Minister outlines Karabakh solution to be considered by Azeri, Armenian leaders
ANS TV, Baku
8 Sep 04
[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on a visit to France
today [8 September] met the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman from France,
Henry Jacolin, and Senate Speaker Christian Poncelet. ANS TV’s
correspondent Qanira Pasayeva has details from Paris. Good evening,
Qanira. Please, tell us what you have.
[Correspondent over video of Paris] Good evening, Natavan. First,
I would like to talk about the president’s meeting with OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairman from France, Henry Jacolin. This meeting lasted
about an hour and its interesting point was that after the meeting with
Jacolin, Ilham Aliyev had a 45-minute conversation with [Azerbaijani]
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
In an interview with us, Jacolin did not go into detail about the
talks, however, he added that after the upcoming Astana [Kazakhstan]
meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan [at a summit of
the Commonwealth of Independent States], he would be able to speak
about the progress. He also added that for the first time, at the
Prague meeting of the [Azerbaijani and Armenian] foreign ministers
[on 30 August], very serious processes and issues were covered.
Elmar Mammadyarov left the conversation with the president a short
while ago, saying that the co-chairmen would report to the presidents
in Astana on their proposals. It is intriguing that one of these
proposals, to be debated by the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,
is the liberation of Azerbaijan’s occupied districts around Nagornyy
Karabakh. The Armenian troops must be pulled out of these areas and a
guarantee must be given to the internally displaced persons that they
would return to those districts and would not come under attacks.
A similar guarantee will be given by Azerbaijan to the effect that
it will conduct discussions on the status of Nagornyy Karabakh.
Mammadyarov said that there would be other proposals. However,
the major proposal the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents will be
presented with by the co-chairs is the above mentioned one. When
we asked Mammadyarov if Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
had accepted that this was to be presented at the meeting of the
presidents in this way, he said that Oskanyan had already agreed to it.
This proposal is not unlike the former stage-by-stage option, including
several components of the package option. However, we all expecting
for the outcome of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents’ meeting,
Jacolin said. [Passage omitted: some other aspects of the meetings.]

Armenian opposition member to appeal to European Court over arrest
Aravot web site, Yerevan
8 Sep 04
Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Aravot web site
on 8 September headlined “The appeal to the Council of Europe has to
be supplemented”
8 September: The head of the Armavir territorial branch of the National
Democratic Union [NDU], Lavrentiy Kirakosyan, who was released from
Nubarashen prison ahead of schedule on 30 August, is planning to
add fresh facts to his lawsuit submitted to the European Court of
Human Rights.
We should say that Kirakosyan was sentenced to 18 months in prison
on charges of possessing drugs and served almost five months in jail.
In connection with his administrative arrest during the elections in
2003, he appealed to the European Court and now he is going to send
the materials of the “fully fabricated” case on drugs to Strasbourg.

Azeri pundit says rapprochement with France, Iran may harm Karabakh solution
Azadliq, Baku
9 Sep 04
Text of Xayal Sahinoglu’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq
on 9 September headlined “What does another visit to France by the
successor promise?” and subheaded “Xaladdin Ibrahimli thinks that
a close rapprochement with this state must cause concern. Unpleasant
points appear while watching the chronology of Ilham Aliyev’s visits”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has paid another visit to
France, discussed the Karabakh problem with Jacques Chirac again. It is
doubtful that the discussions of this problem will lead to a solution
in favour of Azerbaijan. First, these discussions usually have a
formal nature and do not seriously affect the end result. Moreover,
observers regard as unsuccessful the regular visits to France by the
Azerbaijani leader in terms of their geopolitical orientation.
The member of the presidium of the People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party
[PFAP] and political scientist, Xaladdin Ibrahimli, thinks that it
is necessary to visit all the co-chairing countries in view of the
fact that the visit to France is part of the government’s balanced
policy. Ibrahimli sees as unnecessary regular discussions on the
Karabakh problem with Chirac. France’s policy on Azerbaijan and Armenia
is well-known. The PFAP representative thinks that Azerbaijan should
be a little more cautious while setting up relations with this country
since it has been taking a pro-Armenian stance.
