Month: October 2005

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]:

PRESS RELEASE

10-10-2005

STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. VARTAN OSKANIAN
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
AT THE 33rd UNESCO GENERAL CONFERENCE

PARIS, OCTOBER 7, 2005

Mr. President,

Congratulations on your election, and we look forward to working with you as
we have with President Omolewa. Congratulations also to the Director-General
with whom we look forward to working for a long time to come.

At a time when the world is faced with new types of violence and must
therefore seek new ways to find peace, UNESCO is faced with the hardest
challenge of all: to create the defenses of peace in the minds of men. For
60 years, this organization has promoted education, science and culture
because we know that it has been through education, science and culture that
ALL our civilizations have been nurtured and have flourished. Education,
science and culture cultivate peace and are its fruits.

Each of us recognizes this in our own lands, in our own countries.

In Armenia, Education gave us our first university eight centuries ago.
Today, our education enrollment and literacy rate is among the best in the
world.

Ten centuries ago, Science provided us the tools with which to study
medicinal herbs under our feet, and the stars over our head.

But it is our culture that has saved us, defined us, formed our character.
My people have lived in Diaspora for far longer than we have had a state,
and we have contributed to and learned from cultures across the globe.

In Singapore, we have a church which is 200 years old. The one in Dakka is
even older. In Macao, the cemetery markers are memorials to Armenian
merchants from the 1600s. In Bangkok, the cemeteries are newer, but only
slightly. The local governments all protect and maintain these cultural
monuments consciously and generously, because they understand that these
monuments of a culture long gone are theirs as much as ours.

There is a similar cultural heritage in Europe and the Middle East. From the
tombs of Armenian medieval kings here in Paris to ancient communities in
Poland and Ukraine, the traces of a continuous Armenian presence in Europe
are guarded.

No better example exists than the Armenian Island of St. Lazaro, in Venice,
claimed equally by Armenians and Italians as part of their cultural
patrimony.

In Jerusalem, the old Armenian Quarter is an integral part of the Biblical
city’s past and future.

Throughout the various Arab countries of the Middle East, it is only the age
and quantity of Armenian structures that differ. The care and attention
which Armenians and their possessions receive is pervasive.

In our immediate neighborhood, Iran is home to cultural and religious
monuments built by Armenians over a millennium. The government of Iran
itself takes responsibility for their upkeep, and facilitates their
preservation by others.

Against this background then, we can only wish that our other neighbours
were equally tolerant and enlightened.

In Turkey, there are thousands of cultural monuments built and utilized by
Armenians through the centuries. Those structures today are not just symbols
of a lost way of life, but of lost opportunities. Those monuments which
represent the overlapping histories and memories of Armenians and Turks do
provide us the opportunity around which a cultural dialog can start and
regional cooperation can flourish.

Instead, those monuments which serve as striking evidence of centuries of
Armenian presence on those lands are being transformed or demolished. With
them go the memory and identity of a people.

But we are hopeful that there are changes in these attitudes and approaches,
and that Turkey is on the road to acknowledging its pluralistic past and
embracing its diversity today.

A few months ago, Turkish authorities began to actively encourage and
facilitate the expert renovation of a medieval jewel – the Armenian
monastery of Akhtamar. What is happening on this small island, not far from
our border, can be repeated again and again. Together, we can work to
rebuild the sole remaining monument in the legendary city of Ani, just on
the other side of the border, within easy view from Armenia. The medieval
city of a thousand and one churches is a cultural marvel that can pull
together and bind our two peoples.

Unfortunately Mr. Chairman, with our other neighbor, Azerbaijan, the effort
to do away with Armenians, which began even before Sovietization, continues
unabated. Now that there are no Armenians left in Azerbaijan, it is
religious and cultural monuments which remain under attack.

This assault on our memory, history, holy places and artistic creations
began long before the people of Nagorno Karabakh stood to demand
self-determination in order to assure their own security. It began long
before the government of Azerbaijan chose war as the response to the
rightful, peaceful aspirations of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

Mr. Chairman,

Even in 1922, stone cross Armenian tombstone carvings, older than Europe’s
oldest churches, began to disappear in Nakhichevan. There was no war in the
years between 1998 and 2002 when 4000 of these giant sculptures were knocked
over, piled onto railroad cars and carted away under the Azerbaijani
government’s watchful eyes. There was no war in 1975 when a 7th century
Armenian church was completely demolished in the center of Nakhichevan, for
no reason other than to wipe out the memory of the Armenians who constituted
a majority there just decades earlier.

Mr. Chairman,
Cultural destruction can and is a potent weapon in campaigns of political
oppression and tyranny. In an era when new kinds of violence with new names
are exploited in political and ideological warfare, damaging or destroying
cultural or religious memory intentionally, consistently, repeatedly must be
labeled what it is – cultural terrorism – and it must be condemned with the
same resolve and determination as violence aimed against people.

Mr. Chairman,

Armenia already profits hugely from UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” program,
thanks to which our depository of ancient, unique manuscripts is being
digitized. In the Remember the Future program, we are honoured that some of
our ancient monuments are included in the World Heritage List. We are set to
ratify the Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, and
are pleased that the traditional melodies of the Armenian reed duduk may be
included in the Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
What we want to work on next, Mr. Chairman, is the elaboration of a UNESCO
legal instrument which will hold accountable those involved in the
Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage.

Armenia attaches great importance to all of UNESCO’s initiatives in the
region. We believe in UNESCO’s dream of creating and educating societies to
believe in peace and to benefit from its dividends.

Thank you.

FROM THE MARGINS
A defenseless fish fueled my Cuban dream
BY PATRICK AZADIAN
(Published: October 8, 2005, Glendale News-Press)

A few Saturdays ago I ended up starting out the day later than usual.
It was already mid-afternoon when I realized I was hungry. I had a
tri-faceted dilemma: eat out, go over to mom’s, or do my usual
single-guy-who-can’t cook routine. The latter involved a can of tuna
originating from the Persian Gulf.

The steel-packed tuna is not only exceptionally tasty, but it also
awakens some secondhand nostalgia in me. The fish is from a region
where my dad was born.

But, despite its great taste and our common roots, on that particular
Saturday my thoughts wandered off to all the possible environmental
trauma the tuna may have faced before finding its way into the can.

No one knows when my dad’s compatriot was canned. The region is rich
in oil, and every time I look down on an opened can, I wonder how much
of the petro-hazards are intertwined with my tuna. I don’t know of any
Middle Eastern environmentalists, so I can assume the tuna is
defenseless against all the pollution dumped into the Gulf.

In addition, the region has been in a constant state of war in the
last few decades. First, it was a certain Saddam Hussein, who decided
to inflict a seemingly meaningless war on his eastern neighbors, taking
advantage of Iran’s unofficial status as the region’s outlaw. While the
world stood silent with a wicked smile, he brought death and
destruction to the innocent civilians of the region. In the process, he
successfully tested all his latest war toys and chemical ammunition. I
wondered if my tuna had consumed any of the hazardous elements or the
bomb residues during this war.

Once the Iraqi leader was armed to his teeth, and his army was battle
tested against Persian teenagers, he shifted his attention to invading
his Arab brethren in Kuwait. We all know the outcome of that
over-ambitious offensive. The dramatic images of the burning oil fields
in the aftermath of the occupation were fresh in my mind. The burned
deposits in the air must have gone somewhere; I wouldn’t be surprised
if some found their way into my beloved tuna.

The recent military conflict in the region must also be leaving its
unique scars on the Gulf environment. Combine that with the presence of
an Iranian nuclear power plant stationed at the southern port city of
Bushehr, and it is not hard to see why I opted out of the tuna and
headed down to one of my favorite food establishments on Brand
Boulevard.

Porto’s Bakery satisfies all five of my requirements for patronizing
an establishment. It’s family owned, it’s local, the food tastes great
and, as far as I know, it’s free of war chemicals and radiation.
Moreover, the place has a certain ambience. When I speak of ambience, I
am not referring to a Moroccan-style lounge with a mélange of
Arab-Berber-Ottoman music and floor seating suited for consuming
koos-koos. The ambience at this Cuban-American establishment is subdued
and subtle.

The sounds of salsa play in the background, yet they are not
overwhelming. There seems to be a hidden message. “This is an authentic
Cuban Bakery. But we don’t need to shove it in your face with loud
sounds, overwhelming decorations or colorful posters. Our food speaks
for itself.”

So what does an Armenian-American order at a Cuban-American café? A
feta sandwich and a green salad. I grabbed my “#22” before making my
way to a table. Waiting anxiously for my food, I wondered if this was a
piece of Havana without all the self-imposed economic and ideological
limitations.

I decided to soak up as much “Cuban-ness” as possible.

A trio of older men was sitting all the way across the café. They
were
engaged in an animated conversation. The leader of the group was
sitting in the middle. His white linen suit, pink shirt and white tie
combined perfectly to give the table a tropical feel.

I was curious. Was the man in the middle reminiscing about the old
days in Havana? Was the old man still homesick? Or was he recalling his
memories of the cigar factory he began work in as a teenager before
working his way up to become a “lector” (a “reader” of literature often
employed at a cigar factory to entertain the cigar rollers)?

At some point, my food had arrived and I had consumed it without
knowing. It was time to leave the “island.”

I picked up my tray and walked toward the trash can near the trio. I
heard a familiar tongue:” As suryatseeneuh beedee chi dzuken Lipananuh
hankeest mnah.” My dream had been shattered; the “islanders” turned out
to be fake. They were Lebanese-Armenian and their deduction was gloomy:
“These Syrians are never going to let Lebanon live in peace.”

I snapped out of “mi sueño cubano” (“my Cuban dream”). I was in
America. The unleashed spirit of entrepreneurship and the co-existence
of the peoples from all over the world was all the proof I needed.

* PATRICK AZADIAN works and lives in Glendale. He may be reached at
padaniaearthlink.net.

PRESS RELEASE
Council of Europe Press Division
Ref: 523b05
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
[email protected]
internet:

Constitutional reform in Armenia : Declaration by the Chair of the
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers

Strasbourg, 10.10.2005 – Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Portugal and Chairman of the Council of Europe Committee of
Ministers, made the following statement:

“After several months of intense debate, Armenia’s National Assembly has
just adopted a number of constitutional amendments, in line with the
country’s commitment undertaken when joining the Council of Europe. The
referendum to be held on 27 November on this reform will be vital for
Armenia. By turning out to vote during the referendum, the people of
Armenia will indeed be deciding on changes of fundamental importance for
their future. The expertise of the constitutional amendments by the
Council of Europe’s Venice Commission has shown that the reform will
allow the alignment of the Constitution with European standards by
enhancing the independence of the judiciary, providing a more balanced
distribution of power between the executive and the legislative
branches, as well as promoting local democracy and freedom of the media.

I appeal to the sense of responsibility and concern for the common good
of Armenia’s political parties, beyond their differences, in order to
support this reform, which is essential to the country’s future as a
democracy. By participating in the referendum and showing their
attachment to the values of freedom and democracy, the people of Armenia
will show their desire to see Armenia fully assume its part in the
European construction.”

Réforme constitutionnelle en Arménie : Déclaration de la
Présidence du Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe

Strasbourg, 10.10.2005 – Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Ministre des Affaires
étrangères du Portugal et Président du Comité des Ministres du
Conseil de l’Europe, a fait la déclaration suivante :

” Après plusieurs mois d’un débat intense, l’Assemblée Nationale
d’Arménie vient d’adopter un certain nombre d’amendements à la
Constitution, comme ce pays en avait pris l’engagement en adhérant au
Conseil de l’Europe. Le référendum qui doit avoir lieu le 27
novembre prochain sur cette réforme sera capital pour l’Arménie. En
participant au référendum, le peuple arménien décidera en effet
d’un certain nombre de changements fondamentaux pour son avenir.
L’expertise des amendements constitutionnels par la Commission de Venise
du Conseil de l’Europe a montré que la réforme doit permettre
d’aligner la Constitution sur les standards européens en renforçant
l’indépendance de la justice, en assurant un meilleur équilibre des
pouvoirs entre l’exécutif et le législatif, ainsi qu’en encourageant
la démocratie locale et en promouvant la liberté des médias.

Je fais appel au sens des responsabilités et au souci du bien commun
des partis politiques arméniens, par delà les clivages, pour
soutenir cette réforme essentielle pour l’avenir démocratique de
l’Arménie. Par leur participation active au référendum et en
marquant leur adhésion aux valeurs de liberté et de démocratie,
les citoyens arméniens manifesteront leur volonté de voir
l’Arménie prendre toute sa place dans la construction européenne. ”

A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to
promote democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops
common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 46
member states.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE PREPARATORY SESSIONS FOR
THE 9TH
ASSEMBLY OF WCC

In preparation for the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
to be held in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre in February 2006, the WCC
Middle East Pre-Assembly held sessions in the St. Cross Church of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate in Damascus on September 27-October 1. The theme of
the meetings was “God, in Your Grace transform the world.”

Representatives from different religious communities, church youth
organizations, religious and secular individuals participated in the
sessions. Archbishop Sebouh Sarkisian (Primate of the Diocese of Tehran) and
Dr. Jan Salmanian from Lebanon participated in the meetings on behalf of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The Head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Patriarch Iknadios Hazim, delivered
the opening remarks of the sessions, which started after his prayers.

