ArmeniaNow.com
April 09, 2004

Conducting a Challenge for Change: Rejected maestro returns to rally
opposition

By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow arts reporter

After leaving Armenia and vowing to never return, veteran conductor Ohan
Duryan has returned to lend his name to the movement of political opposition
afoot in Yerevan.

Two years ago Duryan left in anger, when Ministry of Culture officials
revoked his “life time” contract as chief conductor and musical director of
the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.

The 80-year old conductor who has performed world wide has since signed a
five year contract with the Moscow Symphonic Orchestra. Rosiyskaya Gazeta
newspaper in Moscow called him “one of the world’s greatest conductors”.

The conductor’s bitter departure from Armenia was punctuated by him refusing
his Mesrop Mashtots and Movses Khorenatsi awards – the highest honors the
State bestows on a civilian in Armenia.

He has since spoken out harshly against the regime that he believes betrayed
him. And he has written letters to the president that have gone unanswered.
But Duryan says his return to join the opposition is not an act of
vengeance.

“I am above it,” he says. “Even though I was greatly hurt by the
authorities, I am not out for revenge. They will get their punishment from
above.”

Duryan says his return is an act of patriotism. He recently attended a
meeting of intellectuals where he challenged compatriots to lobby for a
change of power.

“I am an artist and I don’t do politics, however the arrogant activity of
today’s government and the miserable state of the people cannot leave me
indifferent,” he told Armenianow. “I cannot stay silent, that’s the reason
why I joined the opposition and I want to help them. That’s why I appealed
to the president himself asking him to address his conscience and to see
whether it is possible to rule a country with weapons, tanks, guns,
barb-wire — with beating innocent people who wanted to reveal (ballot)
falsifications, with terrorist acts. The president, the head of the state in
general, has to count with his conscience and do what his conscience tells
him.”

Following his own conscience, Duryan is in the mix of a movement that puts
him at odds with the government. He says it also has landed his name on “a
list of dangerous people”.

According to Duryan the situation is not pleasant for other artists as well,
but not all of them keep to their principles.

“There are devoted people among the opposition, however there are also many
of those who are obsessed with power mania,” says Duryan. “I respect those
intellectuals who remained at their positions, like Silva Kaputikyan
(poetess), Gohar Gasparyan (singer), Tigran Levonyan (singer), Vladimir
Abajyan (actor), Khoren Palyan (musicologist). These are people who did not
abase themselves to please the president and get some benefits.”

The press secretary for the Justice Bloc, the parliamentary representation
leading the opposition, says Duryan’s stand is significant.

“People were really waiting for the words of their favorite artists. It is
of great importance for society and it of course has great impact,” says
Ruzanna Khachatryan.

Duryan says that his wounds have healed somewhat by his return, and that his
main concern is from seeing his countrymen in difficult conditions.

“Those who cannot put up with the situation leave. Did we proclaim
independent Armenia in order to empty it from Armenians? About a century ago
there was a genocide, but now the emptying of Armenia is no less a
genocide,” he says.

On March 25 the Chairman of the National Assembly Artur Baghdasaryan met
with Duryan and during the meeting he said that it was everyone’s mistake to
treat the world known conductor that way.

“I shall do everything to correct that mistake. We’ll see what we can do,”
said Baghdasaryan, during a televised interview.

Minister of Culture Tamar Poghosyan has so far been silent.

“I don’t know that woman. If she wants to meet me she’s welcome to invite
me,” Duryan says. “Anyway, I don’t have a position anymore that can be taken
away. I have nothing to loose. Today, I only have a hope that the opposition
will be firm in their position, and the scum who are in power will leave
without bloodshed.”

ArmeniaNow.com
April 09, 2004

Adjusting: Teacher becomes the student of rural ways in city life

By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

In all of her 54 years, Russian language teacher Silva Martirosyan has
never known rural living. She lives in the town of Tchambarak and for most
of her life “farming” was a matter of going to the market.

But a lot of lives continue to change as Armenia moves from what it was to
whatever it will be.

Silva ties Yeghnik’s “fly swatter” then starts the process.
Sometimes city girls learn country living. Sometimes teachers become
milkmaids.

Silva and her husband live on the second floor of a four-storied apartment
building in Tchambarak, about 80 kilometers northeast of Yerevan. And their
cow, Yeghnik, lives in the garage out back.

“I was always afraid of cows,” Silva says. “But it is not possible to live
only on a salary anymore, so we had to start keeping a cow. Butter, milk,
sour cream, matsun. All is ours and we get that thanks to that cow.”

Every morning at 7 o’clock, before going to teach, Silva goes into Yeghnik’s
garage-turned stable, changes into to her “cow” clothes – the ones she
leaves in the stable because she doesn’t want the smell of cow tending to
follow her to the classroom.

Before starting to milk she ties the cow’s tail in a bow to keep Yeghnik
from swatting dirt into the milk. Then she puts a special board under the
cow so that white milk pail doesn’t touch the dirty floor. Then she covers
the bucket with gauze to protect the milk from dust and hair in the dirty
stable. Finally she starts pulling on Yeghnik for the payoff that makes it
all worthwhile.

The stable is reached below the garage.
“Before I used to milk this way,” Silva demonstrates her first steps of
becoming milkmaid very awkwardly pinching the cow’s udder. “Later I became
more experienced. Nobody taught me I learned to milk by myself, slowly. But
anyway I don’t get skilled. If a professional milkmaid had been here she
would have already finished milking. I milk slowly as my hand gets tired.”

She pauses to rest her hand, then, with a deep sigh she finishes the ritual
task, explaining that if she doesn’t get every drop of milk, the cow will
not feel well.

If Silva is sick, her husband takes over the milking. He is a teacher, too.
And not as good a milker as Silva.

When she is in the house she empties milk into another bucket once again
filtering it through gauze. And at 9 o’clock she is already in school. “I am
never late,” she says.

In the evening at 7 o’clock she repeats the entire process once. Every day
she gets 10 liters of milk. In summer when Yeghnik goes grazing with a herd
Silva will get 15 liters of milk from her.

The chore of cow-tending also includes cleaning the stable. Silva’s husband
installed a water pipe and a sewage drain. Cow dung is removed and laid I
the yard to dry. When the couple run out of firewood, they burn the manure
for fuel.

Out of “cow clothes” and up the stairs with the payoff.
Yeghnik is their second cow. They slaughtered the first one when it got old
and couldn’t give milk anymore.

This year Armenia is reducing the number of teachers nation-wide. Silva
fears becoming one of those effected by “optimization”.

“What can I do in that case?,” she asks. “I would like to keep one more cow
but we have no possibilities to buy. The cow maintains a family.”

Silva has two sons who live in Russia. And her daughter, a student in
Yerevan, is fed from Silva’s skills as a milkmaid.

The town-woman teacher has learned to make sour cream using a separator and
a friend’s father taught her how to make cheese, using a special device her
husband made. She also churns butter from a mixer also made by her husband.

During Soviet times two plants were functioning in Tchambarak: a cheese
plant and a plant making parts for radio. After privatization, the parts
plant is closed and the cheese factory works at reduced production.

A final strain makes the milk ready for use
Residents of Silva’s building are former workers of the plant, state
employees and teachers. For being able to exist many of them keep different
animals in their garages such as hens, sheep and cows. When it becomes warm
about 90 cows will be taken to pastures from the district where Silva lives.

“Before moving to Tchambarak I was living in Dilijan,” says Silva, who has
been a teacher for 35 years. “We have always been intellectuals. We used to
travel through the entire Soviet Union. But now we cannot even go to
Yerevan. And if we had no cow then we wouldn’t be able to live and exist at
all.”

ArmeniaNow
April 09, 2004

Cold Reality: Nature (again) turns a brutal breath to village farmers

By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter

A cold snap last week has created havoc for some farmers and disaster for
others in the Ararat Valley and beyond, whose fruit trees blossomed too soon
for their own good.

The Ministry of Agriculture plans to release a damage report next week, but
already it is expected that this will be another poor year especially for
Armenian apricots. Apricot crops were below average the past three years due
to a harsh winter and floods.

Grapes, nuts, tomatoes and most fruits are expected to suffer from the April
frostbite that came after a late-March tease of unusually warm temperatures.

The head of Plants Cultivation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture
Garnik Petrosyan, says that in addition to damage in the fertile Ararat
valley, trees have also suffered in Vayots Dzor, Kotayk, Aragatsotn and Lori
regions.

Vardan Aghajanyan has a 170-square meter greenhouse, where nothing is green
now. He took a $3,500 bank loan to finance his tomato crop.

“I would have had tomatoes in the beginning of May and I could have sold
them for 250-500 drams (about 45-90 cents per kilogram) and that was to be
my income,” Aghajanyan says. “Each plant would have provided me with a
one-dollar profit, but nothing is left.”

Petrosyan says the government should find a way to compensate.

“Taking into account the fact that apricot crops have been damaged for three
years and the fact that people who grow apricots could be using lands for
other purposes, we think the government must free them from paying land
tax,” says Petrosyan.

But farmers such as Hayk Barseghyan of the Dasht village of Armavir region
are not thinking about tax, so much as lost crops.

“We ran out of firewood. We burnt everything we had,” he says, referring to
efforts to warm the trees with smoke. “We covered our greenhouses with
cellophane two times. We used all clothes and rags we had: blankets, carpets
. We covered greenhouses with everything we could find but everything was in
vain as we couldn’t save them.”

Hayk’s mother, 65 year old Nunufar Barseghyan sits, crying, under a flowered
apricot tree, which has been frostbitten.

“I’ve been living in this village for 46 years but I never saw something
like this. How could temperature fall from +27, +30 to – 11 in April? This
was God’s punishment,” she says.

With difficulty she opens the door of a greenhouse, where she planted
seedlings of cucumber and gord. Plants are dead with their tops hung down
onto gray ground. One candle is placed next to every cultured plant.

“During the whole night we were lighting candles,” Nunufur says. “Can you
imagine how many boxes of candles we lit? We wanted to keep warmth in such a
way but everything was in vain.”

They lost about $350. Hayk says they took money from the bank and left gold
as a deposit. The land is their only source of income.

And their fate is shared by most of the 800-900 villagers of Dasht. About 60
percent of the 153 hectare area is given to gardening.

“This was God’s punishment.”
Village head Hrant Petrosyan worries. “Nothing is left,” he says. “Windows
of houses were covered with 2-3 millimeters of ice ice. How could flowered
trees survive in such conditions?”

According to specialists, such cold temperatures in Ararat Valley haven’t
been registered within the last 100 years.

Villager Volodia Gevorgyan says his village has even lost potatoes that were
planted 10 centimeters deep.

“We won’t have even mulberries,” he says. “Our hope for the entire year,
everything that must have helped us to live, has disappeared.”

ArmeniaWeek.com
April 18, 2003 – “Word on the Street”
A New Law ?

We asked citizens of Yerevan what they thought of the Constitutional Court’s
suggestion that the National Assembly adopt the necessary legislation to
conduct a referendum one year from now, as a sort of presidential vote of
confidence. Also, if they thought such a vote would be a solution to the
continuing doubts.
Here is what they said:

I doubt that such a law would pass, because no president would allow it,
since it would be something against him. And as for the people’s doubts,
that would be a good thing.
– Varduhi Khachatrian, 29, Designer

Knowing our people, such a law would permit them to change a president once
a year. Because of that I think passing such a law would be an ignorant
thing to do, and would solve nothing.
– Anita Grigorian, 38, Musician

In any case, it would be good to pass such a law because it would show Mr.
Demirchian that the people have chosen their president fairly and honestly.
And as for the doubts people have, this law will not put them to rest.
– Irina Lavanian, 28, Sociologist

I doubt such a law would ever pass. Each presidential candidate would be
going through it, and I don’t think it would be a pleasant thing for any of
them to leave their positions a year later. As for the people, that would be
a great for them to conduct future elections more fairly.
– Karen Barkhudarian, 33, Computer Operator

It would be stupid to pass such a law as it will become a game for them.
That will not relieve any doubts but will create more confusion.
– Mikael Babian, 25, Jeweler

If the people are unhappy with their president or have doubts about their
choice, then they have the right to express that through this law. I think
this can be a good law.
– Laura Tadevosian, 44, Lawyer

If this law passes, it will be great, because that will force the president
to work more honestly and efficiently, and to avoid mistakes. And the people
will finally have a legal venue through which they can express their
complaints to the president.
– Anahit Mkrtchain, 35, Salesperson

I highly doubt that if such a law passes, it will be useful. Just like other
laws, this too will remain on the books, and there alone. And the people
will always find something to be doubtful about their president. I don’t
think this law is any kind of solution.
– Armen Matvosian, 30, Journalist

Such a law will never pass because it will create confusion in the
government. The people will end up losing and they won’t have the means to
show their discontent.
– David Voskanian, 62, Politician

Team Reporting Project for Journalists
Project start date: 1st of May

Project duration: 10 days

Location: Yerevan and various regions of Armenia.

Media Diversity Institute (MDI) accepts applications from journalists for
participation in a ten-day team reporting project for journalists to report
and write joint feature stories under the supervision of outside team
leaders. The resulting stories will be printed or broadcast by all media
organizations involved, in identical versions, as agreed on by the team.
Journalists who currently work for mainstream media in Armenia and write on
or are interested in developing their writing on issues related to diversity
(ethnic minorities, religion, disability, marginalized and socially
disadvantaged groups etc) are eligible to apply. MDI encourages applicants
from the regions to apply for the workshop.

The project will take place on May 1st to May 12th. All the costs related to
participation are covered by organizers of the event.

The participating journalists will also be paid a participation fee to
compensate for the time away from their media outlets.

Application procedures:

Applicants are required to submit:

– Short cover letter explaining your interest in participating in the
project
– Print journalists are also required to submit 2 samples of their stories
on diversity issues.

Please, submit your applications to MDI Country Coordinator in Armenia,
Artur Papyan at [email protected] or call (01) 53-00-67.

Application deadline: April 23rd.

About copmpany:
The Media Diversity Institute (MDI) is a London-based charitable
organization specializing in media training. It is currently implementing a
three-year project in the South Caucasus, working with the media, journalism
schools and local NGOs. The project aims to create deeper public
understanding of diversity, minority groups and human rights. For additional
information about MDI and available resources, please, refer to

COALITION’S TIME TO EXPIRE MIDDAY, APRIL 12

YEREVAN
April 9. 2004
Noyan Tapan

The representatives of the opposition, MPs Viktor Dallakian and Alexan
Karapetian, were negotiating with the representatives of the coalition
at about 4:00 p.m. Viktor Dallakian said during the rally on Freedom
square at 5:45 p.m that they suggested that the coalition should
include the issue of amendments to the law “On Referendum” in
accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court in the agenda
of the next three-day sitting of the National Assmebly starting from
April 12. Dallakian said that they gave the colition time for the
discussion of this issue till midday, April 12. He stressed that it
isn’t an ultimatum to the coalition, but just the proposal of the
opposition. Viktor Dallakian called on the participants of the rally
(their number had not decreased by then) to stay through, until the
resignation of the president. Then he turned to the law-enforcement
bodies with an appeal not to interfere and not to make provocations
against the people. Aram Sargsian, member of the political board of
Republic Party, also made a speech, he gave assurances that victory
isn’t so far. He reported that he is going to stay at Freedom Suare
overnight. Sargsian said that at the moment the mediators were
negotiating with the presidential residence for the president to
resign as soon as possible. Ruben Tovmasian, First Secretary of the
Communist Party of Armenia, also spoke at the rally. He said that the
Communist Party is joining the actions of the opposition towards power
shift.

Armenians worldwide mount campaign to save Melkonian
By Jean Christou

Cyprus Mail
10 April 2003

AROUND 40 influential members of the Armenian community worldwide have
written an open letter to President Tassos Papadopoulos calling on him
to prevent the closure of the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) in
Nicosia.

The letter said the decision by the Central Board of the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU), in New York that the 78-year old
school should close in June 2005 violated human rights within the
sovereign territory of Cyprus.

`We urgently request your help to correct this injustice,’ the letter
said.

It also said that the decision of the AGBU was illegal and contrary to
the Will of the school’s founders, the Melkonian brothers.

`The Will, which was transferred from an Armenian institution to the
AGBU for international political reasons does not confer to the AGBU
the ownership of the belongings mentioned therein,’ the letter said.

It added that the Will does stipulate for the AGBU the prerogative of
the MEI’ s management and the allocation of subsidies drawn from the
Melkonian Funds to three other Armenian institutions devoted mainly to
education and socio-cultural development of Armenians mainly in the
context of Western realities and aspirations.

`The Melkonian brothers’ Will does not confer to the AGBU the right to
denature or destroy these Armenian structures, therefore the closure
of theMEI is not among the prerogatives of the AGBU,’ it said. `More
precisely the closure of the MEI is a direct violation of the human
rights of Armenian communities.’

The AGBU administers 22 Armenian schools worldwide including the
Melkonian, which was founded in 1926 and is today the only secondary
school in Cyprus for the Armenian community plus the dozens of other
Armenian pupils that board there from neighbouring countries.

The AGBU announced last month that the school would close next year,
following months of speculation that was initially denied. The
loss-making Melkonian is sitting on a £40 million plot in the
capital’s commercial district and reports were rife that it was up for
grabs by developers.

The AGBU said in November that the school was not for sale but then
changed tack and announced the closure. The schools alumni is
convinced the foundation’ s only aim is to `take the money and run’.

`We, and hundreds of Armenians and non-Armenians of different
professionsâ=80¦ have addressed a letter to the AGBU asking for an
explanation for their decision, ‘ the letter to Papadopoulos said.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]

April 11, 2004

The Message of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians
on the Occasion of the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 11 April 2004

“Take heart, it is I; Have no fear” (Mark 6:50)

Dearly Beloved People,

Christ thus addressed His disciples, who in a boat on the open sea were
distressed and frightened by the strong winds and rough waters. And they
saw Jesus, Who was walking upon the waves, and He approached and entered the
boat. ‘It is I’, He said, ‘take heart and have no fear’. At that moment,
the winds ceased. The deadly elements turned to peace, and life shone in
their troubled souls.

On the boat, in the person of the Lord, Life itself was present amongst
them, though His disciples yet did not recognize it. They would still walk
much with their teacher, they would see countless healings and would listen
to Him, hearing as well that He would eventually be tortured and betrayed to
death. Afraid and hopeless, they were to see the tomb where their crucified
Teacher was placed. They would yet see Him, Resurrected, standing amongst
them and to hear the Divine message once again: “It is I; Have no fear”. At
that time their minds would be opened, and they would recognize that He was
the Savior of the World, and they would believe that death had been forever
destroyed, and that we have Resurrection and Life. We have the hope of
renewal, of becoming and possessing the same image as the Resurrected, of
being called the children of God and becoming the co-inheritors of the
Kingdom of Heaven.

On this sacred morning of Easter, the mystery of the Resurrection within our
renewed hope and faith, calls to us again, “Take heart, it is I.” Today,
that message of the Lord, like the life-giving and joyous heavenly dew,
descends upon our human souls, when we are troubled by the disturbing events
in the world, when often we are found to be weak before the imperatives of
the present day, feeble by our fears, anxious and uncertain by questions
which concern us. The world has changed much since the days of Christ, and
changed are the possibilities of man. Mankind has completed and continues to
make complete the numerous inadequacies of life, yet the most important
thing continues to be lacking – the response of the human soul to the divine
call to peace and good will amongst men. In the present era of science and
technology, mankind has split the atom, is conquering the universe, and has
the power to make the desert arable. Nevertheless, humanity has not
succeeded in silencing the sounds of war, nor has it eliminated need and
poverty. Every day, thousands of newspapers, periodicals, books, and radio
and television programming speak and witness ‘that man is the crowning glory
of creation’. However, universal and timeless moral values, especially the
love of mankind, still feel the need to be defended. Indeed, what can we
hope for, if moral standards, holiness and philanthropy are absent from the
hearts of men? If men do not have the fear of God? God Himself has given
us the unsurpassed example of the true love of man, by sending His Only
Begotten Son to the world to save us. With Him, we came to know love;
because for us, He took up the Cross, so that we might be raised from the
dead. From our God-loving souls, the love of mankind will pour forth, as
the greatest achievement of all times and of every society.

Once again, we see today Heaven opened by grace, and the face of God who
loves mankind gazing towards us. Today our Risen Lord comes to shoulder our
burdens, to comfort our sorrows, to dispel our doubts, to rescue us from
deadly shipwrecks, and to open the peaceful skies overhead. He has
appointed us as His coworkers in the service of men. Thus, every task which
we embark upon, let us do it in a manner as if we were doing it for God
(Col. 3:23); and Christ with His blessing, will complete the rest – that
which exceeds our human capabilities.

Dearly beloved Armenian people, with His blessed presence and with His
saving power, the Lord has been at our side, wherever the ship of our life
has been driven during the journeying courses of difficult, as well as
trouble-free periods of our history. God has been at our side and has not
abandoned us in deadly fateful times, when having lost our hope in men, we
have been left alone. The light of the Resurrection soars above all of our
Avarayrs and Sardarapats; the paths of Golgotha for the Armenians, which
dispersed us throughout the world, are crowned with the radiance of the
Resurrection. Today, our statehood is also reborn, and at every stage of
life, the Lord awaits us, to spread His light and His peace over us, to
bless our efforts and labor and to make them fruitful. However, we should
not mix the good with the bad, nor confuse truth with falsehood. The truth
is Armenia independent and Artsakh free, and our patriotism, our solidarity
and unanimity. Let it not be that we remain indebted before these cherished
truths, let it not be that we remain beholden to our history, to our
martyred sons resting at Yerablur, and before our generations. Let us keep
our pan-national unity spotless, for through it, the light of our lives and
our God-seeing faith remains radiant. Indeed, there is no greater
expression of faith than unity, and there is no greater encouragement than
the belief that God with his saving power, is with us.

In our changed and changing reality of today, we have much to do. We still
have journeys to complete, which we will traverse together, with the sacred
oath of unity we have inherited from our forebears, so that the homeland of
Armenia and Artsakh, will develop and be strengthened, and so that Armenian
life blossoms and flourishes in all Armenian communities. Wherever we live,
we will live through the Homeland and Holy Etchmiadzin, with our national
values and patriotic inheritance, so that our children will keep away from
useless and false ideas, and from alien values, which are penetrating our
lives and being imposed upon us from within and without. Clergyman, parent,
official, intellectual, and teacher – all of us shall contribute heart and
soul, so that the Armenian spirit is renewed with faith and will shine with
the sanctities of our forefathers, and in the Homeland and in the Dispersion
we will always see in the eyes of our children, the gaze of the father of
our faith and our Illuminator – St. Gregory, and see the faces of our great
teachers graced by God – Saints Sahak and Mashtots, and see the fearless and
joyful spirit of Saint Vartan and Vartanank.

Dear Armenians dispersed throughout the world, you who can look to Ararat
from near or far, can see under the gaze of the mount that hosts the Ark,
the outstretched ark of Armenian salvation: Armenia and Artsakh. You, who
see the radiating and inexhaustible light of the lantern of the Illuminator
above the heights of Aragats, have faith, that the God of our fathers will
continue His work upon our land through our faith. He will continue His
work throughout our national life, upon which today the hope of Resurrection
is taking flight.

With the great tidings of the wondrous Holy Resurrection of Christ, and from
the Only-Begotten established Mother See of All Armenians, we greet the
incumbents of the hierarchical sees of our Apostolic Holy Church, His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; His Beatitude
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Beatitude
Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople; as well as
heads of our sister Christian Churches. We bring our blessings to the
entire rank of our oath-keeping clergy, and members of our diocesan and
parochial administrative boards.

We greet and bless the state leaders of the Armenians, headed by President
of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian, President of the Republic of
Nagorno Karabagh Arkady Ghukasian, and representatives of the diplomatic
missions registered in Armenia, and all of our people in Armenia, Artsakh
and the Diaspora.

On this good morning of light, hope and encouragement, let us pray and ask
together in one voice: With your peace, O Christ our Savior, keep safe and
unspoiled the entire world, and spread your blessings on all nations. Keep
and protect under Your grace the Armenian people, and illuminate the new
paths and new hopes of our homeland. Grace us O Lord, with the spirit of
wisdom and reconciliation, and as well, in accord with your words “Take
heart, it is I”, grant us a fortified heart by Your resurrected presence, so
that we may live the life entrusted to us, and become worthy of eternal
life, and with our holy forefathers, to forever praise You the Only-Begotten
Son, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christ is Risen from the dead!
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.

KAREKIN II
CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS

##

THE BLOWHARDS OF BRUSSELS

NYPost

April 10, 2004 — Belgium, which apparently has decided that it was
meant to be the world’s moral compass, has pronounced a new judgment:
The worst genocide in recorded history, declare the Belgians, is
America’s treatment of its indigenous people. American Indians, that
is.

But please don’t take this as a criticism of the United States, they
add.

A display at the nation’s Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Brussels
– meant to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan horrors –
contains a panel listing the tragic history of genocide.

The Nazi Holocaust is there.

So are the killing fields of Cambodia and the massacre of Armenians
during World War I.

But worst of them all, says the official display, came in North
America at the hands of European settlers and immigrants.

And not just in the past, either – according to the display, said
genocide began in 1492 with the arrival of Christopher Columbus and
“continues to this day.”

The Belgian defense ministry defended the display, claiming it was
based on the work of “noted scholars.”

But it’s a curiously selective listing.

For one thing, there’s no mention of the millions of Russians who died
under Josef Stalin’s murderous rule. Nothing about the gulags or the
forced starvation of Ukrainians.

And, wouldn’t you know, there’s not a word in the display about the
reign of terror perpetrated in the Congo for decades by its onetime
occupying power – a place called Belgium.

Of course, the notion that genocide is being waged now on this
continent is taken seriously only by Ramsey Clark and his ilk – and in
faculty lounges from Cambridge, Mass., to Berkeley, Calif.

Equally ludicrous – and increasingly treated as fact in those same
spots – is the notion that Columbus, and the many Europeans who
followed him to the New World, were genocidal maniacs who decimated
the native population.

Of course, had Europeans somehow never managed to discover the
Americas, those same gentle indigenous folk would likely have come
under the control of empires like the Aztecs and the Incas – societies
in which ritual torture, enslavement of women and infant sacrifice
were central.

In today’s politically correct world, though, any society – no matter
how cruel – is considered preferable to a capitalist democracy.

Rather than lecture the rest of the world on moral niceties, the
Belgians should stick to a topic they truly understand.

Like waffles.

CSTO Chief: Armenia – active CSTO member

Pravda
16:29 2004-04-10

Nikolai Bordyuzha, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO, includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan), does not dramatize the internal political
situation in Armenia.

(The Armenian opposition is demanding that the official results of
last year’s presidential elections won by Robert Kocharyan be
invalidated).

The CSTO chief bluntly denied some media reports that his arrival in
Yerevan had been prompted by the internal political situation in the
country.

According to Mr. Bordyuzha, the CSTO can interfere with the Yerevan
developments under no circumstances. “We have calmly discussed the
internal political situation in Armenia with the country’s
leadership. There is no need for dramatizing the situation,” said
Mr. Bordyuzha.

In his opinion, all the issues related to the Armenian developments
will be addressed by political means.

Mr. Bordyuzha noted that Armenia was one of the most active members of
the CSTO and the CIS.

“We can sense it in the attitude of Armenian representatives during
the discussion of different issues at CSTO sessions,” said
Mr. Bordyuzha.

In his opinion, Armenia is actively trying to foster the effectiveness
of the CSTO structure.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress