Author: Topchian Jane

TURKISH-ARMENIAN PROFESSOR ARRANGES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN KAYSERI

HYE-TERT
July 9 2008
Turkey

"I still see Turkey as my actual country. I have expressed my love
for my country on every platform and have helped Turkish students in
the US. Additionally, I arranged the Kayseri conference as a way of
showing thanks."

Professor Bozdogan often volunteers as an educational envoy and
frequently visits Turkey, the country he left 50 years ago to go
to the US and get an education. He lectures on statistics at the
University of Tennessee. Professor Bozdogan, the fifth child of a
middle class family, is a professor famous for formulas he developed,
formulas now named after him.

His love for Turkey has led him to arrange international conferences
in Turkey, to never turn down invitations from Turkish universities
and to help students who have come from Turkey to the US to study. The
"International Data Mining Conference," held on June 19 in Kayseri, was
the latest conference he organized. We spoke with Professor Bozdogan
about his childhood memories, the US and Turkish-Armenian relations,
about which he is hopeful.

Father served in army

Bozdogan was born in a one-room apartment in Kayseri’s Atpazarı
district in 1945. His family is originally from Felahiye, another
district of Kayseri. Meline, his sister, taught him how to read and
write when he was only 3 years old. He was to receive a good education,
his whole family agreed; however, his father, Bedros Bozdogan, known as
"Brick Maker Sgt. Ahmet" was keen on taking his son to the brick kiln
during the summer when school was out in order to show his son the
hardships of working and to gain self-confidence. His mother, Heyna
(also known as Henna), reluctantly agreed. "My father used to make
bricks for the army to be used in train stations during World War
II. During the time I lived in Kayseri, he used to wake me up early
in the morning and take me to the kiln. He showed me the difficulties
of working and encouraged me to study. He asked me to keep track of
accounts and gave me a small amount of money when there was a famine
in the country and we had ration books. I developed self-confidence in
that brick kiln. This confidence brought me success in academia. That
is why I have always been grateful to my father, who died in 1981
at the age of 74." Two of Bozdogan’s siblings now live in the US and
three in Ä°stanbul’s Bakırköy district.

‘Patriarch’s deputy changed my life’

Bozdogan did not disappoint his family when he began classes at
Kayseri Ä°stiklal Elementary School. He became the brightest student
as he already knew how to read and write. A visit by a deputy of the
patriarch to Kayseri when Bozdogan was in third grade changed the
course of his life. "My teachers often came and told my parents to
send me to school for more education since I was quite successful
at school. One day I heard that one of the assistants of Armenian
Patriarch Karekin Khachadourian was in Kayseri. Successful Armenian
children were in those times being taken to Ä°stanbul for further
schooling. I went to the Armenian Church with my brother, Kirkor
[Å~^ahin], who was a student at the Talas American College then, to
see the patriarch’s deputy. Upon seeing my report card he immediately
registered me for İstanbul Karagözyan Armenian Elementary School
without asking a single question. However, at the beginning my family
did not want me to go to Ä°stanbul alone as I was just 8 years old. I
cried for a week when I heard that some of my friends were also going
to Ä°stanbul. In the end, I persuaded them with my brother and then
left for Ä°stanbul."

Professor Bozdogan continued his education at Karagözyan Armenian
Elementary School from fourth grade on. He learned Armenian as a
second language and French thanks to his teacher Mari Sarafyan,
a graduate of the Sorbonne, during this period. Then he went to
Feriköy Secondary School and the Ataturk High School for boys. He
successfully completed these schools and received scholarships. During
this period, the Bozdogan family, with four girls and two boys,
moved to Ä°stanbul. Their longing for their son was at this point
unbearable. "I left Kayseri with grief just like a soldier when I
was 8. Then my family came to Ä°stanbul to end this bitter grief,"
Bozdogan says.

Having completed his high school education in 1964, Bozdogan looked
for ways of going to the US to pursue a higher education where
his brother, seven years older than him, was studying. He found a
way and soon began his education at the University of Wisconsin’s
department of mathematics. He received his undergraduate degree in
1970, supported by the Kalust GuÅ~_benkyan fund. Having completed
his university education, he started his graduate studies at the
University of Illinois’s department of mathematics. He was nominated
for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey
(TUBÄ°TAK) NATO Science Scholarship, but accepted the assistantship
his department offered.