The participants raised a number of issues to be discussed by the 9th
Assembly of WCC:

· The current situation of Christians in the churches of the Middle East in
general and in Palestine and Iraq in particular.
· The emigration of Christians from the churches of the Middle East.
·The importance of Christian-Muslim dialogue and the necessity of
strengthening it.

University students representing different churches also attended the
sessions. Hrair Djamboulian participated on behalf of the Armenian Church
University Students’ Association (ACUSA).

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

“TURKISH” BIRD FLU DOESN’T THREATEN US

Panorama
13:24 10/10/05

The chief epidemiologist of Armenia Ara Asoyan said, “We don’t have to
worry about the spread bird flu in Turkey, as Armenia doesn’t import
Turkish bird meet”.

Let us notice, that according to the recent news there was a mass bird
flu epidemic in one of the bird farms of Balikiser region in Turkey. As
a result there was a death of about 2000 turkeys. /Panorama.am/

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NDU WILL HAVE OBSERVERS IN ALL THE AREAS

A1+
| 17:00:43 | 10-10-2005 | Politics |

The National Democratic Union Information Service informs that on
October 8 the party Council had a session in which representatives
of all the regional structures of the party participated.

The NDU leader Vazgen Manoukyan represented to those present the
political situation in the country, as well as the discussions about
the draft Constitution held up to now.

As a result of the discussions the party has decided to boycott the
Constitutional referendum.

The Council has also discussed several issues about the boycott.

Particularly, they have decided to have observers in all the 1865
electoral areas of the Republic.

SOLHEIM ELEMENTARY STUDENTS DIVE INTO ARMENIAN CULTURE
By SARAKINCAID

Bismarck Tribune, ND
Oct 10 2005

Barf. It’s enough to make a fifth- or sixth-grader bubble with
laughter.

Especially when it’s the name of laundry detergent from Armenia
claiming to be snowy white and make clothes sparkling clean.

Solheim Elementary School reading specialist Pam Rettig introduced
eight students to Armenia through products, labels and photos. Soon,
the students will meet Armenian students from Gyumri, Armenia,
through the Internet.

It’s part of the Armenian Connectivity Program, sponsored by Project
Harmony and the U.S. Department of State. It is meant to enhance
cultural awareness by using computer technology. Students post their
photos and type information about themselves and answer questions on
a topic to get conversation flowing.

“It’s fun to get to know people from other countries and what they
think about stuff,” sixth-grader Rachel Eckroth said.

Eckroth and seven other students met in Rettig’s classroom after
school for the first time last Monday. They meet after school twice
a month. They ate Armenian-style chicken wings and had a quick social
studies lesson with photos from Rettig’s summer trip to Armenia.

The students’ goal is to be more aware of other cultures.

“The world is getting smaller and they really need ownership,” Rettig
said. “They are part of the global community.”

In addition to learning about Armenia through the Internet forum,
Rettig is sharing textiles and other items from her travels around
the world. For example, the students drew names for two hand-woven
Guatemalan blankets and Rettig will bring in items from her Fulbright
teacher exchange in Japan.

The students want to learn about everyday life in Armenia.

Sixth-grader Nick Goulet wants to learn about their culture and daily
life, and fifth-grader Faith Ward wants to know what they eat.

They also learn about Armenia through Rettig’s photos. A one-room
house without electricity or running water. Inside a building to
make lavash, a flat, baked bread. People playing backgammon. Candles
burning in church.

An earthquake hit the area about 15 years ago, but some areas look
as if it were yesterday, Rettig said. Not many people want to build
multi-story buildings and connect electricity or water. Many people
also are poor and cannot afford such things, she said. An expensive
rug costs U.S. $100, she said.

Armenian women spend their days rolling out balls of dough, which
are stored in a recessed area of the floor, then cooked in a hot oven.

Many people do not have refrigeration, Rettig said. People will store
leftover food from earlier meals in the day in a cupboard for later,
she said. At her going away meal with her host family, a piece of
freshly broken bread fell on the dirt floor, then was picked up and
placed back in the basket to eat.

“They have different ideas about sanitation because there is no
refrigeration,”Rettig said.

Men play backgammon in their free time. Traditionally, women do not
play it, Rettig said. She was taught while she was there, and the
woman she stayed with knew how to play, which was unusual, she said.

In church it is candles and prayers instead of hourlong sermons
stereotypical of church in the United States. Rettig explained people
buy candles, go inside the church, say a prayer and then leave. The
reason for the quick service is historical. Certain people were
gathered up in churches and burned during the genocide in Armenia,
Rettig said.

The social studies lessons will expand with each meeting, as Rettig
adds more pictures each meeting to the bulletin board outside her
classroom.

The students applied to participate in Project Harmony. Participation
was limited by the program sponsors. They answered questions, as
well as their parents, and were chosen from 40 students. It’s the
second year Rettig participated in Project Harmony. A second group
of students will participate in the spring.

The Web site the students use to share information with Armenian
students is slower to pop up on the screen than most people with fast
Internet connections would expect. Regardless of the speed of the
Internet connection, it connects at the same, slower speed because the
technology in Armenia cannot download pages as quickly as technology
in America, Rettig said.

The Project Harmony forum has students type a paragraph about
themselves, describe themselves in three words and answer several
questions about stereotypes.

Rettig’s class opened the Armenian Connectivity Program to new
schools in Armenia. Previously, the program was open to middle and
high school students only. The program allowed it because Rettig did
a similar Internet forum with a school in Africa, she said. One other
U.S. elementary school, in Illinois, participates in the Armenian
Connectivity Program.

ARMENIAN AND AUSTRALIAN FMS DISCUSSED BILATERAL RELATIONS

Pan Armenian
10.10.2005 12:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian departed
yesterday for Australia on a formal visit, RA MFA press office
reported.

Today the Armenian FM met with the Australian Minister for Foreign
Affairs and Trade Alexander Downer to discuss the prospects of the
Armenian-Australian relations and exchange views on the international
situation and regional developments. Vartan Oskanian familiarized
the interlocutor with the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process and
Armenia’s relations with the neighbor states. The parties noted the
importance of strengthening bilateral relations and activation of
trade and economic ties.

The Foreign Ministers also voiced satisfaction with the
Armenia-Australia cooperation within international structures. Upon
completion of the meeting Minister Oskanian invited his Australian
counterpart to Armenia.

Within the visit framework the Armenian FM met with Minister for
Vocational and Technical Education Gary Hardgrave, Minister Assisting
the Prime Minister, Minister for Human Services Joe Hockey MP,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade, Senator Sandy
Macdonald and Chairman of the Armenian-Australian parliamentary
friendship Maris Pein. Besides, Vartan Oskanian met with leaders of
the Armenian community of Australia and attended the liturgy in the
Armenian Church of St. Harutyun in Sidney, where he delivered a speech,
and also met with the chairman of the Armenian-Australian Chamber of
Commerce and the Armenian media.

ARMENIAN HEALTH AUTHORITIES BRACING UP FOR POTENTIAL BIRD FLU OUTBREAK

Armenpress
Oct 10 2005

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 10, ARMENPRESS: Armenian health authorities have
developed a national program of measures to withstand a potential
outbreak of bird flu and will send it to government approval. Cases
of bird flu reported last week by Romania and Turkey have increased
fears that it may reach Armenia.

Lilit Asatrian, head of a health ministry department, said experts
fear the H5N1 virus could mutate into one which spreads easily among
humans, creating a pandemic that might kill millions. Last week Turk
television quoted Turkish farm minister Mehdi Eker as saying bird
flu had been discovered in Turkey for the first time. The television
station said turkeys had died of the disease on a farm in Balikesir
province near the Aegean Sea in western Turkey.

According to Lilit Asatrian, examinations were conducted in all large
poultry farms in Armenia to identify their readiness in case of an
outbreak of the disease. She said agricultural ministry has promised
to report about any case of birds deaths.

Asatrian said there is a lot has be done to be prepared for the
disease’s possible spread into Armenia-to set up laboratories and
prepare personnel.

She said Armenian health authorities expect WHO’s assistance to
implement the anti-bird flu program.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PRESIDENT NOTED ROLE OF GREECE IN ARMENIA-NATO AND ARMENIA-EU RELATIONS

Pan Armenian
10.10.2005 13:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian met today with
newly appointed Geek Ambassador to RA Panayota Mavromichali, who handed
him her credenials, RA leader’s press service reported. Congratulating
the diplomat on the appointment the RA President noted the role of
Greece in the development of bilateral relations and in cooperation
with the NATO and EU.

As for the Armenia-EU relations the parties emphasized the importance
of elaborating the action plan within the New Neighborhood Policy. They
also marked upcoming Robert Kocharian’s visit to Greece as a stimulus
for the Armenian-Greek development.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress