Author: Tvankchian Parkev

ARMENIA’S PM MEETS WITH NEW IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, JULY 30. ARMINFO. Armenia’s Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
and newly appointed Iranian ambassador to Armenia Ali Reza Khagigyan
discussed today issues of Armenian-Iranian cooperation.

Margaryan expressed hope that Khagigyan’s activities to promote
further development t of Armenian-iranian relations.

The basis of this is the centuries-old friendship of Armenia and Iran
and the relations formed after Armenia got independence. Armenia gives
high importance to the enlargement of its bilateral and multilateral
cooperation with Iran. Mutual visit promote this cooperation., In
this context the sides stressed the importance of the Sept 8-9 visit
of Iranian President Mohammad Farhad Khatami. They said that
cooperation meets the interests of both sides and is beneficial for
the whole region. Khagigyan said that the Iranian authorities consider
important the establishment of peace in the region and political and
economic stability in Armenia. The sides also spoke about the projects
to construct a gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia and a water power
plant on river Arax.

Struggle in Paradise: A visit to “the best village in the world”
armenianow.com
23 July 2004

By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter

Pink shades of sunset mix with the cyanic waters of Lake Sevan,
wrapping this world in azure gauze. Tireless white waves slap against
moss covered stones, breaking silence with the noise.

For 40 years, 70-year-old Knar has been leaning against rocks in her
yard and looking at the lake for hours, listening to new stories from
the endless waves. Her eyes are little lakes, but they are not calm,
as if they are looking for something that has gone.

Rest houses await new owners

“This lake has gone and never ran high again. Many years ago it would
reach that slope. My husband would sit on those stones and fish,” she
wistfully recalls.

Knar lives with her son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren in
Ayrivank village of Gegharkunik Region. The entire village is located
on the ridge.

Big stone pieces that can be seen in different parts of the village
prove that once waters of Sevan used to reach here.

Knar points at the ridge located in front of her in the left side,
where Ayrivank monastery dated 10 th-12 th centuries proudly
stands. Crossing her face she says their village was named after the
monastery – “Ayrivank”.

Ayrivank church doesn’t function, however, villagers visit it, pray
there and light candles. Wedding and baptism ceremonies are carried
out there. But there are no clergymen.

“The important is that the monastery exists so we don’t need priests,”
says Knar laughing.

About 820 residents of Ayrivank share God above and the lake,
monastery and forest below. Yerevan is 190 kilometers away.

With the water level, the view of the lake changes. So, too, the
population of Ayrivank has receeded. Many of its able-bodied men have
gone abroad to find work and help their families from afar.

“But I will never leave the village even if there are the worst
conditions here,” says villager Anton Virabyan. “I cannot live without
this village, this lake. This is a completely different world.”

Ayrivank village was founded in 1922 when 13 families from neighboring
Noraduz village moved there. One year later eight more families joined
them.

Head of the village Garnik Badoyan says his grandfather was one of the
first. This year residents are planning to build a khachkar next to
the spring located in the center of the village where they will
immortalize the names of founders.

Head of the village talks about newborns of the village with joy but
at the same time he recalls with regret those who left.

“People leave everything and leave the village. Mainly people of this
region go to Volgograd,” he says. There’s even a joke that Volgograd
is the capital of the region.

Despite its conditions, Ayrivank is better off than many villages in
the region. Roads of the village have been reconstructed, there is no
drinking water problem and the village is served with natural gas.

“The main problem of Ayrivank is the lack of irrigation water. We use
drinking water for irrigation,” Badoyan says. “Now we are working on
deep pits and we have already dug one. After some investments, a 700
meter-long water pipe-line will be constructed and it will be
connected to an internal network constructed during Soviet times. We
need financing. We wait for assistance from the government.”

Julieta Avetisyan, 40, is Knar’s daughter-in-law. She says majority of
villagers work for barter. They bring fruits and vegetables from other
regions and change them for cheese, matsun, milk and potatoes at a
market.

Before, Julieta used to work with her neighbors at the Ayrivank Sewing
Factory, which no longer is functioning. Today she spends most of her
time in the forest collecting nuts.

“I go to the forest with children and Knar and we collect acorns until
it becomes dark,” Julieta says. “We sell one sack of nuts for 250-300
drams (about 50-60 cents) in Noraduz to those who prepare smoked
fish. They say fish smoked on nuts has better taste. At least we get
money.”

Many people in Ayrivank found work on the water.

Knar and family

One of the village’s teachers, 42-year-old Melania Manukyan says: “In
my house, windows face the lake. Every morning I count small ships
that appear in the lake and I become happy as people here live thanks
to that.”

She says soon fishermen she knows will bring fresh whitefish for her
guests from Yerevan. They sell fish on-site for 20-30 drams (about 4-6
cents) each.

Mainly people come and buy fish right from the village. They sell
crawfish, too, at 100 drams (about 20 cents) per kilo.

“We have a businessman in the village, who consigns crawfish to
Holland and France. The taste of Sevan crawfish is different,” says
Melania.

Virabyan says trout was the real fish of their ancestors and before
trout there were beghlu and bakhtak which today have become
extinct. Nobody knows how whitefish appeared here.

“Trout is tasty when you make it in the tonir (stone oven),” he
explains.

“Usually people catch trout and whitefish with different seine nets
but sometimes trout is entrapped in seine nets designed for
whitefish.”

Many villagers have placed tin cottages on the shore and rent them out
at about 4,000-5,000 drams (about $7.50-9.50) a night.

David, a 20-year old villager, uses his fishing boat for giving tours
of the lake. As he talks to a guest, he is also trying to start the
engine. He keeps talking, but the engine doesn’t.

“Sometimes it happens,” he says. “You should see how people become
nervous when it happens far away from the shore. But it is not a
problem as I have paddles and I return them rowing up towards the
shore and don’t take money from them if something like this happens.”

Visitors can also rent pedal boats for 2,000 drams an hour (about
$3.80).

They have no risk of engine failure.

The village has potential as a tourist destination. However, three
hotels, privatized since independence, sit empty or unfinished in
Ayrivank.

“They are all old Soviet constructions designed for 400 people and all
of them require investments. It is not possible to use them in such
conditions,” Badoyan says. “I, myself, look for investors, who will
make this business together with me. There was a time when these
hotels had been functioning for 25 years and in case they are reopened
people again will have work, which is the biggest problem today.”

Children of Ayrivank are unusually beautiful. They are fair-haired and
have blue eyes that shine from under long eyelashes. The sun has
perfectly painted their cheeks into a red-scarlet color. They look
bravely but are shy to talk with strangers.

Melania says there is nothing interesting for children in the village,
there is nothing for them to spend their time there. There are no
clubs, no kindergartens in Ayrivank; there is no cultural center
there.

But 200 children attend the school in Ayrivank, including those who
come from neighboring Berdkunk village.

Healthcare in Ayrivank is a simple out-patient clinic constructed in
1960.

After years of decline, villagers now talk about water levels
rising. Some coast roads and trees are under water now. So there is
hope at least for nature to thrive, even while Ayrivank struggles.

Our village is the best village in the world,” Knar says. “I cannot
imagine there is a world outside this village. If one day I don’t see
Sevan then it will mean it’s time to die.”

School of Choice or Chance: Entrance examinations test nerves, reveal trends
armenianow.com
23 July 2004

By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Entrance examinations for Armenia’s state universities have begun and
will continue through mid-August.

Some boys queue to become students and thereby avoid military
service. Some girls see a diploma as part of their trousseau. In some
cases they are pushed by parents and in others they legitimately want
to improve their future and see education as the means.

For whatever reasons, it is a time of nervous anticipation for
teenagers and parents.

As eager students and parents gathered for the fateful occasion,
Minister of Education and Science Sergo Yeritsyan called for calm.

But it is not a time for calm, for these days are, for thousands, a
time of “to be or not to be”. Every day throughout Yerevan,
applicants’ anxiety fills examination rooms while outside parents
pace, as if the birthing process had started all over.

“Here, getting higher education is something like a traditional thing
and it is respected,” says Vagharshak Khachatryan, secretary of the
committee responsible for admission. “Every year there is an increase
in the number of entrants.”

This year, 17,418 students have applied for 9,761 university places
(at 12 state institutions). Of the number accepted, 4,115 will study
free of charge, while 5,646 will pay for their education (as
determined by government requirements for assistance).

Pressing for answers . . .

That means that 7,657 applicants this year will either have to apply
to private universities (where examinations are considerably easier
but costs are higher) or wait until next year to apply again.

While the numbers may be a positive indication of the continued
emphasis Armenians place on higher education, they are also somewhat
perplexing.

For example, the number of applicants increases, while the level of
unemployment in the republic hardly changes, meaning that graduates
most likely cannot find work in their chosen field of study.

Khachatryan says it is also interesting that this year there is an
increase in the number of applicants for the Pedagogic University,
even though recent government changes have reduced the number of
teachers in Armenia.

Applications for other institutions don’t differ too much from
previous years. Most applicants apply for Yerevan State
University. The largest number wants to study law, followed by
economics, high technology, foreign languages, history, etc.

This year the number of applicants for the Academy of Agriculture and
Polytechnic University decreased, probably because the university now
requires two tests, as opposed to only one in some departments in
previous years.

Parents are anxious, too.

Contrary to art specialists’ insistence that this generation has no
appreciation for art, the number of applicants for art schools has
increased by 20 percent.

“Every year something changes, however, for sure there is no tendency
towards the decrease of interest in higher education,” says
Khachatryan.

Nor has there been a decrease in the dishonored tradition of bribery,
as parents buy off examiners who are more than willing to judge a
candidate’s bank account rather than his grade point.

Each year, the Ministry of Education promises that the process will be
just.

This year was no exception. In an attempt to fulfill the ministry’s
promises, minister Yeritsyan delayed announcing names of examination
heads.

Reporter and parents were also allowed to follow the entrance process.

US ENVOY PLAYS DOWN AZERI CONCERN AT EQUAL AID TO BAKU, YEREVAN

ANS TV, Baku
22 Jul 04

(Presenter in studio) Washington does not think that the issue of
equally treating a member of the anti-terror coalition, Azerbaijan,
and Russia’s closest strategic ally, Armenia, is important enough.

(Correspondent over footage of Washington, the White House, US
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish) The US ambassador to
Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish, has described as unfounded the Azerbaijani
government’s concerns over the US Congress’s decision to provide equal
military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia.

We are conducting military exercises with Azerbaijan in the Caspian
Sea and are training Azerbaijani officers. By and large, military
assistance is not hugely important, Interfax-Azerbaijan news agency
quoted the ambassador as saying.

By saying this, the ambassador indirectly confirms that Congress has
indeed allocated equal assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Let’s recall that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who
is currently visiting the United States, has described as surprising
the allocation of equal assistance to Azerbaijan, an active member of
the anti-terror coalition which sends its peacekeepers to different
hotbeds, and Armenia, which supports the coalition only in words.

According to Reno Harnish, the issue raised by Mammadyarov is part of
US-Azerbaijani military cooperation. The diplomat added that the
American administration supports the idea of increasing Azerbaijan’s
contingent in Iraq.

Incidentally, the chairman of the Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party,
Etibar Mammadov, issued a statement today in connection with
Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If Washington really treats Baku and Yerevan equally, then Azerbaijan
should reconsider its involvement in the anti-terror coalition in such
dangerous places as Iraq and Afghanistan, end quote.

Ayaz Mirzayev, ANS.

ARMENIA FOREIGN MINISTER BLAMES AZERBAIJAN FOR OBSTRUCTING REGIONAL PROGRESS

Arminfo
22 Jul 04

YEREVAN

Armenia wants to coordinate its actions with Georgia in integration
into Europe, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told a press
conference today with Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili
at the end of her visit to Yerevan.

He said that political relations between the two countries are very
good and can be further improved during the rapprochement with
European structures. “It would be better if we took a single position,
so to speak, acted in unison”. However, Azerbaijan is getting in the
way of this, the minister believes. “There are regional tasks and the
main obstacle to their implementation is Azerbaijan. However, Georgia
and we shall try to coordinate our actions, and if Azerbaijan wishes
to join in, it can do so,” the Armenian foreign minister said.

Speaking about Armenian-Georgian economic relations, Oskanyan said
that those issues will be debated during Prime Minister Andranik
Markaryan’s upcoming visit to Tbilisi.

Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press
July 21, 2004

Nazism Expert Killed; Extremists Claim Responsibility

THE VICTIM, N. GIRENKO, SERVED AS EXPERT WITNESS IN SCHULTZ-88 TRIAL,
SUPERVISED SCHOLARS PROVIDING EXPERTISE ON NATIONALISTIC NEWSPAPERS

SOURCE: NAZIS SUSPECTED IN MURDER OF EXPERT ON FASCISM. By Sergei
Nekhamkin and Yelena Rotkevich. Izvestia, June 22, 2004, p. 5.
Condensed text:

St. Petersburg — . . . [Professor] Nikolai Mikhailovich Girenko was
murdered Saturday morning [June 19] in his apartment by a shot
through the door from a sawed-off rifle. The case is being handled by
the St. Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office’s Administration for the
Investigation of Particularly Important Crimes. Assistant city
prosecutor Aleksandr Zhukov told reporters on Monday that at the
present time, one of the hypotheses being considered by the
investigation is that the murder was connected with Girenko’s work.
But he said the investigators are also not ruling out the possibility
that the murder was motivated by hooliganism.

That phrase — “motivated by hooliganism” — evoked skepticism on
the part of Nikolai Mikhailovich’s colleague and close associate,
Valentina Uzunova. She said that a group of scholars supervised by
Girenko that has been providing expertise on extreme nationalist
publications had received threats regularly. . . .

One unfinished trial in which Prof. Girenko was serving as an
expert witness involves St. Petersburg’s most “rabid” nationalistic
group — Schultz-88. The “Schultz case” began in the spring of 2003.
At that time, while investigating an attack on an Armenian citizen,
detectives came upon a skinhead gang of about 30 people. It was
Girenko’s expert testimony that made it clear that this wasn’t just a
bunch of city toughs, but a group of inveterate racists and Nazis in
the Hitlerite mold. . . . Members of the organization have been
charged with fomenting ethnic and racial enmity and with publicly
calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order. The
trial is still ongoing.

Among Nikolai Girenko’s final acts was providing expert input on a
group of Novgorod newspapers: Novgorodets [The Novgoroder], Ya —
Russky [I Am Russian], Russkoye veche [Russian Assembly], Dlya
russkikh lyudei [For Russian People], Yevpaty Kolovrat and Russkoye
yedinstvo [Russian Unity] (one of them was shut down by court order).
These newspapers have ties to Russian National Unity. Prof. Girenko
tangled with that organization in St. Petersburg earlier, at the
trial of Aleksei Andreyev, another publisher of nationalistic
newspapers. Shortly before his death, Girenko had begun preparing for
a new trial involving RNU.

RIA OREANDA
Economic News
July 14, 2004 Wednesday

Prime Minister Fradkov Reports to Pres. Putin on Advances of Russian
Economy

Moscow. Russias President Vladimir Putin has met with Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov, who informed the head of state about the progress of
the Russian economy, emphasizing that in the first half of 2004
industrial output grew by 7.4% y/o/y. Fradkov also related to the
Presidents the results of his talks with his Armenian counterpart,
according to the presidential press service.

Armenian paper says country bowed to Russians over Iran gas pipeline project

Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
8 Jul 04

An Armenian paper has said that Armenian has bowed to Russian pressure
and refused to take part in the “game” of Iranian gas exports to
Europe. An agreement on the construction of an Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline had been signed as Iran was interested in exporting its gas
to the West and Georgia via Armenia. However 1,200mm diameter pipes
were needed for this and at the last minute Armenia “succumbed to
Russia’s pressure” and changed the planned diameter to 700mm. This
meant that it would not be possible to export Iranian gas from Armenia
by this pipeline and Armenia would therefore not benefit from the
transit. Russia, the paper said, did not want any new rivals in the
gas market. However Iran would now want to seek new partners, and
Azerbaijan and Georgia were both possibilities. The following is the
text of Arman Karapetyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Haykakan
Zhamanak on 8 July headlined “Rapprochement at the expense of Armenia”

During hearings in the National Assembly, Armenia’s Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan said that after the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
is put into operation, Azerbaijan’s income will be incomparable with
Armenia’s. And even the Dashnaks admit that the Baku-Ceyhan oil
pipeline was a lost chance for Armenia. But you are wrong if you
think that such regrets can make certain changes to Armenia’s foreign
policy, because the countries of the region give us new reasons to
worry.

A delegation led by Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili is in Iran
at the moment. A member of the delegation, Fuel and Energy Minister
Nikolay Gilauri, told journalists yesterday that one of the issues
discussed in Tehran was the possibility of exporting Iranian gas to
Georgia. He added that they have already made an arrangement and
Iranian gas will go to Georgia via the territory of Azerbaijan. There
is a gas pipeline which connects Georgia with Azerbaijan, as for the
connection between Iranian and Azerbaijani gas systems, it requires
serious expenses, and gas supplies from Iran to Georgia may start in
2005.

