VICTIMS OF PONTIAN GREEKS GENOCIDE COMMEMORATED IN ARMENIA

ArmenPress
May 19 2004

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS: The Greek ambassador to Armenia,
Antonios Vlavianos, other dignitaries, government officials and
ordinary Armenians commemorated today the memory of hundreds of
thousands of Pontian Greeks mercilessly massacred by the government
of Turkey between 1914-1922. The commemoration ceremony was held at
Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan, erected in commemoration of the
victims of Armenian genocide of 1915, also committed by the government
of Turkey.

Of the 700,000 Greeks living in Pontus (the area stretching along the
southern coastline of the Black Sea) in 1914, 300,000 were killed
as a result of Turkish government policy and the remainder became
refugees. “Three millennia of the Greek and Armenian presence was
wiped out by a deliberate policy of creating a Turkey for the Turks.
The Pontian people were denied the right to exist, the right of respect
for their national and cultural identity, and the right to remain on
land they had lived on for countless generations, ” the ambassador
said addressing the present.

Mr. Vlavianos said the tragedy experienced by both nations have
forged closer ties and links between Armenians and Greeks, adding also
that the memory of innocent victims will never be forgotten. He said
all efforts will be exerted to make both genocides internationally
acknowledged and condemned so that to prevent future repetitions of
such horrible crimes.

“The genocide of Pontian Greeks was recognized only by the
government of modern Hellenic Republic, which is not deemed as
its priority foreign policy issue, unlike Armenia which has made
significant progress in pushing for the 1915 genocide’s international
recognition. Greece has officially recognized the Armenian genocide,”
he said, explaining that Armenia did not acknowledge the genocide of
Pontian Greeks because of the absence of an official request on the
part of Greek government.

Around 1,500,000 Armenians and 300,000 Pontian Greeks were annihilated
through exile, starvation, cold, illness, slaughter, murder, gallows,
axe, and fire. The Pontians now lie scattered all over the world as a
result of the genocide and their unique history, language (the dialect
is a valuable link between ancient and modern Greek), and culture
are endangered and face extinction. A double crime was committed –
genocide and the uprooting of a people from their ancestral homelands
of three millennia. The Christian nations were not only witnesses
to this horrible and monstrous crime, which remains unpunished,
but for reasons of political expediency and self interest have,
by their silence, pardoned the criminal. The Ottoman and Kemalist
Turks were responsible for the genocide of the Pontian people,
the most heinous of all crimes according to international law. The
international community must recognize this crime.

ARSHILE GORKY’S REMAINS TO BE REBURIED IN ARMENIA

ArmenPress
May 19 2004

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS: Badal Badalian, the chairman of a
Yerevan-based Arshile Gorky Foundation, told Armenpress today that one
of the biggest dreams of the artist was “to return home and mix with
Armenian soil.” He said to this effect the Foundation will organize
a range of fund-raising events and get the permission to transport
his remains to Armenia.

One of the most famous contemporary artists, the founder of Abstract
Surrealism, Gorky was described by Andre Breton as the most important
painter in American history. He was born in Western Armenia, in
the village of Khorgom on the banks of Lake Van. In 1915, Gorky
(Vostanik Adoyan) escaped Turkish massacres with thousands of others
refugees. After his mother died of famine, he headed for the US. His
whole life in the new country, which ended in suicide, consisted of
years of hard work and bitter struggle.

Tragically enough, the years in which his art was ascending to its
greatest heights were also the darkest in his life. His marriage was
disintegrating; he was operated on for colon cancer, and he lost many
works in a studio fire.

Badalian said his opinion is that the remains, if brought to Armenia,
must be reburied at Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, erected in a hill in
Yerevan in commemoration of the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide,
but added that the final word belongs to the government.

He said on July 21, the day when Gorky committed suicide, a pilgrimage
will be organized to his native village of Khorgom in Turkey, apart
from a poster campaign across Armenia to make Gorky’s name familiar
to all Armenians. One of Gorky’s paintings was sold last year at
$3.5 million.

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN RECEIVES EBRD PRESIDENT

ArmenPress
May 19 2004

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Robert Kocharian
received today a delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD), led by its president Jean Lamierre. Kocharian was
quoted by his press office as saying that Armenia is strongly committed
to expanding the frames of cooperation with EBRD with more active
involvement of the Bank in the economic development of the country.

