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01/13/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Public Organizations Appeal to Guarantee Rights of Azerbaijan's Armenians 2) Armenian, Russian Relations Remains Priority for Both Countries 3) US-Armenia Parliamentary Group Meets with German Marshall Funds' Delegation 4) New Abkhazia President Pledges Close Moscow Ties 5) Hamazkayin to Mark 1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet 1) Public Organizations Appeal to Guarantee Rights of Azerbaijan's Armenians Marking the 15th anniversary of massacre of Armenians in Baku, Azerbaijan, a line of public organizations appealed to citizens, as well as to the government of Armenia, on Thursday, to do their utmost to guarantee the safety and the rights of those Armenians still living in Azerbaijan. Recalling the barbarity of 1990 pogroms against Armenians in Baku, Armenia's Policy Research Academy, the Shahumian, Ketashen Compatriotic Union, the Center for Advancement of a Civil Community, among other organizations state that the plight of Azerbaijan's Armenians--the Azeri government's policy of repression--has not properly been introduced to the international community in the fifteen years since those massacres. They call on Armenian intellectuals, government forces, non-governmental organizations, and political forces to work together to unite efforts, and do guarantee the human rights of Armenians still living in Azerbaijan. In November and December 1988, a wave of Armenian pogroms swept Azerbaijan. The worst took place in Baku, Kirovabad (Ganja), Shemakh, Shamkhor, Mingechaur, and Nakhichevan. The Soviet press described how, in Kirovabad, perpetrators broke in a hospice for the elderly, captured and subsequently killed 12 old Armenian men and women, including several disabled ones. In the winter of 1988, all Armenians were deported from dozens of Armenian villages in Azerbaijan. The same fate befell more than 40 Armenian settlements in the northern part of Karabagh--outside the borders of the autonomous region which was demanding self--determination--including the mountainous regions of Khanlar, Dashkesan, Shamkhor, and Kedabek provinces. The 40,000 Armenians of Azerbaijan's third largest city, Ganja, were also forcibly removed from their homes. When it was over, there were less than 50,000 Armenians left in Baku, out of a total population of 215,000. Throughout 1989, sporadic attacks, beatings, looting, and massacres in Baku reduced that number to 30,000--mostly the elderly who could not leave Baku. By early January 1990, Armenian pogroms in Baku intensified and became more organized. On January 13, a 50,000-strong crowd left a rally, broke into groups, and started methodically, house by house, 'cleansing' the city of its Armenians. Pogroms continued until January 15. The total number of casualties during the first three days amounted to 33 people. The Soviet press had daily reports of indescribable horror--dissecting bodies, ripping open the abdomens of pregnant women, burning people alive--with a daily tally of murders in full view of the authorities. Russia's Soyuz magazine reported that one man was literally torn apart, and his remains thrown in a garbage container. According to various sources, several hundred Armenians were killed. The remainder, mostly older Armenians, were forcibly removed--with many dying during and after deportation. Pogroms continued until January 20 when army troops were brought to Baku. By then, the city was fully 'liberated' from 'Armenian elements' except for a couple of hundred Armenians in mixed-marriages. During the military conflict over Karabagh, the latter were literally 'fished out' for exchange with Azeri POWs. 2) Armenian, Russian Relations Remains Priority for Both Countries Russian DM says Armenia remains Moscow's key ally in the region WASHINGTON, DC (Combined Sources)--Russian defense minister Sergey Ivanov affirmed that Armenia remains Russia's key ally in the South Caucasus. Ivanov, who is in Washington, DC meeting with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said during a news conference, "Armenia is home to a big Russian military base and we have very close economic and cultural ties with Armenia," adding that Russia and Armenia are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Concerning Russia's relations with Armenia in the context of Kremlin's growing ties with Turkey, Ivanov said Armenia is a sovereign state and decides its foreign policy priorities independently. In Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian's 2004 Armenian foreign policy report, meanwhile, the development and strengthening of relations with the Russian Federation remained a priority as well. The document noted that Russia and Armenia continued to develop and expand bilateral cooperation in all areas including military-technical, economic, and humanitarian efforts, as well as within the framework of the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) and CSTO. It also highlights official visits by state representatives from both countries, including President Robert Kocharian's trip to Russia, and the Russian State Duma and Federation Council chairmen Sergei Mironov and Boris Gryzlov's visit to Armenia. The foreign policy report also states that issues of military-technical cooperation between the two countries were discussed during Ivanov's visit to Armenia, as well as during the first meeting of the Russian-Armenian intergovernmental committee on military-technical cooperation held in September 2004. In an effort to expand economic cooperation between the two countries, the Armenian-Russian Business Association was created, and currently has 100 members. A railroad ferry between the ports of Poti (Georgia) and Kavkaz (Russia) will play an important role in the increase of trade turnover between Armenia and Russia. The implementation of this project will significantly decrease the cost of transportation. 