important for military forces of
the USA as Armenia and that cooperation between the two states was
developing in a stable way.

© RBC

The California Aggie Online
April 26 2004

Armenian students commemorate past genocide

By LISA BO FENG
Aggie Staff Writer

The vigil took place when the sun was still out Friday evening, but
candles were lit nonetheless in remembrance of the 1.5 million
victims of the Armenian genocide, which took place from 1915 to 1923.
The massacre was backed by the Ottoman Turk government, and is known
as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The commemoration event concluded Armenian Genocide Awareness Week,
and featured speeches and poems from UC Davis students and members of
the Armenian community. The event was put on by the Armenian Student
Association.

“It’s not the people they want to erase, it’s our history,” said
Karen Sarkissian, a UCD alumna. Sarkissian told the story of her
grandfather, who was one of many Armenians exiled to Syria. During
his stays in various German-run camps, he learned the German
language. His knowledge of Armenian and German led him to eventually
become a translator for the German army and survived the genocide.

Once the largest minority group in Turkey, millions of Armenians were
executed, starved and died of disease while forced to march into
Syria. The events occurred when the new leadership in Turkey – a
group called the Young Turks – was trying to establish itself as a
World War I power.

Close to a century later, Turkey – a close U.S. ally – continues to
deny the events.

The United States also does not recognize the incident as genocide.
In the last eight annual speeches commemorating Armenian Genocide
Week, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush did not use the term
“genocide.” Bush called the events a “great calamity” in his 2003
commemoration speech.

“Every election we get a president who promises to get the genocide
recognized.but they always ignore it immediately,” said Taline
Gulesserian, a UCD law student.

The U.S. Congress has also heard several bills that recognize the
event but have never reached a vote. However, 33 states, including
California, have issued proclamations acknowledging the genocide.

Gulesserian said she was pleased that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
included the term “genocide” in his commemoration speech at the state
Capitol on Saturday.

“Denial is killing them twice,” said sophomore Garo Manjikian, ASA
co-president.

The Canadian government formally recognized the Armenian genocide on
Wednesday, according an Armenian National Committee of America press
release. Canada joins France and Greece as countries recognizing the
issue.

During the week of tabling on campus, Gulesserian said she was
surprised at the number of non-Armenians who have heard about the
incident. Aside from members speaking to students, ASA also showed a
documentary on denial and recognition.

Participants at the vigil were also concerned about the number of
Turkish-endowed scholars teaching in the U.S. Beginning in the late
1990s, the Turkish government has been pushing to endow Turkish
studies programs in major universities in the U.S. with donations up
to $1 million.

According to reports in their campus newspapers, UCLA and UC Berkeley
have both since rejected such endowments.

At the end of the vigil, students recited the Lord’s Prayer in
Armenian and observed a moment of silence.

“Recognition can help ensure the lesson’s learned and can be used to
prevent further atrocities against Armenians and other groups,” said
speaker Christine Vahramian.

A1 Plus | 14:48:50 | 23-04-2004 | Social |

PROTEST ACTION TO BE HELD IN AKHALTSKHA

On Thursday, a cross-stone memorial to the 1915 Armenian Genocide
victims in Akhaltskha was removed from the place by the local police.

The opening ceremony of the memorial was scheduled for April 24, the
day when Armenians worldwide commemorate those killed in the genocide.

As A-Info news agency reports, before removing the stone the police
arrested Ludvig Petrosyan, the head of the memorial erection
committee, and released after holding him in custody for four hours.

Petrosyan says the police have taken such a step following the
instruction instructions of Georgian President Representative in
Javakhetian province Nicoloz Nicolozashvili, who said the monument
erection hadn’t been authorized.

However, Ludvig Pertrosyan says Akhaltskha municipality has given due
permission.

The police move sparked protest from the town residents. They intend
to stage a protest action on Friday.

ArmenPress
April 20 2004

OSKANIAN MEETS HUNGARIAN DEPUTY FM

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS: Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian
and the visiting deputy foreign minister of Hungary Enio Boros, who
arrived in Armenia, as part of a regional visit, emphasized, as the
Armenian foreign ministry said “the centuries-long”
Armenian-Hungarian friendship for the purpose of stepping up
bilateral cooperation.
Hungary’s pending accession to the European Union was singled out
as “a good example for Armenia,” in view of both countries’ Communist
past and their experiences gained from the transitional period.
Oskanian was quoted as saying that the available potential for
developing trade contacts is not used to the full extent. The role of
a 10,000 strong Armenian community in Hungary was underlined in terms
of its contribution to deepening of bilateral relations.
The meeting referred also to the investigation and pending trial
of an Azeri officer, accused of killing his Armenian classmate on
February 19 at a Hungarian military academy. The Hungarian diplomat
said the case is proceeding in line with his country’s legislation
with an understanding that it should not be politicized.

RIA Novosti, Russia
April 19 2004

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT MEETS KEY MINISTERS

MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) – At today’s conference with the key
ministers of the cabinet, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a
series of significant statements.

Vladimir Putin told the cabinet that he had submitted amendments to
the federal constitutional law on the government on Monday. “They are
linked to the concluding phase of the reform,” said the Russian
leader. Today we will begin work with leaders of the power bloc on
relevant changes in these ministries, he said.

When touching on the relations with Ukraine, Mr. Putin demanded that
the presidential administration and the government together with
parliamentarians and Ukrainian colleagues complete ratification of
the agreements on the Azov and Kerch water area.

“Ukrainian colleagues and we agreed this week to ratify agreements on
Azov,” said the Russian president.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia was ready to
begin the second phase of evacuating Russians from Iraq, if need be.

“The first stage of the evacuation was exclusively voluntary. We did
not force anybody. The decision was adopted by people themselves
consulting the leadership of their companies. No contracts were
canceled. All the contracts remain effective,” said the minister.

As for the situation in Iraq, Mr. Lavrov said, “the security
situation remains complicated. It is early to speak of any progress.”
“Our warning that it is insecure to stay there [in Iraq] is still in
force,” concluded the Russian foreign minister.

(On Thursday, April 15, three Russian rescue planes evacuated 370
staffers of Russian companies, mainly Russian and Ukrainian citizens,
and also Belarussian, Armenian and Tajik citizens working in Iraq,
from Baghdad. On the next day, the fourth Russian aircraft arrived in
Moscow with 117 people, 100 of them Russian.

In all, 553 Russian citizens and 263 CIS citizens were in Iraq before
the evacuation.) The Russian foreign minister informed the president
about the upcoming Moscow visit of Chairman of the European
Commission Romano Prodi due on April 22.

Vladimir Putin in turn noted that the meeting with European
Commissioners was expected this week. The head of state suggested
that relevant issues be discussed at a conference with the cabinet.

Mr. Putin listened to the report of Minister of Economic Development
and Trade German Gref that in the first quarter of this year the GDP
had grown 8% year-on-year. The Russian president demanded that the
government keep an eye on macroeconomic indices boosting the
processing industry.

“This is a serious element of our current and medium-term activity,”
said the president.