Jean Lamierre will visit also the neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan to
meet with heads of state, senior government officials, business leaders
and members of the international community based in the region. The
main goal of the visit is to reinforce the Bank’s commitment to all
three countries. In particular he is expected to emphasize how the Bank
can use new initiatives to help these countries address investment
needs in areas ranging from privatizations and infrastructure to
the support of individual entrepreneurs, apart from the need for
authorities to tackle corruption and improve the rule of law to
attract much-needed investment.

The visit comes on the back of a new EBRD initiative to support
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan , where more than 50 per cent of the population live in
poverty. The Bank aims to support also more private-sector development,
particularly focused on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The
EBRD has invested around Euros 700 million across the three countries,
in projects ranging from banking to infrastructure and energy to
supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

EBRD INSISTS ON CLOSURE OF ARMENIA’S NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 19 2004

YEREVAN, May 19 (RIA Novosti) – The European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development is going to set up a fund for financing the development
of alternative sources of electricity, EBRD president Jean Lemier
has said on Wednesday.

He has discussed the idea with officials in Armenia and they liked it,
he said.

The fund will finance small programmes costing from 0.5 to 1.5 million
euros in regions of Armenia. They will be, for instance, wind-powered
and small hydraulic stations, Lemier said.

The European Union demands mothballing of the Armenian nuclear power
station and is ready to allocate 100 million euros towards this end,
as well as creation of alternative sources of electricity.

The leadership of Armenia believes that the Armenian nuclear facility
should operate until the republic has enough supply of energy.

According to Vardan Khachatrian, Armenian Finance and Economic
Minister, the republic is working to create alternative sources
of energy for the event of the closure of the nuclear facility but
completion of such work will require about a billion euros.

The Armenian nuclear power station was initially halted in March
1989, less than a year after the devastating earthquake in Spitak,
Leninakan and other Armenian cities. The acute energy crisis in
Armenia restarted it in November 1995 when, after the truce concluded
with Azerbaijan on Nagorny Karabakh, Armenia actually found itself
in an economic blockade. The nuclear power facility’s second block,
having the Russian VVER-440 reactor of the first generation, produces
on an average from 30 to 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity. In the
estimate of experts, it can continue until 2016.

In September 2003 the government of Armenia passed the Armenian
nuclear power station in five-year trust management by Russia’s United
Energy Systems.

Russia DM to attend CIS ministerial meeting in Yerevan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 18, 2004 Tuesday

MOSCOW, May 18 — Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov will make
a working visit to Yerevan from May 20-21, Tass learned at the press
service of the Defence Ministry on Tuesday.

He will take part in the meeting of the Council of defence ministers
of member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

Ivanov and his Armenian counterpart Serge Sarkisyan will discuss
prospects for the development of relations in the military
and military-technical areas and a number of topical problems of
military-political nature, also those connected with ensuring regional
security, the press service stressed.

Russia, Georgia think advisable for four parliament heads to meet
By Andrei Golubov and Dina Pyanykh

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 18, 2004 Tuesday

STRASBOURG, France, May 18 — Russia and Georgia think it advisable
to hold a meeting of the heads of parliament of Russia, Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan in Tbilisi at the end of May to discuss the
situation in the Caucasus.

This proposal was discussed at a meeting between Chairman of the
Russian Federation Council Sergey Mironov, who arrived for an official
visit to Strasbourg on Monday and Georgian parliament speaker Nino
Burdzhanadze.

Itar-Tass has learned from Russian delegation member that it was
proposed holding a meeting of the group of four in Tbilisi on May 30,
“if the proposed date and the agenda of the meeting suit Armenia
and Azerbaijan.”

“We are in favor of Georgia’s integrity and of the democratic
development of the situation in Georgia, we respect Georgia’s
sovereignty,” said Mironov.

He is schedule to address the parliamentary assembly of the Council
of Europe at the conference of the heads of European parliaments
and parliamentary assembly. The subject of his speech is “Electronic
democracy and democratic procedures in parliament”.

EBRD president arrives in Armenia

RosBusinessConsulting Database
May 18, 2004 Tuesday

Jean Lemierre, the President of the EBRD, arrived in Armenia today
in the course of his Caucasus tour, Yerevany-based EBRD affiliate
reported. Lemierre is to meet Armenian President Robert Kocharian,
Prime Minister Andranik Mrakarian, Armenian bankers and entrepreneurs.

The visit follows a new EBRD initiative to support some of its poorest
countries it operates in – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – where more than 50 percent of
the population live in poverty.

Lemierre will highlight the goals of this early transition country
(ETC) initiative in the context of the three countries with the
objective of stimulating market activity by financing more and smaller
projects, mobilizing more investment, and encouraging ongoing economic
reforms. He is supposed to express the Bank’s readiness to take more
risk. The EBRD will aim to support more private-sector development,
particularly focused on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

The EBRD has invested about EUR700m across Armenia, Georgia and
Azerbaijan, in projects ranging from banking to infrastructure and
energy to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Putin Supports Embattled Armenian President
BY Clarence Hall The Moscow News

Moscow News (Russia)
May 19, 2004

On Saturday, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan wrapped up his
three-day official visit that gave the beleaguered Caucasus president
the first good news he had had in months

The meeting began as all such meetings do, with the two presidents
praising cooperation between the two countries. Robert Kocharyan
was especially pleased with last year’s 34% of trade growth seen
between Armenia and Russia, as well as Russian businessmen’s continued
investment in his country.

According to experts in Russian-Armenian affairs, the pleasantries
ceased as soon as the presidents moved behind closed doors, where
the real discussion, the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, began.

On May 13 the final signatures were placed by Iran and Armenia on a
project to build an oil pipeline from Iran to Armenia with possible
plans to extend the shipping network to Georgia, Ukraine, and even
Europe. The United States was the first country to criticize the plan
and went as far as to threaten economic sanctions against Armenia
should it finalize the deal with the Islamic republic.

Russia, too, disapproved of the plan, but for different reasons:
If a second gas supplier appeared from the East, Russia would lose
its gas-supply monopoly to Europe. In early March such fears seemed
to be validated, as Armenia’s Energy Minister, Armen Movsisyan, said,
“After the ‘Blue Stream’ project is realized, building long-distance
sea gas pipelines will no longer be a fantasy.”

Experts say that the Armenian administration was able to convince
President Putin before the trip. “The negotiations for building the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline took place over 12 years, and that the treaty
was even signed is a huge accomplishment – not just economically,
but politically as well,” says Alexander Iskandaryan, provost at the
CIS Caucasus Institute. He says that the very fact that the treaty was
signed between Armenia and Iran shows that Moscow had given consent
to the deal.

Putin’s support for the pipeline can also be viewed as political
support for Kocharyan. The Armenian opposition has for the past few
months been pressing for significant political changes in the country,
including the resignation of the current government. PACE and OSCE
have both criticized Kocharyan’s heavy-handed approach, while Russia
has remained altogether silent on the issue.

“We have many opportunities to work together better, more effectively,”
President Putin said about Russian-Armenian relations. It is clear
what Russia has done for Armenia – but as for now only the Russian
government knows what Armenia will do for it. Sell it more Armenian
cognac perhaps? MN

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU offers help to seek solution to Nagorno-Karabakh problem

Associated Press Worldstream
May 18, 2004 Tuesday

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European Commission President Romano Prodi on
Tuesday offered to mediate between Azerbaijan and Armenia to find a
solution to the decade-long feud over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

After meeting with Prodi, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev said he
welcomed EU involvement to boost the efforts of the “Minsk Group”
of negotiators from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe.

“The European Union must take a more active stance,” said Aliev.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan and
has been under control of an internationally unrecognized ethnic
Armenian government backed by forces who also occupy parts of
Azerbaijan adjoining the enclave.

Because of the dispute over the enclave’s final status, the
Armenia-Azerbaijan border is closed. Failure to resolve the issue is
seen as having discouraged investment in both countries because of
concern that another war over the enclave could erupt.

Prodi said a breakthrough is needed as quickly as possible.

“I expressed my will to be at the disposal of the two nations,” said
Prodi, insisting his offer was not targeted against the Minsk Group.

“We don’t want to disturb their work, but simply push them because it
has been so many years that there are no results,” he told reporters.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.S. citizen killed in Armenian capital

Associated Press Worldstream
May 18, 2004 Tuesday

YEREVAN, Armenia — A U.S. citizen was stabbed to death in the Armenian
capital, officials said Tuesday.

Armenian police said the victim’s body was found in downtown Yerevan
on Monday night with signs of beating and three stab wounds.

The U.S. Embassy identified the victim as Joshua Haglund. An Embassy
spokeswoman who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the victim
had taught at Yerevan’s Linguistics University, under the aegis of
the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Fellow program.

“We are shocked and saddened by his death,” she said.

She said she had no information on Haglund’s age or hometown.

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