3) US-Armenia Parliamentary Group Meets with German Marshall Funds' Delegation YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The US-Armenia Parliamentary Group met on Wednesday with a delegation of US congressmen and representatives of the German Marshall Fund (GMF), who are in Armenia on a fact-finding visit. Greeting the guests, head of the US-Armenia parliamentary group Levon Mkrtchian, praised the work of the Marshall Fund, as well as underscored the development of inter-parliamentary ties. During the meeting, regional issues and Armenia's foreign policy were discussed. The German Marshall Fund of the United States is an American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the United States and Europe. GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working on transatlantic issues, by convening leaders to discuss the most pressing transatlantic themes, and by examining ways in which transatlantic cooperation can address a variety of global policy challenges. Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. 4) New Abkhazia President Pledges Close Moscow Ties SUKHUMI (Reuters)--The winner of Moscow-backed elections in the rebel Georgian region of Abkhazia pledged close ties with Russia on Thursday and refused any deal that would return sovereignty to Tbilisi. Soon after official results of the re-run on Thursday declared him the new president, Sergei Bagapsh told a news conference, "Foreign policy will only be directed towards integration with Russia." Russia called instead for talks between Abkhazia and Tbilisi now that the political turmoil that followed the original disputed poll in October had ended. "We have always emphasized that the sooner the situation was regulated, the sooner conditions could be created for talks between Tbilisi and Sukhumi on Georgia-Abkhazia regulation," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "I believe that now the issue has apparently been concluded, it will be possible to renew such talks." Georgia, a Caucasus state whose democratic revolution in 2003 inspired Ukraine's recent election of a pro-Western leader, accuses Russia of meddling in its internal affairs by backing Abkhazia's separatist government. The dispute is a major hurdle to friendly relations between the two ex-Soviet neighbors. Official results gave the former businessman a landslide win. His victory in the October poll was disputed by local officials, who favored his Moscow-backed rival Raul Khadzhimba. DEADLOCK The disputed poll caused months of political deadlock which ended only when Russia forced a resolution by closing the border, Abkhazia's only land route to the outside world. Bagapsh then agreed Khadzhimba could run as his deputy. "Sergei Bagapsh, standing for the post of president, won 90.1 percent of votes from voters taking part. His opponent won 4.5 percent," said Batal Tabagua, election commission head. Abkhazia won effective independence from Georgia in a 1992-93 war, but its economy is still devastated. Once-grand buildings in the capital Sukhumi are pitted with bullet holes and stand open to the sky. Russia props up the economy by paying pensions, giving out passports and allowing cross-border traffic. Georgia, home to 200,000 ethnic Georgian refugees who fled the war, has pledged to regain control over Abkhazia, as well as over another rebel region, South Ossetia. But Bagapsh said he would not compromise to improve frozen relations with Tbilisi. "Abkhazia will hold dialogue with Georgia mediated by Russia and the United Nations only on an equal basis," he said. 5) Hamazkayin to Mark 1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet LOS ANGELES--In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Hamazkayin Cultural Organization's regional executives of the United States and Canada announced that they are planning a series of joint events to mark the 1600th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian alphabet. "During 2005, Armenian communities around the world will mark the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, and the 1600th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet--both of which have great political and cultural significance to the Armenian people. While the recognition of the Armenian genocide sits at the forefront of issues advanced by Armenians in Armenia and throughout the diaspora, the Armenian alphabet symbolizes the essence of Armenian culture," noted the organization's statement. 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