Author: Toneyan Mark

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

13-09-2005

Strasbourg Meetings of the Foreign Minister Oskanian

September 13, 2005

On September 13 in Strasbourg, Minister Vartan Oskanian met with Bruno
Haller, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe and Ambassador Roland Wegener, Head of the Ago Monitoring Group of
the COE Committee of Ministers. Afterwards Minister met the members of the
Ago Monitoring Group with participation of Gianni Buquicchio, the Secretary
of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

During the meetings the sides discussed the process of the constitutional
reforms in Armenia and the implementation of the commitments undertaken by
Armenia to the Council of Europe upon membership

Council of Europe officials reaffirmed their assistance for the reform
package and underlined the importance of the constitutional reforms for the
development of democracy in Armenia.

Minister Oskanian briefed the Council of Europe officials on the recent
developments of Nagorno Karabakh peace process.

THORRINGTON GETTING A CHANCE TO PROVE HIMSELF
by Kent McDill, Daily Herald Sports Writer

Chicago Daily Herald
September 4, 2005 Sunday

John Thorrington consulted the road map in his mind as he discussed
the story of his personal heritage and world travels.

It’s a story that begins in South Africa, and he’s now reached a
point where he feels settled in Major League Soccer as a member of
the Chicago Fire.

Thorrington, 25, is available to start at midfield tonight when
the Fire plays the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center in
Carson, Calif. It is the second of five consecutive road MLS games
for the Fire, which does not play at home again until the first week
of October.

Thorrington has only recently been able to contribute after a spring
filled with injury problems. But Thorrington had the game- winner in
the Aug. 13 match against the Galaxy at Soldier Field.

For Thorrington, that felt like his first real contribution to the
team he joined in the spring.

“My whole goal now is to repay the faith Dave (coach Sarachan) and
the staff had in bringing me here,” Thorrington said. “It felt so
good to contribute and help the team get a win.”

Thorrington has played in only five games this season (three starts)
after battling a back problem and a hip-alignment issue through the
first four months of the season.

Thorrington is an American citizen, but he was born in South Africa
to an English father and an Armenian mother. His family moved to
California when he was 2, he applied for American citizenship in
1997 at the age of 18, and he was able to play for the U.S. Under-20
national team in 1999.

Thorrington eventually made an appearance for the U.S. national team
in a friendly match against Ecuador in June 2001.

Professionally, Thorrington began his career in England in 1997, when
he became the youngest American to sign with a team from the English
Premiership by joining Manchester United. He spent three years training
with Man U and then played with the reserve team before moving on.

A stop in Germany to play with Landon Donovan on the reserve team
of Bayer Leverkusen was followed by seasons with English second-
and third-division teams before coming “home” to the states for
this season.

Considering his background, Thorrington was prepared to compare MLS
play to the competition that exists in the EPL.

“It’s a different style of play,’ Thorrington said. “There is more
of a Latin influence here. We play an aggressive style.

“I don’t think European leagues should look down on MLS. We have
players competing in their leagues. The overall standard of play in
MLS has come on.”

ARMENIAN ELECTRICITY NETWORKS COULD BE PURCHASED BY RUSSIAN CONCERN

RIA Novosti
September 12, 2005

EREVAN, September 12 (RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan) – Midland
Resources Holding Ltd, a British company, has requested permission from
the Armenian government to sell its 100% stake in Armenian Electricity
Networks (AEN) shares, a spokesman for the Public Services Regulatory
Commission of Armenia said Monday.

According to Armenian energy legislation, the company is not entitled
to sell its shares in the AEN without obtaining permission from the
Armenian government and the committee.

Midland Resources, which acquired a 100% of AEN shares at $40 million,
lent shares to the Russian company Interenergo for a 99-year term at
an estimated cost of $73 million, while retaining its ownership of
the stock.

