ARMENIAN SIDE FIRES AT AZERBAIJANI POSITIONS IN TARTAR REGION
Azerbaijan News Service
Aug 5 2005
2005-08-05 12:06
Armed forces of Armenia in occupied Chayli village of Tartar region
fired from machine and sub-machine guns at 8.30 AM at Azerbaijani
positions in opposite direction ANS Qarabaq bureau informs.
Azerbaijani army put down the opposite side with an answering fire.
There is no report of human loss.
Saint Stepanos Skeletons Could Belong to John, the Baptist
Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency (IRNA), Iran
Aug 4 2005
Iran’s Armenian Archbishop believes that the newly discovered
skeletons in Saint Stepanos Church could belong to John, the Baptist.
Tehran, 4 August 2005 (CHN) – Following the recent discovery of
skeletons in Saint Stepanos Church, in a letter to CHN, Iran’s
Armenian Archbishop talked of the possibility of their belonging to
John the Baptist.
A few months ago, a team of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Organization (ICHTO) who were studying documents from Iranian churches
for international registration, came to discover some skeletons in
Saint Stepanos Church, located in the northeastern province of East
Azarbaijan.
Saint Stepanos Church is Iran’s second most important church after
Qareh Kelisa (the Black Church) in West Azarbaijan.
With regard to this discovery, Sabveh Serkisian, Iran’s Armenians’
archbishop and head of the Prelacy of Tehran and North of Iran,
wrote a letter which reads as follows:
“With regard to the box found in Saint Stepanos Church of remains of
Apostles, it is said that the box consists of remains of John, the
Baptist. According to Armenian historian, Aracle Davar Yareshti, when
the Taslis-e Moghaddas (Trinity) Church of Old Jolfa was destroyed,
a box of sacred remains and a scroll were found at the location of the
main church altar and handed after a while to Shamon, bishop of Saint
Stepanos Church in Darsham region. The scroll was then transferred
to the afore-mentioned church in 972.
“Most probably the discovered remains are of great historical value.
According to the church tradition, we know that when Gregor was
selected as the bishop of Gheisarieh (Constantinople), on his way back,
Bishop Ghiondios gave him parts of the remains of John the Baptist to
show his affection and respect. Parts of the remains were transferred
to the town of Mush and put in the main church of John, the Baptist.
“The transfer of these remains to another location has been the
result of killings and destructions in the region. Priests and true
Christians changed the location of the skeletons to preserve the
skeletons, and as a French traveler recalls he saw the box when he
was passing Saint Stepanos Church in 16th-early 17th century where
he was told that the box belonged to one of the 12 Apostles of Christ.”
The bones discovered by Iranian experts in Saint Stepanos Chruch
were collected in attendance of a representative from the Prelacy of
Armenian Church and transferred to East Azarbaijan Prelacy until the
completion of the restoration project of the church.
Existence of the bones of Apostles and Christian Saints, namely Saint
Stepanos (saint Etienne), Saint Minos and Daniel, has been pointed
out in different sources including “six journeys of Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier” (1676), some photo-albums in Golestan Palace, and also
the photo archives of Adl clan, which were taken by Ali Khan Vali,
the ruler of northern Azerbaijan in Qajar era.
The discovery of these bones in Saint Stepanos Church highlights the
importance of the church and is hoped to facilitate its registration
on UNESCO World Heritage List as desired by Iranian officials.
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Journalists of Azerbaijan participating in conference on subject
“Supporters of the Southern Caucasus” held in Vienna
Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 3 2005
02 August 2005 [11:43] – Today.Az
The Media Diversity Institute of Great Britain is holding a conference
on the subject “Supporters of the Southern Caucasus” in the capital
of Austria, Vienna.
According to the information given to APA from the National Tele-Radio
Council (NTRC), media representatives from the Southern Caucasus
countries are participating in the measure.