“Unpleasant points appear while watching the chronology of Ilham
Aliyev’s visits. Although the USA is one of the main mediators of the
OSCE Minsk Group, the president has still not paid an official visit
to the USA, unlike Russia and France. There are many disagreements
in US and European policy on the Caucasus. The USA, Russia and France
are taking different stances on Iran. It is normal that Azerbaijan is
establishing ties with Iran, France and Russia. However, too close a
rapprochement with these states causes concern. Unlike the pro-Armenian
states, there are some positive aspects in the rapprochement between
the USA and Azerbaijan.
Moreover, Ibrahimli added that the fact that Iran and France have
stepped up their activities on the Karabakh settlement does not
promise Azerbaijan any good.
“The Iranian and French positions on Karabakh are well-known. If
the solution to the conflict falls into their hands, this will mean
an imbalance in the Karabakh problem. One may cite as an example the
fact that the Iranian president is visiting Yerevan when Ilham Aliyev
is in France.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU commission meets religious minority representatives in Turkey
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
9 Sep 04
Istanbul, 9 September: Turkey’s membership to the European Union
(EU) and the problems of minorities in Turkey were discussed during
the meeting of Guenter Verheugen, EU commissioner for enlargement,
in Fener Greek Patriarchate on Thursday [9 September].
Chief Rabbi of Jews in Turkey Ishak Haleva told reporters after the
meeting that they had a fruitful meeting with Verheugen. He added,
“everything is fine in Turkey after EU adjustment laws and the most
important thing is that there is goodwill.”
Meanwhile, Vatican’s representative in Turkey George Marovich said that
important progress was made regarding Turkey’s entry to the EU. He
added, “Turkish people deserve to be governed by democracy. Turkey
will bring richness to Europe with its accession to the EU. Europe
will also benefit from Turkey’s richness.”
The Syriac Catholic community’s representative, Yusuf Sag, told
reporters that Turkey’s membership to the EU and minority issues were
taken up during the meeting.
Patriarchate First Secretary Filadepfias, Chief Rabbi of Jews in
Turkey Ishak Haleva , Vatican’s representative in Turkey George
Marovich , Latin Catholic community’s representative Louis Pelatre,
Syriac Catholic community’s representative Yusuf Sag, and Armenian
Orthodox community’s representative Kirkor Damatyan joined the meeting
with Mr Verheugen.

Iranian president awarded title of Yerevan State University honorary doctor
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
9 Sep 04
[Presenter over video awarding ceremony] After visiting the
Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
visited Yerevan State University. After the warm reception in Yerevan
State University, the rector of the university, Radik Martirosyan,
announced the decision of the university’s scientific council to
award the university’s gold medal and the title of honorary doctor
to Seyyed Mohammad Khatami.
During the meeting with the university staff, Mohammad Khatami
spoke highly about historical relations between Iran and Armenia,
even regardless of the religious differences.
[Mohammad Khatami] The Armenians and Iranians have been like-minded
on science, the economy, politics and culture.

Azeri MP accuses Iran, Armenia of producing chemical weapons
Assa-Irada
9 Sep 04
Baku, 9 September: “Azerbaijan’s neighbours Iran and Armenia are
involved in the production of chemical weapons. If the UN conducts
serious probes, it can easily prove this,” MP Elman Mammadov voiced
this sensational statement at today’s session of the Milli Maclis
[Azerbaijani parliament] standing commission for security and defence.
However, Milli Maclis Deputy Chairman Ziyafat Asgarov, who chaired
the session, immediately replied that this issue had nothing to do
with the agenda and did not let the MP complete his statement.

Egyptian Treasure Are Showcased at Lowell, Mass., store
zawya
LOWELL, Mass., Sep 08, 2004 (The Sun – Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News via COMTEX) — Mohammed “Moody” Eltobgi was an Egyptian
businessman for many years. So when he came to the United States in
1995 and worked in restaurants, he yearned to run his own business.
He combined a love for handcrafted goods and business knowledge to
open Moody’s Buried Treasures at 66 Merrimack St.
He imports hand-blown, hand-painted glass, hand-carved alabaster and
a hand-painted brass plates, all made by craftsmen in his native Egypt.
When visiting his homeland, he makes a point to seek out craftsmen
in villages who can no longer afford to work in places like Cairo.
“I love art, I love to see these people working,” he said. “They are
going out of business because of machine shops.” Eltobgi can buy many
of these goods cheaply, but prices vary. A hand-painted perfume bottle
is $5. Earrings are $4. An alabaster candelabra is $45. A handmade
belly-dancing costume is $300.
He also carries Avon products at the request of customers who
frequented the former business located at the address, the Lil’
Avon Boutique.
He runs the store with his wife, MaryGayle. The couple lives in Lowell.
“All my life I’ve been in business, and I believe we will get bigger,”
he said.
Eltobgi plans another trip soon to add to his inventory, possibly to
Romania or Armenia, on his continued search for handmade goods.
By Rebecca Lipchitz
To see more of The Sun, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
(c) 2004, The Sun, Lowell, Mass. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at
(800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or
e-mail [email protected].

What is Coptology?
Eight years after Coptic studies was made an independent discipline at the
congress at Munster a proper definition of the field of study still eludes
academics, writes Jill Kamil
al-Ahram Weekly On-line
19 – 25 August 2004
Issue No. 704
The only absolute certainty is that ‘Coptic’ has to do with Egypt,” observed
Professor M Tito Orlandi of Rome’s University of La Sapienza in his
presidential address to the eighth International Association for Coptic Studies (IACS)
congress in Paris last week.
The astounding fact is that, apart from linguistics (which alone can be
clearly defined) there is neither an obvious character, nor can the limitations be
set, on all other fields of Coptic studies, whether history, geography,
literature or art. This vitally important subject concerning Orthodox Egyptian
Christianity has been conscientiously considered, deliberated on and studied in
depth at an international level for the last 30 years. But while there have been
specialised studies by scholars around the world, seven international
congresses and seminars in Egypt and abroad, its parameters are still being debated.
The IACS is an offshoot of the International Committee founded in 1976 for
the publication of the Nag Hammadi codices, and its congresses take place every
four years. This year Paris was the host city, following Rome, Warsaw,
Louvain-la-Neuve, Washington, Munster and Leiden. There were some 280 participants,
and the proceedings were conducted at two venues: L’Institut d’Art et
d’Archaeologie de la Sorbonne, and L’Institut Catholique, both not far from the
Luxembourg Gardens.
Ever since Coptic studies was declared a separate discipline at Munster in
1996 it has seemed unable, despite all efforts, to carve a niche for itself — a
claim to legitimacy. There remain so many imponderables on the “Copticity”
of, say, a work of art, its manifestation in literature, or as evidence of
architectural change or continuity, because it overlaps with other cultures,
whether Roman, Byzantine or Islamic. As a result the conference, rather than ironing
out the creases between the diverse cultures of the ancient Middle East and
establishing a distinct niche for Coptic studies, succeeded in doing just the
opposite, it fanned uncertainty and made the concept just as difficult to
define as it always has been.
Professor Orlandi had this to say: “After long mediation I have come to
believe that the following statements may be accepted, if considered without
prejudice and with a fair mind. First, it is important that Coptology as an academic
discipline be neither forgotten nor passed over in silence when it is
opportune that it be discussed. Second, that while it would be idle, indeed
irrelevant, to try and establish a precise definition which is valid for each
specialisation, we should recognise the nucleus, the core, made by a few disciplines,
as well as a group of others, equally important, whose legitimacy depends on
the existence of core studies. This blend,” he suggested, “would produce a
flexible but sufficiently consistent definition of Coptology.”
While admitting that Coptology could not, like Latin literature or Byzantine
art, be identified as a distinct discipline, Orlandi said that it must be
considered among a group of disciplines that share certain characteristics and
images, whether in archaeology, Christian theology, political history, biblical
philology or monasticism, “Coptic may be a part, but it lies within a
structurally and methodically coherent whole,” he said, stressing the desirability of
establishing whether there existed “a Copticity”, a kind of peculiar, spiritual
attitude or character that, when studied by Coptologists in religion,
literature, art, history, music etc, could be shown to create a common cultural
ground.
“I mean,” Orlandi amplified, “whether the word ‘Coptic’ may refer not only to
a historical period or geographical location but to one more or less
coherent, unifying spiritual factor. This I, for one, and possibly most of us, would
like to see clearly established.”
With the congress’s 280 participants presenting 20-minute papers on a wide
range of subjects, in five languages, in three lecture halls on alternate floors
of the Institute d’Art, the grand marble stairway graced by classical works
of art was packed with people hurrying up and down — because the single lift
was “un peu fragile” and it was recommended that only those not capable of
tackling the stairs should use it. The Tower of Babel must have been a little like
this — scholarly patriarchs with bearded chins slightly raised in disdain
when they discovered the microphone was not working, dignified monks in their
habits mingling with the crowds, eager young students palpably trembling with
excitement, Professor Godlewski with his body of devotees, and other
participants united in a common bond of Egypt’s contribution to Orthodox Christianity.
A certain panic ensued when lecture hall venues had to be changed at the last
minute because the equipment proved inadequate: a microphone did not work, a
power point linkup could not be made, or because of last minute cancellations.
But technical problems were quickly resolved and, unlike the babbling hordes
in the Tower of Babel, there were common languages and a spirit of
camaraderie.
Language did prove to be a problem, however. It was unfortunate that, unlike
at the recent seminar on Coptic studies at Wadi Al-Natrun, translations were
not handed out.
The presentations covered archaeology and art history, the Gnostics and
Manacheism, documentary sources including the Nag Hammadi codices, papyrus
collections, ostraca and specific inscriptions from various sources, discoveries of
wall paintings in abandoned hermitages and in a cave church, and studies on
Copts and Muslims in the Late Antique and early Islamic periods. Numerous studies
have been made in recent years on textiles, monasticism, theology and magic.
Four important and useful papers were given on the progress made in the
period 2000-2004: Research and Publications in Coptic Papyrology by Terry Wilfong
of the University of Michigan, Research and Publication in Coptic Art by Karel
Inemée, Actualitiés des Musées et Expositions by Dominique Benazeth, and
Copto-Arabic Studies by Mark Swanson.
The core disciplines referred to by Orlandi in his presidential address
included the study of the Coptic language in all its synchronic aspects, the study
of Coptic literature written in Coptic (although from the intertextual and
historical points of view it cannot be distinguished from respective contemporary
Greek, Arabic, and Demotic literature); the study of the Egyptian church in
all its aspects after the Council of Chalcedon in 451; the study of
paleography; the study of ecclesiastical and monastic Egyptian art after Chalcedon; and
the study of papyri and similar documents written in Coptic.
The sum total of knowledge in these areas is increasing, and thus Coptic
studies are becoming more and more specialised. But unfortunately this is not
leading to a clearer understanding of the subject. “The status of Coptic
literature still needs to be correctly understood, because of the tendency to extract
some of its branches to form independent fields,” Orlandi lamented. Such
fragmentation distracts from, rather than aids general historical assessment of
works of literature. He mentioned that biblical translations, Gnostic texts and
apocrypha were frequently considered separately from the development of Coptic
literature proper, with the result that “all is left in a vague environment,
where the sources of the texts are important, and not the form which they have
assumed in Coptic”. When it came to Coptic literature in the Arabic language,
this, due to linguistic competence, is set apart.
Ironically, Coptic studies has no beginning in Egypt. Here we have a strange
paradox. The Coptic church is one of the oldest in Christendom, brought to
Egypt by St Mark, the reputed author of the oldest of the four canonical gospels.
Yet the sad fact remains that owing to the integration of contrasting
configurations, whether Egyptian, classical, Greek-Egyptian, or Persian pagan motifs,
not to mention Byzantine and Syrian Christian influences, it is difficult to
identify. At the latter end of the scale it is now generally accepted that
Islamic influence on the Copts was slow to develop, but, at the beginning, the
slow and steady development of a distinctively Egyptian trait, a local identity,
is lacking.
This problem, Orlandi observed, had not been “extensively and seriously
debated”. As a result, he said, general introductions to “the Copts” were
unsatisfactory in many ways. He mentioned the works of Meinardus 1961-1977, Brunner-
Traut 1982, De Bourguet 1988, Cannuyer 1990 and 2000, all of which he described
as “very useful” but “often not in tune with the achievements of actual
research”. He did commend the works of R Bagnall 1993, Gerhards-Brakmann 1994,
Capuani 1999, and the collective books edited by Krause and Camplani in German and
Italian respectively, but pointed out that these covered only selective
subjects.
Among the major achievements of the past decades is The Coptic Encyclopaedia,
conceived and produced by Aziz and Lola Attiya. “But there is a need for a
kind of handbook on Coptic studies like that provided by O Montevecchi for
apyriology, the monumental Handbook on the Science of Antiquities of Munich, and
the Facsimile Edition of the Nag Hammadi codices, their publication, translation
and commentary by J M Robinson and his group,” he said.
Orlandi pointed out that there was no spirit of competition, let alone active
collaboration, between learned associations comparable to the IACS, even with
those, such as Egyptologists and papyrologists, that included Coptic studies
in their scope. Indeed, in any publication of assorted studies on various
topics in late antiquity or Byzantium most of the articles will be on
Constantinople, Syria, Armenia, Gaul, North Africa and Palestine, with Egypt mentioned
only in passing. “I would call it something like a tacit and benign mutual
neglect,” he said, adding that it was a field where more could certainly be done in
the future.
There is considerable evidence of Coptic roots within the Pharaonic
inheritance. For example, it is generally accepted that Christian icons owe a great
deal to mummy portrait painting, and the discovery and study of the Nag Hammadi
codices reveal that Egypt exerted an appreciable sway upon the entire
Hellenistic world in which Christianity took root. In spite of such substantial
evidence Coptic studies usually commences with the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and
classical antiquity still provides most of the source material for European
accounts of the Copts in Egypt. It is unfortunate, therefore, that from the
abundance of literary evidence that has survived in dump heaps, Greek, Latin and
Arabic texts have been translated at the expense of Demotic and Coptic.
Countless publications from the past century — studies, monographs and lecture series
— lay bare Egyptian society under Byzantine rule, but insufficient effort
has been made in translating those texts which might locate the roots of
Egyptian Christianity within the Pharaonic inheritance. They continue to lie in boxes
in museum storerooms around the world, including the Coptic Museum in Cairo.
Among the congress presentations that remain in my mind are Father Daniel
Al-Suriani’s valuable study of the function of a group of bronze objects in the
daily life of the monastery, Gawdat Gabra’s description of the discovery of an
interesting underground monastic complex at Mansuriya with surviving wall
paintings, and Elizabeth Bolman’s preliminary results of the remarkable wall
painting conservation project in the Red Monastery near Sohag. Mention must also be
made of Magdalena Laptas’s description of the newly-discovered murals of the
Polish expedition at Banganarti in Sudan, since excellent use was made here of
a “power point” presentation with appropriate zooming in of the site plan
with different locations of surviving wall paintings, along with details of each.
There are now institutions that give more or less regular courses of
Coptology in 47 countries around the world, including Australia, Great Britain,
Canada, Germany, Jerusalem, Spain, Switzerland and the United States, but there are
none in Egypt. A rotating chair of Coptic studies was opened at the American
University in Cairo in 2002 but its future is uncertain; apparently funding is
not yet sufficient to establish an endowment capable of supporting a
year-round, full-time position. No department of Coptic studies is yet to be found in
any of Egypt’s national universities; since 1976, when the IASC was
established, it has been a tradition to send a telegramme to the minister of higher
education and the president of Cairo University on the need to establish such a
department in the land of the Coptic heritage, but so far nothing has been
achieved.
And so, while confusion remains over the use of the very word “Coptic”, with
philologists referring to the last phase of the Egyptian language, theologians
to the Egyptian faith, and art historians, until recently, describing as
“Coptic” anything that did not fit into other well-defined parameters, the
situation looks bleak. “I could not say whether the academic teaching of Coptology
has improved in the last 30 years,” Orlandi admitted, “or even by how much,
because there is no assessment of previous activity”.
Although Professor Orlandi ended his address on an optimistic note, recalling
important achievements in the last three decades with particular mention of
an encyclopaedia, grammatical, historical atlas, handbook of liturgy, and a
minor but total edition of the Coptic Bible, a history of Copto-Arabic literature
as well as ongoing excavation of archaeological sites and diverse studies,
when we observe the overall picture it would appear that the congress, for all
its scope, may not have been the success it should have been. Gaps between
different disciplines seem to be widening rather than diminishing, and still open
to question is a definition of Coptic and the broad parameters of Coptic
studies.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
EASTERN PRELACY MOURNS THE PASSING OF ARCHBISHOP VARTAN DEMIRJIAN
NEW YORK, NY – Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, received the
news of the passing of Archbishop Vartan Demirjian from His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. Archbishop Vartan
died suddenly in Antelias, Lebanon, on Thursday, September 9. He was
65 years old.
The Extreme Unction and Burial services will take place on Saturday,
September 11, 2004, at 11 a.m. at St.. Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral in Antelias. The Catholicos will preside over the services.
Archbishop Demirjian, a member of the Cilician Brotherhood, was born
in Lebanon in 1939. He was ordained a celibate priest in 1957 and was
consecrated a Bishop in 1977. He has served the Armenian Church in
various capacities including several years of service in Iran and
Greece, as a teacher at the Cilician See’s Theological Seminary,
and Director of the Printing House. At the time of his death he was
the Librarian at the Catholicosate’s Library.
Archbishop Oshagan has asked all parishes within the Eastern Prelacy
to conduct a Requiem Service for the late Archbishop on Sunday,
September 19, marking the seventh day of his passing.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“IMPERIALISM IS THE MAIN OBSTACLE ON THE WAY OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH
RELATIONS; NEITHER TURKS NOR ARMENIANS ARE TO BLAME” — Dr. Hasan Oktay
Assures
AZG Daily
09/08/2004
By Hakob Chakrian
Hasan Oktay of the Institute of Armenian Studies in Ankara together
with a coworker Banu is in Armenia these days. On September 3 Oktay
visited Azg Daily publishing house and had a talk with editor-in-chief
Hakob Avetikian. Apparently, the Turkish scientist is interested
in the position of the Azg Daily as regard to the international
acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide, Armenia-Turkish relations
and the border-gate opening.
Oktay’s interview with Hakob Avetikian will be presented as soon as
the former returns to Ankara. For that very reason we present our
own interview with the head of the Institute of Armenian Studies. The
interview was interesting regardless any disagreement over issues.
Q: What’s your main purpose for visiting Armenia?
A: To see the neighboring Armenia, to go sightseeing. When you see
everything with your own eyes you become fond of it.
Q: As a head of an institute you must be interested in scientific
establishments of Armenia. Which of those will you visit?
A: I shall be at the National Academy of Sciences, particularly at
the Institutes of Oriental Studies and of History, I’ll also visit
the Yerevan State University, Department of Oriental Studies and the
Institute-Museum of Armenian Genocide.
Q: Have you visited other places besides Yerevan?
A: We had time only to visit Etchmiadzin. We’ll leave for Gyumri for
3 days, then we’ll visit the Sardarapat National Museum.
Q: What is your impression of Armenia?
A: I expected to see a better country. Armenia could have been in
a better condition and Yerevan more orderly. Saying “better” I mean
the reflection of economy on the city.
Q: What do you think of Armenian-Turkish relations?
A: I think they will improve in the near future.
Q: What do you consider the main obstacle on the way of development
of these relations?
A: I consider the imperialism the main obstacle on the way of
Turkish-Armenian relations; neither Turks nor Armenians are to blame.
Q: What about Turkey’s close cooperation with such imperialistic
state as the USA?
A: The Turkish-US relations are not on a healthy ground at present.
Q: If the imperialists are to blame, why is Turkey striving for the EU?
After all, such imperialistic states as France and Germany are there.
A: No matter how hard Turkey tries, it will never be a member. It
seems to me that Turkey is being tricked. Don’t you think so?
Q: What do you think of Azg Daily’s online edition?
A: There in Turkey many people consider Azg Daily to be the only
Armenian newspaper with a daily online edition. Turkey is attentive
to Azg Daily’s publications. And we know that Turkey is always at
the spotlight of Azg Daily.
Q: What can you say about the Institute of Armenian Studies?
A: Our Institute was founded in May of 2001 and operates within
the frameworks of the Center for Eurasian Research. The Institute
publishes 2 editions in Turkish and English. And we have 9 scientists
at the Institute.
Q: What kind of researches are you carrying out?
A: We try to contribute the development of Armenia-Turkish
relations. We want the world to understand the Armenians of Turkey
correctly. Meanwhile we try to respond through researches to those
attempting to spoil relations between the two nations. Our studies
include the history of Armenia from ancient times till our days. We
approach the historic issues from social, psychological views as well
as from the angle of international relations.
Q: Do you have any message to deliver?
A: I appeal to Armenian people and the intelligentsia to join us in
our efforts of raising Turkish-Armenian relations to the level of
blessed old times.