Interenergo is a joint venture, 60% owned by the Russian Inter Unified
Energy System, the asset of the state holding Russian Unified Energy
System, and 40% owned by the Rosenergoatom concern, a state-owned –
and the world’s largest – nuclear power generating company.

Inter UES, the export-import electricity operator, has trade deals
on electricity supply with Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
China, Moldova, Mongolia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Ukraine
and Finland. It also manages energy facilities in Armenia, Georgia,
Moldova and Russia.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN ATIME’S ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the Association of Theological Institutes in the
Middle East (ATIME) was held on September 2 in the University of Balamand.
Rev Meguerditch Keshishian participated in the meeting on behalf of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Seminary.

The participants discussed the future plans of the union. Proposals were
made regarding the budget, enriching the libraries of ecclesiastical
institutions, reviewing the codes of conduct of student committees and
providing up-to-date information about each institution.

ATIME’s next meeting will be held in Seidnaya, Syria, on September 4-6.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

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:

September 9, 2005
___________________

RELIEF EFFORT WORKS WITH LOCAL PARISH

The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) this week sent
the first relief check to the leaders of the Baton Rouge, LA, mission
parish to be distributed to Armenian families affected by the crisis.
The $34,000 check will help provide food, clothing, and other
necessities for those affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane
Katrina.

“We are glad we’re able to do something to help, but this will not be
the last of our efforts,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of
the Diocese. “We are offering prayers for all those whose lives have
changed and we are working to help not just our fellow Armenians, but
all those in the area.”

Additionally, Fr. Nerses Jebejian, the visiting pastor of the Baton
Rouge mission parish, will be visiting the community this weekend.

Immediately after the level of devastation became clear, the Diocese
began urging faithful to support relief efforts and offer prayers.
Local parishes have been asked to have special plate collections on
September 11 and 18. The money raised through the collections and from
individual contributions will be used to aid disaster relief efforts on
two fonts.

Half of the money raised by the Diocese will be sent directly to the
Armenians in the hard-hit areas to help them buy supplies, food, and
shelter. The other half will be given to Church World Service, the
humanitarian aid arm of the National Council of Churches, for its relief
efforts to the general population.

The area has about 70 Armenians in total — including 27 children —
comprising 23 families. While there have been no reports of loss of
life among the Armenian families in the New Orleans area, many have lost
homes and businesses. Most of the displaced Armenians are now staying
with fellow parishioners, friends, or family in Baton Rouge or La Place,
LA, according to Vasken Kaltakjian, chairman of the Baton Rouge mission
parish, who has been meeting with the displaced families to evaluate
their immediate needs.

According to Mr. Kaltakjian, the immediate need for area Armenians is to
acquire some basic items to help them get by day-to-day. Many have no
income for the foreseeable future, and are cash-poor after 11 days of
displacement from their homes. He said direct donations of clothing,
perishables, or other goods would not be helpful at this time.

You can contribute through the Diocesan website, ,
where you can click on the “Donate” link and make a credit-card donation
on our secure server. Individuals and parishes can also send checks via
mail to the Diocesan headquarters in New York (please write “Hurricane
Katrina Relief” in the memo).

— 9/9/05

# # #

UNIVERSITY FUNCTIONS AT STUDENTS’ EXPENSE

A1+
|16:17:15 | 08-09-2005 | Politics |

Several days ago the students of Hrachya Acharyan declared
a strike. The reason -raise of annual education fee with about
$200. University rector Avag Khachatryan did not receive the students
alleging illness. A1+ reporters also failed in meeting him; even the
secretary was absent.

During the meeting with the university pro-rector the latter explained
that the raise of the fee is conditioned by the currency exchange. In
his words, over the economic problems the university is not able to
cover the expenses. However the pro-rector pointed out that only 20%
of the students are discontent with the fee.

Without receiving answers to their questions the students made for
the government building to hand a message to the RA Prime Minister.

On hearing the students’ complaints the members of the department
of education of the RA government said that the university is beyond
their authority. However they promised to have a talk with the rector.

The students then went to the Ministry of Education and Science and
afterwards returned to the university. However they refuse to attend
lessons until results are achieved.

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:

September 8, 2005

NEW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AIMS TO STRENGTHEN YOUTH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS

This fall the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) began
a new internship program designed to give both real-world pastoral
experience to graduates of St. Nersess Seminary, and to strengthen the
Diocese’s youth ministry and education programs.

The goal of the program is to increase the number of experienced youth
ministry lay workers, to provide more resources for parishes throughout
the Diocese. The first intern, Daron Bolat, began work at the Diocesan
Center in New York City this August.

A 2005 graduate of St. Nersess, Bolat received a master’s degree with a
focus in youth ministry. A member of the St. Mary Church in Washington,
D.C., he has been an active member in the local and national leadership
of the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA).

“The ACYOA is where my spiritual growth happened,” Bolat said. “The
more I became involved in the ACYOA, the more I became involved in other
aspects of the church and my faith. I began taking leadership roles,
not out of a sense of ambition, but out of a sense of service. It gave
me a sense of being part of something bigger. More and more I felt
called to serve the church fully, rather than trying to juggle serving
the church with having another full-time job.”

While working at the Diocesan Center, Bolat will be serving all the
areas of the Diocesan Department of Youth and Education — Armenian
studies, Christian education, youth outreach, and music ministry. His
focus, however, will be on college ministry and the ACYOA.

“My goal is just to preach the Gospel during my internship here,” he
said. “The amazing thing about our church is that through everything
the Armenian people have experienced, we have continued to preach the
same Gospel; From St. Gregory the Illuminator to St. Gregory of Datev.
I hope that I can contribute to, assist in, and learn from the wonderful
staff here.”

Hopefully, after spending a year at the Diocesan Center the interns in
this new effort will find full-time work either with individual parishes
or in regional settings.

“There are many young people today who want to serve the church, who
have the passion to carry the flame of St. Gregory into the next
century,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern
Diocese. “Daron is one of those fine young people who want to be
involved and want to take responsibility for continuing our faith. This
new effort gives him not just a chance to work with our skilled and
dedicated staff, to learn from them, but also a chance for him to share
his passion and love for our unique Armenian Christianity.”

— 9/8/05

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

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Daron Bolat began working at the Diocesan Center in
August as the first intern in the new program designed to strengthen the
Diocese’s Department of Youth and Education.

# # #

U.S. AMBASADOR TO OSCE: “U.S. OBSERVES ELECTIONS PROCESSES AZERBAIJAN WITH GREAT INTEREST”

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 6 2005

The United States is watching the election process in Azerbaijan with
great interest.

We appreciate the progress made to date.

As we have stated on many occasions, the United States strongly
supports free and fair elections in Azerbaijan, U.S. Ambassador
to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Julie Finley briefly outlined basic U.S. policies on several issues
relating to the South Caucasus at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent
Council in Vienna, Austria, September 1.

Secretary of State Rice spoke with President Aliyev about this just
last week. We look for guarantees that those who campaign will be free
of harassment and intimidation. We look for guarantees that parties
and candidates will have equal access to the media. And we look for
guarantees, that in the post-election period, the voters of Azerbaijan
will see the honest results of their voting – in the cities, towns,
and villages, she said.

The United States supports Georgia’s territorial integrity and
continues to support peaceful settlement of the South Ossetia and
Abkhazia conflicts in Georgia, she said. The United States remain
concerned that the situation in South Ossetia is tense.

“We call on both sides to fulfill previous agreements to bring greater
stability to the situation on the ground. We urge both sides to engage
in a direct dialogue to restore confidence and begin discussions toward
the resolution of the status of South Ossetia within Georgia. We
believe that economic cooperation and confidence-building measures
have an important role to play and are encouraged by progress in
this regard. We urge the international community, and particularly
the Russian Federation, to lend support to such efforts,” she stressed.

Finley noted that the United States supports fully the continuing
work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to facilitate a peaceful, negotiated
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In her recent phone calls
with Armenian President Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Aliyev,
Secretary Rice encouraged each president to make the compromises
necessary to reach such a settlement. The Minsk Group Co-Chairs have
indicated a desire to brief the full Minsk Group in the near future
on the progress of the negotiation process.

“AZERBAIJAN READY TO RECOGNIZE KARABAKH’S RIGHT FOR SELF-DETERMINATION”

A1+

| 14:43:04 | 06-09-2005 | Politics |

Upon completion of the meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij
Rupel NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan answered reporters’ questions.

-Do you see any progress in the Karabakh conflict settlement and what
is your position on conduction of a referendum in the NKR?

-It it hard to say whether there is progress or not. Anyway there are
definitely some positive elements. I think that Azerbaijan has entered
a more constructive field. As for the referendum, in my opinion,
the fact that Azerbaijan is ready to recognize Karabakh’s right for
self-determination is positive.

-What do you think about the format of the negotiations between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents?

-These meetings cannot be referred to the OSCE Minsk Group format. I
rate the Kocharian-Aliyev talks as positive, however these talks
cannot be complete without NKR’s participation. Meanwhile the Minsk
Group has limited its activities to the format of visits.

-Taking into consideration the current situation, do you rule out
the possibility of repetition of the scenario of 1998?

-I think history is not likely to repeat, thus repetition can be
excluded.

-Your meeting with Mr. Rupel lasted longer than scheduled. What was
the reason for it?

-I suppose the meeting was interesting for both of us. We did not
complete our meeting, since it was impossible to discuss all the
issues. Anyway the fact that the Chairman-in-Office visits the region
for the second time is extraordinary in itself.

-Why extraordinary?

-He wishes to speed up the settlement of the conflict

-Do you think the conflict can be resolved till the end of the
current year?

-It’s not real

-Today Ilham Aliyev made some militaristic statements. Do you thinks
it’s a part of election campaign or a real threat?

-Aliyev is likely to be solving inner political problems, however it
impedes the process.

-Do you imagine Karabakh’s status lower than the status of
independence?

-It’s like to be “a bit pregnant”.

To note, yesterday Ankady Ghukasyan touched upon the inadmissibility
of a stepwise settlement of the conflict. “Karabakh can agree on a
stepwise settlement only in case our own issues are settled first”,
he noted.

PRINCIPAL PROBLEM OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – ABSENCE OF TRUST BETWEEN YEREVAN AND BAKU

Pan Armenian News
05.09.2005 04:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian and Azeri Diasporas should be
attracted to the Karabakh settlement process to establish trust
between the conflicting parties, head of the department for national
relations of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis Sergey
Markedonov stated, RIA Novosti reports. “The principal problem of
Karabakh settlement is the absence of trust between Yerevan and
Baku”, he says. The expert reminded that Baku insists on return
of the territories and then determination of the status of Nagorno
Karabakh. “However the Armenian party doubts Azerbaijan will keep its
promise”, Markedonov added. He stressed that there is a key problem
of trust, which cannot be solved by Russia, the U.S., Turkey or the
OSCE Minsk Group. “There should be contacts and discussions of new
models. Presently package and stepwise variants of settlement have
collided and no progress is observed. Bilateral activity of Armenia
and Azerbaijan should be more serious while the OSCE Minsk Group
should not be expected to work a miracle,” he said. In his opinion,
a different scheme should be elaborated, since neither package
nor stepwise variants are compromise. As for Russia’s initiative,
the political scientist noted that “to make any proposals, Russia
should have precise Caucasian strategy that is absent at present.
Nevertheless, in Markedonov’s opinion, taking into account the strong
Armenian and Azeri Diasporas Russia can transmit the experience upon
the Armenian-Azeri relations in the South Caucasus. “Russia can use
it as a resource of informal reconciliation”, the expert resumed.