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07/14/2005
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1) Mediators Say Karabagh Peace in Sight
2) Turkish Prime Minister ‘Condemns’ and ‘Curses’ BBC and Reuters
3) Armenian President Welcomes Film Directors to Golden Apricot Festival
4) Archbishop Shahe Ajemian Passes Away
1) Mediators Say Karabagh Peace in Sight
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Minsk Group mediators arrived in Armenia from Stepanakert
where they held talks on Wednesday with the leadership of Mountainous Karabagh
Republic. Karabagh President Arkady Ghukasian was quoted by his press service
as speaking of “great expectations” from the current stage of the peace
process. But Ghukasian also told the mediators that the parties have yet to
bridge their differences on key issues.
The American, French, and Russian co-chairs of the Group indicated on
Thursday
that they are edging closer to a resolution of the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict, as they prepared to meet senior Armenian officials in Yerevan, the
final leg of their latest tour of the conflict zone.
“Yes, there is a possibility of a Karabagh settlement in the course of this
year,” said Steven Mann, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. He added
that
an agreement will be signed “this year or within the next hundred years,”
indicating that the peace process has reached a make-or-break point.
Bernard Fassier, the group’s French co-chair, clarified that the conflicting
parties are more likely to sign a framework agreement on “the basic
principles”
of the peaceful settlement. Both he and Mann stressed that the successful
outcome of the negotiations is still not a forgone conclusion.
They as well as Russia’s top Karabagh envoy Yuri Merzlyakov are due to meet
with President Robert Kocharian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on
Friday.
2) Turkish Prime Minister ‘Condemns’ and ‘Curses’ BBC and Reuters
ANKARA (Reuters)–On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan denounced
British-based news organizations, BBC and Reuters, for not describing the
armed
separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terrorist group.
Erdogan, speaking to the Ankara Chamber of Industry after observing a
two-minute silence for the victims of last week’s bomb attacks in London,
warned against double standards in tackling terrorism in Turkey and in
Britain.
“I condemn and curse two important global television and media companies, BBC
and Reuters, for both declaring the PKK terror group in Turkey to be a
militia,” Erdogan said.
“I call on the global media to show an objective stance at this point. If
this
mentality continues, they should know that the terror which strikes Turkey and
the children of this country today will strike them tomorrow, and will cause
them pain.”
His comments were met by applause from Chamber of Industry delegates.
The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, demanding Kurdish
independence in a conflict that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.
Turkish officials have frequently criticized Western media for the way they
cover the Kurdish separatist conflict, which is a highly sensitive subject in
Turkey.
Reuters, the British Broadcasting Corporation and other international news
organizations avoid describing armed groups as terrorist, unless the term is
attributed, in line with policies of avoiding emotive language.
Erdogan, who has driven human rights reforms that helped win Turkey an
October
start date for European Union (EU) entry talks, has often criticized domestic
and foreign media on a range of issues but has not previously lashed out so
pointedly over the PKK.
PKK violence abated after the 1999 capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, but
has been on the rise again since the group called off a unilateral cease-fire
in June 2004.
Both the United States and the EU include the PKK on their list of terrorist
organizations.
Suicide bombers linked to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network struck Jewish
and
British targets in Istanbul in November 2003, killing more than 60 people.
Suicide bombers who struck London last week are also thought to have had al
Qaeda connections.
3) Armenian President Welcomes Film Directors to Golden Apricot Festival
YEREVAN (Armenpress/Armenianow.com)–Armenian president Robert Kocharian
thanked directors who are in Armenia participating in the second Golden
Apricot
film festival. “The organization of such festivals is very important for us,”
said Kocharian explaining that it not only provides the opportunity to restore
Armenian film tradition, but to also understand the art of contemporary
filmmaking.
The festival opened in Yerevan on July 12 under the theme “Armenia–a
Crossroads of Civilizations and Cultures.”
As the apricot harvest, the organizers promise that this year’s festival,
which runs until July 17, will be even richer and sweeter than the first one.
It has already marked its second year with a symbolic change of logo–the
plump fruit of the inaugural festival has become apricot jam spread on a slice
of bread.
“The apricot ripened in one year and turned into jam, whether in terms of the
organization, content and experience of the festival; it has become wiser and
more concentrated in terms of being at a really international level,” says
Harutyun Khachatryan, director of the festival.
This year the films will compete in two categories–international and
all-Armenian. The international section will have two categories for feature
films and documentaries made after July 1, 2003. The Armenian Panorama
category
covers fiction, documentary, and animation films by Armenian
cinematographers.
During the July days of the festival, the capital will burn with hot films;
140 have been selected from the 300 submitted this year, with 45 countries
represented–three times the number in 2004. Entrants from New Zealand, Chile,
and Nicaragua are among those selected.
“The creation of a film festival last year seemed madness, since at least
$2.5
million is needed to hold such an event. Nevertheless, we created a ridiculous
budget of $100,000, found people who believed us and, as you can see, the
dream
became reality,” says Khachatryan.
The film juries under the Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan include the
Dutch film director Jos Stelling, British film critic and producer Simon
Field,
who headed the Rotterdam film festival jury for several years, and Deborah
Young, a leading American film journalist.
The Golden Apricot will host master classes from director Roman Balayan,
actor
Oleg Yankovski, Moscow Film Festival Director Nikita Mikhalkov, Polish
director
Krzysztof Zanussi, and the Iranian director hailed as a master of world
cinematography Abbas Kiarostami, whose film won the Palme d’Or in Cannes last
year.
“It’s amazing that they have all expressed a willingness to participate, but
it is a fact that after last year’s festival the name of Armenia was spread
abroad. They loved the blessing of the apricot, maybe also the apricot vodka
and our warm reception,” jokes Khachatryan.
The organizers of this large-scale festival kept their budget secret this
year. Last year, the state allocated $100,000 but this year’s festival
received
less government aid and the organizers rested their hopes on sponsors.
“I am just back from the Moscow International Festival that had $3.1 million
from the state budget, $900,000 from the Moscow city government and twice more
from sponsors. I will not mention the sums allotted to the Golden Apricot, for
it may seem very funny by comparison,” says Susanna Harutyunyan, the art
director of the festival. “Besides, this is only our second year and the
Moscow
film festival dates back 27 years.”
The festival offers several programs outside the competition, such as days of
Iranian and Russian films. A special show of Armenian films devoted to the
anniversaries of Henrik Malyan, Aghasi Aivazyan, Mher Lazarian, Khoren
Abrahamyan, and Hrant Matevosyan will be held under the title “Tribute of
Respect.”
There will be new works from Armenfilm–“Mariam” directed by Edgar
Baghdasaryan will open the festival, and Atom Egoyan’s wife Arsine Khanjyan
will present Ruba Nadda’s film “Sabah”, in which she has a leading role.
The organizers of the Golden Apricot have made “golden” promises to create a
truly festive atmosphere. Charles Aznavour Square will host numerous souvenir
and video film kiosks for film lovers, there will be open-air jazz concerts,
and of course interesting films in the cool cinema halls.
4) Archbishop Shahe Ajemian Passes Away
ETCHMIADZIN(Armenpress)–One of the most senior members of the Brotherhood of
Holy Etchmiadzin, His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Ajemian died on June 13, after
a long and debilitating illness.
Abp. Ajemian was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1926. He received his elementary
education at the Haigazian School of Aleppo; from 1937 to 1939, he attended
the
academy of the Mkhitarist fathers.
In 1939, he enrolled in the Aleppo Friars (Franciscan) School and graduated
with honors in 1943. That year, he was accepted to the seminary of Antelias
and
ordained a deacon. After graduating in 1947, he was ordained a celibate priest
by the late His Grace Bishop Terenig Poladian.
From 1947 to 1950, he attended classes at the University of Brussels and
graduated with a degree in literature and philosophy. He immediately began
teaching classes at the seminary in Antelias, as well as at the
Hovagimian-Manoogian School in Beirut.
During 1952-1956, he served in the Chancellery of the See of the Great House
of Cilicia.
He was a member of the Brotherhood of Saint James of the Armenian
Patriarchate
of Jerusalem from 1960 to 1994. In 1965, he was consecrated a bishop by the
late Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians.
During his years of service in Jerusalem, he was Chancellor and Property
Manager for the Patriarchate.
His Eminence contributed numerous works to the “Sion” official monthly of the
Patriarchate, focusing on religion, history, science, and philosophy. In 1982,
he established the Armenian Bible Center on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
From 1975 to 1985 he was a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the
Armenian Church. He also contributed to the activities of the Armenian Church
and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin through his involvement in
ecclesiastical-organizational matters, the expansion and strengthening of
international ties, preaching and ministry, as well as his lectures at the
Gevorkian and Vaskenian Theological Seminaries of the Mother See.
In 1994, Abp. Ajemian moved to Armenia, and in 1995, established the
Theological Faculty at Yerevan State University. His Eminence was renowned for
his scientific-pedagogical activities and wrote numerous articles and papers.
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