Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

MOSCOW LAYS ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL FOUNDATION STONE

RIA Novosti, Russia
Oct 16 2004

MOSCOW, October 16 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow will soon have another
cathedral, whose foundation stones were consecrated today. The new
shrine will belong to the New Nakhichevan and the Russian dioceses
of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Mayor Yuri Luzhkov addressed the congregation to congratulate the
Moscow ethnic Armenian community, soon to receive a majestic house
of prayer. He pointed out close links of the Russian and Armenian
nations throughout many centuries, and highlighted an honorable
Armenian contribution to Russian culture, research and industry.

The mayor thanked Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,
Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, for his stances on other
Christian denominations, which promote Christian unity.

Alexis II and Garegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, laid a
commemorative capsule in the cathedral foundation.

Mutual understanding and friendly partnership are characteristic
of present-day Russian-Armenian relations. The Russian and Armenian
Churches are exchanging their ample experience and precious spiritual
heritage, said Garegin II.

“Friendly ties between our Churches and flocks will strengthen here,”
added Alexis II.

The cathedral will be essential part of an upcoming Armenian Cultural
Center. It will have a residence of the Patriarchal Exarch of the
Armenian Apostolic Church in Moscow, an educational center plus Sunday
school, a library, a conference hall, and a club-total floor space
22,000 square meters.

SAAKASHVILI PROPOSES NEW SCHEME FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION

ArmenPress
Oct 15 2004

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 15, ARMENPRESS: Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili
proposed a new scheme-3+3- of regional cooperation in Lithuanian
capital Vilnius, which he said calls for cooperation between the three
South Caucasian and three Baltic countries. “As part of this scheme,
the Baltic republics will help Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to
present their interests at the European Union and come closer to
Europe. Our voices will be constantly heard at European organizations,”
Saakashvili said.

Vilnius and Tbilisi signed an agreement on Thursday on cooperation
and Lithuania’s assistance to Georgia to help it integrate with
Euro-Atlantic region. The document was signed by Michael Saakashvili
and president of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus. In a meeting with reporters,
Saakashvili said the “document means that Georgia will have a lobbyist
in NATO and EU, which is very important.”

L’Europe, les Turcs et les Arméniens
par NICOLAS TEKNETZIAN 92250 La Garenne-Colombes

Les Echos , France
12 octobre 2004

J’ai lu avec beaucoup d’intérêt l’analyse titrée « L’heure de vérité
pour la Turquie » dans « Les Echos » du 6 octobre sur l’adhésion
de la Turquie à l’Europe. Je tiens à insister sur l’existence du
préalable absolu à toute discussion avec la Turquie que constitue
la reconnaissance sans réserve du génocide des Arméniens par le
gouvernement turc en 1915.

Ce préalable de taille, plus d’un millions et demi de victimes,
qui semble ces derniers mois totalement oublié par nos dirigeants
les plus importants, doit être sans cesse rappelé, affiché, martelé
si nous souhaitons construire une Europe forte, juste et durable. Il
est de la première importance de se remémorer dans nos écrits, dans
nos discours, dans nos argumentations ce déni de génocide sur lequel
repose la société turque depuis quatre-vingt-dix ans et d’exiger la
reconnaissance du génocide avant tout autre débat.

BRAWL EXPOSES OLD CITY TENSIONS –

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Israel
Oct 12 2004

A brawl that started when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being
carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy
Sepulchre on Sunday has exposed growing tensions between traditional
Christian denominations and religious Jews in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Both were questioned by police and the yeshiva student will be brought
to trial, having been banned from approaching the Old City for 75 days.

;artid=2004/10/12/989689135

Cargo detention on Russia-Georgia border harms Armenia-min
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 11, 2004 Monday

YEREVAN, October 12 — The detention of cargoes bound for Armenia on
the Russian-Georgian border has serious consequences for the republic,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan said in an interview on
the country’s Public Television.

According to Oskanyan, “a rather complicated situation has developed”
currently on this border. “Numerous motor vehicles that cannot drive
through to Armenia have crowded there,” the minister said.

Oskanyan stressed that talks at the very top level are being held in
order to solve the issue. He said, “There is an agreement to let pass
the crowded vehicles if only to ease the tension of the situation.”

In the minister’s view, “the developed situation is disadvantageous
to Russia, Georgia, Armenia and also to Azerbaijan.”

Oskanyan is positive that “the issue will be settled finally soon.”

After the terrorist attack in Beslan when automobile traffic was
stopped through the Russian-Georgian border, over 1,000 trucks bound
for Armenia amassed in Verkhny Lars.

The border closure resulted in serious difficulties for the economy
of Armenia that has no common border with Russia.

Verkhny Lars is the only land road linking the republic with Russia
by transit via Georgia.

KURDISH COMMUNITY OF ARMENIA MAD ABOUT PM ERDOGAN’S SPEECH

Azg/am
9 Oct 04

“We shall never be surprised seeing Turkey as an EU member as powerful
international unions and organizations express the interests of super
powers. We raise our voice in order to put an end to all injustice
done to the Kurdish people. Turkey has to consider the claims of a
nation counting 20 million.

The issues of language and culture preserving as well as securing
Kurds’ rights were key issues of Abdullah Ojalan and the party he
led”, Kniaz Hasanov, member of the Council of Minorities of Armenia
and representative of “Kurdistan” committee, says.

Turkish prime minister Ragep Tayyip Erdogan’s speech at the European
Parliament in which he presented Turkey as a country where human
rights arerespected infuriated the members of the “Kurdistan”
committee. Erdogan said in his speech that all citizens of Turkey are
granted the possibility of preserving their mother tongue and
religion. “He seemed to have forgotten that the language, culture and
history of 20 millions of Kurds are forbidden. Kurds have no right to
have Kurdish schools, have their programs on TV, and what shall we
call these if not human rights’ violation? More than 10 thousand young
people are being tortured in Turkey’s prisons only for demanding the
government to recognize their identity and language. They are called
terrorists and receive life imprisonment for such steps”, Hasanov said
and recalled the case when former deputy of the Turkish Mejlis Leila
Zanan was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment only for saying few
sentences in Kurdish while swearing in. She was released only after 10
years and after international community interfered. Hasanov was sure
that the Turkish-Kurdish confrontation would persist as long as
Turkeyhews to the chosen line of intolerance.

The members of the committee said that the attitude of the Armenian
government towards Kurdish community is good and they have no
complaints. They underscored that the government met their need, and
Kurdish textbooks are soon to be published.

By Ruzan Poghosian

ArmenPress
Oct 6 2004

KARABAGH RIVERS WERE CONTAMINATED BY SOVIET AZERBAIJAN, POLITICAL
ANALYST SAYS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Few people know that apart from
the so-called Minsk group, mandated by the OSCE to mediate peace
talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno Karabagh conflict,
there is another format, including representatives of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabagh, USA and Russia who have been meeting
regularly behind the closed doors for the last four years to seek a
conflict resolution option that would be acceptable to all.
Little information is made public about how discussions, organized
within the frameworks of so-called Dortmund Forum, go on. The final
conclusion of the Forum is supposed to be presented to the
conflicting sides and peace brokers to help them strike the peace
deal.
Samvel Babayan, a political analysts from Nagorno Karabagh, who
participated in the latest meeting, said to RFE/Rl that discussions
held in Moscow are the sole venue where Nagorno Karabagh
representatives face Azeris.
“Azeris are very sensitive about any contact with Nagorno Karabagh
and because of that the discussions are held behind the closed doors,
however I believe that they will be more open,” he said.
He said the latest meeting was the 7 consecutive but it has not
yet outlined any progress. The Azerbaijani side was led by a former
foreign minister Tofik Zulfugarov, who insist that all Azeri lands
occupied by Armenian troops must be returned, which is not acceptable
to Karabagh.
“These territories are of vital importance for Nagorno Karabagh,
making today some 60 percent of its territory, and only 6-7 percent
of Azerbaijan,” Babayan said, adding that there are other aspects of
the issue. “There are some regions that cannot be given back, such as
Kelbajar, where all Karabagh rivers originate from. During the Soviet
times these rivers were contaminated by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
resulting in drastic increase in the number of cancer cases, though
before the 1970-s Karabagh boasted of its residents’ record live
expectancy in the USSR, and we have all grounds to say that then
Soviet Azerbaijan carried out hydro-terrorism against the population
of Karabagh,” he said.
Babayan said the US and Russian moderates do not offer concrete
proposals, acting as mediators in an effort to help the sides to find
the golden mean, which they have failed so far. According to him, the
Karabagh participants of the discussions may refuse to further
participate because of Azeris stiff position.

[Congressional Record: October 6, 2004 (Extensions)]

HONORING THE ANI DANCE ENSEMBLE

______

HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

of california

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Waxman and I rise today to honor “the
Ani Dance Ensemble,” part of the Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society, Hamazkayin, as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. Hamazkayin
was founded by a group of community leaders on May 28, 1928, in Cairo,
Egypt with the objective of providing a sound education to the new
generation and preserving the ethnic identity and cultural heritage of
the Armenian people forced to live outside their homeland after the
1915 Armenian genocide.
Subsequently, Hamazkayin chapters sprouted throughout the Middle
East, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America and Armenia to
instill, perpetuate and preserve the centuries of Armenian culture.
Hamazkayin has been successful in establishing secondary and higher
educational institutions which have prepared scholars, literary
figures, and community leaders throughout Armenia and the Diaspora. The
establishment of “the Ani Dance Ensemble” achieves the objectives of
Hamazkayin through their unique performances of traditional Armenian
folk dances.
“The Ani Dance Ensemble” was established in 1974 in Los Angeles,
California under the leadership of artistic directors/choreographers
Ms. Suzy Barseghian-Tarpinian and Mr. Yeghia Hasholian. The ensemble
has had more than 80 dances in its repertoire, and presently consists
of 40 dancers. Since its inception it has performed and captivated
audiences throughout California as well as cities across the nation
including Washington DC, Chicago, Illinois; Falls Church, Virginia; and
Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, the group has performed in Armenia and
Karabagh in 1999, 2001, and 2004. The ensemble has also represented
Armenian Culture through Armenian folk dances at the American Ethnic
Day in Washington, DC in 1987. They are frequently invited by American,
ethnic and Armenian organizations to perform at functions. As one of
the oldest and most accomplished Armenian Dance Ensembles in the United
States, it is recognized as one of the best ethnic dance groups in
America.
It is our distinct honor to recognize the cultural contributions of
“the Ani Dance Ensemble.” I ask all members to join me in
congratulating the “the Ani Dance Ensemble’s” 30 years of performing
traditional Armenian folk dances.

Yerevan University maintains close ties with Russian institutions

TASS
October 2, 2004 Saturday 5:51 AM Eastern Time

By Lyudmila Yermakova

YEREVAN

The Yerevan State University staff maintains close ties with Russian
leading institutions of higher learning and scientific centres.

It is aimed to contribute to forming of a CIS common information space
and consolidate cooperation between Russia and Armenia, the rector of
the country’s oldest institution of higher learning, Radik
Martirosyan, said on Saturday at the meeting of university teachers
and students and the Russian parliament’s delegation headed by
Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov.

The rector presented a university gold medal to Mironov.

The Federation Council chairman noted the university’s contribution to
training of good Russian language specialists at the Russian philology
department. Thousands of Russian language philologists and Russian
language and literature teachers graduated from the centre, Mironov
noted.

Armenian prison gets new wards for TB patients

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Sep 04

[Presenter] As part of court and legal reforms, the Armenian
Justice Ministry is cooperating with international and public
organizations. A prison hospital has recently received a large batch
of medical equipment. Today four special wards were commissioned at
the Nubarashen prison for intensive treatment of TB patients. The
prison doctors said that the wards, fitted with new equipment, meet
European standards fully. The upgrading of the wards are viewed here
as an outcome of cooperation between the Justice Ministry and the
International Committee of the Red Gross [ICRC].

[Correspondent, over video of justice minister and wards] Today
the Nubarashen prison is ready to meet [Justice Minister] David
Arutyunyan. The minister inspected four new wards for TB patients. Six
main drugs are provided for the treatment of the disease here.

[Gevork Afrikyan, captioned as chief of hospital’s TB department]
It takes a long time to be cured of TB, but in two months, germs of
the disease are killed.

[Correspondent] Positive changes have taken place at Armenian prisons
as an outcome of the court and legal reforms. Representatives of
international organizations also confirm this fact.

[Arutyunyan] As the justice minister, I am not satisfied with all
these. If I were happy about all these as the minister, I would
be wrong.

[A Red Cross representative] The ICRC and the Justice Ministry have
been cooperating for a long time in fight against tuberculosis
in Armenia. This is a problem not only in Armenian prisons, but
worldwide. The reform in Nubarashen is one of the numerous activities
being carried out in Armenia. By these reforms, we shall organize
effective fight against TB.

[Correspondent] The justice minister believes that it will take 10
years to carry out court and legal reforms in the country.