Undoubtedly, the reader has guessed what Armenia’s interest is in this
context? It is certainly the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, the contract
on the construction of which was signed on 13 May in Yerevan. Iran was
interested in the construction of this gas pipeline because it was
hoping to export its gas to the West, Georgia, etc. via Armenia. It
would be possible to fulfil this programme if the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline was constructed using 1,200mm diameter pipes. But Armenia
succumbed to Russia’s pressure and changed the diameter to 700mm at
the last minute. This means that it will not be possible to export
Iranian gas from Armenia by this pipeline. That is, Armenia will not
benefit from the transit of Iranian gas. It was clear from the very
beginning that Russia would be an obstacle to the construction of the
promising Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. If we do not take into account a
little exception, today Russia has a monopoly on the European gas
market and the appearance of new rivals on this market is not
advantageous to it.

On the contrary, Iran is in dire need of this market because although
it has great gas reserves this country, in fact, cannot make
productive use of them. Iran regarded the construction of the 1,200mm
diameter gas pipeline to Armenia as the first step towards the
European market, in the sense that the gas pipeline will extend to the
West later. While making arrangements on the construction of the gas
pipeline, our political elite, which loves to talk about a
Russia-Armenia-Iran “geopolitical axis”, was caught in the crossfire
between Iran and Russia for the first time and succumbed to Russia’s
pressure in these disagreements. That is, it has de-facto established
a bloc with Russia in order not to let Iran into the European market.

Today it does not matter any more how many millions of dollars Armenia
has lost because of this. But it is important that, by its behaviour,
Armenia lost the opportunity to Azerbaijan, which has the privilege of
the Baku-Ceyhan and other oil pipelines, and has allowed it to have
common interests with our partner Iran. It is natural that as a result
of Armenia’s behaviour, Iran will not refuse the strategic goal of
exporting gas to the European market and will start looking for
another transit territory after Armenia’s failure. Apart from Armenia,
Azerbaijan is the only country that can serve as such a territory,
especially as Georgia, in turn, might make Russia understand that it
will support Iran in the matter of directing its gas to
Europe. Certainly, all these are projects, but sometimes projects have
much more value than their implementation. To understand this simple
reality, let us enumerate once again what happened: succumbing to
Russia’s pressures, Armenia refused to take part in the game of
Iranian gas exports to Europe. Iran could not but refuse that game,
but needed a partner. Since Armenia’s departure, the role of partner
was vacant and Azerbaijan and Georgia occupied it.

In general, Azerbaijan and Georgia do not really need the programme of
Iranian gas exports to Europe. But they are taking part in this game
to bring Russia to its knees. Undoubtedly, Russia will try to persuade
Azerbaijan and Georgia to give up the idea of letting Iranian gas into
post-Soviet territory. At any moment, Azerbaijan will be ready to
discuss this suggestion and demand that Russia, say, help return the
territories controlled by the Armenian troops. It is clear that Russia
cannot return these territories to Azerbaijan, but it can reduce arms
supplies to the Armenian armed forces.

In turn, for giving up the idea of importing Iranian gas, Georgia will
demand that Russia make compromises on the Abkhaz and South Ossetian
problems. It does not matter how this geopolitical “argument” ends. It
is important that Armenia cannot pursue its own interests any more,
and it gives Armenia’s rivals a wide opportunity and new blank
cheques, some of which will be used against us. It seems there is no
point in explaining that all this is the consequence of the simple
fact that an illegitimate president cannot pursue the interest of a
country. It is evident that our president cannot talk to Putin as one
equal to another and cannot tell him that the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline should be constructed using not 700, but 1,200mm diameter
pipes because this meets Armenia’s interests. Maybe it is possible to
see Robert Kocharyan as a friend of Vladimir Putin, but it is
obviously impossible to see him as Armenia’s president.

ARMS TRADE DISCOUNTS BEGIN FOR CIS SECURITY TREATY STATES

Interfax-AVN military news agency web site, Moscow
7 Jul 04

Tagil, Sverdlovsk Region, 7 July: Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) member-states which have ratified corresponding
intergovernmental agreements and protocols are entitled to deliver and
procure arms and materiel within the CSTO framework on preferential
terms.

“A decree regulating prices and charges on arms and materiel,
delivered within the CSTO framework on preferential terms, was issued
about a month ago, and we have already started certain practical work
in compliance with this decree,” CSTO Secretary-General Nikolay
Bordyuzha told Interfax-Military News Agency at the Nizhniy Tagil arms
show today.

Quoting Russian media outlets, he said that two Il-76 Candid military
transports had recently been delivered to Armenia. The aircraft have
been sold on preferential terms.

(Passage omitted)

According to Bordyuzha, not all CSTO member-states have ratified the
necessary documents, which considerably hinders arms deliveries on
preferential terms. “Not all the states have ratified the agreement
proper, and the protocol on controlling arms to be delivered on
preferential terms. We have to be sure that such arms will not be
transferred to third parties in the future,” he said.

(Passage omitted)

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES SEN. KERRY’S CHOICE FOR
DEMOCRATIC VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

— Sen. Edwards Outspoken in Favor of U.S. Recognition of
Armenian Genocide; Lifting of Turkish Blockade of Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today welcomed the presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee John
Kerry’s announcement of Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) as his Vice-
Presidential running mate.

“The ANCA welcomes John Kerry’s choice of John Edwards – a friend
of Armenian Americans in North Carolina and around the nation – as
his running-mate,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“The contrast between Senator Edwards and sitting Vice President
Dick Cheney could not be more stark. John Edwards has consistently
taken a stand for Armenian issues, while Dick Cheney – as Chairman
of Halliburton and later as Vice President – has consistently,
often stridently, opposed issues of concern to Armenian American
voters.”

Sen. Edwards, currently finishing his first term in the Senate, has
been a staunch supporter of Armenian American concerns. In 2002,
he cosponsored the S.Res.307, marking the 15th anniversary of the
U.S. implementation of the Genocide Convention. He was an original
cosponsor of a similar bill currently in Congress, S.Res.164,
spearheaded by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Jon Corzine (D-NJ),
which currently has 39 cosponsors.

During his run for the Democratic Presidential nomination, Sen.
Edwards met with ANCA activists in May of 2003, at a private
reception held in Los Angeles in his honor. There ANCA-WR Chairman
Raffi Hamparian and Board Member Steven J. Dadaian discussed issues
of concern to the Armenian American community with the Senator.
Hamparian spoke to Senator Edwards about Turkey’s illegal blockade
of Armenia, to which Edwards responded that the “wrongful blockade”
must end, stressing that America has to stand behind Armenia and
let its neighbors know that “We [America] stand fully behind
Armenia.” In a statement before reception attendees, Edwards
explained that it is in America’s interest to recognize the
Armenian Genocide and added that “It is the just thing to do. It is
about time we [Americans] recognized it.”

Sen. Edwards’ positions on Armenian American concerns contrasts
sharply to Republican Vice-presidential nominee Dick Cheney’s
record. During his years serving in the U.S. Congress, Cheney
voted against resolutions commemorating the Armenian Genocide both
in 1985 and 1987. In 1995, he joined the Halliburton Company, an
oil and energy services corporation, and after his appointment as
Chairman of the Board in 1996, worked extensively with the
government of Azerbaijan in oil exploration ventures. He was a
vocal advocate of efforts to repeal restrictions on U.S. aid to
Azerbaijan despite that country’s ongoing blockades of Armenia and
Nagorno Karabagh. In a keynote speech at a U.S.-Azerbaijan Chamber
of Commerce (USACC) conference on February 18, 1997, Cheney stated:

“I must also say that I believe that our current policy prohibiting
U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan is seriously misguided. In my
experience, this kind of unilateral sanction, based primarily on
U.S. domestic political considerations, is unwise. Such a policy
limits U.S. influence in any given situation, and in this case, it
reduces rather than enhances the prospects for ultimately resolving
a very complex and important set of regional issues.”

In 1997, Cheney, who was a member of the USACC “Honorary Council of
Advisors,” was awarded its “Freedom Support” award, for his
“outstanding services to this organization [USACC] as well as
contribution toward promoting peace, democracy, freedom and
economic development in Azerbaijan and a closer cooperation between
the United States and Azerbaijan.”

For more information about the Kerry-Edwards ticket, visit: