Month: November 2006

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 24 2006

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: RECOGNITION OF OWN HISTORY BY TURKEY WILL BE A
DIFFICULT WAY TO PASS

"The readiness to normalize relations with the neighbors that Turkey
will express will influence also Armenian-Turkish relations."
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan made this statement in Nicosia,
Thursday, commenting on the fact that Turkey must revise its position
regarding Cyprus. Afterwards, EU will express its position on the
continuation of the talks for Turkey’s membership of the EU.

Asked about Armenia’s position on Turkey’s admission to the EU in
conditions when Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide, Robert Kocharyan
said peoples must recognize their own history. "We hope that the
membership process will create a new situation due to reforms when
the discussions on this issue in Turkey will be more open. This will
allow the Turkish public to voice the question. We understand that it
will be a difficult way to pass. Nevertheless, we hope that the
Turkish people will pass it itself and that the international
community and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by other
countries will help the Turkish people pass this way," Robert
Kocharyan said.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 24 2006

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE IS PLEASED WITH FIRST
STAGE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF BOLOGNA AGREEMENT

On December 14, in Strasbourg, an Armenian delegation led by Levon
Lazarian, the Armenian Minister of Education and Science, will
present the first report on implementation of the Bologna agreement
in Armenia, L.Lazarian said at a press-conference, Friday.

During the meeting with journalists, the Minister pointed out some
positive results the Armenian side has reached since joining the
Bologna agreement in 2005. Particularly, Armenian teachers have
already passed the advanced training course in a number of European
countries. Besides, due to the Armenian-German program on pupil
exchange, next year several Armenian pupils will get an opportunity
to live and study in Germany. L.Lazarian noted that serious work
will be done to raise the quality of teaching the German language in
Armenian educational institutions. The Minister also expressed hope
that in the future it will be possible to establish an
Armenian-Chinese cultural and educational center in the republic due
to the cooperation of Armenia and China in the sphere of education.

L.Lazarian said that it is planned to publish a book about Armenia’s
obligations under the Bologna agreement, as well as training aids on
test system of passing the Armenian language and Literature exam for
university entrants. The Minister emphasized that all the 50 thousand
copies of the edition will be given to senior pupils free of charge.

To note, the first official report on implementing the Bologna
agreement in Armenia will be published in London in spring 2007.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 24 2006

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER AVOIDS CALLING ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES "THE
MOST COMBAT- EFFECTIVE" IN REGION

Serge Sargsyan, Secretary of the Armenian Presidential National
Security Council, Defense Minister, stated in an interview with the
Armenian Public Radio that he prefers avoiding the phrase "the most
combat-effective army in the region" when speaking of Armenia’s armed
forces.

Speaking of the region, one should not forget that besides Georgia
and Azerbaijan, there are also Iran and Turkey in the region, the
minister said. "I prefer saying that the Armenian army is an army
that has fulfilled its task. But for the fighting capacity of the
Armenian army, Azerbaijan would easily settle the Karabakh problem by
force in its favor," the minister said.

ARMENIAN DM: COUNTRY WHICH STARTS MILITARY ACTIONS WILL INEVITABLY
SUFFER CONSIDERABLE LOSSES

"One can not say that today there is no threat of military actions of
Armenia and Azerbaijan," Serge Sargsyan, Secretary of the Armenian
Presidential National Security Council, Defense Minister, stated in
an interview with the Armenian Public Radio.

He said a defense minister must always think that military actions
may start already tomorrow. "Nevertheless, I think that military
actions are unlikely to start in foreseeable future. First, the
Azerbaijani army is not ready for military actions now. Second, OSCE
Minsk Group Co-chairs will perceive the start of military actions by
Azerbaijan as a slap in the face. Third, the country which starts
military actions will inevitably suffer considerable losses. This,
first of all, concerns Azerbaijan," the minister said.

The Gazette (Montreal)
November 25, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition

Arak delivers anise flavour with fire and ice

by SARAH MUSGRAVE, The Gazette

The sip: Chateau Kefraya arak
The price: $7.50 for a shot

The smell: A strong scent of anise greets the nose, with barely a
whiff of alcohol beneath it.

The look: It’s a three-parter, comprising a glass of colourless
liquid, another of ice cubes and a bottle of water. When the spirit
is diluted, it turns cloudy and changes from clear to milky white.
The ice is always added afterward.

The taste: The aniseed flavour is unmistakable and concentrated, but
surprisingly smooth and rounded. At 53 per cent alcohol, it’s a quiet
fire, one that doesn’t burn the throat on the way down.

The story: Distilled from fermented grapes and aniseed, arak is
thought to have been developed by non-Muslim minorities in the Middle
East. Traditionally, grapes were harvested in the fall, with
distillation taking place in November. Although Islamic law has long
prohibited the consumption of alcohol, the art of distilling was
greatly advanced by early Arab scientist Jabir ibn Hayyan, who
invented the alembic in the 700s, making the process of chemically
separating substances far more efficient, systematic and safe.

The source: Le Petit Alep (191 Jean-Talon St. E., 514-270-9361) is a
busy Syrian-Armenian bistro that stocks three kinds of arak, with the
Lebanese brand Kefraya considered to have the highest quality of the
bunch. It’s usually served with a range of mezze from the region, as
it pairs particularly well with aromatic dips, zatar and pita bread.

The twist: Arak finds variants in such anise-flavoured liquors as
ouzo in Greece and raki in Turkey, as well as the somewhat sweeter
French pastis.

Something worth sipping? Send suggestions to [email protected]

The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan)
November 25, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition

JOSE CARRERAS COLLECTION
Montserrat Caballe & Jose Carreras
ArtHaus Music
Rating 4 (out of five)

I had the impression that it was the delightful Three Tenors series
that brought Jose Carreras back to the stage after his battle with
leukemia. However, the beloved Spanish tenor had returned for the
Salzburg Festival of 1989, just three weeks after he was pronounced
recovered. A month later, as captured in this DVD, he sang a benefit
concert in the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre with his mentor and compatriot
Montserrat Caballe. The performance was for the aid of victims of the
great Armenian earthquake the previous winter.

The recording is a gem, visually and acoustically, giving a good view
of the Bolshoi’s glittering ballet theatre. Above all, it is the
fidelity of the singers’ voices that is important, and the fine,
sensitive piano accompaniment by Miguel Zannetti. Carreras and
Caballe sing a variety of Spanish and Italian solos and duets, with a
scattering of operatic arias, including the show-stopping "O Mio
Babbino Caro," from Puccini’s "Gianni Schicchi."

— David Green

The Guardian (London)
November 25, 2006 Saturday

Crusades to Bin Laden: Explainer Islam v Christianity

The Christian-Muslim faultline first opened up in the decades
following the founding of Islam in the seventh century, with
conflicts in Spain and France in 722 and 732. The crusades were
launched in the 11th century by western Christians in an attempt to
curtail the spread of Islam and to take control of the Holy Land. By
then Muslims had conquered two-thirds of the ancient Christian world.

Pope Urban II called for the first crusade at the Council of Clermont
on November 18 1095 after the Seljuk Turks had taken control of
Jerusalem. Two centuries of conflict followed in which parts of the
Holy Land alternated between Christian and Muslim control.

The last of these crusades in 1291 ended in defeat for the Christians
with the expulsion of the Latin Christians from Syria. After 1291,
campaigns by Christians against Muslims continued but began to wane
by the 16th century as papal authority declined. This period saw the
fall of Constantinople in 1453, where the forces of Mehmed II wrested
control of the city from its Byzantine rulers.

Conflicts have continued into the 20th century and include the
killing of 1.5 million Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Turkish
authorities between 1915 and 1923. In his messages Osama bin Laden
refers to western-led conflicts in the Middle East as a
"Zionist-Crusader war against Islam". In 2000 Pope John Paul II,
sought forgiveness for all the past sins of the church, including the
crusades.

Agence France Presse — English
November 24, 2006 Friday 4:09 PM GMT

Armenia hails Cypriot haven for Ottoman-era refugees

LARNACA, Cyprus, Nov 24 2006

Armenian President Robert Kocharian on Friday laid the foundation
stone for a memorial marking the spot where Armenian refugees landed
in Cyprus after fleeing Ottoman Turkish persecution.

Around 200 members of the Armenian community in Cyprus attended the
symbolic ceremony at the marina of the southern resort of Larnaca.

"I’d like to thank the Cyprus government for funding this memorial at
this historic point," said Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.
"Cyprus gave our people a new home and we express our gratitude for
that."

Oskanian is accompanying Kocharian’s official visit to a country
viewed as a close ally of Armenia.

The Mediterranean town of Larnaca was the first port of call for
Armenian refugees fleeing the massacres that took place under Ottoman
rule between 1915-1917.

At least half of the 3,000-strong Armenian community in Cyprus can
trace its roots to those refugees who sought a safe haven on the
island, which was a British colony until independence in 1960.

"The Armenian diaspora started from Cyprus. Larnaca was the first
place they came by boat in the 1920s and the Cypriots welcomed them
openly," Vartkes Mahdessian, the Armenian representative in the
Cypriot parliament, told AFP.

"This memorial is a reminder of the criminal act of genocide the
Ottoman Turks committed," he added.

Armenians say they were victims of genocide during World War I, but
Turkey vehemently denies this version of events.

Cyprus is one of a number countries, along with France, to recognize
the killings as genocide.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917.

Turkey rejects the genocide label, arguing that 250,000 to 500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

The Republic of Cyprus and Turkey do not recognise each other. Ankara
invaded and occupied the northern third of the island in 1974 in
response to an Athens-engineered coup aimed at uniting the island
with Greece.

Cyprus News Agency, Cyprus
Nov 23 2006

Cyprus president backs Armenia, expects EU "sanctions" on Turkey from
mid-Dec

Nicosia, Nov 23 (CNA) – "The Cyprus problem is irrelevant to and
cannot be associated with Ankara’s commitments vis-a-vis the European
Union," stressed here tonight Cyprus President Tasos Papadhopoulos.

Addressing a state dinner given at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia
in honour of visiting President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan,
President Papadhopoulos said Turkey’s obligations as an occupying
power as regards the Cyprus problem are a completely different issue.

"These are obligations that dictate its positive contribution to the
efforts to achieve a functional and viable solution. The fulfilment
of these obligations is pending for 32 years now, resulting in the
continuing forceful division of our country and the terrible tragedy
of our people," the Cypriot president noted.

He stressed that "we have supported and continue to support the
European course of Turkey. However, it is Turkey that undermines this
course with its continuous denial to comply with the European
prerequisites and respond in a positive way to the commitments she
has undertaken. The Report by the European Commission, issued only a
few days ago, notes this provocative denial by Turkey. A denial which
in essence equals with contempt of the European accession criteria
and the European rules of political behaviour," Papadhopoulos added.

The Cypriot president wondered "when Turkey challenges the European
Union, of which it aims to become a member, what should be the
reaction of the European partners? When Turkey refuses to fulfil her
obligations vis-a-vis the European Union in general and vis-a-vis the
Republic of Cyprus in particular, what should be the consequences?"

For certain, he added, the European Union cannot tolerate this
provocative stand and behaviour of Ankara and has no right to consent
to a smooth and unhindered course for Turkey, as if nothing happens.
It is not possible, because of Turkey and for the sake of Turkey, to
ignore the established European procedures and to bypass the
statutory European rules, which are valid for every candidate
country, prior to accession.

Papadhopoulos said, however, that there is still time for Turkey to
comply with the recommendations and the demands of the European
Union. "So far we do not have valid reasons to be optimistic. On the
contrary, we have sound reasons to believe that it will continue her
negative stand. And unavoidably, it becomes clear that measures and
sanctions must be imposed on Turkey by the European Council, in the
middle of next month".

"We are not happy with this development, for which Turkey and no one
else is to blame. From the moment, however, that Turkey entrapped
itself into provocatively denying to fulfil its European obligations
there is no reasonable excuse, nor a legal way to avoid measures
against it," the president added.

He referred to the friendly ties between Cyprus and Armenia assuring
his Armenian counterpart that Cyprus "remains firm and consistent on
issues of principle that concern our steady and loyal friends, like
Armenia, especially when the issues of principle are common."

He said Cyprus, as a full member state of the great European family,
and Armenia as a country participating in the Action Plan, in the
framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, have now, one more
opportunity to promote and expand their relations. Geographically,
Cyprus, more than any other European country, is closer to Armenia
and can, through the European Union Policy, become a communication
bridge between Europe and Armenia.

"I assure you, Mr President, that Cyprus, within the framework of the
European Union and on the basis of the European Neighbourhood Policy,
will support your friendly country in all its European aspirations
and in all its efforts for participation in European structures and
markets," Papadhopoulos pointed out.

Furthermore, he assured him that Cyprus fully supports the Minsk
Group efforts to achieve a peaceful and viable solution to the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh in the framework of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Such a solution must of course meet
your own positions and aspirations, the Cypriot President concluded.

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Nov 24 2006

Turkish minister says Cyprus issue will be "shelved for some time" by
EU

Cankiri, 24 November: "Serious stance of Turkey has been comprehended
in talks with the European Union (EU). I think Cyprus question will
be shelved for sometime," Turkish Minister of Industry and Trade Ali
Coskun said on Friday [24 November].

Coskun met executives of Chamber of Trade and Chamber of Tradesmen in
central Anatolian city of Cankiri.

"Turkey has passed through an exam with the EU in screening process
on 35 topics. However, the EU has brought Cyprus and so-called
Armenian genocide in front of Turkey. France committed the biggest
murders in its history. They have killed 1.5 million of our brothers
and sisters in Algeria. Now, they want to judge Turkish history," he
noted.

"EU often talks about Cyprus," Coskun said, recalling that a promise
was made to Turkey that the blockade before [the self-declared]
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) would be removed in case
the Turkish party votes "yes" to the Annan Plan.

"Turkey has kept its promise and Turkish Cypriots voted yes so it is
now the turn of the EU to keep its promise," Coskun indicated.

Coskun also said 2007 would be a critical year because of the general
and presidency elections.

Ayna, Azerbaijan
Nov 24 2006

AZERI, ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTERS REPORTEDLY MEET IN BELARUS

Excerpt from report by C.Sumainli in the Azerbaijani newspaper Ayna
on 24 November headlined "Defence ministers have met"

The Azerbaijani and Armenian defence ministers, Safar Abiyev and
Serzh Sarkisyan respectively, met after a session of the council of
the CIS [defence] ministers in Brest yesterday [23 November]. Ayna
has learnt from military sources that the meeting was held at Russian
Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov’s initiative.

[Passage omitted: Russian reports on the meeting]

The defence ministers spoke about their last meeting held at the
initiative of the personal representative of the OSCE
chairman-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, late October [on the
Azerbaijani-Armenian border] and the situation on the front-line
after the said meeting. The ministers considered meetings of this
kind important and decided to meet in the future as well. According
to information available, despite Kasprzyk has proposed that the
ministers meet in January to continue the talks, the sides have still
not commented on this proposal.

The head of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry press service, Ramiz
Malikov, has denied the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
defence ministers during the session of the council of the CIS
defence ministers in Belarus. Malikov told Radio Liberty that such a
meeting had not been planned beforehand and that the ministers did
not meet on 23 November.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress