Austrian defense expert argues against Turkey’s EU membership
Kurier, Vienna
5 Oct 04
The issue of Turkey’s EU membership has now entered the intensive
phase of the debate. Irrespective of any arguments for or against, it
is somehow regarded as a fact that Turkey joining the EU will be of
considerable advantage in security-policy and strategic terms.
Turkey’s geostrategic position and large armed forces, the argument
goes, give the European Union greater influence and security
benefits. This argument is entirely inappropriate. The opposite is
true. A NATO member, Turkey is firmly integrated in the Euro-Atlantic
security system. There is no need to act out of security policy
concerns.
Let us look at Turkey’s geostrategic position. Turkey shares borders
with Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, among others. Relations
with these countries may be called problematic. Turkey has no respect
for minority rights, although it is a country with considerable
minorities. Because of its strategic partnership with Israel and/or
the strategic triangle with the United States and Israel, Turkey is
not only a player in the Middle East, but it is directly and
indirectly involved in Mideast problems. The European Union would have
external borders with Iraq and Iran, thus becoming a frontline state
in the largest crisis region in the world.
As a result, the European Union would not, as it hopes, reach the
status of objective mediator in the Middle East as a result of
Turkey’s membership, but become itself part of the Middle East
problems. Turkey is confronted to a great extent with problems of
transnational terrorism and organized crime and would bring these
problems into the EU. On top of this, Turkey is a kind of “natural”
competitor of Russia when it comes to influencing the Caucasus and, in
particular, Central Asia. Its accession would contribute nothing at
all to the EU in security policy terms, if the European Union wants to
develop its own security policy profile alongside NATO.
[Passage omitted]

People remain in limbo a month after Russia closed border with Georgia – TV
NTV, Moscow
6 Oct 04

[Presenter] Hundreds of people have been caught between two
states. Russia announced the closure of its border for people crossing
from Georgia. Tbilisi promised to solve the problem quickly. But
passengers on scheduled buses and lorry drivers have been living in
their vehicles for over a month.
Here reporting from the so-called neutral territory is Nugzar
Kereselidze.
[Correspondent] In the Dariali Gorge on the Georgian military road 50
lorries and buses have been caught in a stubborn trap. Having passed
through the Lars border crossing in Georgia they did not manage to get
across the so-called neutral zone of a sector of the Russian-Georgian
border under review when Russia closed its frontier. The official
reason for the closure of the border was the Beslan tragedy, and the
necessity to apprehend all the people involved in the terrorist
attack. The closure was made unexpectedly in the course of a few
hours. For this reason hundreds of vehicles piled up on both sides. In
the course of the next few days their number even increased, partly
because the Georgian authorities gave a promise, as is said, to come
to an agreement about opening the border. However, a month later
passengers from Armenia are living in buses. There are many women and
children among them.
[Unidentified woman] People have been here for a month and two
days. They are living or surviving. It’s worse than survival. There
are children, sick people and old people. And the older people are
suffering. In the evening it’s cold. Really cold.
[Correspondent] When the passengers ran out of the food they had
brought with them the drivers came to their aid with food that was
beginning to go off. What had actually gone bad was thrown into the
river Terek. A businessman from Yerevan, (?Artur Bagasyan), had to get
rid of 30 tonnes of peaches.
Several vehicles from Azerbaijan, Belarus and other countries turned
round and went to Russia through South Ossetia using the Roki tunnel
where the border had not been closed. This caused bewilderment in
Tbilisi.
[Korneli Salia, chief of headquarters at the Georgian Department of
State Border Protection, captioned] Russia did not close this sector,
which we don’t understand. It turns out that Russian official bodies
support the separatists prospering in South Ossetia.
[Correspondent] More and more freight has now started passing into
Russia through South Ossetia, despite the fact that a lot of money has
to be paid for escorts and security. But businessmen have no
choice. They agree to pay more rather than lose everything.

–Boundary_(ID_Y/RVwc+1BcSe9PEJgqn2GQ)
Content-typ e: message/rfc822
From: ACNIS Info
Subject: ACNIS Marks Tenth Anniversary
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 1) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 1) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:
October 5, 2004
ACNIS MARKS TENTH ANNIVERSARY
Raffi Hovannisian and Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja Keynote Gala
Yerevan–The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS),
an institutional pioneer of independent policy research and analysis in the
post-Soviet space, celebrated its tenth birthday today with an official
banquet at the Armenia Marriott Hotel.
The gala event brought together public figures, ambassadors, heads of
diplomatic missions and international organizations, scholars and
intellectuals, businessmen, media and NGO representatives, the Center’s
former and current employees, and contributors, associates, friends and
supporters from Armenia and the Diaspora.
A complete exhibit of the Center’s publications from 1994 to 2004, including
occasional papers, monographs, yearbooks and special publications, was on
display in the foyer of the “Tigran the Great” ballroom, where the
festivities took place. The participants were presented with complimentary
copies of the Center’s newly-released jubilee volume entitled “Accounting
for the Decade,” encompassing a survey of its first decade of public service
and featuring Center activities, analytical articles, congratulatory
messages, public opinion polls, and an interview with founder Raffi K.
Hovannisian.
Raffi Hovannisian, the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the new Republic
of Armenia, welcomed the invited guests. Recalling that the fifth
anniversary of the Center, scheduled for October 29, 1999, did not take
place because of the national tragedy in parliament, Hovannisian invited a
moment of silence to remember the victims of October 27, the national heroes
and unknown soldiers who fell on Armenia’s road to freedom and independence,
as well as departed Center employees Tigran Hairapetian, Bagrat Sadoyan,
Valeri Aidinian, and Ashot Khalatian.
After the invocation and blessing of the table by Bishop Navasard Kjoyan,
Prelate of the Araratian Diocese, Raffi Hovannisian remarked: “The Armenian
Center for National and International Studies and its first ten years have
been committed to the cause of institution-building and, often against the
odds, to the forging of an infrastructure for a new political culture in
which the free competition of ideas reigns within a national framework, and
where rational and national policy options are sought in the domestic and
international arenas through the creation of a comprehensive policymaking
system for the Republic of Armenia and the nation entire.”
At the end of his opening presentation, Hovannisian expressed words of
gratitude to the Center’s supporters in Armenia and around the world, its
past and present employees, its colleagues and critics, and all those owing
to whom the Center at ten is sound, solid, self-confident and at once
self-renewing. On behalf of all ACNIS stakeholders, Noune Aidinian, a
long-time Center executive, was noted for her decade of professional
dedication.
Armenian duduk melodies, performed by distinguished artist Gevorg Dabaghian,
complemented the supper service with nourishment for the soul.
Raffi Hovannisian then introduced His Excellency Erkki Tuomioja, Minister
for Foreign Affairs of Finland, who delivered the keynote address on
“Security in the Globalizing World.” In his vision, modern nations can
profit from globalization through mutual integration and simultaneous
maintenance of national identity, whereas isolated countries or marginal
groups might themselves come to constitute the cause for security dilemmas.
“In a globalizing world, we all are more and more dependent on each other,
which leads to closer cooperation between states than ever before,” the
Minister asserted. “The European Union is developing and responding to new
challenges and how we in Finland see security in today’s world. The newly
independent states in the Western Balkans and in the former Soviet Union
have unfortunately not developed without difficulties. We have witnessed
many armed conflicts and even war both inside and between countries, with
great losses and human suffering. Both old and new threats have escalated,
especially terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
but also issues such as ethnic intolerance, environmental threats,
pandemics, drugs, cross-border organized crime and uncontrolled migration.
According to the Security Strategy, the EU needs to be more active in
pursuing its strategic objectives. It also needs to be more capable, more
coherent and work in close cooperation with partners. These principles apply
to the full spectrum of instruments for crisis management and conflict
prevention at the EU’s disposal, including political, diplomatic, military
and civilian, trade and development activities. The Union is not and will
not become a military great power, but it can become an effective actor in
conflict prevention and crisis management.”
In a musical interlude, the guests then enjoyed Shoghakn folk ensemble
soloist Hasmik Harutiunian’s vocal offering of “Lullabye Medley,” “Love
Ballad of Van,” and “Homeland.”
The evening concluded with a moving public rendition of the Armenian
National Anthem, and evening enjoyment provided by folk-jazz pianist Vahagn
Hairapetian and his friends.
Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, ACNIS serves
as a link between innovative scholarship and the public policy challenges
facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet world. It also
aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and a wider
understanding of the new global environment. In 2004, the Center focuses
primarily on public outreach, civic education, and applied research on
critical domestic and foreign policy issues for the state and the nation.
For further information on the celebration and a related photo display, call
(3741) 52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (3741) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]; or visit
–Boundary_(ID_Y/RVwc+1BcSe9PEJgqn2GQ)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BBC News
Oct 6 2004
Analysis: EU’s Turkish challenge
By Paul Reynolds
BBC News Online world affairs correspondent
Turkey’s accession to the European Union would not only bring a huge
Muslim population into the EU, but would extend its boundaries deep
into the Caucasus mountains and down towards the plains of ancient
Mesopotamia.
