Author: Tvankchian Parkev

Iranian diplomat: Karabakh crisis should

Iran News Agency
Tehran, December 11

Iran`s ambassador to Armenia, Alireza Haqiqian reiterated the need to
settle the Karabakh crisis through peaceful ways and continuous
negotiations between Azeris and Armenians, it was announced here
Saturday.

Speaking in an interview with a Yerevan-based weekly about Iran`s
approach towards the issue of Karabakh, he said that his country`s
attitude with regard to the regional developments is clear and based
on cooperation, establishment of balance and understanding.

He declared Iran`s constant readiness for rendering any assistance to
the effect.

Stressing that Iran`s foreign policy and major principles on the
developments in the region and neighboring countries has not changed,
he noted, “Iran`s bilateral relations with foreign countries, in
particular its neighbors, is based on mutual respect and
non-interference in their domestic affairs.”

Expressing satisfaction with the current level of Iran-Armenia
relations and its growing trend, he said that the visits of Armenia`s
President Robert Kocharian to Tehran and President Mohammad Khatami`s
this year`s trip to Yerevan played a crucial role in further
strengthening mutual ties.

“The bilateral ties, whose cornerstone has been laid upon the
historical commonalties between the two nations, can pave the way for
promotion of sustainable peace and security in Caucasus.

“Expansion of relations in political, economic and cultural fields as
well as exchanges between the two nations is currently on Iran`s
agenda to this end,” he added.

He referred to some of the projects on the agenda including the
meetings of the joint economic commission, active participation of
Iranian tradesmen in Armenia`s market, the activities of Iranian
economic institutions there and cooperation in the energy sector.

In response to a question whether Moscow-Baku-Tehran railway will
replace Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, he said that given Iran`s decisive
role in the regional transit system, the interest of the countries of
the region in cooperation with Iran is quite natural.

He added that according to a number of specialists, the Baku-Ceyhan
railway project is a political scheme, not economical.

Turning to Iran-Armenia gas pipeline as a significant index in the
mutual relations, he noted that its construction will respond to
Armenia`s demands and have a positive impact on the regional economy.

Concerning gas transit, Haqiqian said, “Expansion of inter-state
collaboration in various fields including energy can lead to closer
understanding between them.

Azeri foreign minister urges NATO’s contribution to Karabakh settlement

Ekspress, Baku
10 Dec 04

Excerpt from Alakbar Raufoglu’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper
Ekspress on 10 December headlined “Baku wants NATO’s intervention in
the Karabakh problem”, subheaded “Mammadyarov met Oskanyan in Brussels
this time”

The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov and
Vardan Oskanyan, had another meeting in Brussels yesterday [9
December].

[Passage omitted: reported details]

Araz Azimov and Tatul Margaryan, the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidential envoys for the Karabakh problem, also attended the
meeting.

[Passage omitted: reported details]

There is no official report on the details of the Brussels
meeting. The two ministers joined a session of the Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council immediately after the talks.

Mammadyarov made an opening speech at the session and called on NATO
to intervene in the Karabakh settlement. He drew attention to the fact
that Armenia was engaged in illegal activities in the territories
which it is keeping under occupation and that international observers
turned a blind eye to this. Baku supports a peaceful solution to the
conflict, but at the same time, “it is impossible to put up with the
arbitrariness of the Armenians on the [occupied] Azerbaijani
territories for a long time”.

Mammadyarov spoke highly of the talks with his Armenian counterpart
and stressed Baku’s concern over any illegal activities which could
damage the peaceful settlement.

“We call on NATO to contribute to the settlement of the issue,” he
said.

December 10, 2004

UE: TURCHIA; BONINO, SULL’ADESIONE MARGHERITA COME LEGA? ;
GRAVE FIRMA DIELLE A EMENDAMENTI CONTRO APERTURA NEGOZIATI

ROMA

(ANSA) – ROMA, 10 DIC – “Ieri al Parlamento Europeo la
stragrande maggioranza dei deputati della Margherita, e in
particolare Vittorio Prodi, Enrico Letta, Alfonso Andria,
Patrizia Toia, Paolo Costa, ha sottoscritto tre emendamenti
presentati dai colleghi francesi del Partito Democratico,
contrari all’apertura dei negoziati con la Turchia. Questi
emendamenti di fatto dicono no all’apertura dei negoziati se non
a nuove condizioni”. Lo ha detto a Radio Radicale Emma Bonino,
in un collegamento in diretta questa mattina.

Una notizia “arrivata davvero come una sorpresa, un fulmine
a ciel sereno”, spiega l’europarlamentare radicale, “perche
io sono relatrice nel gruppo liberale, ne abbiamo discusso, e in
quella sede l’onorevole Pistelli e’ intervenuto per dire che era
favorevole al testo che avevo presentato”.

“Il primo degli emendamenti dice che prerequisito per
l’avvio dei negoziati e’ il riconoscimento da parte dei turchi
del genocidio armeno. Il secondo – ha detto l’europarlamentare
radicale – dice che bisogna negoziare non solo l’ipotesi di
adesione ma anche quella di una partnership speciale. Il terzo
sopprime la proposta di dare il via libera al Consiglio europeo
per iniziare i negoziati”.

La Bonino ha anche aggiunto che Pistelli “ha affermato che
la firma dei parlamentari della Margherita si deve intendere
come ‘tecnica’, apposta solo per consentire ai deputati francesi
di presentare la proposta. Io pero’ ho fatto notare a Pistelli
che questa posizione non sta in piedi. I colleghi francesi non
avrebbero avuto alcuna difficolta’ a ‘trovare delle firme’
nell’ambito dell’Europarlamento”.

“Non so se sia il risultato dell’incontro di ieri, con la
nascita del Partito democratico di Bayrou e Rutelli, ma di fatto
– ha concluso la Bonino – la Margherita e la Lega si esprimono
con gli stessi emendamenti, contro l’apertura dei negoziati.
Trovo che sia grave”.

EU puts forward accords designed to make neighboring region a safer place

AP Worldstream
Dec 09, 2004

ROBERT WIELAARD

Eight months after absorbing 10 new members, the European Union on
Thursday endorsed tailor-made accords with seven neighbors that offer
far-reaching trade and cooperation benefits but _ crucially _ no
prospect of membership.

The “European Neighborhood” accords with Moldova, Ukraine, Morocco,
Tunisia, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are aimed at
making Europe more secure by bringing stability and prosperity to
volatile regions.

The Ukraine accord is to be implemented once it is clear a
presidential election to be rerun Dec. 26 are free and fair, putting
an end to the country’s political crisis, said EU External Affairs
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

She said she planned to visit Kiev after the vote to see “how we can
work together” to put Ukraine’s neighborhood accord into effect.

The EU plans to have “neighborhood” accords next year with Egypt,
Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaij and Georgia.

Ferrero-Waldner told reporters the agreements will create “a ring of
friends around the borders of our enlarged EU” that took in Cyprus,
Malta and eight ex-communist East European nations on May 1.

She said the neighbors will qualify for easy access to the EU’s 450
million consumers, “the biggest single market in the world,” if they
bring their laws in line with EU rules and regulations.

In turn, the neighbors will get closer cooperation, more financial aid
and a chance to participate in EU education, research, environment,
energy, information and other programs.

The accords also contain a section in which the EU’s neighbors agree
to combat terrorism, illegal immigration, organized crime and commit
to the nonproliferation of weapons and mass destruction, good
governance, the rule of law and human rights.

“Each agreement has been tailor-made to match the needs and the
interests of the country concerned,” Ferrero-Waldner said.

“The further a partner is ready to go in taking steps to implement
common values, the further the EU will be ready to go in strengthening
our ties with them.”

The seven accords the EU cover the next three to five years and
exclude future membership.

Getting the seven deals has not been easy.

