Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

PRESS RELEASE

December 14, 2004

American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576

Contact: Gohar Momjian
E-mail: [email protected]

AUA President Dr. Haroutune Armenian Receives Lebanese Cedar Medal

BEIRUT – AUA President, Dr. Haroutune Armenian, was awarded Lebanon’s Cedar
Medal last week during a ceremony that marked the 50th anniversary of the
founding of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the American University of
Beirut (AUB). The decision was made by Lebanese President Emile Lahoud to
recognize Dr. Armenian’s international, regional, and local accomplishments
in the field of public health, bringing prestige not only to the AUB, but to
all of Lebanon.

Dr. Armenian is currently the President of the American University of
Armenia, Dean of AUA’s College of Health Sciences, and a Professor of
Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Between 1989 & 1996 he was the Director of the Master of Public Health
Program at Johns Hopkins. Previously, he was Dean and Professor of the
Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut. Dr.
Armenian received his Medical Degree from the AUB and his Dr.P.H. in
Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public
Health.

He is the author of many scholarly works and has published close to a 100
scientific articles in prestigious international journals on a variety of
health issues including familial paroxysmal polyserositis, cancer
epidemiology, AIDS, psychopathology, war, disasters and infant mortality in
Armenian parish records. Dr. Armenian is the author-editor of about 20
volumes including a textbook on Epidemiology and Health Services that was
published by Oxford University Press in 1998. He is currently finishing a
textbook on the case-control method due to be published in late 2005 by
Oxford University Press.

AUB Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Iman Nuwayhid, said,
“He is truly a bridge between the east and west…At no time did Haroutune
Armenian miss an opportunity to link the US, Armenia, and Lebanon in
collaborative or joint academic activities. He remains the mentor, advisor,
and collaborator for many here at AUB and at other universities in the three
countries.” In bestowing the honor to Dr. Armenian on behalf of President
Lahoud, Minister Dr. Karam Karam said, “Dr. Armenian embodies the highest
level of cultural cooperation.”

Dr. Haroutune Armenian continues to contribute to the advancement of the
public health field in the region through his scientific works and academic
collaborations. Under his leadership, in September 2005, the American
University of Armenia will host the Association of Schools of Public Health
European Region’s annual conference, whereby 200 delegates from Europe and
the Middle East are expected to attend. The conference `Educating the
Public Health Workforce: Development Perspectives for the European and
Mediterranean Regions,’ is the first time to be hosted by a former Soviet
Republic and coincides with the 10th Anniversary of the College of Health
Sciences.

—————————————-
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit

Photo: Lebanon’s State Minister Dr. Karam Karam pinning the national Cedar
Medal on AUA President Dr. Haroutune Armenian

Armenian ombudsman might meet pilots jailed in Equatorial Guinea

Noyan Tapan news agency
9 Dec 04

YEREVAN

The Amnesty International organization has expressed its readiness to
assist the Armenian human rights commissioner in meeting the
authorities in Equatorial Guinea over the fate of Armenian pilots,
Armenian ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan told a news conference today.

Alaverdyan said she was currently preparing a report on the human
rights situation in the country, which will be published in March. It
cannot be ruled out that it will contain the names of several
government officials.

Since starting work on 1 March 2004, the ombudsman’s office has
received 1,590 complaints, of which 680 were filed from the
countryside. A total of 275 complaints concern local government
bodies, 178 courts, 164 the Ministry of Social Security, 124 the
police, 76 the State Committee for the Registration of State Property
and 65 the Ministry of Justice.

IRAQ WRAPUP 3-Churches bombed, US deaths in Iraq mount
By Maher al-Thanoon

MOSUL, Iraq, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Gunmen bombed two churches in the
tense Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, fuelling fears of ethnic and
sectarian unrest ahead of an election next month.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia, a fierce opponent of the war,
told Iraq’s prime minister in Moscow he feared the country could
break up and said planned Jan. 30 elections were unimaginable.

U.S. troops suffered their 1,000th combat death in Iraq on Tuesday when
U.S. soldier was killed in Baghdad. The Pentagon also issued figures
for a record monthly U.S. death toll in Iraq. It said 136 American
soldiers were killed last month. The previous highest was 135 in April.

At least four Iraqi National Guard troopers were also killed in two
incidents, one in the capital and another further south.

“I cannot imagine how elections can be organised under a full
occupation of the country by foreign troops,” Putin told Iraq’s
U.S.-backed interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

“I also cannot imagine how you on your own will be able to restore
the situation in the country and stop it from breaking up.”

Allawi reaffirmed the election date of Jan. 30 but raised the prospect
of troubled regions taking two or three weeks longer to vote —
a proposal that could not immediately be checked with election
officials and would break a U.N. deadline of Jan. 31 for the ballot.

A new CIA assessment, reported by the New York Times, gave a gloomy
picture of Iraq’s future, seeing further insecurity if the government
fails to assert itself and promote prosperity.

No one was killed nor, it appeared, injured, in the bombings in
Mosul; smoke billowed from one of the northern city’s Armenian
churches and one of its oldest Chaldean churches was ablaze and a
wall shattered. The attackers were not identified.

In a city of 1.2 million where the two main Sunni Muslim communities,
Arabs and Kurds, are already on edge following a rout of U.S.-trained
police last month by Sunni Arab insurgents, the latest in a series
of attacks on Christians was grist to the mill of those who believe
Iraq risks slipping into civil war.

At least 16 Kurdish peshmerga fighters were killed in a suicide car
bomb attack in Mosul on Saturday. U.S. troops have turned to the Kurds,
largely autonomous in the nearby mountains and with well-trained
fighting forces, to help police Mosul.

SUNNI DISCONTENT

Sunni Arabs make up about 20 percent of Iraq’s population but have
dominated the country for decades, including under fellow Sunni
Saddam Hussein. With the election set to transfer power to the 60
percent Shi’ite Muslim majority, many Sunnis are unhappy and some
have called for a boycott of the vote.

They argue that violence by insurgents led, apparently by former
Saddam loyalists and some foreign-inspired Islamists, will make it
impossible to vote safely in much of Sunni northern and western Iraq,
including much of Baghdad.

The small Christian community of about 650,000 or some 3 percent of
the population has suffered from an upsurge in militant Islam since
the fall of Saddam’s secular regime. Some have fled or closed down
traditional businesses, notably selling liquor, which flourished in
Iraq despite a Muslim religious ban.

At least one Christian leader has been quoted recently saying he
would form an armed militia to protect the community.

“There were two or three families in the church,” one frightened
worshipper from Mosul’s ancient Tahira Chaldean church told Reuters
after the attack on the white stone building, some of which is said
to date back to the 7th century.

“Gunmen came in, took the guard’s weapon and a couple of mobile
phones. Then they made everybody leave the church. After that there
was an explosion that did a lot of damage,” said the man, who asked
not to be named for fear of intimidation.

Christians, possibly targeted partly because radical Muslims link
them with the “crusader” invaders from America and Europe, have been
attacked several times in the past four months.

Coordinated car bombings, four in Baghdad and one in Mosul, killed
at least 12 in August and five Baghdad churches were bombed on the
Oct. 16 start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

At least eight people were killed in two church bombings in the
capital on Nov. 8, and a car bomber attacked police guarding the
hospital where the wounded had been taken.

U.S. CASUALTIES

An election that provides a legitimate Iraqi government that can
defend itself is a prerequisite for U.S. President George W. Bush to
declare the invasion a success and bring troops home.

International voting experts will meet in Canada this month to try
to find a way of monitoring the election in the likely absence of
outside observers, a top Canadian official said.

In order to protect the vote, Bush is increasing U.S. troop numbers
by about 10 percent to 150,000.

Bush sought to boost U.S. troop morale by promising to train Iraqi
forces to replace them, though he acknowledged mixed results so far.

“Some Iraqi units have performed better than others,” he told thousands
of camouflage-clad Marines at Camp Pendleton, California. “Some Iraqis
have been intimidated enough by the insurgents to leave the service
to their country.”

But he said “a great many are standing firm.”

(Additional reporting by Michael Georgy in Baghdad)

12/07/04 19:27 ET

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
December 6, 2004, Monday

DUAL-PURPOSE VISIT

SOURCE: Kommersant, December 6, 2004, p. 9

by Boris Volkhonskii

President Putin tried to end his official visit to India (the third
in the past four years) in a major key. In New Delhi on Saturday, he
denied media reports that Russia allegedly supports India’s aim to
join the UN Security Council but opposes granting veto power to
India. President Putin noted that the veto power should either be
extended to all members of the UN Security Council, or invalidated
for all members. Putin said that the latter would decrease the UN’s
influence.

After that, Putin visited India’s “Silicon Valley” – the city of
Bangalore. This is the center of India’s advanced technologies. When
in Bangalore, Putin proposed to covert part of India’s debt into
joint ventures.

Putin did not forget that military technology cooperation is the main
aspect of cooperation between Russia and India. He observed flights
of planes and helicopters built by Hindustan Aeronautics and examined
the Sukhoi fighter assembled by the Indian enterprise under license
from Russia.

Russia and India reached an agreement to conduct a joint exercise for
their paratrooper units in 2005. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said
that the Indian Airborne Troops are equipped with Russian weapons and
military hardware.

President Putin arrived in Ankara after his visit to India. Relations
with Turkey are not as optimistic as cooperation with India. Before
the Russian leaders visited Turkey 32 years ago.

In the meantime, the current state of bilateral relations between
Moscow and Ankara reached the level when a political visit by the
Russian leader became very topical. It should be noted that trade
turnover between Russia and Turkey reached $4.6 billion in the first
half of 2004. It is intended that economic cooperation with Ankara
will amount to $10 billion at the end of the year (to compare: trade
turnover with India, other than military technology cooperation,
reached only $1.7 billion in 2003).

At the same time, the state of political relations leaves much to be
desired. Mutual reproached for supporting the separatist movements
aggravate relations between Moscow and Ankara. Some economic issues
have political aspects. First and foremost, this concerns energy and
energy resources. Moscow does not hide its negative attitude to the
plan to build pipelines from the Caspian region to Turkish ports
bypassing Russian territory.

Moscow and Ankara often dispute over tanker routes in the straits
between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

These problems shed light on the goals of Putin’s visit. He intends
to sign the declaration on friendship and partnership in Ankara. In
addition, the Russian leader will sign a range of intergovernmental
documents and agreements. The anti-terrorist effort will become a
very important aspect of negotiations. Russia deleted the term
“international terrorism” and references to Chechnya from the text of
the joint declaration. However, it’s obvious that the Chechen issue
will be raised during negotiations. However, it’s hardly likely that
the parties will approve juridical documents: Turkey has grievances
against Russia regarding the presence of Kurdish separatists on
Russian territory.

In addition, Russia insists on the necessity of improving the
performance of the intergovernmental commission for cooperation in
the military technology sector. In particular, Russia will try to
convince Turkey to take Russian military hardware as repayment of its
debt ($350 million). Moscow also seeks to use the potential of the
Blackseafor group and create a counterweight to NATO in the Black Sea
on its basis.

The situation in the Trans-Caucasus region will also be raised. In
particular, President Putin will try to convince his Turkish
counterparts to give up plans to isolate Armenia by building the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railroad bypassing Armenia.

The problems which Putin is trying to address in New Delhi and Ankara
have a very important aspect. This is an attempt to give an
“asymmetric response” to the hegemony of the US. Putin’s statements
in New Delhi concerned “dictatorship in international affairs” and
“attempts to restructure the God-given diversity of modern
civilization along the army barracks principles of a unipolar world.”

In addition, Putin announced the need for activating trilateral
cooperation between Russia, India and China. The Asian Age newspaper
states that a trilateral Russian-Indian-Chinese summit will be held
next year.

Attempts to build a certain center of forces in South-East Asia are
not new. At the same time, it’s a new phenomenon for Russia to
consider Turkey, which is a member nation of NATO, as an ally in the
new geopolitical layout. Russia has weighty reasons to do this. The
point is that Turkey is at a historical crossroads due to external
and internal factors. The issue of negotiations regarding Turkey’s
intention to join the EU has not been settled yet. In addition,
anti-American attidutes have become stronger in Turkey. All this
gives Russia a unique chance to play on this field.

In this regard, the visit to New Delhi and Ankara could become a
successful finale to 2004. At any rate, two joint declarations might
succeed in drowning out the echo of real foreign policy failures:
Ukraine, Abkhazia, the European Union and the CIS.

Translated by Alexander Dubovoi

The Times (London)
December 4, 2004, Saturday

Stained-glass exhibition illuminates expanding market for medieval
art

by Huon Mallalieu

SAM FOGG, the London medieval art dealer, could have a riot on his
hands if his second exhibition of early stained glass proves as
successful as his first.

In 2002 the Getty Museum bought the show in its entirety. This left a
good number of frustrated would-be collectors, who might not be too
kindly disposed toward Fogg if the same happened again.
Interestingly, a high proportion of the potential collectors are
British -which would not have been conceivable a few years ago.

Medieval is back in fashion, putting Fogg in an enviable position as
the only dealer in London -and perhaps the world -to cover the range
of arts and artefacts, including sculpture, glass, ivories,
metalwork, enamels, manuscripts and miniatures. He goes beyond Europe
to such related fields as Byzantine, Armenian and Ethiopian art, and
even on occasion to Islamic and Indian paintings and manuscripts.

After studying history of art at the Courtauld Institute, Fogg set
out to be a painter, but rather than starve picturesquely in a garret
he also sold secondhand art books in Portobello Road. This led him to
become a bookseller -until he lost most of his stock in a flood. He
then joined the art-reference booksellers Sims Reed, and in 1986 he
reopened on his own on a Bond Street upper floor, specialising in his
first love, Western medieval manuscripts.

The sideways expansion into related fields has been a natural
progression, and now his staff of nine includes specialists in
medieval artefacts and Middle Eastern art as well as manuscripts. His
exhibitions and catalogues have won unstinting praise. In 1991 The
Bookseller noted that his Medieval Manuscripts was “widely regarded
as the most sumptuous catalogue in the history of the British book
trade”. In 2001 he was able to seize the opportunity of a saddlery
business disappearing with its rent unpaid to take a prime site on
the corner of Clifford and Cork streets. It comes as a slight
surprise to find that he has no languages himself, but for him the
aesthetic properties of a manuscript are even more important than its
content or context. His eye for quality and rarity is greatly
respected among fellow dealers and collectors.

Eighty years ago there was a flourishing market for early stained
glass, although it was largely limited to such omnivorous
accumulators of works of art as William Randolph Hearst and Pierpont
Morgan in America and Sir William Burrell in Scotland. Thereafter,
though, the medieval generally fell out of fashion, particularly in
Britain where a residual puritanism was uncomfortable with “popish”
artefacts. With the exception of Wolseley in Buckingham Gate, which
closed around 1980, the nearest dealers were probably in Paris, and
British museums showed no interest in stained glass.

A number of factors have contributed to the revival of interest.
There is a surprising amount of good continental and English glass
about, often at quite reasonable prices by comparison with other
collecting fields. The worries about provenance which have created
difficulties in the antiquities market are not a great problem,
especially with English glass, which has often been divorced from its
original setting since the iconoclasms of Reformation and civil war
or the equally destructive period of Victorian restoration. Much that
is now available also has the Hearst provenance, since his vast
holdings were sold off half a century ago.

The secularisation of British culture has sparked new enthusiasm for
medieval arts, and so too has the realisation that they can sit very
happily with modern art in contemporary settings. There have also
been great advantages in glass scholarship and in lighting
technology. It is now far easier to display windows and fragments to
full effect using light boxes.

Among the 40 examples of work is a newly discovered Austrian double
panel of the Baptism of Christ and the Adoration of the Magi, dating
from around 1300, for which the price is “on request”. Other prices
range from about Pounds 10,000 each for shields of the de Vere and
Horne arms, to £300,000 for a Burgundian panel of the execution of St
John the Baptist, circa 1235.

Illuminating the Past: Stained Glass 1200-1550 will be at Sam Fogg,
15d Clifford Street, W1 (020-7534 2100) until January 15

–Boundary_(ID_ZfTXKqwliEeeIUCpl1Ehqg)–

CIS security body blacklists 22 terrorist and extremist organizations

RIA news agency, Moscow
3 Dec 04

St Petersburg, 3 December: There are currently 22 organizations on the
list of terrorist and extremist groups which pose a threat to the
states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO members
are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan],
CSTO Secretary-General Nikolay Bordyuzha told journalists in St
Petersburg on Friday [3 December]. [Passage omitted]

Bordyuzha said “the list includes organizations of a non-Muslim and
non-religious nature which are also recognized as extremist”.

He said Russia has “13 such organizations beginning with Muslim
Brothers and ending with Al-Qa’idah”.

Council of Europe monitoring group visits Azeri prisons, meets rights activists

Zerkalo, Baku
20 Nov 04

Text of report by Turkan and Ceyran in Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo
on 20 November headlined “Ago Group arrives in Baku” and subheaded
“Having familiarized themselves with the human rights situation,
the guests were quick to visit prisons”

Several rights activists met the Ago Group of the Council of Europe CE
Committee of Ministers headed by Roland Wegener, the German permanent
representative at the CE, at ISR Plaza Hotel in Baku yesterday 19
November.

The group was made of ambassadors from Switzerland, Sweden, the
Netherlands and Turkey, as well as the secretary of the CE Committee of
Ministers, (?Mirel Pauls), a human rights activist, Rena Sadaddinova,
who also attended the meeting, has told Zerkalo.

The Ago Group visited Azerbaijan to monitor how the country was
fulfilling the commitments undertaken before the CE.

Sadaddinova said that the rights activists had provided the guests with
detailed information about the human rights situation in the country
and also on the political situation in Azerbaijan in general. They
said that Azerbaijan was not fulfilling the assumed commitments fully,
she said. For instance, the issue of political prisoners, including
the “October prisoners” – 33 people plus seven opposition leaders
charged with involvement in riots in the wake of the 15 October 2003
presidential elections – remains open.

The meeting also addressed the issue of the ailing political prisoners,
Sardar Hamidov, Rza Quliyev, Natiq Afandiyev, Saxavat Humbatov (from
OPON special-purpose police forces ) and Rafael Ahmadov (the case
of industrialists). “Their further remaining in custody is dangerous
for their lives,” the rights activists said.

It was said at the meeting that the law on public TV is not in line
with the CE standards. The meeting also discussed the state of courts
and the next year’s election of judges. The issue of Yeni Musavat, an
opposition newspaper that has stopped its publication due to financial
problems caused by fines, was addressed at the meeting in particular.

The Ago Group visited prison N 9 during the second half of the day
and met ex-Defence Minister Rahim Qaziyev there. Saddadinova said
that the group then visited the Bayil prison to meet Yeni Musavat’s
Editor-in-Chief Rauf Arifoglu and other opposition leaders. She also
said that today’s (yesterday’s) 19 November ruling by the Appeals
Court which upheld prison sentences for the seven opposition leaders
had driven those struggling for the release of the opposition leaders
to despair. She said that the Ago Group was informed about the unfair
court ruling.

The Ago Group’s hectic day did not stop there. Members of the group
yesterday met leaders of main opposition parties, i.e. the Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan, the Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party, the People’s
Front of Azerbaijan Party PFAP and others, the press service of the
PFAP has told Zerkalo.

The opposition party leaders criticized the country’s social and
political situation. Ali Karimli, leader of the PFAP, said that
Azerbaijan had been deviating from democratic principles over the
four years of its membership of the CE.

Interestingly, the guests were received by Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev after the meeting with the opposition leaders, Trend
reported. The issue of Azerbaijan’s commitments to democratize the
country and ensure political pluralism and the country’s relations with
the Council of Europe in all fields were discussed at the meeting. The
meeting also touched on finding a peaceful settlement to the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict and considering the issue by PACE’s Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe appropriate structures. Both sides
talked about efforts to develop cooperation in the future.

ARMENIANS OF UKRAINE CONDEMN ACTIONS OF ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT, WHO HAD
CONGRATULATED YANUKOVICH EARLY

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27. ARMINFO. The Armenians of the Ukraine condemned
the actions of the President of Armenia who had congratulated Victor
Yanukovich early, independent analytic agency Glavred informs with
reference of press service of the Central Office of Victor Yushchenko.

According to the resource, the Armenian community in the Ukraine
had expressed its surprise to President of Armenia Robert Kocharian
on the occasion of early congratulations of Victor Yanukovich with
the so-called victory in the presidential election. On behalf of
all honest Armenians of the Ukraine, the film director, one of the
founders of the Union of the Armenians of the Ukraine Roman Balayan,
signed the statement, where the Armenians expressed a surprise with the
actions of Robert Kocharian. The next step of the Ukrainian Armenians
was the appeal to the people of the Ukraine, where they apologized for
the actions of their President and declared their solidarity with the
Ukrainian who aspire to live in the county where the constitutional
rights are secured. They also wish the Ukraine prosperity, peace,
consent and consider it their second Motherland. They are sure that
President of Armenia Robert Kocharian as a representative of one
the most ancient peoples of the Earth with huge cultural heritage,
will correct his mistake, Glavred informs.

Covenant hailed as a landmark

Townsville Bulletin/Townsville Sun (Australia)
November 25, 2004 Thursday

AUSTRALIAN churches signed a covenant during the Fifth National Forum
of the National of Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).

The forum was held in Adelaide last month.

Church leaders have hailed the covenant as one of the most
significant events in Australia’s ecumenical history.

“It’s an international benchmark,” NCCA president, Rev James Haire of
the Uniting Church said.

“No one else I believe, anywhere in the world, has been able to
produce anything quite as comprehensive as this. It is true that the
US is working towards something similar — but that doesn’t include
the Catholics.”

The invitation to the churches in Australia to engage in a process of
covenanting together at the national level has been grounded in the
conviction that ecumenical commitment is fundamental to the integrity
of the Church’s mission.

The process since 1996 has been an invitation to the churches, at the
national level, to take specific steps towards a more visible
expression of unity, to move towards a deeper experience of communion
(koinonia).

Bishop Michael Putney was present in Adelaide for the Forum of the
National Council of Churches.

Archbishop Carroll, president of the Australia Catholic Bishops
Conference, signed the covenant on behalf of the Catholic Church.

The first part of the covenanting document includes a Declaration of
Intent by the member churches.

It reaffirms their commitment to one another as partners on the
ecumenical journey and another to engage in an ongoing process of
growing together not knowing what visible form, unity, which is God’s
will and gift, may take.

The signatories to the covenant are: the Anglican Church of
Australia; Anticohian Orthodox Church; Armenian Apostolic Church;
Assyrian Church of the East; Churches of Christ in Australia;
Congregation Federation of Australia; Coptic Orthodox Church of
Australia, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia; Lutheran Church
of Australia; Religious Society of Friends; Roman Catholic Church in
Australia, Romania Orthodox Church; the Salvation Army; Syrian
Orthodox Church and Uniting Church in Australia.

Different churches then agreed to more specific parts of the
covenant.

The Catholic Church agreed:

* To explore initiatives for sharing physical resources such as
buildings

* To explore with other Christian communities issues and strategies
for mission so that the possibility of common mission is recognised
as a priority

* To seek, to develop clear and sensitive guidelines dealing with
how Christian churches together can best meet the needs of people in
local (especially rural) situations

* To recognise the Sacrament of Baptism administered in the other
Christian churches and to promote the use to the common certificate
of baptism.

Karabakh Telecom expelled from GSM Association – Azeri minister

Assa-Irada
25 Nov 04

Baku, 25 November: Karabakh Telecom’s appeal to be restored as a GSM
Association member has been rejected, Communications and Information
Technologies Minister Ali Abbasov told Assa-Irada today. Abbasov said
that thus, Karabakh Telecom was expelled from the association once
and for all.

Commenting on the fact that Karabakh Telecom has become the second
mobile communications operator in Armenia, Abbasov said that the
company would not be successful. Since Karabakh Telecom is no longer
a member of the GSM Association, it will not be able to cooperate
with other member companies, he said.

Passage omitted: background information