ASBAREZ Online [03-10-2005]

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03/10/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Turkey Chooses to deal with Armenia through Tbilisi, Not Moscow 2) Armenia Rejects Turkish Proposal for Genocide Study 3) 100th Anniversary of Kristapor Mikaelian's Death to be Marked in Bulgaria 4) Armenian Monuments in Georgia Destroyed 5) Kocharian Meets with Eduardo Eurnekian 6) Georgian Prime Minister Arrives in Armenia 1) Turkey Chooses to deal with Armenia through Tbilisi, Not Moscow ANKARA (Combined Sources)--During a briefing to members of the press, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan announced on Thursday that Turkey will no longer conduct diplomatic relations with neighboring Armenia through its embassy in Moscow, opting to use its official representatives in Tbilisi instead. Turkey's move, according to Tan, is driven by issues of practicality. Tbilisi's proximity to Turkey offers a number of advantages for a government, whose current diplomatic relations with Armenia primarily centers on nominal matters, such as issuing travel visas. The Turkish news agency "Marmara" reported, however, that Turkey's decision has little to do with geography. Troubled by Russia's traditionally close relations with Armenia, Turkey purportedly decided to send an unambiguous message to its Russian counterparts by moving its workload to Georgia. Russian authorities stated that they "respectfully accept" Turkey's decision. 2) Armenia Rejects Turkish Proposal for Genocide Study (Reuters)--Armenia on Thursday rejected a Turkish proposal for an impartial panel of historians to test Armenian claims their people suffered a genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turkey. "The historians have already said their piece and it is now down to Turkey to determine its attitude," Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said in an interview with Reuters. "It is not a question for historians. They have already done their work...But since Turkey denies this, this has become a political issue and so needs a political solution," he said. Ankara is keen to show it has nothing to hide amid growing calls, including from members of the European Union it seeks to join, for it to recognize [the] genocide took place. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan suggested on Tuesday that teams of historians from both sides should be given full access to state archives in Turkey and Armenia to settle the argument once and for all. 3) 100th Anniversary of Kristapor Mikaelian's Death to be Marked in Bulgaria YEREVAN (Yerkir)--The 100th anniversary of Armenian Revolutionary Federation co-founder Kristapor Mikaelian's tragic death will be marked on March 10-11 in Bulgaria's capital of Sofia, the ARF press services reported on Wednesday. One of the Armenian revolutionary movement's most influential figures, Mikaelian was killed on Bulgaria's Mount Vitosh, along with his friend Vramshapuh Kentirian, while testing a bomb intended to be used during an assassination plot against Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II--the man who spearheaded the massacres of the 1890s, which claimed the lives of up to 300,000 Armenians. One hundred ARF members from around the world have arrived in Bulgaria to not only participate in the memorial events dedicated to Mikaelian. At the same time, representatives of ARF youth and student organizations convened their annual conference in Sophia on March 8, to coincide with ceremonies honoring Mikaelian. Twenty seven youth from throughout thirteen countries, including Armenia, Canada, France, Greece, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and the United States have begun their meetings, and plan to visit Mikaelian's grave to renew their oaths to the organization. 4) Armenian Monuments in Georgia Destroyed YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Church described the ongoing destruction of Armenian monuments in Georgia as "acts of vandalism," in a recently released press release that also asks, "When will the nightmare--which has been sweeping over Georgia for the past decades, and has recently gained momentum--finally end?" Armenian khachkars (cross-stones) are being destroyed in Kakheti region of Christian Georgia. "Georgian monks do not hide their intentions to destroy all monuments with Armenian inscriptions," they state, including the Gremi church in Kakheti provice. According to the Diocese, many Armenian khachkars dating back to 12-17th centuries have been destroyed in the ecclesiastical complex of Gremi. The complex is currently closed to the public for renovation. But the Georgian Armenian Church alleges that Monks from a nearby Georgian monastery are actually engaging in the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage during a period of "renovation." "It is saddening that while Georgian ~Qpatriots~R destroy Armenian cultural heritage~Ethey do not realize that they are annihilating not only their own history, but also an all-Christian heritage that reaches far beyond the realm of national importance," the Diocese said. Gremi, the former capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti is located on the left bank of the river Alazan. It became the capital of Kakheti in the year 1466. Armenians played an important role in the development of the town, as they controlled business and trade. The town blossomed and developed even more until the beginning of the 17th century, before the Persian invasions (1614-1616) led by Sheikh Abasa. Many historical documents detail Armenian presence in Gremi during the period. 5) Kocharian Meets with Eduardo Eurnekian YEREVAN (Armenpress)--President Robert Kocharian met with Argentinean-Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian to discuss the pace of implementation of an investment program at Armenia's biggest airport. Eurnekian also spoke about his intention to invest heavily in Armenia's agriculture. In December 2001, Eurnekian signed an agreement with the Armenian government giving him control of Yerevan's Zvartnots international airport for the next 50 years. Eurnekian's Aerpouertos Argentina group, which runs 33 airports across South America, will build a new modern airport terminal within the next three years that will handle the bulk of flights to and from Armenia. Under the terms of the concession agreement signed by Eurnekian and Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, Aerpouertos Argentina will also expand Zvartnots's runway and upgrade other airport facilities. "Our goal is not only to construct a good airport but also ensure high quality services there," Eurnekian had said at the signing ceremony. 6) Georgian Prime Minister Arrives in Armenia YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--A delegation headed by Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli arrived in Armenia on March 11 for a two day working visit. The Georgian Prime Minister will meet with his counterpart Andranik Margarian and President Robert Kocharian. Meanwhile, transportation of rail cargo between Azerbaijan to Georgia was renewed on March 7 as a result of an agreement reached by the two sides while Prime Minister Nogaideli was in Baku last week, Black Sea Press. The talks in Baku referred to the readiness of the Georgian party to provide written guarantees that no goods received from Azerbaijan will then be exported to Armenia. Thorough Azeri inspections of cargo bound for Georgia at the Georgian-Azeri border to ensure that no cargo was in fact destined for Armenia has meant hundreds of cargo trucks being held at the border since November 2004. Nogaideli discussed this issue while on a two-day visit to Azerbaijan, during which he also met with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and other senior officials to discuss a wide spectrum of issues of bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic sphere. Prime Minister Nogaideli had also proposed to hold a meeting of the CIS heads of government in Tbilisi on June 3, saying that the proposal would need to be approved by the CIS Executive Secretariat. President Mikhail Saakashvili appointed Zurab Nogaideli as Prime Minister of Georgia on February 8, following the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania from carbon monoxide poisoning. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.