Ukraine has gone into a political crisis. The “neighborhood” accord
with Kiev puts the EU on a collision course with Russia which is ever
wary of Western European meddling in a region that Moscow considers
its sphere of influence.

The negotiations with Israel have been difficult. Israel can look
forward to better access to the EU market for its exports, but it had
to formally acknowledge that the EU has role to play in Mideast
peacemaking, together with the United States, the United Nations and
Russia.

The EU-Israel neighborhood agreement also means that “Israel clearly
acknowledges the role of the EU in the Quartet” that has written the
“road map” to a peace plan that is to lead to a Palestinian
state. Initially, the Israelis balked at references to the role of the
so-called Quartet of Mideast peacemakers.

Through the neighborhood agreement, Israel also acknowledges “the need
to take into account the viability of a future Palestinian state in
counter-terrorist activities,” said Ferrero-Waldner.

“Israel has never been willing to make such commitments in writing to
any other partner. The same applies to the commitments Israel has
entered into concerning” the nonproliferation of weapons of mass
destruction, she added.

She added Morocco, Tunisia, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan have
committed themselves to “far-reaching” economic and political reforms

On the Net:

n.htm

Azeri, Armenian foreign ministers discuss Karabakh in Sofia

Mediamax news agency
6 Dec 04

Yerevan, 6 December: A meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers, Vardan Oskanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, took place
on the sidelines of a regular meeting of OSCE ministers in Sofia on
Sunday 5 December.

The meeting was attended by the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group,
the Armenian Foreign Ministry press service reported. The foreign
ministers of the two countries discussed issues related to the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict and exchanged views on settlement
prospects.

2005 BUDGET FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
02 Dec 04

The November 29 meeting of the NKR government was devoted to the chief
financial document of the country. Prime Minister Anoushavan Danielian
briefly spoke about the results of the telethon in Los Angeles and
congratulated the participants of the meeting for this unprecedented
success. A. Danielian mentioned that the results were beyond all the
expectations and for the first time more than 11 million US dollars
was donated, which will allow to increase the length of the
`North-South’ highway. The prime minister of NKR thanked all the
participants of the telethon, the Diasporans, the population of
Armenia and Artsakh, the foundation `Hayastan’, all the state and
public organizations which assisted to the campaign of donations, and
stated that owing to unity they will maintain the victory in war in
the country’s economy as well. During the meeting Anoushavan Danielian
stressed the decisive role of NKR president Arkady Ghukassian in the
successful organization of the telethon and the record results. The
NKR minister of finance and economy Spartak Tevossian presented the
project of the NKR State Budget 2005. Analyzing the points included in
the documents the minister stated that the budget of the coming year
will be financed 100 per cent. According to the project, the
consolidated budget income in 2005 will total 7053.4 million drams
(excluding the interstate loan). The 2005 budget will provide for an
expenditure of 14864.3 million drams. Budget deficit will total
14864.3 million drams. Both the income and expenditure of community
budgets will total 1186.0 million drams. Thus, the NKR state budget
income will total 6 billion 460 million drams, and the expenditure
will total 21 billion 325 million drams against 15 billion 249 million
140 thousand of the previous year. The sum of the interstate loan
provided to NKR annually will total 13 billion 636 million 600
thousand drams. Spartak Tevossian pointed out that the anticipated
income will enable significant economic and social growth in almost
all the spheres. The rates of production growth will surpass the level
of the previous years, export of goods will increase. In the sphere of
business the government will continue wide-scale assistance to small
and medium-size business by legislative, tax, loan and economic
undertakings. According to the minister, the budget will have a mainly
social orientation. Special attention will be paid to the spheres of
industry, agriculture, building, social security, health care,
education and culture. In 2005 the salaries of teachers will be raised
by 65 per cent and salaries of health workers by 39 per
cent. Promotion of salaries is expected in the sphere of culture as
well. The budget of the coming year will provide considerable
expenditure for improvement of social conditions of the population
(particularly the pensioners and the disabled). Spartak Tevossian
emphasized that the government will pursue the implementation of
economic reforms directed at creation of jobs, improvement of the
quality of life, implementation of programs of economic and strategic
role for the country. Presenting his observations on the budget of
the year 2005, the prime minister of NKR Anoushavan Danielian stressed
its importance in further economic and social development and
mentioned that it will be directed at activation of the population
economically. The prime minister stated that by maintaining the
existing rates of growth and pursuing the economic and social reforms
it will be possible to achieve tangible progress in the new
year. According to Anoushavan Danielian, the 2005 budget will be a
starting point for implementation of wide-scale programs in the
republic. And maintaining the high rates of economic growth achieved
in 2003-2004 will result in the growth of people’s incomes and thereby
the general improvement of the quality of life of the population. He
mentioned that the state budget of 2005 will enable considerable
development in all the spheres of life, thereby promoting the
country’s economy several steps ahead. The members of government
approved the budget for discussion in the National Assembly. During
the meeting of the government decisions were madeon other questions
most of which referred to tax reforms. The government approved the NKR
bill on `Minimum Monthly Salary’ which maintains the minimum monthly
salary of 15 thousand drams. By another decision of the Executive the
monthly benefit of disabled children will increase from 3 to 6
thousand drams. The government also approved the 2005 social security
plan for the disabled.

AA.
02-12-2004

Azeri leader meets new head of Organization of Islamic Conference in Qatar

Trend news agency
30 Nov 04

BAKU

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the new secretary-general
of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin
Ihsanoglu, in Doha, Qatar, today. The sides discussed the development
of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the OIC, the forthcoming summit
of the organization and the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement process.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said he would take office as the OIC
secretary-general in January 2005 and would try to facilitate the
development of relations with Azerbaijan.

Ilham Aliyev is paying an official visit to Qatar. After a
face-to-face meeting with the emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin-Khalifah Al
Thani, and negotiations in the expanded format, six bilateral
documents will be signed in the areas of economy, culture, tourism,
health, foreign ministry consultations and cooperation between the
Olympic committees.

Sun-Gazette, PA
Nov 28 2004

What’s in a Stamp?
LKW dancer’s perform for United Nations

Stephanie Farr Sun-Gazette Staff

Their bodies flowed fluidly before the canvases, recreating the
pain and pleasure forever locked within the strokes of the paintings.

Just as the artist used a paintbrush to capture the thoughts and
visions only his mind knows, so too did their bodies use movement to
bring his illustrations to life.
When the LKW Senior Dance Team of Montoursville was invited to
perform at the United Nations Postal Administration’s Human Rights
stamp unveiling, members knew they had a lot to live up to, and only
two weeks to do it in.
The artist who created the stamps, Yuri Gevorgian, specifically
requested the dance team to perform at the unveiling ceremony at the
Jacob Javits Center in New York City on Oct. 14.
His hopes were that the dancers and their coaches would portray
the progression of human rights as illustrated in each of the six
stamps he designed for the United Nation Postal Administration.
Alison Dean, a teacher at the LKW studio, was asked to
choreograph the piece. All she had to work with under such strict
time restrictions were photographs of the paintings that Gevorgian
would release.
“It was amazing,” Dean said. “The work I’ve seen of his is
beautiful. He’s an incredible artist, but these were just
breathtaking.”
As soon as she received copies of the paintings, Dean set to
selecting the appropriate music and movements to portray the artist’s
work. She settled upon a modern lyrical dance choreographed to such
songs as “Turning to Peace,” “Fear Not My Child” and “Gloria” by Paul
Schwartz.
Dean said it was the inspiration of the paintings and events in
her personal life which led her to pick the music and the movements.
Gevorgian also gains inspiration from experiences in his personal
life.
Born in Soviet Armenia in 1956, he was one of the youngest
artists ever to gain entrance into the famous Akop Kodjoyan School of
Art in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. He then went to the Yerevan
University of Art and Architecture, but upon graduation, realized his
creative expression would be limited under the Armenian government.
Gevorgian married a woman who gained entrance into the United
States, but was not allowed to join her for seven years. During that
time, he came to understand the true hopes and fears of refugees, and
he continues to implement those themes in his paintings today.
When Gevorgian was reunited with his wife in the United States,
they realized that the separation had caused conflicts and that his
commitment to his art form made it impossible to stay together.
Moving out on his own, Gevorgian soon found himself homeless and
living on the streets of Los Angeles. Out of discarded supplies he
gathered from the sidewalks, Gevorgian created his “Hollywood
Boulevard” series, an attempt to capture the unique spirits found
within his homeless brothers and sisters.
The series eventually lead to his artistic success, but he would
also use it as an inspiration for both of his United Nations stamps
series. Besides the Human Rights stamps which were unveiled in
October, Gevorgian also designed the 2000 Respect for Refugees stamp
series for the United Nations.
The six Human Rights stamps depict the progression of human
rights from the repression of creative and ethnic freedoms to the
realization of individuality and the ability to take the first steps
towards one’s dream.
Gevorgian’s trade mark is the blue rose; a symbol of love,
tenderness and compassion. This rose appears in a majority of his
paintings, including each of the six Human Rights stamps. For the day
of the unveiling, each member of the dance team had a blue rose
painted on their arms as an homage to Gevorgian.
After the ceremony, while signing autographs for the dance team
members, he told them that they did more than dance the themes of the
paintings, they brought them to life. The team then got a private
tour of the United Nations building before returning home.
“For us as performers it was nice to have a story to tell,” Dean
said. “And a story that is so powerful, not like I went to the mall
and bought a dress.”
Kaitie Burger, a 14 year-old member of the LKW dance team,
agreed.
“It was a really great opportunity to get to go, and his
paintings inspired us to dance,” she said. “It was special because we
had a really good reason why we were dancing and knew what we were
trying to interpret.”
As a result of the performance for the United Nations Postal
Administration, the LKW dance team has been invited to perform at
many future functions in such cities as Los Angeles, Chicago and
Philadelphia. The team has even garnered an invitation to the United
Nations headquarters in Austria, a trip for which they are currently
seeking sponsors to cover traveling expenses.
What those in attendance at the unveiling experienced that day
was more than a marriage between dance and art, it was a union of
creative expression; a union born out mankind’s love for freedom and
his right to share that beauty with others.
Gevorgian once said, “Most people think of human rights in epic
terms. Every single thing we have and do in life is a human right. I
can paint what I want, I can dress how I want and I can read what I
want. Freedom is the ability to explore our minds, our bodies — our
dreams.”

–Boundary_(ID_Zrj5VDzT6Ok63HVnRf5aDA)–

Community Calendar

Montreal Gazette, Canada
Nov 25 2004

Galleries and Exhibitions

The Armenian General Benevolent Union of Montreal presents an
exhibition of recent works by artist Roudolf Kharatian on Saturday
and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dervishian Hall, 805
Manoogian St. in St. Laurent. Vernissage tomorrow at 8 p.m. Call
(514) 748-2428.

[parts omitted]

Armenian economy expands 9.7% in 10 mths

Interfax
22.11.2004  
 
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenian GDP grew 9.7% year-on-year to 1.485
trillion dram in January-October, the National Statistics Service
told Interfax.

Industrial output rose 1.5% to 424.9 billion dram year-on-year in
the ten months but fell 0.3% in October compared with September.

Farm output rose 13.8% to 389.1 billion dram and electricity output
increased 8.9% to 4.877 billion kWh in the ten months.

Armenian foreign trade grew 3% year-on-year to 903 billion dram in
January-October.

The exchange rate averaged at 541.25 dram/$1 in the ten months. It
was 501.84 dram/$1 on November 22.

–Boundary_(ID_CJjgPKnasCWTwAFbsyT8bQ)–