Radio Free Europe, Czech republic
Jan 27 2005

Georgia: Leaders Remain Noncommittal On Meskhetian Repatriation Issue
By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Meskhetians in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe this week
reiterated its concern about the fate of the former Soviet Union’s
Meskhetian community, and revived calls for Georgia to urgently
organize their repatriation. Yet, Georgian authorities remain
noncommittal on the issue and continue to argue that conditions are
not yet appropriate for the return of this uprooted Turkic people.

Prague, 27 January 2005 (RFE/RL) — During a debate following his
address to the Strasbourg-based Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) yesterday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
remained as evasive as his predecessor on his plans to settle the
Meskhetian issue.

“I have great sympathy for the Meskhetians. I believe these people
have gone through great suffering, and I believe Georgia will do
everything so that this issue is settled,” Saakashvili said.

Russia’s pro-government lawmaker Vera Oskina criticized Georgia for
delaying the return of exiled Meskhetians. In response, Saakashvili
blamed Moscow for keeping the ethnic group in administrative limbo.

“In violation of all its international obligations, the Russian
Federation has granted passports and citizenship in huge numbers to
residents of [Georgia’s separatist republics of] Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. But it hasn’t granted a single passport to any of those
Meskhetians who live in Russia,” Saakashvili said.”If we see the end
many years ahead of us, then we can accept and understand this. But
what we cannot accept is that nothing is happening on this issue.
There should be a legal framework. There should be a campaign
[conducted among] the Georgian people so that they accept that [a
solution to the Meskhetian] issue.”

Saakashvili was referring to those Meskhetians who have resettled in
Russia’s southern Krasnodar territory following the pogroms that took
place in 1989 in the Uzbek part of the Ferghana Valley.

Today’s Meskhetians — also known as Meskhis — are the survivors or
descendants of a rural Muslim population of southern Georgia that
Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1944 ordered deported to Central Asia
along with many other ethnic groups of the Caucasus region. But of
all these exiled peoples, the Meskhetians are the only ones who have
been denied the right to return to their homeland.

Estimates put the number of Meskhetians living in CIS countries at
somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000.

Following the 1989 Ferghana upheaval, tens of thousands of them were
evacuated to other Soviet regions, mainly Azerbaijan and southern
Russia.

Although Meskhetians themselves disagree on whether they descend from
ethnic Turks sent to colonize the South Caucasus, or Christian
Georgians forcibly converted to Islam under Ottoman rule, they are
generally described as “Turks” and perceived as such throughout most
of the former Soviet Union.

This has created particular problems for Russian-based Meskhetians
confronted with the nationalist, pro-Orthodox policy of Krasnodar
Governor Alexander Tkachev. Deprived of any civic rights and
constantly harassed by regional authorities, most of Krasnodar’s
13,500 Meskhetians have decided to emigrate to the United States.

When Georgia joined the Council of Europe in 1999, it pledged to
start repatriating the Meskhetians within the next three years. But
except for some minor paperwork, almost nothing has been done to
facilitate the repatriation, and only a few individuals have been
able to return to Georgia.

Citing the Meskhetians’ alleged Turkic ethnicity, Georgia’s
successive post-Soviet governments have argued that their wholesale
repatriation could create tensions with the country’s large ethnic
Armenian community, which lives in the Meskhetians’ former home
region.

Georgian officials also maintain that the separatist wars of the
early 1990s have triggered a massive inflow of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. They say because of
this, Georgia is financially and logistically unable to handle tens
of thousands of immigrants.

Lawmaker Elene Tevdoradze, who chairs the Georgian parliament’s human
rights committee, earlier this month said the repatriation of
Meskhetians would not start until IDPs are allowed to return to
Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

She also indicated that the government, which is considering drafting
some Meskhetian returnees into the army, is still unsure of their
loyalty to the Georgian state.

“We’ve been thinking about drafting into the army those [Meskhetians]
who really consider themselves citizens of Georgia, Georgians. So far
this is only an idea which, by the way, was first formulated by the
president. But although this is only an idea, we need to adopt a very
careful approach. We’re talking about the army and we must be sure of
those people we’re drafting,” Tevdoradze said.

The Council of Europe this week gave a clear indication that its
patience is beginning to run out.

In a resolution adopted on 24 January after a debate on Georgia’s
progress in honoring its obligations and commitments as a
member-state, the council’s Parliamentary Assembly reiterated its
demand that the Meskhetian issue be swiftly settled.

Matyas Eorsi is PACE’s co-rapporteur on Georgia and the co-author of
the draft report that was debated on 24 January.

In comments made to RFE/RL prior to the debate, the Hungarian
lawmaker said he understood the difficulties posed by the
repatriation of tens of thousands of immigrants. Yet, he said the
Council of Europe would not tolerate any further delay by Georgia in
addressing the Meskhetian issue.

“If we see the end many years ahead of us, then we can accept and
understand this. But what we cannot accept is that nothing is
happening on this issue. There should be a legal framework. There
should be a campaign [conducted among] the Georgian people so that
they accept that [a solution to the Meskhetian] issue is also part of
the justice they seek. If the Georgian people deserve justice — and
I’m sure they do — they should also think about the Meskhetians
because they, too, deserve justice,” Eorsi said.

During the debate, Turkish lawmaker Mevlut Cavusoglu also voiced his
support for the Meskhetian cause.

“We are fully aware of the difficulties Georgia has been facing [in
recent years]. However, we do not believe that such difficulties
constitute an argument for not fulfilling the obligation to
repatriate [the Meskhetians]. Therefore, I think that appropriate
legal, administrative, and political conditions should be created by
the Georgian authorities, without any further delay, for the
repatriation of the Meskhetian community,” Cavusoglu said.

Another Turkish parliamentarian, Murat Mercan, suggested the assembly
set a firm timeframe for the resolution of the Meskhetian issue.

His request was met. A final resolution voted at the end of the
hearings gives Georgia until 2011 to complete the repatriation
process.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Professionals Network of Western Diocese
3325 North Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank,CA 91504
Contact:Vahe Ashjian
Tell.818-558-7474
Fax.818-558-6333

[email protected]
An evening with our candidates
February 24,2005

On Thursday, February 24th, 2005, the Armenian Professional Network of
the Western Diocese would like to invite the public, community leaders
and members of the media to spend an evening with the Armenian
candidates running for various municipal level positions throughout
the Los Angeles area. This event will be held at the Western Diocese
(3325 North Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91504).

It will give participants the opportunity to learn more about those
members of the Armenian community who are hoping to make an impression
on our civic society, to learn about their platforms and what they
have to offer the Armenian and the larger Los Angeles community.

This event will begin at 7:30 p.m. with a reception (including light
fare), with the candidate’s forum to follow at 8:00p.m. Sharp. This
event is being sponsored by Mr. Onnik Mehrabian (Owner of Glendale Kia
at 2242 San Fernando Rd.; Los Angeles, CA 90065) and is open and free
to all.

PRESS RELEASE
UCLA AEF Chair in Armenian History
Contact: Prof. Richard Hovannisian
Tel: 310-825-3375
Email: [email protected]

AMBASSADOR JOHN EVANS TO SPEAK AT UCLA, FEBRUARY 17

UCLA–Honorable John M. Evans, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of
Armenia, will speak at UCLA on Thursday afternoon, February 17, 2005,
at 2 p.m., in the Viewpoint Conference Room of Ackerman Union (student
union building, level A). Evans was confirmed by the Senate in June,
took his oath of office in August, and presented his credentials in
Yerevan in September 2004.

The Ambassador’s visit to UCLA is being arranged by Professor Richard
Hovannisian, AEF Chair in Armenian History, with the cooperation of
the Armenian Students Association. Evans has stated that he looks
forward to a free and open exchange with students, faculty, and
members of the public who wish to attend the afternoon forum. He will
begin the hour with a brief overview titled “Report from
Armenia–2005.”

A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, John Evans studied Russian history
at Yale University and Columbia University. Since entering the foreign
service, he has served in a number of posts, including Tehran, Prague,
Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Washington D.C., as well as on special
commissions and peace-keeping missions in Europe. His role in
coordinating the American response to the Armenian earthquake of 1988
earned him a medal and statement of appreciation from the Armenian
government. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador to Armenia, Evans
directed the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs.

Ambassador Evans will be accompanied by Mrs. Donna Evans, former
President of the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C., Robin
Phillips, Mission Director for the U.S. Agency for International
Development, Eugenia Sidereas, the State Department’s Desk Officer for
Armenia, and Aaron Sherinian, the Embassy’s Political Officer and
Assistance Coordinator in Yerevan

The gathering is free and open to the public. Parking for Ackerman
Union. located on Westwood Plaza. is available at parking structures
that can be reached from Sunset Boulevard at the Westwood Boulevard
entrance to UCLA (Structure 4, underground parking) or from Wilshire
Boulevard north on Westwood Boulevard to Westwood Plaza (Structure
6). The UCLA campus map is on the web at
<;

Contact person: Professor Richard Hovannisian,
<mailto:[email protected]>Hovannis@h istory.ucla.edu or
310-825-3375, MWF (9 a.m.-12 noon).

END
END

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

January 27, 2005
___________________

CHURCH, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, RECEIVE FUNDS IN HONOR OF LOST ARMENIANS

They were grocers, merchants, and homemakers. They were Armenians who
were killed and lost in the Genocide in 1915. They were also customers
of New York Life.

On Thursday, January 27, 2005, the insurance giant began to make good on
its promise to insure the lives of these Genocide victims.

As part of a $20 million settlement reached between New York Life and
descendents of its policy holders massacred in the Genocide, the company
contributed a total of $3 million to nine Armenian organizations.

While most of the settlement will go to descendents of the original
policy holders, this $3 million to charitable organizations is a
symbolic payment to those Armenians who left behind no descendents or
whose entire families were wiped out in the Genocide.

“I’m pleased to see the money from the settlement directed toward these
charities,” said Brian Kabatek, a half-Armenian Los Angeles-based
attorney who was one of the lead lawyers in the class action suit.
“They were selected because they were instrumental in helping Armenians
settle in the United States after the 1915 Armenian Genocide. My family
benefited from these charities when they arrived in America so long
ago.”

The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) was one of the
organizations to receive $333,333 as part of the settlement. The money
must be used for charitable purposes, and cannot be used to cover
administrative or capital costs. The Attorney General of California,
where the suit was brought, will oversee the use of the funds by the
nine organizations.

“It is a solemn day, thinking that we receive this money because of the
suffering of our people,” said Dr. Sam Mikaelian, executive director of
the Diocese who accepted the money on behalf of the Diocese during a
ceremony at the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s New York City
offices on January 27, 2005. “However, we are resolved to find a way to
use these funds to honor the memories of the countless Armenians lost to
the Genocide. Their legacy will live on as we, thanks to this gift, are
able to provide more services and outreach to Armenians.”

The Diocese has not yet determined how best to use the funds. Also
receiving $333,333 are: the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America, The Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Educational
Foundation, the Armenian Relief Society, the Eastern and Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Church, the Armenian Catholic Exarchate for the U.S. and
Canada, and the Armenian Missionary Association of America.

LAWSUITS CONTINUE

The settlement with New York Life brings to a close America’s longest
contested insurance settlement: 90 years have elapsed between the death
of policy holders and payment.

The class action suit was originally filed in November 1999 on behalf of
Martin Marootian, an 89-year-old who lost his family members to the
Genocide. His uncle, Setrak Cheytanian, had an insurance policy with
New York Life.

“I have in my possession an insurance policy on my uncle’s life, which
my mother and older sister had been trying to collect since 1923. They
came to America in 1914 with the insurance policy,” Marootian said in a
recent interview with the AGBU. “[New York Life] claimed they had no
records of the policy and wanted proof of death — they wanted to make
sure that we were the proper heirs. She had to write to the Patriarch
in Constantinople to verify that there was a massacre in Kharpert and he
had died. Time went by and my mother received a death certificate
notice from the Patriarch only in May 20, 1956. We got all those papers
together and still we couldn’t make any headway with New York Life.”

Along with Marootian, New York Life now acknowledges that a review of
its records shows that an estimated 2,400 policies sold to Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire may remain unpaid.

The lawyers who negotiated the settlement — Kabateck, Vartkes
Yeghiayan, Mark Geragos, and William Shernoff — are also in
negotiations with two other companies, which are as yet unnamed.

Armenians who think their family members might have had policies with
New York Life and are due settlement, can get more information on the
case and search a list of policy holders by visiting the website

Descendants have until March 16 to make a claim for a portion of the $20
million settlement with New York Life.

Attending the ceremony were California Insurance Commissioner John
Garamendi and Bill Werfelman, a representative from New York Life.

— 1/27/05

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Representatives from some of the nine Armenian
charitable organizations listen as attorney Brian Kabatek speaks on
Wednesday, January 26, 2005, during a ceremony announcing the immediate
payout of $3 million from a $20 million settlement with New York Life
over unpaid insurance claims owed to the families of victims of the
Armenian Genocide.

KurdishMedia, UK
Jan 27 2005

Kurdish language being taught in Siberia

27/01/2005 KurdishMedia.com (Translated)
By Pir Dima

Tbilisi – In Primary School Number 77 in the city of Novosibirsk
(Russia), special beginners’ groups for Kurdish children (most of
whom are of the Yezidi faith) have been opened. The mayor of
Novosibirsk, Vladimir Gorodetski, has approved this decision.

Approximately a quarter of the pupils of School 77 are Yezidi Kurds.
The parents of the children, supported by the national intellectual
and social organization `Shems’, had submitted a petition to the
municipality of the city of Novosibirsk for Yezidi children to be
able to learn their native language, Kurdish. Their request was
accepted, and now a special group has been formed. According to the
project underway, each such group will be comprised of 12 children.

As is known, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many of
the Yezidi Kurds living in Armenia and Georgia left their homes due
to the social and economic situation and migrated to Russia and the
countries of Europe. A portion of these also settled in Novosibirsk.

Translated from Kurmanji Kurdish by KurdishMedia.com

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Jan 27 2005

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES FRENCH OSCE MINSK GROUP
CO-CHAIR
[January 27, 2005, 19:17:37]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received newly
appointed French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier
January 27.

Having congratulated Mr. Fassier on the new appointment, President
Ilham Aliyev noted that despite a ten year long peace talks on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh within the
framework of the OSCE Minsk Group have led to nothing, the
intensification of the Group’s effort recently gives hope for certain
progress in that process.

Recalling that historical Azerbaijani land Nagorno-Karabakh and seven
districts around it are under occupation of the Armenian armed
forces, the Head of State stressed that Azerbaijan had been admitted
to the United Nations membership with the country’s internationally
recognized borders including these territories.

President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed that the Azerbaijan’s unchangeable
stance with respect to resolution of the conflict is based only on
such principles of the international law as territorial integrity
countries and inviolability of their borders.

No resolution of the problem is possible unless on these principles,
he said, and expressed hope that concrete positive results would be
obtained as a result of the OSCE Minsk Group.

French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier expressed
gratitude to the Azerbaijani President for receiving him and
congratulations on his new appointment. He noted that the unresolved
conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, strongly hampers not only
ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus, but also
realization of economic projects in a larger region including Central
Asia. Mr. Fassier expressed confidence that his meeting with the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan would provide him with
comprehensive information about the country’s concrete on the
resolution of the conflict.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, January 27, 2005

DR. HAROUTUNE ARMENIAN AWARDED LEBANESE CEDAR MEDAL

New York, NY – On Thursday, December 9, 2004, Dr. Haroutune Armenian,
President of the American University of Armenia (AUA), which receives
major funding support from the AGBU, was decorated with the National
Order of the Cedar medal. Presented by Dr. Karam Karam on behalf of
the President of Lebanon Emile Lahoud, Dr. Armenian received the medal
during a ceremony that marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of
the American University of Beirut’s (AUB) Faculty of Health Sciences.

Dr. Armenian is also currently the Dean of AUA’s College of Health
Sciences and a Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University,
Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is recognized internationally
for his contributions to the advancement of the field of public
health.

The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit
educational organization in both Armenia and the United States and is
affiliated with the Regents of the University of California. AUA
offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight graduate
programs. For more information on AUA, visit For more
information on AGBU-supported initiatives, please visit

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, January 27, 2005

AGBU – AYA LEBANON HOSTS SOLD-OUT GASPARYAN CONCERT

New York, NY – With its ongoing commitment to Armenian culture, AGBU –
Antranik Youth Association (AYA) Lebanon hosted internationally
acclaimed duduk virtuoso Djivan Gasparyan in Beirut from November
25-27, 2004.

Similar to the success of the concerts hosted for renowned new age
musician Ara Gevorgian last May, the three Gasparyan performances were
sold-out with over 3000 spectators, including a special matinee show
for 1000 Armenian school students, attending.

The winner of four Gold Medals in UNESCO’s worldwide competitions,
Gasparyan mesmerized audiences with his program of original and
popular Armenian songs. As an added bonus, talented dancer Sophie
Devoyan from Armenia accompanied Gasparyan with her dance troupe the
“Theatre of Dance and Soul.”

AGBU – AYA Lebanon, founded in 1931, oversees all AGBU youth
activities of Lebanon, including scouting, sports, and cultural
events. For more information on AGBU – AYA Lebanon, please e-mail
[email protected]. For more information on AGBU and its worldwide
chapters, please visit and click on Global AGBU.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KVBC TV, NV
Jan 27 2005

Nevada Senator Helps Teenagers In Danger Of Being Deported

They we’re born in a far away land, but America is the only home they
know. Today, Senator Harry Reid is stepping in to help two teenagers
stay with their family, and as News 3’s Beth Fisher reports, the only
life they’ve ever known.

“Why do the kids have to suffer in jail? Why are they not able to
wait at home for the court hearing?” Pizza is the last thing on the
mind of Rouben Sarkisian, owner of Tropicana Pizza on Pecos and
Wigwam. Sarkisian spent the last decade building a life for his five
daughters in America. Now, two of those girls are in a Los Angeles
jail. “She’s calling at seven in the morning. She’s crying and
saying, ‘Why do they keep us here? We are not criminals!'”

Miriam and Emma Sarkisian are just teenagers, but because they
weren’t born in the United States like their sisters, they face the
possibility of deportation to Armenia, a land where they have no
family and haven’t lived since they were toddlers. “In reality, the
girls do not read or write Armenian. They know just enough to
communicate with their parents.”

Speaking through a friend, Rouben Sarkisian says he pleads for his
daughters. Friends, customers and even complete strangers want to
help. “People call here and say, ‘We are with you. We’re here for
you.’ It makes us feel really good.”

They’re also calling Nevada leaders, asking them to fight for the 17
and 18 year olds. “It is just so bad. We have so many things dealing
with immigration that we need to work on, this isn’t one of them.”
Senator Harry Reid is pleading with the Department of Homeland
Security to free the girls, making a direct appeal to Secretary Tom
Ridge. “I think Secretary Ridge will find a way to keep these two
young women in Nevada.”

Back at Tropicana Pizza, Rouben Sarkisian says he putting his
business up for sale so he can focus on the business of saving his
girls. “How can I feel when it’s like they took two fingers and left
the other three?”

Last minute legal action has kept the girls off a plane to Armenia
three times since they were arrested nearly two weeks ago. Sarkisian
has paperwork to be in America legally, and he says he was told his
daughter’s paperwork was also in order.

Interfax
Jan 27 2005

Karabakh cannot take part in Baku-Yerevan negotiations – Azerbaijan

BAKU. Jan 27 (Interfax) – Representatives of the self-proclaimed
republic of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot take part in negotiations between
Armenia and Azerbaijan on settling the conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammedyarov told journalists on Thursday.

“According to the OSCE document of 1992, Azerbaijan and Armenia are
the opposing sides in this conflict and the Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh are only involved parties,”
Mammedyarov told journalists following his negotiations with Bernard
Fascia, the new co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group from France.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress