Polish, Armenian Speakers discuss relations

PAP news agency, Warsaw,
16 Mar 04

WARSAW

Sejm [lower house of parliament] Speaker Marek Borowski and the head
of the Armenian National Assembly, Artur Bagdasaryan, met [on] Tuesday
[16 March] to discuss bilateral relations, international affairs and
Armenia’s policy towards the Polish minority.

Borowski said after the meeting that Bagdasaryan was interested in
European legislature, Poland’s political system and the functioning
and powers of the Sejm. The Armenian side expressed readiness to
develop closer interparliamentary contacts between the two countries
and interest in Polish experience in European integration.

On Wednesday the guest will be received by President Aleksander
Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Leszek Miller, Foreign Minister Wlodzmierz
Cimoszewicz and presidia of the Sejm’s foreign affairs and European
commissions.

Azeri, Armenian foreign ministers to meet in Prague on 26 March

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
16 Mar 04

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers will meet in Prague on
26 March. The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group will also attend the
meeting.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev said that the mediators
will put up for debate certain proposals on the settlement. He added
that the proposals will be summarized according to the sides’ views
and then a date for their visit to the region will be named.

Azeri leader, OSCE chairman discuss Karabakh conflict

Azerbaijani TV Channel One, Baku
16 Mar 04

[Presenter] President Ilham Aliyev today received the visiting OSCE
chairman-in-office and Bulgaria’s foreign minister, Solomon
Passi. They exchanged views on Azerbaijan’s closer integration into
European organizations. Aliyev regretted that there was still no
progress in the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group which is tasked with
resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagornyy
Karabakh.

[Correspondent over video of the meeting] Aliyev and Passi met in
private first. They discussed Azerbaijan’s relations with the OSCE and
closer integration into other European organizations. Aliyev talked
about the political and economic reforms that are under way in
Azerbaijan. The social policy will continue, he said.

Aliyev told Passi that the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan remained unresolved. It is essential that the
international community should take more effective steps to resolve
the conflict, Aliyev said. It is possible to resolve the conflict
within international legal norms, Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
and the return of Azerbaijani refugees to their native lands, he said.

Passi said that he highly rates Azerbaijan’s commitment to European
values. The world welcomes Azerbaijan’s course of integration and
democratic reforms. The European organizations understand the
importance of solving the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan for a lasting peace in the region. He said that he will
discuss ways to resolve the conflict during his upcoming visit to
Armenia.

The meeting between Aliyev and Passi continued in a broader
format. During the conversation, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan will
continue its policy of integration into international bodies. He
especially noted all the achievements Azerbaijan has made in every
sphere of life. Building a democratic society is Azerbaijan’s
strategic line, he said.

Aliyev once again drew Passi’s attention to the fact that the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict still remained unresolved. Armenia’s nonconstructive
position is a threat to regional stability and stable development,
Aliyev said.

[Aliyev in Azeri] Unfortunately, due to Armenia’s nonconstructive
stance, the Armenian armed forces are unwilling to withdraw from the
occupied territories. Thus, this creates a big threat to the region as
a whole. In order to resolve the conflict, the principles of
international law have to be observed first of all. Only on the basis
of those principles, can the conflict be resolved, and the essence of
that is in ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, in
withdrawing the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories
and returning refugees and internally displaced people to their native
lands.

We hope that the OSCE and its Minsk Group will continue their efforts,
and that the conflict will be soon resolved in a fair way and in
accordance with the principles of international law.

[Correspondent] Passi congratulated Aliyev on his election as
Azerbaijan’s president and on success in his work. I am visiting Baku
with pleasure, he said, respectfully noting that Azerbaijan has rich
history and cultural heritage.

Speaking about integration into Europe, Passi said that Azerbaijan’s
achievements in this regard are visible. The integration of Azerbaijan
and Bulgaria into the Euro-Atlantic community is becoming a reality,
he said. He is certain that closer integration will intensify in the
Black Sea basin and in the Caucasus. All possible assistance will be
rendered to Azerbaijan in every area, Passi said.

The Nagornyy Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a
truly serious problem. All we can do to resolve the conflict is to
speed up the talks, he said. Passi thanked Aliyev for his constructive
position and said that he will talk about his impressions in Yerevan.

A1 Plus | 16:25:27 | 17-03-2004 | Official |

LABORATORY TO THE MINISTRY

At the first meeting of the Armenian National Intersectorial Coordinating
Board of National Health Programs, Mr. Peter Krakolinig, Head of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Armenia, announced that
the National TB Reference Laboratory (NRL) had been handed over from the
ICRC to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Under the terms of the agreement – which came into force on March 4, 2004 –
the building, equipment and all consumable materials that had been supplied
by the ICRC during the previous 2-year period, were donated to the MoH.

The NRL, located within the premises of the Abovyan State Anti-Tuberculosis
Dispensary of the Ministry of Health, was built in 2001 with the funding and
technical assistance provided by the ICRC. It has been fully operational
since March 2002 and serves both civilian and detained TB patients.

The ICRC will continue to support the activities of the NRL by organizing
extensive training programs for staff members with the aim of strengthening
the laboratory’s capacity for all diagnostic procedures related to
tuberculosis.

—

A1 Plus | 14:26:36 | 17-03-2004 | Official |

KOCHARYAN MET SCHLEICHER

President Robert Kocharyan has today received the delegation of European
Parliament’ Commission for European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation,
headed by Ursula Schleicher.

President reconfirmed resoluteness of Armenia to deepen and intensify the
relations with European Union. Kocharyan commended the procedure European
Union has launched over application of the idea on “Extended Europe: New
Neighbors”.

Ursula Schleicher said that the Southern Caucasus is in the interests of
European Union, and they are concerned in establishment of stability and
peace in the region.

Referring to the economic priorities of the state, Robert Kocharyan noted
that Government aims to provide equal economic development all over the
republic.

—

OSCE chief meets Azeri opposition leaders

Turan news agency, Baku
17 Mar 04

BAKU

OSCE Chairman-in-Office Solomon Passi, who is currently visiting Baku,
met leaders of the leading opposition parties today.

Musavat leader Isa Qambar told Turan news agency that they mainly
discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, human rights and
democracy in Azerbaijan, the situation after the presidential
elections which had been held last year.

Isa Qambar said that apart from Musavat, representatives of the
Democratic Party, the AMIP Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party , the PFAP
People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party (reformers) and the Social
Democratic Party had attended the meeting.

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
March 17 2004

Melkonian pupils in spontaneous protest against school closure
By Jean Christou

OVER 200 pupils from the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) walked
out of their classes yesterday after hearing the news that their
school was to be closed down in June next year.

During the spontaneous demonstration, the students chanted `Melkonian
Not For Sale’ at the main gate and in front of the founders’
mausoleum. They held placards condemning the sale and suggested this
was a `second genocide’.

The news that the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU),
headquartered in New York, has decided to close the 78-year old
school has prompted a rush of support from Armenians living abroad.

The 3,000-strong Armenian community in Cyprus are planning to stage a
mass demonstration against the closure of the school on March 24,
according to Shavasb Bohdjalian, who heads the school’s alumni.

`You cannot imagine the reaction, apart from Cyprus,’ he told the
Cyprus Mail yesterday. `There is a lot of anger and the assemblies in
Europe and the US are trying to get the AGBU to reverse its decision.
We are getting a lot of support.’

In an official announcement, the New York-based AGBU said that after
`extensive deliberations and thorough assessment’, the Central Board
had resolved unanimously to discontinue MEI in June 2005. This
decision is based largely on the Board’s conclusion that MEI `no
longer meets the challenges of its mission in the present context of
the Armenian world.’
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. It also serves dozens of
other Armenian pupils that board there from neighbouring countries.
The alumni have sought legal advice from law firms in Cyprus and
abroad and intend to incorporate international expertise to
strengthen their defence as they move to contest the decision and
block the AGBU’s plans to sell the school.

The loss-making Melkonian school is sitting on a £40 million plot in
the capital’s commercial district. Reports have been rife that it is
up for grabs by developers.

The AGBU initially denied this, and said in November that the school
was not for sale. However, the alumni are not convinced and believe
the foundation’s only aim is to `take the money and run’.

Since the controversy began, the Armenian community has managed to
have the Melkonian declared a listed building and has persuaded the
Forestry Department to file an application to declare the wooded area
in the grounds as a protected forest.

Yesterday, the AGBU issued an eight-page statement detailing the
reasons for its decision to close the school.

`MEI’s continuing deficit levels have been taken into consideration
but have not been the primary issue of concern… AGBU has focused its
attention on MEI’s recent educational performance and its current
inability to fulfil a role similar to that which it fulfilled
throughout the late 1960s,’ it said. `If MEI’s current structure
provided exceptional opportunities to its students as it had done in
the past, substantial subsidization under those circumstances would
be warranted.

Unfortunately this is not the case in spite of the diligent efforts
of committed school board members, the principal and the teaching
staff.’
Commenting on the statement, Bohdjalian said the AGBU was trying to
justify its decision `and blame everyone except themselves’.

Under Government Pressure, Baku Opposition Paper May Go Under

Rosbalt
17/03/2004, 10:03

BAKU, March 17. Eni Musavat, Azerbaijan’s main opposition newspaper, is on
the verge of going out of business. The paper’s acting editor, Gabil
Abbasoglu, spoke about the situation Monday, a Rosbalt correspondent
reported.

Abbasoglu blamed the problem on legal actions brought against the daily by
the government. The authorities, he said, are seeking payment of
approximately USD 30,000 in fines arising from six separate cases and have
blocked the newspaper from otherwise using its day-to-day sales income. All
income from sales of Eni Musavat, handled by three companies, have been
sequestered in special accounts. Abbasoglu called the action ‘arbitrary and
in violation of the law.’

The chief bank account of the newspaper has been under seal since last
August. One result is that the newspaper’s staff now is working without pay.
‘If we were selling 25,000 copies per issue before the presidential election
of 2003, we’re barely at 10,000 today,’ the editor said. Because of the lack
of pay, reporters are beginning to leave, he said.

He said the newspaper has appealed to President Ilkham Aliyev in a statement
noting that the latter’s late father had every opportunity to close the
paper but did not do so. The statement also calls on the head of government
not to deprive the country of a forum for the opposition. ‘We stand ready to
hear out any conditions proposed by the authorities and will work with full
consideration of their views,’ the statement declares.

The publication is seeking help from its distributors, other newspaper
organizations and, most important, the Press Union, the editor said. The
newspaper staff is threatening a hunger strike to call attention to the
situation.

OPINION – Time for government to pay the Armenians back for their loyalty

Cyprus Mail
Wednesday, March 17, 2004

SO THE rumours were true: the Melkonian School is set to close at the
end of the next school year — June 2005 — after a proud history of
almost 80 years, serving Armenians on the island, as well as the wider
region.

The Armenian community in Cyprus has for years served as a role model
for community relations, maintaining a remarkable balance between
integration and identity. The Melkonian School has been a key element
in that balance, providing the children of Armenian families with an
education that nurtured that identity in a foreign land.

For a diaspora community, a full secondary education is the key to
survival, a role that cannot be filled with Sunday school lessons
nurturing an identity as living as the sepia photographs on our
grandparents’ walls. Until now, the existence in Cyprus of a full
Armenian curriculum taking children all the way through to adulthood
has been a recognition of the status of the community on the island.

The AGBU – the American-based foundation that runs Armenian schools
worldwide – defends its decision to close the school: it points out
the Melkonian’s dwindling attendance and financial deficit, but
focuses its criticism mainly on its recent educational performance.
If, the foundation argues, the Melkonian had “provided exceptional
opportunities to its students as it had done in the past, substantial
subsidisation would be warranted. Unfortunately, this is not the
case.”

The AGBU also points out that about 90 per cent of children in the
diaspora are not educated in Armenian schools and the money may be
better spent in other educational programmes.

Fair enough. But Cyprus is different: the Armenians are a recognised
community according to the constitution. So if the AGBU is not willing
to maintain the school, the Cyprus government should step in. Already,
the building has been declared a listed site, while moves are under
way to have the grounds declared as protected forest, preventing the
developers from barging in.

These are steps in the right direction, but more still needs to be
done. The AGBU clearly paints a picture of financial crisis at the
Melkonian, and saving the school from sale is only part of the
equation, which needs to be accompanied by a cash commitment and
substantial reform of the institution.

The government must show its willingness to help the school
financially if it is to survive. Surely one of the main rights of a
recognised community is the right to their own education. The
Armenians in Cyprus have shown extraordinary loyalty to the Greek
Cypriots. It is time to pay them back.

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2004

Cyprus risks USD 80 mln capital flight

Melkonian students protest as US group announces closure

Financial Mirror
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
(Front page, lead story)

Over 200 students of the historic Melkonian school in Nicosia
demonstrated Tuesday against its impending closure after the
U.S.-based foundation that runs the Institute announced it will close
the school in June 2005, after over seven decades.

News of the closure has angered critics who say that profits from the
USD 80 mln sale of the school’s prime assets will be whisked out of
Cyprus.

Protesting students blocked the main road leading out of the capital,
chanting “Melkonian not for sale” and brandishing placards condemning
the foundation. They suggested this was a “second genocide”.

The school was established in 1926 by two Armenian brothers to provide
shelter to orphans that escaped genocide at the hands of the Ottomans
during the First World War.

The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), based in New York, which
has been entrusted with the management of the Melkonian since the late
1920s, has decided to close the historic school in 16 months’ time,
without giving sufficient justification for its action.

In a press release issued in New York, the AGBU said that “after
extensive deliberations and thorough assessment”, its Central Board
has resolved unanimously to discontinue MEI in June 2005. This
decision is based largely on the Board’s conclusion that MEI “no
longer meets the challenges of its mission in the present context of
the Armenian world.”

The decision is hotly challenged by the worldwide Melkonian Alumni,
all Armenian Diaspora organisations, with the Cyprus Alumni resorting
to all means to overturn the decision.

The Cyprus government, all political parties and leading Greek Cypriot
personalities support the efforts of the Armenian community to keep
the Melkonian open, since they consider the Melkonian as part of the
national heritage and culture of the island.

Last month, the cabinet, headed by President Tassos Papadopoulos,
allocated an additional aid package towards efforts to keep the
Melkonian in Cyprus, in a development which will further embarrass the
US-based organisation, that until recently insisted that the Melkonian
was not for sale.

Alumni representatives say the core issue is the prime land on which
the Melkonian is located and the intention of AGBU NY to sell the land
and whisk up to USD 80 mln out of Cyprus, which it will use for
unspecified purposes. They said that it also violates the provisions
of the will, made by the Melkonian brothers, who established the
school in 1926 initially as an orphanage for children surviving the
Genocide.

The Alumni have sought legal advice from law firms in Cyprus and
abroad and intend to incorporate international expertise to strengthen
its defence as it moves to contest the decision and block the sale
plans in courts.

“It is not just a matter of the sale of the land and the flight of
some 80 million dollars to the U.S., but also abuse of the rights of
Armenian children who are being deprived of their human right to a
fair education based on their cultural heritage,” says the Alumni.

The local Armenian community plans a mass demonstration next week, in
front of the Melkonian to show its disgust at the decision and to
raise awareness among the Cypriot population to ignore a press
marketing campaign employed by the US-based organisation in order to
win support.

Copyright © Financial Mirror 2004