Turkey – a bridge between East and West?
The EU would have borders with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Georgia and
Armenia.
For some this would be a good thing. Turkey was once the “sick man of
Europe” as its empire began to decay and other powers circled around,
fighting each other, as in Crimea.
Turkey as a bridge
Now it would be a link between East and West, between a continent
with a Christian history and a land of Muslim faith in which both
would respect religion, but not rely on religion to determine the
course of government.
It would extend the ties developed with Turkey through Nato into the
more fundamental ties of political association.
It would build on the strong secular nature of Turkish public life
forged by the great Kemal Ataturk, who fought the British at
Gallipoli before leaving a legacy of modernism influential to this
day.
Turkey’s acceptance, it is felt, would erase the centuries of
conflict in which the Ottoman Empire sought to stretch its hand into
Europe and where memories of battles against the Turk still linger.
The EU, after all, is designed not to forget history but to overcome
it.
The siege of Vienna
Only recently was one such battle, the siege of Vienna in 1683,
invoked by a European commissioner to argue against Turkish entry.
“The liberation of 1683 would have been in vain,” declared Dutch
commissioner Frits Bolkenstein.
In that siege, it was the Polish King Jan Sobieski who led a force
which drove the Turks away. How appropriate, those favouring Turkish
entry now argue, that Catholic Poland and Muslim Turkey might one day
join together in the Union.
How much more compelling would be a final rapprochement between
Greece and Turkey – and a settlement in Cyprus which would obviously
have to be part of any accession agreement.
An enlargement too far?
For others, Turkey would be an enlargement too far. Turkey is not
really a European country, they argue, despite its foothold on the
European continent across the Bosphorus.
The reforms are sufficient for talks, but not yet sufficient for
membership
Your say: Should Turkey join?
Its population, already 69 million, is second only to that of
Germany, which has 82m. But projections for Turkey’s people go up and
for Germany’s go down so that by mid-century, Turkey would probably
have the largest population in the EU.
That population, it is further argued, would be mainly Muslim and
despite the influence of the secular Ataturk, the influence of the
fervent Enver Pasha might one day prevail.
Enver Pasha, one of the “Young Turks” who overthrew the remnants of
the Ottoman sultanate, had a vision of extending Turkish and Muslim
rule to the peoples of the Caucasus. During World War I, he threw his
lot in with the central powers of Germany and Austria and attacked
the Russians during a winter campaign, which proved disastrous.
The Armenian people of eastern Turkey were force-marched south and
west, in one of the earliest examples of ethnic cleansing in the 20th
Century.
But it is not the past as much as the future which worries some
modern European governments.
One basic rule of the EU is the free movement of goods and people.
The prospect of millions of poor Anatolians flooding into the EU is
one which easily raises European concerns. Restrictions on such
movement for some years might well form part of accession conditions.
The third view
There is a third view – that accession talks might not even lead to
Turkish membership.
John Palmer, political director of the European Policy Centre in
Brussels, said: “It is certain that the EU will set a date for
negotiations with Turkey at the summit in December.
“The reforms are sufficient for talks, but not yet sufficient for
membership. They will be unusual talks. Both sides agree that it will
be 15 to 20 years before a decision is required. In my opinion,
Turkey will not worry about the time. What matters is that the
process of Turkish transformation is linked to the process of
negotiation.
“The separate question is whether at the end of this, there will be a
yes decision by both sides. I do not think that there is a
pre-ordained outcome to that.”
Turkey will force the EU to debate what it is and what it wants to
be.
I first became aware that Turkey might not be a welcome member of the
European club in 1984, when Claude Cheysson, who had just ended a
spell as French foreign minister, asked a group of British
correspondents over an excellent dinner in Strasbourg: “Is Turkey
European?”
Being an accomplished diplomat, he had avoided giving a direct reply
about Turkish membership and accompanied his own question with a
shrug of the shoulders and a quizzical smile. Turkey was something to
be left for another year – or century. We moved on to the cheese.
His question has not yet been fully answered.

PRESS RELEASE
October 6, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:
U.S.-Armenia Task Force Holds Meeting in Washington, DC
The ninth session of the U.S.-Armenia intergovernmental task force on
economic cooperation (USATF) was held in Washington, DC on October 4, 2004.
USATF is the format allowing discussions between the governments of the
United States and Armenia on issues of bilateral economic and related
issues, and its sessions are held on bi-annual basis. The Armenian
delegation to the Ninth Session of USATF was headed by Finance and Economy
Minister Vardan Khachatryan, and included Chairman of State Committee on
Water Management Andranik Andreasyan, Chief Economic Adviser to the
President Vahram Nercissiantz, Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sargsian,
Armenian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Arman Kirakossian, and officials from
the Ministries of Finance and Economy and Foreign Affairs.
The agenda for the USATF meeting included issues such as coordination and
directions of U.S. assistance programs in Armenia within the context of the
Government of Armenia’s strategy for poverty reduction and sustaining
economic growth, the current status of the Millenium Challenge Account
programs’ process in Armenia, banking sector development, business
environment, further reforms in energy sector, agriculture, and irrigation,
strengthening counterterrorism capabilities, and other issues of bilateral
concern.
Prior to the USATF session, the Armenian governmental delegation
participated in the annual Governor’s Meeting of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund on October 2-3, 2004.
On October 3, the Embassy of Armenia hosted a reception in honor of the
Armenian delegation, with participation of officials from U.S. Government
and the international financial organizations, including CEO of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation Paul Applegarth, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans, NSC Deputy Director for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Bryza, and
World Bank Country Director for Armenia and South Caucasus Donna
Dowset-Coirola, as well as representatives of the Armenian-American
organizations.

ARMENIAN PREMIER FOCUSES ON ECONOMIC PROJECTS AT MEETING WITH BULGARIAN HEAD
Noyan Tapan news agency
6 Oct 04
YEREVAN
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan received Bulgarian
President Georgi Purvanov, who is on an official visit in Armenia, on
5 October.
The prime minister spoke about problems in Armenia’s integration into
Europe and in regional policy, including processes aimed at conducting
democratic reforms. He said that Armenia attached great importance to
regional cooperation, in particular, within the framework of the OSCE
and the Council of Europe. In this context, the prime minister noted
the importance of further active involvement of our country in the
economic projects being implemented under the aegis of the European
Union. He also spoke about our country’s cooperation with NATO.
The Armenian prime minister also noted that Armenia was interested in
building a road linking the South Caucasus with Europe. He,
particularly, spoke about the possibility of building joint railway
and ferry links between the (Black Sea) ports of Kavkaz and Varna,
which had been supported earlier by Bulgaria as well.
The recent developments in the Nagornyy Karabakh negotiations and the
possibility of cooperation in a number of economic fields were
discussed. The prime minister thanked the Bulgarian president for the
authorities’ benevolent attitude towards the Armenian community of
Bulgaria.

ARMENIA’S KARABAKH WAR VETERANS UNITE “TO ESTABLISH JUSTICE”
Noyan Tapan news agency
6 Oct 04
YEREVAN
A group of disabled veterans of the Karabakh liberation movement is
calling on all azatamartiks (freedom fighters) to unite to establish
justice in Armenia. The chairman of the newly-established union
Justice Fighters, Grigor Adamyan, told a press conference on 5 October
that a number of organizations had already expressed their readiness
to unite.
Adamyan’s statement said that currently freedom fighters consider it
their duty to unite against injustice reigning in the country. The
statement says that freedom fighters, who have established security
and formed the country, will not tolerate existing injustice. “Do not
compel us to establish the rule of law,” the statement reads.
(Passage omitted: the statement condemns arbitrariness and injustice
against disabled people)

CENN – OCTOBER 6, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. The Eurasia Foundation Georgia Office
2. Metsamor Plant Reactivated After Repairs, Refueling
3. National Oncology Center in the Limelight of State and International
Community
4. China Allocates 100mln. USD for Construction of Rubber Producing
Plant
5. Caustic Soda Production to be Set Up in Armenia
6. ExxonMobil Fails to Find Oil in the Caspian Shelf
1. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT — THE EURASIA FOUNDATION GEORGIA OFFICE
Vacancy Announcement
Title: PMDI Program Coordinator
Under the supervision of the Country Director, the Program Officer is
responsible for developing and managing the Pipeline Monitoring and
Dialogue Initiative (PMDI). PDMI is a new Initiative implemented by
Eurasia Foundation in cooperation with BP, UNDP, IFC for building
capacity of Georgian NGO’s in Monitoring Methods for Pipeline
Construction & Operations. PDMI supports a series of activities aimed
at developing monitoring skills amongst NGOs and their members,
providing an effective channel for increased public dialogue related to
pipeline-oriented issues.
The Program coordinator will be responsible for overall management and
coordination of the PDMI initiative, including:
a) Coordinating and facilitating the meetings of NGO representatives
involved in the project.
b) Organizing activities the NGO working groups on social,
environmental, cultural heritage, and labor rights issues;
c) Developing the training curricula for the project participants;
d) Organizing trainings for the project participants;
e) Organizing field trips and collection of relevant information in
coordination with other partners;
f) Facilitating the report writing process, compiling and submission of
the final reports
g) Representing the foundation on issues of the project in relations
with partners, donors, and media.
Requirements:
§ An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or beyond) in public
policy, journalism, law or environmental sciences.
§ At least three years experience working in Georgian or international
NGO’s.
§ Knowledge of the history and trends in civil society development in
Georgia.
§ Excellent written and spoken Georgian, English, and Russian.
§ Computer literacy, particularly Microsoft office programs.
§ Demonstrated analytical, written, and communication skills.
§ Excellent ability to work with others to achieve results; coaching,
developing teams.
Applicants should submit in English (1) a curriculum vitae (CV) and (2)
a detailed cover letter explaining their qualifications for the
position.
Applications should be submitted to the Eurasia Foundation office, or by
e-mail to [email protected].
3, Kavsadze Street, Tbilisi, Georgia 0179
Tel./Fax: (995 32) 22 32 64
The deadline for application submission is October 14, 2004
E-mail: [email protected]
2. METSAMOR PLANT REACTIVATED AFTER REPAIRS, REFUELING
Source: RFE/RL
The nuclear power station at Metsamor, which meets nearly 40 percent of
Armenia’s energy needs, was reactivated on Monday more than two months
after its sole reactor was stopped for refueling and regular capital
repairs. The plant’s director, Gagik Markosian, told RFE/RL that it
would resume supplies to the national power grid on Tuesday.
Mr. Markosian said the capital repairs have further improved the safety
of Metsamor’s Soviet-designed reactor built in 1979. He said the work,
carried out once in four years, has involved the installation of new
equipment provided by the United States and the European Union,
estimating their cost at `millions of dollars.’
According to Gagik Markosian, the two-month period has also been used
for a close inspection of the reactor core conducted by specialists from
Skoda, a Czech engineering firm chosen in an international tender. They
found it in good condition, he added.
The light-water reactor was brought to a halt on July 30 shortly after
the delivery of a new batch of Russian nuclear worth $12 million. It
replaced approximately one third of Metsamor’s previously loaded fuel
and should keep the facility operational for at least one year.
Mr. Metsamor was placed under the financial management of Russia’s RAO
Unified Energy Systems utility last year in payment for its $40 million
outstanding debts to Russian fuel suppliers.
The plant resumed power generation despite last month’s closure of
Russia’s border with Georgia that disrupted the delivery of a special
lubricant used in the process. Prime Minister Andranik Markarian warned
as recently as Wednesday that this could delay the planned reactivation.
Mr. Markosian revealed, however, that the Metsamor management found
another Russian supplier and imported the substance by air.
The U.S. and the EU continue to provide substantial financial and
technical assistance to the plant despite their long-standing calls for
its closure on safety grounds. The Armenian government says it is safe
enough to operate for another decade.
3. NATIONAL ONCOLOGY CENTER IN THE LIMELIGHT OF STATE AND INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY
Source: Armenpress, September 30, 2004
Funded by US State Department, Community and Humanitarian Assistance
Project Armenian Office of Counterpart International have provided
medical equipment and medicine in the amount of 320,000 USD to Armenian
National Oncology Center. This is a donation of US National Oncology
Coalition.
The center hosted representatives of the organization and the project
today. Counterpart International has committed itself to continue
dispatch of medical equipment to the center with the total cost of
assistance for the running year exceeding 1mln USD. Since 2001, the
organization has supplied the center with medical items of about 12 mln
USD through its Community and Humanitarian Assistance Project.
According to Sergei Khomchenko, a representative of the organization and
the project, Counterpart international assists the most needy patients.
He argued that prevention of oncology illnesses is far easier than their
treatment. He said that smoking is widespread in Armenia that is one of
the major causes of the illness.
According to Hairapet Galstian, National Oncology Center Head, thanks to
Counterpart International the center is equipped with modern technology.
He said that they are particularly in need of diagnoses equipment that
cost 1mln USD and are not affordable neither for the state nor the
center.
The center head said that government also earmarks funds for the
operation of the center.
US national oncology coalition supports medical program in some 10
countries throughout the world.
4. CHINA ALLOCATES 100MLN. USD FOR CONSTRUCTION OF RUBBER-PRODUCING
PLANT
Source: Arminfo, October 4, 2004
China has allocated 100mln. USD for the construction of a plant to
produce chloroprene rubber by Armenian technology, stated Albert
Sukiasyan the Armenian participant in the project, Director of the
“Nairit 2”.
