Shoreview teacher found stabbed to death in Armenia
BY LENORA CHU, Pioneer Press

Pioneer Press, MN
May 20 2004

A 33-year-old Shoreview native was stabbed to death Monday in the
Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Joshua Haglund’s body was found in a downtown area Monday night. He
was stabbed three times and apparently had been beaten, according to
a report by the Associated Press.

“We got a phone call from the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, and they
said he had gotten killed outside his apartment,” said Dan Blommer,
Haglund’s stepfather. “They said it did not appear to be a robbery.”

Haglund was several weeks away from completing a 10-month
English-teaching contract at a Yerevan university under the U.S.
State Department’s English Language Fellow program.

His sister Barbara MacKenzie, who kept in constant communication
with him via e-mail, said she wasn’t aware of any trouble he was in
or any enemies he had.

U.S. authorities were still waiting for details about the killing,
according to Stuart Patt, a spokesman with the State Department’s
Bureau of Consular Affairs.

“We’re doing everything we can to assist (the family) and make
arrangements,” Patt said.

Haglund graduated from Mounds View High School, earned a bachelor’s
in political science and English from the University of Minnesota and
later received a master’s in education from the University of Toronto.

Fluent in Japanese, Spanish and Hindi, he had taught elementary school
in Minneapolis and also spent a number of years teaching English in
Japan and Puerto Rico and working in India.

“He just felt he needed to make the world a better place by helping
people learn English,” MacKenzie said.

Haglund had two nieces and a new nephew and was “very family-focused
even though he was abroad for a good part of his adult life,”
MacKenzie said. “He made intentional purposeful visits back home to
see his family in Minnesota. It’s just a great loss for our family.”

Haglund last visited Minnesota in March. In June, he was scheduled
to return for a month before starting a new teaching assignment in
Saudi Arabia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Minnesota teacher killed in Armenian capital

Associated Press
May 20 2004

YEREVAN, Armenia – A Minnesota man who traveled the world to teach
English in India, Tibet and other nations was found stabbed to death
outside his apartment here, his family said.

Armenian police said the body of Joshua Haglund, 33, was found in
downtown Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Monday night with signs
of beating and three stab wounds. The U.S. Embassy identified Haglund
but didn’t say where he was from.

Dan Blommer, Haglund’s stepfather, confirmed that Haglund was from
Shoreview and had been teaching at Yerevan’s Linguistics University
under the aegis of the U.S. Department of State’s English Language
Fellow program.

“We got a phone call from the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, and they said
he had gotten killed outside his apartment,” Blommer said. “They said
it did not appear to be a robbery.”

An official with the Armenian Prosecutor General’s office, who asked
not be named, said the killing had “personal motives” and voiced hope
that perpetrators could be quickly found.

Haglund last visited Minnesota in March, his family said. He was
planning to leave Armenia in a few days for a trip through Iran before
returning to Minnesota for the summer.

An experienced traveler, Haglund had lived for extended periods in
Japan, India and Puerto Rico. Last Friday, he told his mother, Maxine
Haglund-Blommer, that a recent interview had led to a job offer in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He told her it would be his last
overseas assignment.

“He said, ‘This is my last trip, Mom. I want to live close to you
guys.’ That was his plan,” she said.

Haglund graduated from Mounds View High School, the University of
Minnesota and the University of Toronto.

Armenia, which gained independence from the former Soviet Union in
1991, lies just east of Turkey.

Russian, Armenian defence ministers to discuss mil cooperation

ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 20 2004

YEREVAN, May 20 (Itar-Tass) – Russian Acting Defence Minister Sergei
Ivanov’s two-day working visit to Armenia that will begin on Thursday
will focus on Russian-Armenian military cooperation issues.

Ivanov will have talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan,
and they are expected to sign joint documents.

The two ministers will discuss developing Russian-Armenian relations in
the area of military and technical military cooperation and exchange
views on military issues, including ensuring regional security,
the Armenian Defence Ministry’s press secretary Seiran Shakhsuvaryan
told Itar-Tass.

Russian-Armenian military cooperation is considered the most advanced
area in bilateral relations.

The Russian military base in Armenia is believed to be one of the
most important constituent parts of Armenia’s national security.

The Russian Defence Minister on Friday will chair a meeting of the
CIS defence minister council.

Among the main issues on the agenda are development and supporting
of combat readiness of the CIS united air-defence system.

The meeting will discuss a draft programme for ensuring comprehensive
resistance of CIS countries to air attack forces and means.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
May 20 2004

Students consider landmark ruling

GUSD history classes debate 50-year-old desegregation ruling on Brown
vs. Board of Education.

By Gary Moskowitz, News-Press

GLENDALE – The city’s public schools are not legally segregated,
but blonde-haired, blue-eyed Katelyn Murphy knows she would probably
take flak from her peers if she dated a boy who is a minority.

In an Advanced Placement American government class discussion on school
segregation Wednesday at Crescenta Valley High School, Katelyn said
students integrate more freely in the classroom than they do out on
the courtyard at lunch.

“I think it’s kind of sad in a way,” said Katelyn, 16. “At CV,
it’s like taboo to hang out with or date someone of a different
background. In class, it’s easier, because we’re all sitting next to
each other. But we should be trying to integrate more.”

This week, high school government classes throughout the Glendale
Unified School District have been discussing the 50-year anniversary
of the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education case and its role in
the civil rights movement.

The case revolved around Oliver Brown, a black man who tried to enroll
his daughter, Linda, in a white elementary school that was seven blocks
away from their Topeka, Kan., home. The school refused Brown’s request.

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously declared that
separate schools are inherently unequal. In 1954, Glendale Unified
was predominantly white, with some “scattered” minority students,
officials said. In 2004, about 40% of the district’s students speak
a primary language other than English.

Edgar Shaghoulian, a Glendale High School senior, was one of many
students who said Wednesday that despite desegregation, students of
various ethnic backgrounds often flock together in social situations
outside of class.

“I think Armenians are the most noticeable, because there is such
a big population here,” said Shaghoulian, 17. “But in high school,
most people just want to fit in, so it’s only natural for students
to stick to what they know. If it’s not forced segregation, I think
it can be a good thing sometimes. But the message forced segregation
sends to society to me is morally a horrible message.”

In the 2002-03 school year, Glendale Unified’s black student
population was about 1% of its 29,000 — or about 320 — students,
officials said. Statistics for the 2003-04 school year were not
available Wednesday.

Many students and teachers in the district said the issue of
segregation and racism is not a “black-and-white” issue in Glendale,
but for Wanda Dorn, it is.

Dorn is the advisor for Glendale High School’s Black Student Union,
which has about 20 members. About half of the club’s members are
black students, but the other half are students from other ethnic
backgrounds, Dorn said.

“In this country it remains a black-and-white issue in many ways,
because there wouldn’t be any civil rights on the books had blacks
not fought and died for them,” Dorn said. “Even though we have been
here longer and fought harder, other groups benefit from it. The black
students are just here, in a way. They don’t have the kind of safety
in numbers that other minority groups have in Glendale.”

Kayla Alexander said she often feels frustrated as a black student
at Glendale High because she doesn’t receive enough guidance or
counseling.

“The African-American students here seem kind of lost, because there
aren’t enough people of authority who support us,” said Kayla, 17. “A
lot of times, we can fall through the cracks because we can’t rely
on other people to guide us toward what we need to succeed. But being
here has been positive for me, overall.

“I never would have been exposed to the Armenian culture if I hadn’t
moved here from Arizona. If we were segregated, people would only
know their own kind and wouldn’t learn about each other.”

Office of Sarkis Assadourian M.P.
120 Confederation
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
Contact: Daniel Kennedy
Tel: 613 995 4843

Dear Friends:

As I conclude my career as a Member of Parliament it has been a great
honour and a tremendous privilege, since October 25, 1993, to serve my
constituents in the House of Commons and to have served as the first
Canadian Parliamentarian of Armenian origin in the history of Canada.

Throughout my time in the House of Commons, under two Prime Ministers,
I have strived to not only represent the concerns of my constituents,
but also to bring to Parliament, the greater concerns of the Armenian
Community in Canada. I am proud of my record of challenging the
government to finally recognize the Armenian Genocide, the inclusion
of the Armenian Genocide in the Canadian Museum of Human Rights,
the formation and growth of by far, the most dynamic parliamentary
organization the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group
(CAPFG), Parliamentary exchanges and Canada Post’s creation of the
1,700th Anniversary of Christianity as a State Religion stamp, to
mention only a few.

This unprecedented and historic success was achieved with the
assistance of many people and organizations deserving of the heartfelt
thanks of my family and myself for all of their moral, political and
financial assistance over the years. To all of you who donated to my
campaign or the efforts of the CAPFG, I thank you for your generous
financial support of the democratic system. My electoral success
could not have been accomplished without your tremendous efforts on
my behalf.

I have devoted my complete energy to the preservation of a united
Canada, a strong and economically vibrant Canada, a Canada where people
of every nationality, colour and creed live in harmony and respect
each other for who they are. Canada is a country that deserves the
best possible representation in Parliament. I believe that I did my
best to meet that commitment.

I look forward to the new challenges ahead and I assure you that I
will continue to apply my firm dedication to the freedom of expression
and the principles of democracy and that I will continue to work
with any individuals or organizations that dedicate themselves to
these principles.

Farewell but not Goodbye!
Sarkis Assadourian, M.P.
Brampton Centre

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia and Iran ink gas, gas pipeline agreement

Interfax
May 20 2004

Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenia and Iran signed an agreement on May
13 on Iran providing Armenia with at least 1.1 billion cubic meters
(bcm) of natural gas annually, and the two countries working to build
a pipeline to be launched before January 1, 2007.

Armenian Energy Minster Armen Movsisyan told the press afterwards
that Armenia will pay for the Iranian gas with electricity.

The tentative price tag on building the 41-km Armenian section of
gas pipeline from Megri (near the border with Iran) to Kajaran will
be $96- $100 million. Kajaran-Yerevan pipeline was built earlier and
is ready for use.

The cost of the roughly 100-km Iranian section is expected to be
$120 million. Both parties will build their sections independently,
Movsisyan said.

He declined to identify financial sources for the Armenian section or
how much the Iranian gas will cost, citing commercial confidentiality.

Iranian Oil and Gas Minister Bijan Zanganeh was present for the
signing, and he also declined to specify prices. He noted that the
deal is for 20 years, during which Iran is to supply its neighbor
with up to 36 bcm in exchange for electricity produced in Armenia.

In 1995, the two countries signed an inter-governmental agreement
laying out a route for a gas pipeline running 141 km overall, as well
a gas price of $84 per 1,000 cubic meters. The project is estimated
at $120 million, with the Armenian section costing $90-$100 million
because of difficulties building pipeline through mountainous terrain.

The idea is that Armenia will initially be receiving 700 million cubic
meters of gas a year through the new pipeline, that increasing later
to 1.5 bcm annually.

Armenia and Iran have discussed building this pipeline since 1992.
Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, European countries and China have all
expressed interest.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 20 2004

Pressure group calls nation to partisan warfare

On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of Lachin’s occupation by
Armenia, the Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) Veterans and
Activists Union and internally displaced persons from Lachin paid
tribute at the Alley of Martyrs on Monday.

Afterwards, GLO chairman Naghi stated that the Azerbaijani
authorities and international organizations have not achieved any
results in settling the Upper Garabagh conflict and regarded this as
unacceptable. He termed ruthless fighting against the enemy as the
pride and privilege of every Azerbaijani citizen. “It is high time we
started partisan warfare”, he said.

He added that leaflets have been distributed among residents and
called for the formation of partisan units and a relentless struggle
against Armenian occupants in the Azerbaijani territories. Since
taking over Lachin on May 18, 1992, Armenia has occupied all the
mountainous regions of Garabagh. Lachin, an Azerbaijani region
located 443 kilometers away from Baku, was given the status of an
administrative district on August 8, 1930. With an overall area of
1,800 sq. km, the district consists of 121 residential areas,
including the town of Lachin. Before the occupation, 100 schools, 54
clubs and 88 libraries operated in the district. The district’s
economy is based on animal husbandry and plant-growing. In the last
census, there were 63,341 residents, who subsequently migrated to
other regions of Azerbaijan when it was taken over in 1992.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 20 2004

Armenians again mislead world community

The Wednesday reports by the Arminfo agency concerning the speech by
Pier Garton, the European Union’s (EU) rapporteur on South Caucasus,
in Yerevan have sparked concern in Azerbaijan.

According to Arminfo agency, Garton allegedly opposed Baku’s ruling
of Upper Garabagh, which is capable of meeting its demand for food
independently, and demanded that borders be opened and Turkey
recognize the Armenian genocide.

Commenting on the issue, political analyst Mubariz Ahmadoghlu,
chairman of the Center of Political Innovations and Technology, told
AssA-Irada that this was the latest deception of the Armenian press.
“Some Azerbaijani press reports on the opinions voiced by the EU
rapporteur are incomplete and I regret that they believed the
Armenians’ misinformation,” Ahmadoghlu said. The political analyst
noted that Armenians were also disappointed by the Armenian press
reports on Garton’s opinions, as the EU rapporteur called on Armenia
to give up the idea of the ‘Armenization’ of Upper Garabagh.
Ahmadoghlu added that another issue raised by Pier Garton during his
visit to Armenia was the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from
the territory of Upper Garabagh and the re-opening of a rail link
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Matin Mirza, press secretary of the
Foreign Ministry, also underlined the necessity of studying the
opinions of the European parliamentarian. “We will see if he has
really expressed any opinion saying that he doesn’t consider Upper
Garabagh an integral part of Azerbaijan. We may find out the truth
through our representative in the European Union. However, we don’t
consider it convincing at the current stage. The fact that Pier
Garton has voiced such an opinion doesn’t seem convincing.” The press
secretary underlined that if the Armenian mass media reports are
confirmed, the Azerbaijani government would protest to the European
Parliament.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EBRD to double financing for Armenia in 2005

Interfax
May 20 2004

Yerevan. (Interfax) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development plans to allocate loans of 20 million euros to Armenia
in 2005, compared to expected loans of 10 million – 12 million euros
in 2004, EBRD President Jean Lemierre said at a press conference
in Yerevan.

Three years ago, the EBRD was not allocating loans to Armenia and
in 2003 it disbursed just 6 million euros. The money disbursed in
2003 was spent on developing the private sector and expanding export
opportunities.

The EBRD loans allocated in 2004 will go to buying shares and into
long-term financing (5-7 years at commercial interest rates).

Priority areas for financing in 2005 will be the mining industry,
energy, agriculture product processing, trade, tourism, hi-technology
and services, especially mortgage financing.

GUL: “OUR PACE OF REFORMS CANNOT BE HALTED”

Turkiye, Turkey
May 20 2004

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul attended the Turkey-European Union
Partnership Council meeting in Brussels over the weekend. Addressing
the gathering, Gul told those assembled that through its recent
reforms, Ankara had all but fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria.
Reiterating Ankara’s determination for EU membership, Gul said, “We
won’t tolerate those who try to hold back reform.” In related news,
Gul also met in Brussels with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
During their meeting, Gul said that Ankara would mediate between
Azerbaijan and Armenia on the upper Karabakh issue. He also asked
Aliyev to support Turkey’s efforts to end the international isolation
of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). /Turkiye/