Author: Vanyan Gary

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
December 14, 2004

Gazprom to bid in tender to build gas pipe from Iran to Armenia

YEREVAN, Dec 14 (Prime-Tass) — ArmRosgazprom, in which Russian
natural gas monopoly Gazprom and the Armenian government each hold
45% stakes, is to bid in a tender for a contract to build a gas
pipeline linking Iran with Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, an executive
director of ArmRosgazprom, told ITAR-TASS Tuesday.

The tender will be announced soon, he added.

Russian independent gas producer Itera holds a 10% stake in
ArmRosgazprom.

Karapetyan denied reports that the pipeline could be used for the
transit of Iranian natural gas to Europe, adding that this would
require a pipeline with a larger diameter and throughput capacity,
which would require considerable investment.

The 40-kilometer stretch of the pipeline that is to cross Armenia’s
territory will be built using a U.S. USD 30 million loan from Iran, a
press officer withthe Armenian government told ITAR-TASS. The
relevant agreement was signed during Iran’s President Mohammad
Khatami to Yerevan in September, thepress officersaid.

Construction of the pipeline is to start at both the Armenian and
Iranian ends simultaneously, with a 100-kilometer stretch of pipeline
to run across the territory of Iran to the border with Armenia. The
construction should be completed by January 2007. Armenia plans to
pay for Iran’s natural gas exports in kind, with electric power
supplies, the press officer said. End

RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 14 2004

AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES BTC CONSTRUCTION, INVESTMENT AND
KARABAKH PROBLEM IN LONDON

LONDON, December 14 (RIA Novosti) – President Ilkham Aliyev of
Azerbaijan has said the parties to the project for the construction
of the Baku (Azerbaijan) – Tbilisi (Georgia) – Ceyhan (Turkey) (BTC)
pipeline, a Turkish oil terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean, faces
no financial problems whatsoever.

“We have not faced any problems in financing the project, including
from international sources,” the president emphasized as he spoke to
reporters at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on
Tuesday.

Mr. Alieyv said the Azerbaijani section of the pipeline had been
completed already, while the Georgian and Turkish sections would be
completed soon.

“We have never regarded underfunding as a major problem. And we
believe the shareholders will hopefully reaffirm their resolve to
complete the construction of the pipeline according to schedule,”
said the president.

The Azerbaijani leader said hydrocarbon resources would start being
pumped along the pipe in 2005. The BTC project is being implemented
with the participation of major international concerns, among them
British Petroleum.

Mr. Aliyev maintained the territorial dispute with Armenia over
Nagorny Karabakh, the Armenian enclave on Azerbaijani territory,
which proclaimed independence and backed by Armenia upheld its status
of an independent republic in a war with Azerbaijan in the 1990s, did
not act as a deterrent for foreign investors in Azerbaijan.

“This situation does not deter potential investors, and a whole bunch
of major foreign investors are present in Azerbaijan today,” said Mr.
Aliyev.

Speaking about ways to settle the Karabakh problem, Ilkham Alieyv
emphasized that “Azerbaijan has signaled adherence to the principles
of international law and has demanded that Armenia’s occupying forces
be pulled out from Azerbaijani territory.” (Since the war Armenia has
retained control over up to 15% of Azerbaijan’s territory, including
what is known as the Lachin corridor linking Nagorny Karabakh to
Armenia.)

“We accept various solutions to the Karabakh problem, which will base
on international law and ensure Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,”
noted Mr. Aliyev. “Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is instrumental
and is not subject to debate, although we are prepared to meet
halfway on other aspects, in particular the autonomous status for the
region and security issues,” said the president.

ARMENIANS HOLD ACTION OF PROTEST NEAR TURKEY’S EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13. ARMINFO. A group of Armenians held an action of
protest near the embassy of Turkey in Washington recently, where a
reception was held on the occasion of the American-Turkish assembly.

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet informs, the participants of the action
were scanning “the 1915 must not be repeated”, “We are ashamed for
Turkey”, “Turkey must not be permitted into the European
Union”. several turks, taking art in the reception at the embassy,
came to the demonstrators and made return statements. After the
interference of law-enforcement bodies “the duel of slogans” was
stopped.

KARABAKH WILL NEVER BE PART OF AZERBAIJAN: ARMENIA’S PM

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11. ARMINFO. Karabakh will never be part of
Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan said during
today’s congress of Yerkrapah Volunteer Union.

An Armenian territory cannot be object of speculations. Nagorny
Karabakh should have a status ensuring security for its people. So the
union will reject any proposals contradicting this principle like will
do his party, Republicans, and all parties who do not wish peace at
any price just for settling the problem, says Margaryan.

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

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I CONGRATULATES JAROSLAV PELIKAN, THE RENOWNED CHUCRH
HISTORIAN

Antelias, Lebanon – Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan, the renowned church historian was
awarded of John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the humanities
and social sciences. In congratulating Dr. J. Pelikan “as a friend”, His
Holiness Aram I said: “You deserve such a prestigious award for your
outstanding achievements as historian and theologian. In fact, your numerous
publications are eloquent testimonies of your vast scholarship, rich
knowledge and perceptive and analytical mind. Your contribution particularly
to church history and doctrine remains unprecedented in the modern history
of world Christendom”.

Over the past 50 years, Jaroslav Pelikan has made unrivaled contributions to
intellectual, cultural and religious history. His major achievements
include: his authoritative work on the life and work of Martin Luther, his
original and monumental five-volume “The Christian Tradition: A History of
the Development of Doctrine” (1971-1989); and his volumes that gather
together the proliferation of Christian sects in our time, particularly in
the Third World, “Credo: Historical and Theological Introduction to Creeds
and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition” (1994) .

Pelikan taught at Valparaiso University in Indiana and Concordia
Theological Seminary from 1949 to 1953, and at the University of Chicago
until 1962. He then began a distinguished career at Yale University and in
1972 was appointed Sterling Professor of History, the highest academic
honor at Yale. From 1973 to 1978, he served as dean of the graduate
school there.

Pelikan was president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
(1994-97), founding chairman for the Council of Scholars at the Library of
Congress (1980-83; 1988-94) and chairman of the board of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science. At the age of 80, he accepted the
position of scholarly director for the “Institutions of Democracy Project”
at the Annenberg Foundation.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission 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.

Azeri NGOs appeal to Georgian president over crackdown on ethnic Azeris

ANS TV, Baku
7 Dec 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijani NGOs are braced to make an appeal to
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to prevent a crackdown on
ethic Azerbaijanis living in that country.

[Correspondent, over video of scenes of protest by ethnic Azerbaijanis
and scenes in Georgia] The [Azerbaijani] National NGO Forum has
prepared an appeal to Georgian President Saakashvili in protest at the
crackdown on ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia. The appeal, which says
ethnic Azerbaijanis have been subjected to a crackdown for dozens
of years, reminds Saakashvili of the promise he made ahead of his
election to help ethnic Azerbaijanis resolve their land problem. The
appeal also demands an end to the massive violation of the economic,
political and social rights of more than 650,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis
living in Georgia. Generally, concerned with the plight of ethnic
Azerbaijanis in Georgia, the NGOs believe that the purpose there is to
drive them out of their lands, as was the case in Armenia. The passive
attitude of Georgian NGOs also causes concern. It was decided to hold
negotiations with those NGOs and at the same time set up a monitoring
group to study the situation of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia so
that this group can prepare reports based on its observations and
submit it to international organizations.

[National NGO Forum President Azay Quliyev, captioned] Azerbaijan is an
independent state and should be able to protect its people. Therefore,
I think the fact that the government and authorities of Georgia,
which is a member of the Council of Europe, are making these blunders
and grossly violating human rights like this is at least against
international legal norms, let alone brotherhood and friendship.

[Correspondent] Saying that the neighbouring country’s attitude is
wrong in return for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [main
export] oil pipeline through Georgia and Baku’s tariff concessions, the
NGOs accused Saakashvili of not being frank. Saying that Saakashvili
is a skilled [former Georgian president Zviad] Gamsakhurdia, the
president of the Centre for Political Innovations and Technologies,
Mubariz Ahmadoglu, spoke of the similarity in the ruling principles
of the two. The president of the centre, which studies the situation
in the Caucasus, believes that the existing problem is not a product
of relations between [late Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev and
[former Georgian President Eduard] Shevardnadze or [Azerbaijani
President] Ilham Aliyev and Saakashvili. It has always been in
place. And Georgian-born Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan have a
hand in the existence of the problem.

[Mubariz Ahmadoglu, captioned] There are the lobbies of two states in
Azerbaijan, the US lobby and that of the Georgian government. This
lobby was organized under Shevardnadze and the incumbent [Georgian]
authorities are using it very successfully. The root of the problem
resides in ethnic Azerbaijanis who moved here from Georgia. I don’t
mean all of them. If we can settle [the issue of] Georgian-born
Azerbaijanis here, conduct reasonable work with them and manage to
cut off the contacts of certain Georgian bodies with them, we will
make a serious success in settling the situation in Georgia.

[Correspondent] The appeal that will be sent to Saakashvili will
be in English and Russian, the languages Saakashvili speaks very
well when necessary. To be exact, when the situation is Russian,
he speaks English and when it is English he speaks his native
tongue. For example, Tbilisi, which is pursuing an explicit pro-US
policy, is offering Russia more than 600 enterprises and Armenia
372 enterprises. The Armenians are collecting money to buy the ports
of Poti and Batumi, while we are collecting it to send a monitoring
group into Georgia.

Eldaniz Valiyev, Hikmat Asgarov for ANS.

“AS MUCH AS YOU AND OTHERS MAY DENY, ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS FACT OF HISTORY,”
CATHOLICOS ARAM I SAYS IN RESPONSE TO ERDOGAN’S REMARKS

ANTELIAS, LEBANON, 7 December (Noyan Tapan). The Prime Minister of
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently inaugurated the first museum in
Turkey to be dedicated to the Armenian people. On this occasion he said
that the museum would refute the accusation that Turkey perpetrated a
genocide against the Armenians. “Instead of looking at facts, people
have distorted history through suppositions and misinformation”,
said Erdogan. He promised to protect the rights of the Armenians
living in Turkey. He said: “As the Prime Minister of this country,
it is my duty to protect the rights of these citizens”. According
to the Press Office of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, in response
to Erdogan’s remarks, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great
House of Cilicia, said: “Mr. Erdogan, before you speak of so called
“assumptions” and “misinformation”, you should visit the “Cilicia
Museum” of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Lebanon. At that museum
you would see irrefutable evidence of the genocide perpetrated by
the Turks. The remains of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the
Armenian people rescued from Cilicia speak for themselves. You would
see manuscripts, church vessels, and other articles of spiritual
value, that the Armenians of Adana, Zeytoun, Hajen, Sis, and other
places in Cilicia and Western Armenia saved as they fled the horrors of
massacre. All these precious remains of our spiritual heritage reached
Antelias via Deir Zor. No one who sees these remains would talk of
“assumptons” and “distortion” of facts. They are clear evidence
of Turkish barbarism. Shouldn’t you ask why these are currently
in Antelias? Are they there by coincidence? Moreover, Mr. Prime
Minister, before speaking of “falsification” and “misinformation”,
you should also visit the relics of our martyrs that lie in a monument
not far from the Museum. Perhaps you would ask yourself, where did
these human remains come from? History is based on clear facts and
not assumptions. As much as you and others may deny, the Armenian
Genocide is a fact of history. Mr. Erdogan, you consider it your duty
to protect “the rights of the Armenians living in Turkey”. However, as
Prime Minister, shouldn’t you admit the guilt of your ancestors, their
well-planned and executed Genocide? You cannot deny your history. Next
year will be the 90th anniversary of the Genocide. Armenian communities
all over the world will demand with one voice the recognition of the
Genocide perpetrated by Turkey and will ask for their Human Rights
thus far denied”, concluded Catholicos Aram I.

Turkish prime minister attends opening of Armenian museum in Istanbul

.c The Associated Press

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
officially opened an Armenian museum in Istanbul on Sunday and said he
was committed to protecting the rights of minority Armenians.

Erdogan joined Mesrob II, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, and
other leaders of Turkey’s Armenian Christian minority of 65,000 for
the opening of the museum at the Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian
Hospital.

“Armenian citizens are an indispensable part of (Turkey). Every
artifact in this museum shows a past that was lived together,”
Erdogan said. “We are now protecting each other’s rights, aware of
our citizenship, and it will be like this forever.”

Most Armenians in this predominantly Muslim but secular country live
in Istanbul.

Turkey, which recognizes Armenians as an official minority, is under
pressure to improve rights for minorities as part of efforts to join
the European Union. Turkey hopes that EU leaders will agree to open
membership talks with it at a Dec. 17 summit.

Ties between Armenians and Turks have often been strained over the
mass killing of Armenians during and after World War I.

Armenians say that a 1915-1923 campaign to force Armenians out of
eastern Turkey left 1.5 million people dead and amounted to genocide.

Turkey objects to the use of the word “genocide.” Turkey says the
figures are inflated and that deaths were the result of civil unrest
and not a planned campaign.

The museum includes religious artifacts, antique medical equipment and
an Ottoman decree that established the hospital in 1832.

12/05/04 12:34 EST

PanArmenian News
Dec 3 2004

BAKU SHOULD PAY COMPENSATION TO ARMENIANS, WHOSE PROPERTY WAS
ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED, UN COMMISSION DOCUMENT SAYS

03.12.2004 17:21

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights is concerned about “the illegal occupation by refugees and
internally displaced persons of properties belonging to Armenians and
other ethnic minorities,” say the Concluding Observations of the UN
ECOSOC, adopted November 26. “The Committee recommends Azerbaijan to
take corrective measures to ensure that Armenians and other ethnic
minorities whose properties are illegally occupied by refugees and
internally displaced persons be provided with adequate compensation
or offered alternative accommodation,” the document says.

Agence France Presse — English
December 3, 2004 Friday 4:38 PM GMT

Russians buy back national treasures that went West

LONDON

In a string of London auctions culminating on Friday, newly rich
Russians have spent millions of dollars buying back Russian paintings
and other treasures which ended up in the West both before and after
the 1917 Communist revolution.

Calling the auctions that began Tuesday “Russia week,” MacDougall’s,
Christie’s and Sotheby’s sold paintings, porcelain vases, silverwork
and even bottles of Crimean wine that were once stored in the cellars
of the Czars.

In Sotheby’s on New Bond Street earlier this week, businessmen,
collectors and agents, all speaking Russian, crowded the corridors
and red-wallpapered auction room snapping up artwork at the rate of
about one a minute.

Dressed in fur coats, svelt, blond-haired Slavic women used Montblanc
pens to make note of the artwork as their husbands, wearing leather
jackets, reviewed the orders and made calls on their portable
telephones before bidding.

London has become a refuge for many “oligarchs,” the breed of Russian
billionaires who made their fortunes in oil and other natural
resources following the collapse of communism in 1991. Among the best
known is Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club.

“The new rich have limitless means but limited knowledge of art,”
said Prince Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky, the London-based Russian emigre
collector who is a regular at the auction houses.

“They buy at top price to impress their friends. During the highest
bidding, there was applause in the room,” the prince told AFP,
speaking in French.

Many of the works of art at auction had ended up in Western countries
after the aristocracy emigrated after the 1917 revolution.

Michael Bing, head of division in Sotheby’s Russia Department, said
that it is only now that Russians are able to buy back national
treasures.

“It is their heritage that they are discovering. There is money in
Russia now to acquire it,” Bing said.

“Russians are fond of art. They are passionate about their national
history. Put money in their hands and you see the result,” he told
AFP.

Though Russians were the main buyers, there were others who had a
strong interest in the art.

An ethnic Armenian collector from New York bought a painting by Ivan
Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, who lived from 1817-1900 and painted many
maritime scenes.

“I go everywhere to buy him (Aivazovsky). I’ve been collecting him
for 25 years, but prices have gone up 10 fold compared to six years
ago,” said the 49-year-old collector who asked not to be named.

“Russians and Armenians are getting rich everywhere. They love him
and they can spend more money,” he added.

Several Aivazovsky works rated among the 10 highest sales of the week
at both Sotheby’s and Christie’s. One of them “St Isaac on a frosty
day” fetched a record 1.1 million pounds (2.1 million dollars or 1.6
million euros).

“I also bought a Faberge (the court jeweller to the Russian royal
family) dinner set. I had no intention to buy it, but my wife liked
it,” he said.

The recent surge in prices prompted Christie’s to grab a larger share
of the Russian art market, which until now had been dominated by
Sotheby’s, the auction house said.

MacDougall’s, a new specialized house, staged its first auction,
hoping to profit from the skyrocketing market in London.

The wines that were enjoyed by 19th-century Russian Czars and leader
Joseph Stalin are expected to fetch more than 500,000 pounds at
auction later Friday.

The Russian London Newspaper said that representatives for Russian
President Vladimir Putin were expected to be at the auctions buying
up work for him, but this could not be confirmed.

The newspaper said it was one of the largest sales of Russian art yet
seen in Europe and the biggest in London.