According to him, the construction of a plant with a designed capacity
of 30,000 tons of rubber a year in the province of Shaahsi was started a
year ago. The Armenian share in the authorized capital of the
“Shaansi-Nairit” CJSC is 40%, and that of China 60%. Sukiasyan pointed
out that the State Bank of China lent a credit, and the Armenian side is
to contribute with technologies and equipment. Sukiasyan pointed out
that a rubber-producing plan is already operating in Shaansi, but it was
closed for environmental reasons. The old plant is to be shut down after
the new one is put into operation, 50km. away from the city. Sukiasyan
reported that China’s yearly demand for rubber is 100,000 tons.
An agreement on the establishment of a JV was signed on October 2001
between the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development and the
Shaansi group of joint-stock companies of synthetic rubbers.
5. CAUSTIC SODA PRODUCTION TO BE SET UP IN ARMENIA
Source: Arminfo, October 4, 2004
A number of foreign companies are showing interest in a 30mln. USD
project of setting up the production of pure solid caustic soda in
Armenia initiated by the “Nairit-2” CJSC, stated Karen Karapetyan, Head
of the Information Department, Armenian Development Agency (AAA).
According to him, the project was submitted to the Eurasian Economic
Union (EAEU) in Moscow on September 20, 2004. US companies showed the
greatest interest in the project. Karapetyan pointed out that
investments are to be directed to the purchase of up-to-date equipment.
Production is expected to be organized at the “Nairit 2” CJSC. The
project envisages the production of 50 to 100 thousand tons of caustic
soda a year. Karapetyan reported that the principal raw material in the
production of caustic soda is table salt. Salt solution is leached from
under the ground, and the formed cavities are expected to be used for
storing fuel and oil products. The storage will allow oil-processing
enterprises to be established in Armenia. Karapetyan said that the
Rustavi-based “Azot” plant is a large consumer of caustic soda in the
region.
6. EXXONMOBIL FAILS TO FIND OIL IN THE CASPIAN SHELF
Source: CBN, October 6, 2004
Major U.S. oil company, ExxonMobil, has lost hope for finding a large
oil deposit with its Azeri flagship offshore, after its local venture
partner reported on Wednesday that the first ultra-deep well yielded
only gas. The drilling at the Zafar-Mashal offshore field had been
expected to produce a considerable clue as to whether the Caspian
country’s shelf contained more significant reserves, or if its overall
potential had been overestimated.
—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
October 6, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA “HYE VOTER TURNOUT” CAMPAIGN IN FULL SWING
— Record Armenian American Turnout
Expected on November 2nd
WASHINGTON, DC – With only a few weeks left to the November 2nd
Presidential and Congressional elections, Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) chapters have teamed up with activists
across the country, as part of the ANCA’s “Hye Voter Turnout”
campaign, to make their last push to ensure record levels of
Armenian American participation in the electoral process.
Over the past several months, local ANCA chapters have been working
within their communities to raise awareness about federal, state
and local candidates and the issues facing the Armenian American
community. A powerful tool in this effort has been the ANCA
Candidate Questionnaire, available on the ANCA website, which has
provided candidates from across the nation with the opportunity to
speak directly to their Armenian American constituents. The ANCA
Congressional Candidate Questionnaire includes nine different
questions on the topics of the Armenian Genocide; U.S. support for
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh; U.S.-Armenia economic relations;
Self-determination for Nagorno Karabagh; Conditions on U.S. aid to
Azerbaijan; the Turkish blockade of Armenia, and; the U.S. subsidy
of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline bypass of Armenia. For an Adobe PDF
version of the ANCA Questionnaire, visit:
The ANCA has also teamed up with local Armenian Youth Federation
chapters in national voter registration efforts, working to
increase the Armenian American voice at the ballot box. Activists
have set up registration tables at local churches, community
centers and even local business establishments, providing the forms
and information needed to register. These efforts have made it
easy for young people to register through the ANCA voter
registration website and “Rock the Vote,” MTV’s youth voter
education program.
At the national level, the ANCA has endorsed Senator John Kerry as
clearly the better candidate on issues facing the Armenian American
community. At the same time, the ANCA – locally and nationally –
continues to highlight the powerful leadership demonstrated by a
great many Congressional Republicans on Armenian issues, notably by
Armenian Caucus Co- Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Genocide
Resolution author George Radanovich (R-CA), and Senators such as
Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Ensign (R-NV), George Allen (R-VA),
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), and many others.
Working with local chapters or Armenians for Kerry, the ANCA has
spent the past several months raising awareness of Senator Kerry’s
20-year record of supporting Armenian American concerns – on issues
ranging from recognition of the Armenian Genocide and self-
determination for Nagorno Karabagh, to increased aid, expanded
trade, and an end to the blockades of Armenia. The ANCA
endorsement of Senator Kerry includes a full review of the
Senator’s record as well as a listing of the many areas in which
President has disappointed the Armenian American community. This
text can be found at:
;pressregion=anca
The ANCA’s “Hye Voter Turnout” four-part strategy in support of the
Kerry-Edwards ticket was formally launched on August 28th, with the
Armenstock 2004 / Kef for Kerry event in Massachusetts
(). This major day-long music festival featured
leading Armenian musicians and speeches by Armenian activists and
elected officials, including Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA) and
James McGovern (D-MA), as well as State Representatives Peter
Koutoujian and Rachel Kaprielian. Additional get-out-the-Armenian-
vote concerts are planned as part of the Kef for Kerry Tour of
Battleground States. The tour includes stops in the key swing
states of Wisconsin – October 8th, Michigan – October 23rd, Florida
– October 24th, and, Pennsylvania – October 29th. For additional
information, visit:
The second element of the ANCA plan was the “Friends for Kerry
Postcard Campaign,” which debuted at Armenstock. This campaign
circulated tens of thousands of pre-addressed postcards which were
sent by Armenians in solidly pro-Kerry states like New York and
California to fellow Armenians in twelve swing states: Arizona,
Arkansas, Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. The
postcard urges voters to “compare the records of Senator Kerry and
President Bush on Armenian issues, to weight the importance of your
ballot for the future of US-Armenian relations, and the please
consider casting your vote for the Kerry-Edwards ticket on November
2nd.”
The third part of the ANCA plan is a series of “Calling for Kerry”
weekends on October 9-10 and October 30-31. Building on the
postcard campaign, local activists are teaming up with Armenian
Youth Federation and Armenians for Kerry chapters in hosting
gatherings and “cell phone parties” to reach out to thousand of
Armenian American households in sixteen swing states. In addition
to supporting the Kerry-Edwards ticket, activists will highlight
the need for strong turnout for friends of Armenia in Congress,
both Democratic and Republican. The fourth and final part of the
ANCA effort is a grassroots “Canvassing for Kerry” program that
will go door-to-door to getting out the vote for John Kerry and
other friends of Armenia on Election Day.

Washington Times
October 06, 2004
Christian church may hold key to European Union
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey – When a mentally deranged Turk showed up at Diyarbakir
Evangelical Church one hot July day quoting verses from the Koran and waving
a butcher knife, it took police a half-hour to get there.
By that time, Medet Arslan, 27, had broken several windows, threatened
the Christians who were inside the church, and burned New Testaments and
other Christian literature, curtains, bookshelves, tapes, compact discs and
whatever furniture he could find in the reception hall. Had church members
not locked him inside the room, he might have gone to the sanctuary on the
second floor to do more damage.
Known in Turkish as Diyarbakir Kilisesi, the 11-year-old congregation just
inside the ancient white-and-gray basalt city walls is the only evangelical
Christian group in all of eastern Turkey. The closest similar church is at
Adana, in central Turkey near the southern coast. House prayer groups exist
in the cities of Sanli Urfa and Gazi Antep, which are respectively two- and
three-hour drives west of Diyarbakir.
However, this small congregation is playing a minor role in today’s
announcement in Brussels on whether talks can start regarding Turkey’s
admission to the European Union. Some governments – among them those of
Britain, Greece, Finland and Poland – favor Turkey’s admission to the union.
Others, including Denmark and Austria, oppose it. Turkey’s lackluster human
rights record, especially regarding political prisoners, and slowness to
allow religious freedom are two of the sticking points in the debate.
Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was the capital of the Byzantine
Empire and a center of Christianity centuries before the birth of Islam.
Scattered Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and other churches,
monasteries, cathedrals and pilgrimage sites of the early centuries of the
Christian era remain in use as places of worship.
Sami Turgut, a diplomat at the Turkish Embassy, defended his country’s
actions.
“We have already made huge changes,” he said, “and we are still making
some changes in our laws and [penal] code.”
Turkey’s eagerness to be part of the European Union has dampened
religious harassment aimed at evangelical Christians. In recent years, the
national Committee of Culture and Protection of Historical Sites has filed
two lawsuits to shut down the Diyarbakir evangelical Christian congregation.
Now the church is being watched by Europeans – namely German, Dutch and
British lawmakers, embassy officials and ambassadors who have visited – to
gauge whether Turkey is serious about human rights for religious and ethnic
minorities. Minor matters, such as slow police response to an attack on the
church, concern them.
Diyarbakir Kilisesi is made up of both Christians and Kurds, Turkey’s
main ethnic minority. Diyarbakir is in the heartland of a region known for
its uprisings seeking self-rule for about 15 million Kurds packed into
cities such as Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin.
These cities became sanctuaries after the government destroyed hundreds
of villages in the 1990s in search of members of the Kurdistan Workers
Party. Caught in the middle were villagers who sided with neither group but
who, after their homes were bulldozed by the government, had to leave their
farms and live in urban ghettos.
Because of their sufferings, the Kurds tend to be more open to
Christianity, said Jerry Mattix, an American pastor who has been assisting
the 40-member Diyarbakir Kilisesi since he moved his young family there in
2001.
“Kurds tend to be freethinkers,” he said, “and they are more open than
the Turks, who have a lot of baggage and preconceived notions about
Christianity.”
Mr. Mattix, who acts as a church consultant and Bible teacher to the
congregation and to chief elders Ahmet Guvener and Cengiz Bayram, estimates
the country has 70 evangelical Protestant churches, comprising 5,000
believers. Many meet in homes.
A decade ago, there were 20 such churches, he said, and most of those
gatherings were held in secret. The political atmosphere in Turkey has
improved enough, he added, to allow Christians to meet openly, to have
summer camps attracting several hundred people and to have public baptisms
in the Mediterranean Sea.
Some fears remain. During lunch at a local restaurant, several members
of his church were openly nervous about being asked – within earshot of
other patrons – how they had become Christians.
One said he was directed in a dream to seek out the church. Others said
they had responded to newspaper ads offering a correspondence course in
Christianity. Respondents are directed to contact persons in nine Turkish
cities.
“We are relatively free and we are tolerated now,” Mr. Mattix said.
“What attracted me to Turkey is that here’s a Muslim country that’s
relatively open to evangelism. We [evangelical Christians] ought to be all
over this.”
Turkish churches have an abundance of single men, who do volunteer work
daily at the church because of the lack of jobs in what is considered an
outlaw province by other Turks. Bookshelves at the Diyarbakir church are
loaded with free Christian books and tapes, and copious numbers are handed
out to the 20 visitors the church sees on an average day.
The two-hour Sunday service in an upstairs room with upholstered beige
chairs and a blue tile floor look like any similar house of worship in an
American storefront. Worship is led with a guitar, a narrow Turkish drum and
a “saz,” an instrument shaped like a mandolin.
But conversions to Christianity are few. Of the 20 to 30 baptized
members, Mr. Mattix says, maybe 10 are mature Christians.
“There isn’t a huge outpouring of the Holy Spirit here yet, but we are
praying for it,” he said.
Unlike other mainly Islamic countries, Turkey does not follow provisions
of Islamic law that forbid Muslims to change their religion or exact the
death penalty on those who do. But conversion to Christianity is
discouraged, and Diyarbakir Kilisesi has endured two lawsuits filed by the
local governor’s office to shut it down.
The church won one lawsuit that accused members of interfering with the
Meryamana Kilisesi, a third-century Aramaic church and convent across a
narrow alley.
A second lawsuit accused the evangelicals of illegally setting up a
church in a home. Although Mr. Guvener does not live in the three-story
building the church occupies, construction was halted for a few months until
a court awarded the church the right to occupy its building last year.
Before that, the congregation met in private homes.
“But the laws aren’t in place to make us fully legal,” Mr. Mattix said.
“We need full legality to function as a church and to run a children’s
program. But any work with children needs permission from the Ministry of
Education. But this will take massive rewriting of Turkish law,” involving
directives that affect mosques as well as churches.
The problem with legalizing religious buildings is that many of the
mosques function illegally as well, he said, meaning that Muslims would have
to join the Christians in making their ministries compliant with the law.
Thus, Diyarbakir Kilisesi functions in a gray area between legality and
illegality where any group that feels threatened by the church can file a
lawsuit. Although Turkey has been a secular country since 1923, 98 percent
of the populace is Muslim. Christians are mainly Armenian and Greek
Orthodox, or evangelical Protestants who are converts from Islam.
Events in Europe have tempered the religious harassment, Mr. Mattix
said, which may be why the church has won in court lately.
“We are optimistic,” said Tuluy Tanc, another spokesman for the embassy.
“We feel we will have fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria – demands made of
Turkey by the EU several years ago – as a result of the wide-scale reforms
we have undertaken. There may be some misgivings, but those aren’t enough to
put off negotiations.”