ArmenPress
March 11 2004
INTERNATIONAL CHESS TOURNAMENT IN KARABAGH IRRITATES BAKU
BAKU, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani authorities reacted
strongly to the first-ever international sporting event in Nagorno
Karabagh, a major chess tournament that was opened in Stepanakert
last Tuesday by a former world champion Boris Spassky. A statement by
Azerbaijani foreign ministry claimed that Armenian authorities
ignored FIDE’s calls not to hold the event and its warnings that the
tournament’s results would not be recognized.
However, the ten-day tournament that brought to Nagorno Karabagh
grandmasters from Armenia, Georgia, Switzerland, Poland, Latvia and
Iran was organized by the Karabagh government and is being held under
the auspices of the world chess governing body, FIDE and is dedicated
to the 75th birth anniversary of the late Tigran Petrosian, the
ethnic Armenian former world champion in the 1960s. Before the
official opening of the tournament, a welcoming letter from the FIDE
president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, was read out in which he said he was
convinced that the holding of the international tournament in
Stepanakert will contribute to the development of the unique Armenian
chess culture.
The statement by Azeri foreign ministers said that “despite FIDE’s
warning Armenian and Karabagh authorities did not lose another chance
to stage a propaganda show.”

ANS TV, Baku, in Azeri
10 Mar 04
Azerbaijan protests against chess tournament in occupied Karabakh

Baku has demanded explanation from Georgia, Russia, Iran, Latvia,
Poland and Switzerland as to why they are sending their
representatives to a chess tournament organized by Armenia in
Azerbaijan’s Nagornyy Karabakh under occupation, the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry said in a statement circulated today.
The statement said that the Azerbaijani sports public had called on
the World Chess Federation, FIDE, to appeal to Armenia which is
controlling Nagornyy Karabakh and other Azerbaijani territories under
occupation [to call off the tournament].
FIDE issued a statement saying that it would not recognize the
results of the tournament. Nevertheless the Armenian government and
the puppet establishment under its control did not want to miss the
chance of staging another propaganda show.
The organization of such tournament in the occupied Azerbaijani area
despite FIDE’s official warning is an obvious example of Armenia and
the separatist forces which it supports using sports for their dirty
tricks. The countries which sent their sportsmen to Nagornyy Karabakh
should realize that Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s integral part and any
events held in this area without Azerbaijan’s consent are illegal.

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku, in Azeri
11 Mar 04
Azeri ombudsman urges interior chief to prevent police mistreatment

[Presenter in studio] Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova has appealed to
Interior Minister Ramil Usubov over the rude treatment of citizens by
the police. The Azerbaijani rights activist has sent another appeal
to her Hungarian counterpart.
[Correspondent] The ombudsman is expected to report on the human
rights situation at the Milli Maclis at the end of this month.
According to Azerbaijani ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova, her
institution has discovered that employees of the law-enforcement
bodies maltreat citizens. In this connection, an appeal has been sent
to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
[Suleymanova] We don’t have information that people are being
tortured by the police, but there is rude treatment. Our appeal also
concerns general improvements in the work of the police and the role
it can play in restoring human rights and in cooperating with the
ombudsman’s institute.
[Correspondent] The ombudsman also said that she had appealed to her
Hungarian counterpart asking for assistance in ensuring a fair trial
for Ramil Safarov who is suspected of killing an Armenian officer in
Budapest.
[Suleymanova] We have appealed to the Hungarian ombudsman over Ramil
Safarov’s case and I hope that this can contribute to the fair trial
of our citizen.

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
March 11, 2004
BYZANTINE EXHIBITION OPENS AT
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM WITH
ARTIFACTS FROM CILICIAN SEE
The much awaited exhibit Byzantium: Power and Faith, (1261-1557), will
open to the public on March 23 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
City. It will remain on view through July 4, 2004. The exhibit includes some
Armenian artifacts from that era-which is the Cilician period-that have been
loaned to the museum by the Catholicate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon.
Included in the exhibit are two manuscripts, one of which is the famous
Gospel of Partserpert, and the reliquary of the right hand of St. Nicholas.
Archbishop Oshagan will attend a special preview opening and dinner on
Monday evening, March 15, in the presence of His All-Holiness Bartholomew,
Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.
This exhibit, which is the museum’s third major exhibition on Byzantium,
brings together some 350 masterpieces from churches, monasteries and museums
around the world to demonstrate the great flowering of art and culture
within the Byzantine Empire and among its East Christian rivals during the
Empire’s last centuries. Included are icons, textiles, metalwork, and
manuscripts made primarily for the Orthodox Church and other East Christian
peoples as well as paintings, manuscripts, and metalwork of the Latin West
and the Islamic world.
THIRD LENTEN LECTURE
CONTINUES TO EXPLORE THE FAMILY
The third Lenten Lecture, delivered by V. Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian,
pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, last night continued to explore the
general theme of the Family.
Rev. Fr. Muron focused on the family as a school of religious formation.
Using biblical references from both the Old and New Testaments, Hayr Sourp
described the characteristics of a family and especially the Christian
family. He described how religious education can be transmitted within a
positive environment in a family. He also spoke about the difficult teen-age
years with the many negative influences in society.
A question and answer period followed the lecture. A time of fellowship
was enjoyed by all of the attendees as discussions continued over a
satisfying Lenten meal prepared by the Prelacy Ladies Guild.
The Lenten Lectures are sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education
Council and the Prelacy Ladies Guild.
FOURTH LENTEN LECTURE WILL BE PRESENTED BY
REV. FR. KHATCHADOUR BOGHOSSIAN
Rev. Fr. Khatchadour Boghossian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey, will present the fourth lecture of the Lenten
Lecture series next Wednesday, March 17. Der Khatchadour will speak about
the Family as a Small Church.
The lectures take place at St. Illuminators Cathedral, 221 E. 27th
Street, New York City. Lenten service begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary,
followed by the lecture and fellowship in Pashalian Hall. All are welcome.
SEMINAR IN GRANITE CITY
SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 13
A seminar devoted to Badarak: Supreme Expression of our Communal
Spirituality will take place Saturday, March 13, at St. Gregory the
Illuminator Church, Granite City, Illinois. Deacon Shant Kazanjian, Director
of the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), will lead the daylong
seminar.
PRELACY BIBLE STUDIES GROUP
WILL DISCUSS THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
The Bible Studies group that meets at the Prelacy every 1st and 3rd
Mondays of the month will discuss the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the
Christ, on March 22, 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. Deacon Shant Kazanjian leads the
discussions. The group plans to see the movie this Monday, March 15, in New
York City. For more information contact Deacon Shant, 212-689-7810.
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT:
SUNDAY OF THE STEWARD
We have come to the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is the Sunday of the
Steward (Tntesi Kiraki). The reading on this day is from the Gospel of St.
Luke, chapter 16, verses 1 to 8, which relates the parable of The
Unrighteous Steward. This parable is about a shrewd rich and his steward.
The steward was one who looked out for his own personal benefit and through
his cunning arrangements made deals with those who were in debt to his
master. Jesus used this parable not to condone the behavior of the steward
but rather as an illustration of qualities that have a necessary place in
the life of true disciples. Since we are stewards of this world, we are
accountable to our Lord for the talents we have and that which has been
entrusted to us.
The Prelacy bookstore has several books on Armenian Church Feasts and on
the Lenten season leading to the Great Week. Visit the Prelacy web site,
for these and other books, or contact the
bookstore at 212-689-7810.
If you have family or friends who would like to receive our electronic
newsletter please send their names and e-mail addresses to
[email protected]
Visit our website at

Kavkasia-Press news agency, Tbilisi, in Georgian
11 Mar 04
Georgia introduces two-language ballot papers for ethnic minorities

Tbilisi, 11 March: Voters living in the Kvemo Kartli and
Samtskhe-Javakheti Regions [largely populated, respectively, by
ethnic Azeris and Armenians] will be provided with two-language
ballot papers [in the 28 March parliamentary election], Georgia’s
Central Electoral Commission [CEC] Chairman Zurab Chiaberashvili said
at the commission’s meeting today.
Chiaberashvili said that the ballot papers will be published in the
Georgian and Azeri languages in the Kvemo Kartli Region and in the
Georgian and Armenian languages in the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region.
The CEC plans to publish 3m ballot papers for the entire country.
Also today, the CEC approved a sample ballot paper which lists
political parties and blocs participating in the elections. Names of
four of the [19] registered parties and blocs will now be listed in a
slightly revised form, as follows:
[No. 1] Socialist Party of Georgia – as “Socialist Party”;
[No. 5] Saakashvili – National Movement – as “National
Movement-Democrats”;
[No. 11] Motherland bloc – as “Motherland”; and
[No. 18] Freedom political movement – as “Freedom political movement
– Konstantine Z. Gamsakhurdia”.
These parties had themselves petitioned the CEC to change their
names.

Hurriyyat, Baku, in Azeri
11 Mar 04, p 4
Azeri, Armenian “mafia bosses” in fear of Georgia’s corruption
crackdown – paper

Serious processes are under way in the South Caucasus. The region has
attracted the world’s attention. After his election [Georgian]
President Mikheil Saakashvili started economic and political reforms
that have global significance.
[Passage omitted: More on Georgian politics]
The fight against corruption in Georgia is a highly risky undertaking
since Saakashvili takes on not only local corrupt officials, but also
giant international corrupt networks which earn dirty money and use
Georgia for transit. The directives to protect the borders have
caused fear among certain mafia-related structures in Ukraine,
Azerbaijan and Armenia. Saakashvili said that by controlling the
railway he would rid the country of corruption. Suffice it to recall
the arrest of the former Georgian railways chief, Akaki Chkhaidze.
[Passage omitted: More on Georgian politics]
During his visit to Azerbaijan, Saakashvili sent a message to
[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev by saying that “together we can
work miracles”. Our newspaper reported that Georgia handed over to
the Azerbaijani authorities a list of Azerbaijani officials with
criminal links to their venal Georgian counterparts. There are even
reports that some officials will be summoned by court when Chkhaidze
is tried by the Georgian law-enforcement bodies.
[Passage omitted: Details]
The Georgian government closed down corridors on its territory
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian borders, which caused fear among
mafia bosses in Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to unofficial
statistics, Armenia and Azerbaijan are involved in shady dealings to
the sum of 35m dollars. This mainly amounts to export of Azerbaijan’s
oil and food to Armenia. The closure of borders means that
higher-ranking state officials will lose their dirty profits.
Moreover, this will create an economic crisis in Armenia. That the
Azerbaijani bodies have failed to take any serious measures to stop
the trade confirms that the state bodies protect the mafia.
In the wake of Saakashvili’s visit to the USA, the fight against
corruption and closure of borders has become more intense. This leads
to the conclusion that the USA uses Saakashvili as a stick to punish
the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders for their servitude to Russia.
During the upcoming visit to Armenia, Saakashvili will discuss with
[Armenian President Robert] Kocharyan the fight against corruption
and urge Kocharyan to join efforts. Otherwise, Georgia will refuse to
restore the railway to Armenia.
Should Aliyev and Kocharyan fail to take serious measures against
corruption, the processes in Georgia may trigger a US export of
“velvet revolution” to Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Bilik Dunyasi news agency, Baku, in Russian
11 Mar 04
Over 1m dollars amassed in Azeri help-the-army fund

BAKU
The amount of funds amassed so far in the help-the-army fund of the
Azerbaijani armed forces totals 6.72bn manats [1.37m dollars]. A total
of 14,000 dollars have been transferred into the fund in foreign
currency, the press service of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry has
told Bilik Dunyasi news agency.
The ministry spokesman, Ramiz Malikov, said that these donations
would not be spent on Azerbaijani officer Sr Lt Ramil Safarov who is
being charged with killing an Armenian officer in Budapest.
“The Azerbaijani president and commander-in-chief, Ilham Aliyev,
keeps the fund’s spending under his personal control,” Col Malikov
said.

Kavkasia-Press news agency, Tbilisi, in Georgian
11 Mar 04
Georgian president to visit Armenia

TBILISI
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili will start a two-day official
visit to Yerevan on Friday [12 March]. Saakashvili was invited by
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
The Armenian president’s press service has reported that the foreign
affairs, fuel and energy, and infrastructure and development ministers,
as well as the president’s representative in the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region [where ethnic Armenians live] and parliament members will be
among the Georgian delegation.
A confidential meeting between the presidents of the two countries
will be held on Friday. Later, Georgian-Armenian talks will be held
in a wider format. During the course of the meeting, the president
will meet Chairman of the National Assembly Artur Bagdasaryan and
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan.
[Passage omitted]

Azadliq, Baku in Azeri
11 Mar 04, p 1
Armenian raid causes reshuffle of Azeri top brass – paper

Text of an unattributed report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 11
March headlined “The generals failed to defend” and subheaded “Was it
possible to prevent the Armenian raid on the village of Alxanli? Two
generals of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been sacked”
There have been no official reports as to why two high-ranking
officials of the Defence Ministry have been dismissed, but Azadliq
newspaper has managed to obtain some information on that.
It was reported yesterday [10 March] that [Azerbaijani President]
Ilham Aliyev relieved of their posts National Hero Lt-Gen Talib
Mammadov, the chief of a key department at the Azerbaijani Defence
Ministry, and Maj-Gen Qabil Mammadov, the commander of a unit of the
armed forces. We found out that Talib Mammadov was the head of the
counterintelligence unit, and Qabil Mammadov was in charge of the
army corps.
We learnt from reliable sources that these people were accused of
being irresponsible and dismissed in the wake of the Armenian raid on
Fuzuli District [part of which is controlled by the Armenian forces].
Azadliq was the only paper to carry a report about that raid quoting
reliable sources. The report said that the Azerbaijani armed forces
sustained losses during the raid and the Defence Ministry dispatched
additional forces to the place. We learnt yesterday that the
Armenians raided Alxanli village in Fuzuli District. We contacted
villagers who confirmed the report.
The source said that Talib Mammadov was dismissed over his failure to
report the attack in time, and Qabil Mammadov for taking inadequate
measures to defend the place.

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
11 Mar 04
Armenian organizations condemn anti-Azeri rhetoric by senior
officials

YEREVAN
The leaders of four Armenian public organizations have issued a
statement effectively accusing the ruling coalition of spreading
“racist and chauvinist ideas which are alien to our society”.
The statement forwarded to Mediamax said that when commenting on the
killing of an Armenian officer by an Azerbaijani colleague in
Budapest, the chairman of the standing parliamentary commission for
foreign relations, Armen Rustamyan, and the head of the parliamentary
faction of the Armenian Republican Party, Galust Saakyan, “used
unacceptable generalisations with regard to the Azerbaijani people as
a whole”.
“The statements by such high-ranking politicians who represent the
ruling political coalition are particularly unacceptable because they
can be construed as the official position of our state, bring about
additional obstacles to resolving the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and
to improving relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the statement
said.
“The whipping up of anti-Armenian tension in Azerbaijan and its
consequences certainly deserve a strong condemnation, but this cannot
serve as justification for the spread of racist and chauvinist ideas
which are alien to our society. Difficult as the Budapest tragedy
situation might be, we are calling for political restraint. We hope
that our country will continue to be guided by common sense and
democratic values,” the statement said.
The statement was signed by the president of the Civil Society
Institute, Artak Kirakosyan, the president of the Yerevan Press Club,
Boris Navasardyan, the president of the Armenian Helsinki Committee,
Avetik Ishkhanyan, and the president of the Caucasus centre of peace
initiatives, Georgiy Vanyan.