The chairman of NTRC Nushiravan Maharramli, Gulu Maharramli, chairman
of the “Yeni Nasil” (“New Generation”) Journalists Union Arif Aliyev
and others joined the conference from Azerbaijan.
The representatives from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia are holding
discussions on the activity of mass media, protection of freedom of
speech and opinion, legislation in the media field in their countries
and other subjects. The conference will finish yesterday.
URL:
Eurweb.com, CA
Aug 2 2005
BETWEEN THE LINES: The Return Of ‘Negrophobia’: A 21st Century
Version Of A Two Century Old Vestige
By Anthony Asadullah Samad
E-mail to a friend | Printer friendly (August 2, 2005)
U.S. Secretary of State Condi Rice gets mad because her entourage is
not shown the diplomatic courtesies by a third world nation normally
afforded to “superpowers.” Billionaire Oprah Winfrey denied a late
night shopping trip often afforded superstar celebrities. The pastor
of 10,000 member Chicago church, and State Senator, Rev. James Meeks,
stopped by an Illinois State Trooper, only to have a gun drawn and
put to his head…An interesting number of occurrences that are
solely coincidental?
These events over the past few months bring to our attention why there
needs to be a greater focus on racial tolerance in our society…and
once again, African Americans are the litmus test for the return of
a form of xenophobic behavior called “Negrophobia.”
Negrophobia is an inherent fear, or dislike, of socializing with Blacks
that’s over 200 years old. Negrophobia is back with a vengeance. No
Black in the 21st Century is safe from it.
American society, since before its formation in 1787, had a resistance
to allowing Africans (and later, African Americans) in their social
spaces. Enslaved Africans were excluded from the company of Whites
(unless they were serving them) and even free Blacks were “distanced”
from white citizens and treated with cavalier, cold and occasionally
hostile attitudes for simply being wherever they were, that put them
in the proximity of white privilege. Protection of social spaces even
became a right in the 18th, 19th and 20th Century.
In the post-slavery era called Reconstruction, three amendments (the
13th, 14th and 15th) were put forward-not just to give the former
slave protection in the South, but to also protect Blacks migrating
to the North as racial animus toward migrant Blacks was rampant. They
even had a name for it-thus the genesis of the term, Negrophobia-and
two centuries of historical literature documenting its existence.
Though the Reconstruction Amendments were passed, Negrophobia never
completely went away. By 1877, it had resurrected itself and by 1896,
“Redemption Politics” had formalized America’s race caste policies; De
Jure (Separate But Equal) segregation in the South, and Ghettorization
(Restrictive Covenants) in the North. Civil Rights Icon, Andy Young,
in a King Center documentary, recalled differences in 20th Century
sectional race politics, stating that “In the South, they didn’t care
how close you got, as long as you didn’t get too big (in terms of
wealth and in challenging the status quo); In the North, they didn’t
care how big you got as long as you didn’t get too close.” The Ghettos
of America are a product of restrictive covenant policies that forced
migrating Blacks to live in constricted geographical areas away
from Whites. Thus, “Up South” is the moniker given to the North’s
(and the West) resurrection of Negrophobia.
Today’s Negrophobia is spreading like wildfire and can be found in
high end stores, hotels, vacation resorts, and high rise business
offices where panic sets in at the sight of Black people. If you
think this is overestimated, just show up somewhere and find out
how many times someone (usually security) wants to help you-but not
really help you, They just want to know why you’re there. Another
common place Negrophobia occurs is airports, where Blacks are likely
to get “bumped” without so much as an excuse me. “Bumping whites”
(brushing against, or not stepping off the sidewalk) used to be a
violation of the racial etiquette-the penalty being for the “uppity”
violator, jail, a beating or even a lynching. I get bumped at least
twice a trip, and I don’t want anybody to step off sidewalks-just an
“excuse me” will do. This is a phenomenon to be watched.
Negrophobia has gone global, when Michael Jackson gets perp-walked on
a trumped up case, Condi Rice’s contingent gets “handled,” Oprah gets
fronted off, or Rev. Meeks gets drawn on in front of his family. No
recognition of the authority or stature, and a fear of being confronted
by even Blacks of celebrity and notoriety.
Celebrity used to get people a pass on certain treatment. Not lately.
Now it’s about keeping Blacks “in their place”-no matter how big
one gets, or how close one gets. This treatment is no longer just
a white/black control issue. Other ethnicities are following their
lead. Many Asians and Armenians have severe cases of Negrophobia, and
while Latinos, en masse, don’t have it (yet), depending on who you’re
dealing with, you see some symptoms. Even some Black people are coming
up with Negrophobia. Black “Negrophobes,” some in their shying away
from their own people, others in their treatment of their own people
that’s worse than what Negrophobes of other ethnicities-considered the
most dangerous Blacks you can encounter because of their willingness
to prove a point in denying their own blackness. Like most diseases,
if you’re around it long enough, you’re either bound to catch-or
you’ll convince yourself you have it (psychosomatic). Black, Brown,
Yellow or White, the end game is the contempt for Blacks.
21st century Negrophobia is exacerbated by media portrayals,
film/television imagery, and music lyrics. What society sees about
Blacks, hears about (and from) Blacks, and encounter Blacks contributes
to how they react to Blacks-any Black. Negrophobes-the new generation.
Public Enemy said over 20 years ago, “It takes a nation of millions to
hold us back.” That may (or may not) be true…but this new Negrophobia
makes being Black awfully inconvenient.
Anthony Asadullah Samad is a national columnist, managing director of
the Urban Issues Forum and author of 50 Years After Brown: The State
of Black Equality In America (Kabili Press, 2005). He can be reached
at
ARKA News Agency
July 29 2005
$ 473.4 GDP PER CAPITA IN ARMENIA IN 1ST HALF OF 2005
YEREVAN, July 29. /ARKA/. Armenia’s GDP per capita made AMD 219127 or
USD 473.4 in the 1st half of 2005, the RA National Statistical
Service reports. The official level of unemployment made 8% in June
2005. Women’s unemployment was 11.4% and men’s unemployment 4.7%, and
34.4% of the Armenia’s population were employed (37.5% men and 31.6%
women).A.A. -0–
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 29 2005
President Promises to Retain Focus On Development of Regions
Azerbaijani regions should not lag behind Baku, President Ilham
Aliyev said during his visit to the northern regions on Thursday.
The development of regions is one of the key objectives, he said in a
meeting with the public at the Heydar Aliyev Park downtown Gusar.
Touching upon the developments in neighboring countries and terror
acts, Aliyev termed Azerbaijan as a `nest of stability and island of
peace’.
`The diversity of religions, languages, nationalities and cultures
strengthens and enriches us.’
The President regarded Armenia as a `mono state’. Although 250,000
Azerbaijanis and a great number of Russians and other ethnicities
lived in Armenia during the Soviet Union times, official Yerevan
pursued the ethnic cleansing policy, ousting them from this country.
`Everyone is my brother regardless of his or her nationality,
language, creed and political affiliation’, Aliyev said.
With regard to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the
President said that `our army should be further strengthened and our
land freed at the time of our choosing and by any means’.
President Aliyev also attended a cornerstone laying ceremony of the
Olympic complex in Gusar on Thursday. Following the ceremony,
Minister for Youth, Sports and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev presented two
projects to the President.
The first project, worth $3-4 million, along with the development of
sports in the district, covers building a large center here to
promote tourism. The second one, envisioning the development of
winter sports, including skiing, is valued at 50 million euros. The
project will be co-financed by Azerbaijan, French Fransneish
International and Charme VIP companies.
Interfax
July 28 2005
Russia transferring material from Georgian base to Armenia
MOSCOW. July 28 (Interfax) – A convoy of vehicles belonging to the
Russian 62nd military base stationed in the Georgian community of
Akhalkalaki has been transferred to the Russian 102nd military base
in Armenia’s Gyumri, deputy commander of the Russian military
contingent in the South Caucasus Col. Vladimir Kuparadze told
Interfax.
“This is not the beginning of the withdrawal of Russian military
bases from Georgia, as some in the media have prematurely reported,”
Kuparadze said.
“It is an excess of material that has been transferred from
Akhalkalaki to Gyumri, we started to clear our bases in Georgia long
before the Russian and Georgian foreign ministers concluded an
agreement on the timeline for withdrawing the Russian bases,” he
said.
Militarized Georgia delayed-action bomb in South Caucasus
21/ 07/ 2005
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political analyst Yevgeny Sidorov.)
The inquiry into a failed assassination attempt on Georgian and
U.S. leaders is nearing successful completion, with the prime suspect,
Vladimir Arutyunyan, detained and, though injured in the process of
detention yesterday, already confessing to the recent attempt on the
lives of presidents Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia and George W. Bush
of the United States.
On May 10, Arutyunyan threw a hand grenade wrapped in a handkerchief
at the U.S. President as the latter addressed the Tbilisi crowd. No
explosion ensued, though the grenade, as forensic experts found out
later, was no dummy and failed to go off only by a lucky accident.
Georgian Deputy Health Minister Irakly Giorgobiani cited doctors’
reports saying the detainee “vowed to do it again and stage another
terrorist attack on the presidents.”
According to the Georgian police, FBI officers have visited Arutyunyan
in hospital.
So what? End of story, happy end and curtain, all bad guys placed
where they deserve to be? Hardly. Real problems are just beginning.
After all, it was on his very first visit to a country seen by many in
the West as a toehold of freedom and democracy in the gloomy
post-Soviet realm of authoritarianism and tyranny that the
U.S. President has survived an assassination attempt that seems to
have had every chance to succeed. The host side appears to have failed
to not only provide security to visiting dignitaries but even to
produce a clear and credible explanation of what had happened. At
first Georgia’s Secretary of the National Security Council Gela
Bezhuashvili maintained that the grenade “was of no danger” – a
statement that turned out to be just not true.
There is more to that. Moscow sources say Russian intelligence had
warned Georgian security forces that they should anticipate a
terrorist attack but the Georgians failed to forward the warning to
the United States.
At a time when U.S. involvement in the South Caucasus has yet to
evolve into full-fledged presence, there should be no illusion that
the grenade thrown at President Bush in Tbilisi will be the last
unpleasant surprise the Americans are bound to face there. The next
one could be fast militarization of the country.
This should be considered a likely possibility because today’s
Georgia, regrettably, has all vital signs of a failed state, with
Saakashvili abusing Western support to promote his openly belligerent
policies and tighten his grip on power through such notorious
practices as clampdown on free media, authoritarian amendments to
electoral laws, etc.
A state plagued by disorder and poverty, Georgia spends on defense and
security as much as other poor countries could hardly afford – $324
million, or a fifth of the state budget, this year alone. Defense
Minister Irakly Okruashvili admitted that “Georgia has the highest
budget across the South Caucasus this year; it is equal to the entire
annual state budget under Eduard Shevardnadze.” Additional security
funds come through Georgian Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry’s
“classified” allocations.
Georgia spends heavily on arms, including heavy military hardware,
with most deals signed with new NATO member states who are desperate
to sell off part of their old Soviet-made weapons. In April and May,
Macedonia and Bulgaria agreed to sell seven Su-25 (NATO
classification: Frogfoot) assault aircraft; around 2,000 assault
rifles and plenty of ammunition are likely to come for free from
Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Macedonia. All these deals,
Moscow sources say, are coordinated by the U.S. military.
A legitimate question arises, whether decision-makers who pour weapons
to Georgia today are aware how fast militarization might affect a
country whose security services seem to be not mature enough to
protect their own leader and a leader of a friendly state.
Frozen but by no means dead armed conflicts in the breakaway provinces
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia certainly make the problem worse. Some
Georgian executives and lawmakers have repeatedly called for the use
of force in those areas. The danger is that, given enough military
assets, few of them will resist the temptation, even though bloodshed
could severely destabilize Georgia and broader the South Caucasus.
Regional destabilization is hardly in the best interests of serious
actors in Georgia and elsewhere, especially of those interested in the
operational Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and planned Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
gas pipelines.
Last but not least, proverbial level of corruption in Georgian
bureaucracy makes one see possible spread of weapons beyond the
country, with advanced military systems ending up in the hands of
international terrorists, as a gloomy but by no means remote
possibility.
ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN PMS VISIT JAVAKHK
Azg/arm
26 July 05
Armenians of Georgia Demand to Reject the Project of Akhalkalak-Kars
Railway
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli met his Armenian counterpart
Andranik Margarian at the Armenian-Georgian border, and they headed
for Satkha village of Ninotsminda region after a short talk. The prime
ministers of neighboring countries stated in their appearance before
the villagers that the governments aim at improving the life in Satkha
as well as in other villages of the region. The next destination of
Nogaideli and Margarian was Gandza — the birthplace of great Armenian
poet Vahan Terian.
The prime ministers lit candles at Surp Karapet Armenian church built
in 1852 by Terian’s grandfather Ter Ghazar. They visited the
house-museum of the poet and took part in the celebration of the
poet’s 120th anniversary. “The wish of both governments is to create
conditions for a good life of Javakhk Armenians on their land”, said
Andranik Margarian in his speech. The Armenian PM said that the
Georgian government has projects of socio-economic development of the
region, of road and school construction and creation of
infrastructures. Margarian expressed wish that centuries-long
friendship of the two peoples will stand firm despite
instigations. “Don’t think that everybody is our friend. We should
build our future together with the Georgian people. We should
strengthen our state with our hands” Armenian PM said.
In Akhalkalak, the crowd met Armenian and Georgian PMs with banners
reading “No to Javakhk-Kars Railway”. Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakhk
region presented their demands to the PMs: 1. To stop discriminatory
policy against Armenians of the region. 2. To grant Armenian language
status of regional in Samtskhe-Javakhk and Tsalke. 3. To preserve the
tradition of teaching in Armenian at the Armenian schools of Georgia,
including Armenian history as a compulsory subject in the
curriculum. 4. To stop the policy of appropriation and elimination of
Armenian cultural monuments. 5. To build a road network in a short
period that would connect Javakhk with Tbilisi and Armenia.
Armenian Prime Minister was optimistic over the Georgian project of
allocating $120 million for road construction beginning in 2007. The
US will assign $100 of this sum. The estimated deadline for the
functioning of Akhalkalak-Akhaltskha, Akhaltskha-Tsalka-Tbilisi,
Akhalkalak-Karzakh (Georgian-Turkish border) and Ninotsminda-Bavra
roads is 2009.
“Construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi railway is the inner issue of
Georgia”, Andranik Margarian told journalists adding that Georgia is
ready to support in reopening Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway.
By Tatoul Hakobian in Javakhk
PanArmenian News Network
July 23 2005
BI-LINE AND MICROSOFT CREATE MS WINDOWS AND MS OFFICE ARMENIAN
VERSION
23.07.2005 04:43
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Bi-Line Armenian Company together with the
Microsoft Corporation are creating the Armenian version of MS Windows
and MS Office. Bi-Line Company told .am edition of PanARMENIAN.Net
that the company translation will form the basis for creation of the
Language Interface Pack in Armenian. All those wishing to make
translation proposals can visit , where words and
phrases and options are presented. The most active participants will
be rewarded. It should be noted that Open Source Armenia project has
been carrying out the localization works up to now. The Project has
already translated Open Office 1.1, Fire Fox Internet browser and
Thunderbird e-mail client.