Turkish-American student association chair

After receiving his Ph.D. in multivariate statistical modeling,
Professor Bozdogan continued his career in statistics at the
University of Virginia. While an associate professor he decided
to move to Tokyo with his family to work with Japanese Professor
Hirotugu Akaike and lived there for a year. "Actually, I wanted to
study medicine; however, medical school was too costly for me since I
completed my education with scholarships. Now, I engage in statistics
and the problems I handle reach out to the field of medicine. For
instances, the formulas we have put forward are being used in the
calculation of cancerous cells," Bozdogan says. During his years
at the University of Wisconsin, he saw students coming from Turkey
experienced problems adapting — not unlike himself. To help with this,
he took on the presidency of the Turkish Students Association at the
university, whose main purpose was to help students coming from Turkey,
following the completion of his graduate studies in 1970. He held the
presidency of this association for two years and took on roles in
similar projects in the following years. Professor Bozdogan always
supports Turkish students studying in the US in addition to helping
those who study in the same field in Turkey. Eylem Deniz Akıncı,
an assistant professor at the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts,
is one of the academics he helped complete her doctorate. Akıncı
says: "He contributed significantly to my doctorate thesis. I am
also going to have the chance to continue my post-doctoral studies
at the University of Tennessee with the scholarship I won thanks to
the letter of invitation Professor Bozdogan sent me. The conference
he organized in Kayseri is also of great importance. A number of
scientists came to Turkey and are working on joint projects."

Two fellow townsmen meet on a train

Professor Bozdogan decided to organize the international conference
after an interesting coincidence. He met Kayseri Mayor Mehmet Ozhaseki
while traveling to the Italian city of Brixen for a conference. After
a warm chat about Kayseri, the mayor suggested he put together an
international conference in Kayseri and said that he would support
such an endeavor. Bozdogan then started working on this project from
that time on and his efforts bore fruit three years later. "I lived in
the US for many years but I have never forgotten Kayseri and Turkey. I
have always wanted to work on projects that would be beneficial for
my country. That is why this conference is meaningful for me. It is
an opportunity for me to show my gratitude to my hometown. Who would
have guessed that such a conference would be held upon the meeting
of two fellow townsmen on a train?" Bozdogan says.

In 2006 Bozdogan visited Kayseri for the first time since leaving 50
years ago. He went to the neighborhood and house where he spent his
childhood and found his childhood friend Å~^adan Dogan. "It was a great
pleasure for me to find my childhood friend after 50 years. We spoke
about the days we spent together during the three days we met. I look
forward to seeing him again this summer." Professor Bozdogan also had
the opportunity to visit his high school in Ä°stanbul. "I entered my
classroom, sat on my chair 45 years since last sitting on it… It
took me back to those days."

Apart from his life story and academic field, we also asked Professor
Bozdogan about the future of Turkish-Armenian relations. He begins by
noting that neither he nor his family were exposed to ill-treatment
during the time they lived in Turkey. "We never faced any problems. On
the contrary, we were well liked at school and in the neighborhood. I
am hopeful about Turkish-Armenian relations. Although the two countries
have completely dissimilar ideas, a way for peace can be found. The
leaders should come together and work to find a solution. New
generations should grow up with seeds of peace. I am longing for
those days. Otherwise, history will never forgive either side."

Professor Bozdogan has published nine books and over 50 articles. He
continues to lecture at the University of Tennessee. He is planning
on starting up M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the field of statistics and
data mining in Turkey. He says he will continue to support Turkish
students, though he does not plan to return to Turkey.

Kayseri Mayor Mehmet Ozhaseki: We will continue cooperating with
our professor

"I met Professor Bozdogan while traveling on a train. My friends
and I were reading books and seeing the books, his wife understood
that we were Turks. She then came to our compartment with her
husband. ‘Merhaba,’ he said to us. We chatted for a while and I
told him I was the mayor of Kayseri. He spoke warmly about Turkey
and Kayseri. His family is a well-known family in Kayseri. We kept
in contact since our meeting on that train, and I introduced him to
several academics from Kayseri as he is also a well-known academic. We
will continue to cooperate with Professor Bozdogan. I am glad to have
met one of my friendly fellow townsmen," Ozhaseki says.

–Boundary_(ID_u0X5maIuR3Kuen0qg9y1rA)–

ARMENIAN GOVT RELEASES GDP FORECAST FOR NEXT THREE YEARS

Interfax News Agency
July 4 2008
Azerbaijan

YEREVAN

The Armenian government is predicting GDP will grow 9.2% in 2009, 8.5%
in 2010 and 8% in 2011, Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtian told
a July 3 briefing.

The government on July 3 approved a medium-term program for
expenditures in 2009-2011 that contains several macroeconomic
indicators, he said.

This program is to be the basis for the compilation of the budget
for this period.

In nominal terms, GDP is expected to total 4.169 trillion dram in 2009,
4.7 trillion dram in 2010 and 5.273 trillion dram in 2011. Inflation
in this period is forecast at 5%, 4% and 3%, respectively.

A low budget deficit and the appreciation of the dram will help to
lower inflationary risks, he said.

The forecast for budget revenue in the period is 900.7 billion dram
in 2009, 1.18 trillion dram in 2010 and 1.154 trillion dram in 2011,
while the forecast for budget expenditures is 947 billion dram,
1.79 trillion dram and 1.222 trillion dram, respectively. The budget
deficit is expected to total 46.3 billion dram in 2009 (1.1% of GDP),
61.1 billion dram in 2010 (1.3%) and 67.5 billion dram (1.3%).

The ratio of tax revenue to GDP is to total 16.3% in 2008 before rising
to 16.7% in 2009 and to 17.5% in 2011, Davtian said. Economic growth
in addition to improved tax and customs administration are expected
to increase tax revenues, he said.

Armenian GDP grew 13.8% to 3.14 trillion dram in 2007. The government
has predicted GDP will grow 10% in 2008.

The official exchange rate on July 3 was 303.55 dram/$1.

KAZAKHSTAN TO TACKLE KARABAKH PROBLEM AS OSCE CHAIRMAN – ENVOY

Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency
July 4 2008

Baku, 4 July: Kazakhstan intends to take measures to resolve the
Karabakh conflict during its chairmanship of the OSCE, the ambassador
of Kazakhstan [to Azerbaijan], Serik Primbetov, has said.

"Kazakhstan has been elected to take the presidency of the OSCE in
2010, and the country will make efforts during this time to resolve
the conflict. This is a complicated problem and we are thinking
and worrying about it," Primbetov said at a news conference in Baku
[Azeri capital] today.

He said that the conflicting sides should avoid campaigns on slandering
each other and prevent outbreaks of nationalism.

"I think that some time is needed to resolve the problem. The people
of Azerbaijan and Armenia have lived for centuries side by side and
will further continue to do so; there is no other choice.

"It is not allowed to slander each other and blame the people. The
peoples are not guilty, politicians are guilty," the diplomat said.

He said that liberation of seven occupied districts of Azerbaijan
around Nagornyy Karabakh (NK) would create a favorable atmosphere
between the two nations and promote negotiations on NK’s further
destiny.

Primbetov also stressed the efficiency of holding direct negotiations
between the conflicting sides without participation of third parties.

JEWISH SOLDIERS SERVED AMONG NAZIS

historical paradox
July 07, 2008 20:56h
2006-2007 javno.com

Would you be surprised by the fact that nearly 150,000 Jewish soldiers
served in the Nazi Army during World War 2?

This is a thesis from Bryan Mark Rigg`s book "Hitler`s Jewish
SoldiersË~G, which was reviewed by Brian Cuban in `Nazi Jews: A
historical Paradox` in his blog. Yes, believe it or not, we bring you
another person`s review of the book. They only way to justify this
is to refer to Slavoj Zizek, Slovene philosopher and psychoanalysis
theorist, who once explained during his lecture how clearer insight
into a piece of work is gained, i.e. when good review is drawn form
a superficial scan of the author`s work. A bit far-fetched, it works
for Zizek, but for other mortals… hardly.

Be that as it may, Brian Cuban, critic and ancestor of Jewish
immigrants from Russia, remains imoressed with the book and the fact
that strict, complex and bizarre Nazi laws were revisited and based
on that, thousands of mixed Jews (Mischling), with one half of one
quarter of Jewish blood, were a part of the regime which planned
absolute execution of the Jewish people, without being aware of it,
seeing how they thought they were fighting for their own country. As
this topic causes nausea, we bring a few comments to the matter.

Firstly, it is unclear what the practical interest of the author and
critic of the `Hitler`s Jewish Soldiers` book is.

Strike iron while it’s hot

Following the trial to Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1963, Hannah Arendt
revealed the practice of Jewish leaders (Judenräte) with those who
professionally dealt with elimination. What Arendt did takes great
personal courage and points to passionate decisiveness in searching
for the truth and corrects what is not right within the community
which determines it. The entire matter stirred things up, not only
because of the analysis of her fellow-countrymen in the war, but
because of the thesis on the "banality of evil", i.e.

official`s obeyance of normal people who conducted genocide.

What do we actually mean? Hannah Ardent had the necessary legitimacy
(she is a member of the Jewish people) to analyse the role of Jews
in World War 2. This, of course, does not mean that nobody else has
that right, but it is suggested to start in your own back yard.

Furthermore, the discourse we use (populist, scientific,
quazi-scientific, post-modern etc) is important when we are doing
what we are doing (Hannah Ardent 1964). When for instance Slavoj Zizek
writes that Schindler`s List is a bad piece of rewriting the Jurassic
Park with the Nazis as dinosaur monster, he does not relativise the
Holocaust because he is writing a film review from a post-modern
discourse, as a psychoanalyst to be precise, which Karl Popper proved
were not scientists at all.

But when Mark Rigg, history professor at the American Army and
South Protestant University, an officer of the US Army with Dallas
as his place of residence, writes a book with a sensational title
Hitler`s Jewish Soldiers, then the motives of his work need to be
questioned. OK, Hitler twisted and reinterpreted regime laws with the
goal of serving its causes, but everyone is aware, let us hope, of the
grotesque nature of these laws. Therefore, Rigg`s review of historic,
religious and cultural conflicts of certain Jews in the creation
of their "Jewish identity" and serving in the Nazi Army represents
scientifically excessive and failed work. His book will probably hit
fertile soil with those who are dissatisfied with Israel`s policy in
the Middle East, as well as hardcore anti-Semites.

The first ones need to be told that today`s policy of Israel cannot
be justification for victims dating back 50 years ago, and the later
ones should not be addressed for a discussion, seeing how they have
morally and intellectually deviated.

As a member of the American Army, Rigg is more qualified to write on
American military occupation, i.e. "liberation" of Iraq.

But, all of this is on him, while Brian Cuban is a collateral victim of
"ethical irrationality of the world".

–Boundary_(ID_4u+9xUyHbBnzK9doz+gdl A)–

FRENCH SAUR, HAYJRMUGH TO HOLD TALKS OVER AGREEMENT PROLONGATION IN JULY

ARKA
July 4

The Hayjrmugh Armenian Water Company and its contractor SAUR S.A.,
the French water and sanitation service management operator, will
negotiate over the prolongation of the agreement on the management of
the Armenian company, said Chairman of the RA State Water Committee
Andranik Andreasyan.

"The four-year contract expires this October, and the Armenian
government is to set the company’s further activities," he added.

The contract term can be expended two years, according to the State
Water Committee Chairman.

The talks with the World Bank (WB) have been productive, the WB
mission planning to arrive in Armenia soon to discuss allotment of
additional credits to prolong the agreement with SAUR for two years.

The Hayjrmugh Armenian Water Company supplies 37 cities and 264
villages with water. It has 264,000 users in the country.

TARGET OF CONVENIENCE: ANTI-SEMITISM ON INCREASE AS PROVOCATION AGAINST TER-PETROSYAN
Vahan Ishkhanyan

ArmeniaNow.com
04 July, 2008
Armenia

Rimma Varzhapetyan, chairwoman of the Jewish Community of Armenia,
says there is no anti-Semitism in Armenia as such, however, sometimes
anti-Semitic materials appear in the press and their number has grown
in the recent days.

Her statement was in response to a comment last week by US Assistant
Secretary of State David Kramer, that some media outlets propagandize
anti-Semitism. He said "It is unacceptable to have anti-Semitism in
a country with historically friendly relations with Israel and the
Jewish community."

Varzhapetyan says there are two reasons that stir Armenia
anti-Semitism. One is the long-standing resentment that Israel does
not recognize the Armenian Genocide. The other – and the reason for
more recent hate-talk – is the exploitation of the heritage of the
wife of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who comes from Jewish ancestry.

Varzhapetyan says anti-Semitism is provoked as a tool in the current
political struggle

"In the first case it is the natural reaction of the nation that
has undergone genocide to the views of people who have survived a
Holocaust. But it is not widely spread and nothing of the kind is
seen on a state level," Varzhapetyan says.

Varzhapetyan, who is Jewish, says she is noticed for her activities
in the fight for recognition of the Armenian Genocide among the
representatives of the ethnic minorities of Armenia, although attacks
in the press are targeted against her and the Jewish community (Hayots
Ashkarh, May 7th, called friendship with the Jewish community and
personally with Varzhapetyan a form of fawning).

The second reason had disappeared with the presidency of Ter-Petrosyan
and has now returned with him.

Varzhapetyan recalls the Golos Armenii newspaper in a number
of publications used to explain the crisis in Armenia with
Ter-Petrosyan,’s wife, Ludmilla, being a Jew and a Zionistic
plot connected with her. "We were very much annoyed proving the
hardships were tied up to the blockade, the Perestroika and other
circumstances." The Jewish community that was equally impoverished
during the ‘dark and cold’ years had appealed to Ludmila Ter-Petrosyan
for support but was denied with an explanation saying: "I have no
such opportunity [to support]: I help all women of Armenia."

The community has had almost no problem with the media after the change
in power. Only the ALM TV channel used to make anti-Jewish statements,
but ceased after the State Department report mentioned the facts and,
as the news said, after then President Kocharyan reprimanded the
channel. Armen Avetisyan, chairman of the Union of Armenian Aryans
was tried and sentenced to two months in jail for anti-Semitic and
anti-Yezidi propaganda.

Ten years later anti-Semitism is used against Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
this time as an opposition; it’s examples were the articles published
in May 24th issue of Hayots Ashkharh titled: "Levon Ter-Petrosyan
or Levon Fraimi Pliskovski: Armenian National Congress or Jewish
Congress?" as well as the article’s retelling in May 27th Golos
Armenii. The article says "the Jewish-Masonic lobby spent $65-70
million and plans to spent twice and thrice more on Ter-Petrosyan’s
campaign" to bring him to power.

Varzhapetyan says Kramer recalled the article in a conversation with
her during a meeting with non-governmental organizations at the US
Embassy qualifying it as typical anti-Semitism: "The first reaction
to the publication was to respond, but we didn’t, because the aim
of the article was to fight the opposition by means of irritating
anti-Semitic sentiments. But probably the person responsible for
the media monitoring discovered the article and the problem of
anti-Semitism was included in Kramer’s program. "He is also a Jew and I
am deeply grateful to him for raising the issue before the government."

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan called the manifestations of
anti-Semitism in the media condemnable and unacceptable during the
meeting with Kramer, saying there is no anti-Jewish atmosphere in
Armenia in reality.

Varzhapetyan says many real arguments can be brought to fight against
the opposition, but they are not used: "There are so many things to
be used for the struggle – to show the negative sides of one and
the positive sides of the other, but they don’t do that, they opt
for irritating anti-Semitism and it’s terrible that the kind of an
article may cause hatred against Levon [Ter-Petrosyan]."

Varzhapetyan says she can’t tell the way the Jewish community here
of 800 people participated in the voting, because it is personal
business. She says she has voted for Serzh Sargsyan as the country has
witnessed progress after LTP’s resignation: "I can recall the hard life
of those days when Ter-Petrosyan ruled the country. I can forgive it,
but I have not forgotten and wouldn’t like to return to it."

She says also the problems of ethnic minorities were neglected under
the previous authorities, but were paid serious attention under
Kocharyan and the state budget begun providing them with a certain
amount of money.

The article in Hayots Ashkharh says Peter Rosenblat, the representative
of the Jewish Committee of America arrived in Armenia in late May as
if for getting a report from Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

During the meeting with the Jewish community on May 27th Rosenblat
stated the publications are fake and authorized the Jewish community
to deny them in his name.

In reality Rosenblat met President Serzh Sargsyan, although this
meeting also became a matter of political speculations, this time from
the opposition side. The pro-Ter-Petrosyan Haykakan Zhamanak mocked the
meeting, saying Sargsyan is forced to meet with unimportant persons.

The flag of Israel appeared at one of the post-election opposition
rallies in February that Hayots Ashkharh used to tie Ter-Petrosyan
to Jews.

The Jewish community stated then they were annoyed with the appearance
of the flag in the rally. "We thought then it was a provocation, but
it appeared later it was done by a Jewish woman living in Armenia,
who has nothing to do with the community in support of Lyudmila
[Ter-Petrosyan], despite she had neither the moral nor the legal
right for that."

3 YOUNG ARMENIAN JUDOISTS BECOME PRIZE-WINNERS OF ISRAEL INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

NOYAN TAPAN

Ju ly 1

A Youth Tournament under the motto Judo for Peace finished on June
30 in the city of Haifa, Israel. More than 200 representatives of 10
countries took part in the event held on the initiative of the Judo
International Federation.

Sergei Hovhannisian (60 kg, Yerevan, Mika club) became the winner among
6 sportsmen representing Armenia. Norayr Galoyan (+90 kg, Vanadzor,
Hayastan sports union) took the second place and David Nikoghosian
(50 kg, Yerevan, Hayastan sports union) the third place.

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ACTIVE ROLE OF GUAM

Xinhua, China
2008-07-02 03:13:31

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko asked GUAM, a regional
organization of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, on Tuesday to
be more active in regional affairs, according to reports reaching here.

"The frozen conflicts in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, are factors
of destabilization, so we should intensify their peaceful settlement
on principles of territorial integrity," Itar-Tass quoted Yushchenko
as saying at the GUAM summit in Batumi, Georgia.

"So far, the Abkhazia, Ossetian and Karabakh settlement negotiations
have not been very efficient," he said, referring to Georgian and
Azerbaijan’s breakaway regions.

Separatist in Abkhazia self-proclaimed independence after bloody
conflicts with the Georgian government in the 1990s and an uneasy
ceasefire was monitored by peacekeepers from Russia.

Armed conflict broke out in the early 1990s between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region’s status after it declared
independence, which was not recognized by the international community.

Nagorno-Karabakh, a northwest region in Azerbaijan, was populated
mostly by ethnic Armenians. A Russian-brokered ceasefire halted the
fighting in 1994, but the dispute remains unresolved.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev, and delegates from over 20 states, such as Polish President
Lech Kaczynski, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, Czech Foreign
Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and representatives of the U.S. Department
of State and Japan, attended the summit held in the Caucasus country.

The summit "will assess cooperation between GUAM member countries
and outline cooperation priorities for the next year," GUAM Secretary
General Valery Chechelashvili said.

Formed in 1997, GUAM was aimed at promoting economic, trade, transport,
security and other cooperation among member states.

PRIME MINISTER SARGSIAN RECEIVES TOP PROSECUTORS FROM RUSSIA, UKRAINE, BELARUS, HUNGARY, GEORGIA AND LITHUANIA

ARMENPRESS
July 1

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian received today top prosecutors from the
Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary, Georgia and Lithuania,
who have arrived in Armenia to take part in the celebration of
the 90-th anniversary of the establishment of Armenia’s office of
prosecutors.

Among the guests is the executive secretary of the CIS Prosecutor
Generals’ Coordinating Council.

The government press office quoted Prime Minister Sargsian as saying
that the anniversary is a good occasion to summarize what has been
done by the office and outline its future plans from the perspective
of the new challenges and requirements put in the basis of the system’s
reformation and the society’s expectations.

Tigran Sargsian said the jubilee is not only an occasion to mark the
anniversary but also to jointly discuss the existing problems, seek
for their solutions and direct the reforms through the right course.

The prosecutors thanked for the initiation and warm reception, saying
they have been cooperating successfully for years in joint detection
of crime having signed also bilateral cooperation documents which
allow them to deepen their interaction.

At Tigran Sargsian’s request they spoke also about reforms in their
offices of prosecutor generals, achievements and shortcomings.

WAR WITH ARMENIA STILL CONTINUING, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
June 27, 2008

Azerbaijan is living in a state of war with Armenia and the war is
still continuing, said President Ilham Aliyev at a military parade
in Baku marking the 90th anniversary of the creation of Armed Forces.

A ceasefire is in force, said the President, adding it, however,
does not mean that the war is over.

We must be ready to liberate our native lands at any time, and this
is why we are building strong army, he noted.

Azerbaijan staged a military parade Thursday featuring troops, rocket
launch systems, tanks, helicopters and fighter jets.