Month: November 2006

ARMENIANS BUILD FULL-TIME CHURCH IN SCOTTSDALE
By Ari Cohn, Tribune
East Valley Tribune, AZ
Nov 21 2006
North Scottsdale is a far cry from the Armenian Quarter in the Old
City of Jerusalem, where Jerry Avakian was born.
Avakian is part of a small but growing group of adherents in Scottsdale
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the world’s oldest Christian
churches. As parish council chairman, he’s leading his congregation
in building Arizona’s first full-time Armenian church, at 8849
E. Cholla St.
The congregation, which currently holds biweekly services at an
existing cultural center on the site, has about 100 members but is
slowly growing, Avakian said.
“Relative to other communities, perhaps that’s small, but it’s pretty
much in line with the Armenian community in the area,” he said.
“We’re getting a lot more kids. It’s developing into a more mixed
community, so to speak.”
The church relies on visiting clergy from California to conduct the
services, but is hoping to get a fulltime priest if Scottsdale approves
its request to build a new roughly 6,000-square-foot church, he said.
“Even if there was no growth, we’d be looking for a traditional place
to worship,” Avakian said.
In 301 A.D., Armenia was the first country to establish Christianity
as its national religion. Services are conducted in Armenian, and
the faith differs somewhat from what is traditionally practiced in
the United States in its calendar, which places Christmas on Jan. 6,
Avakian said.
In the U.S., the Armenian population is centered in places like
Glendale, Calif., and Watertown, Mass., he said. When Avakian moved
to Scottsdale 30 years ago, the community here mainly comprised
second-generation Armenians.
Many were descendents of those who migrated out of what was Turkish
Armenia in early 1900s because of what came to be known as the
Armenian Genocide. During World War I, the Ottoman Turkish Empire
forcibly deported millions of Armenians to Syria and massacred untold
thousands. Turkey disputes the term “genocide,” however.
“There is a very large number of Armenians that live outside of
Armenia. I would say every family has someone they’re related to who
left Turkish Armenia at that time,” Avakian said.
Lately, he sees more immigration directly from Armenia and from
throughout the Middle East. Having a church and community in Scottsdale
could make it easier for others to relocate here, he said.
“I think the church is in fact an attraction,” he said.
The proposed church would be built on a 5.5-acre site alongside
the congregation’s existing cultural center. It’s expected to have
a seating capacity for about 270 for religious services, weddings,
baptisms and funeral services.
Artin Knadjian, of AAK Architecture and Interiors, said his designs
were inspired by an ancient church in Armenia devoted to St. Hripsime.
“It happened to be one of my favorites,” Knadjian said.
The building will hold true to religious and cultural traditions,
he said. For instance, the church will be crossshaped and capped by
a conical dome topping out at 45 feet.
“It does follow the tradition and design of the church wherein the
altar has to be on the east side of the building (facing Jerusalem)
and the entrance is on the west side,” Knadjian said. “It’s a little
similar to the Romanesque style.”
He said the exterior will be done in warm, desert browns and tans.
“It happens that the colors of ancient Armenia are similar to those
used in Arizona,” Knadjian said. Robin Meinhart, the city’s planning
department spokeswoman, said the plans are expected to come up at a
future Development Review Board meeting. Avakian said the congregations
hopes to build early next year.
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CREATING ARMENIAN STATE IN TERRITORY OF AZERBAIJAN IS RIDICULOUS AND AZERBAIJAN WILL NOT ALLOW IT
Author: E.Javadova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006
Creating an Armenian state in the territory of Azerbaijan is ridiculous
and Azerbaijan will not allow it, the Vice Speaker of Milli Majlis
[Azerbaijani Parliament], Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the
NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Ziyafet Askerov, briefed the media,
Trend reports.
“NATO brings together 26 countries and most of them recognize the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Despite that NATO Secretary,
General Yap De Khup Scheffer, who did not participate in the
52nd autumn session but contributed via telephone conference from
Brussels. He and representatives of other countries explicitly stated
in their speeches that changing the borders would be disastrous. If
an ethnical society announces its independency in the territory of
another country, what would this cause? The Armenians residing in
Nagorno-Karabakh insist that they exercise the right to define their
destiny through the support from Armenia. But Armenians have already
defined their destiny and created their state. Creating an Armenian
state in the territory of Azerbaijan is totally unacceptable,”
Askerov underlined.

POPE BENEDICT XVI TO MAKE “TOURISTIC” VISIT TO HAGIA SOPHIA
Hurriyet, Turkey
Nov 21 2006
With Pope Benedict XVI scheduled to visit Turkey between November
28-December 1, the Vatican has confirmed that the leader of the
Catholic church will in fact be touring Istanbul’s historical Hagia
Sophia museum.
The news, published on the Vatican’s official web site, appeared to put
an end to speculation about whether Pope Benedict XVI would pray at the
Hagia Sophia, and event which many have noted could cause controversy
throughout Turkey. The Pope’s strictly touristic visit to the Hagia
Sophia will take part in between two masses the Catholic leader is
planning on attending with Christian communities in Istanbul, one
at the Greek Orthodox Saint Andreas church, and one at the Armenian
Church of the Apostles. During his visit, Pope Benedict XVI will be
meeting with Greek Patriarch Bartholomeus, as well as with Mesrob II,
the leader of the Armenian religious community in Turkey.

EUROPE’S ARMENIAN DIASPORA COLLECTED 1.1 MILLION 100, 000 TO RENDER ASSISTANCE TO KARABAKH
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Nov 21 2006
~H 1 million 100, 000 have been collected in the course of a measure
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund held in the Europe’s countries.
According to the information DE FACTO got at the Fund’s Public
Relations Department, the representatives of the Armenian Diasporas
of France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Germany participated in
the event. Current year over 13 000 families, the representatives of
the Europe’s Armenian Diaspora, contributed to the Nagorno-Karabakh’s
restoration.
Last year in the course of a similar measure ~H 976, 000 were
collected. 11 000 families participated in the event then.
To remind, a TV marathon targeted at promoting the restoration and
development of the Nagorno-Karabakh that suffered from Azerbaijan’s
aggression will be held November 23 in Los Angeles.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WE SHOULDN’T CONTRIBUTE TO REHN’S ISOLATION
Selcuk Gultasli
Zaman Online, Turkey
Nov 21 2006
Putting aside friction on the Cyprus issue, it’s necessary to give
enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn his due. In spite of the wave
of anti-Turkish sentiment rising in Europe and pressure from many
prominent European politicians who have turned enmity towards Turks
into political empowerment, he kept a balance in the progress report
that is worthy of commendation.
What he said at the press conference while announcing the report
was the best he could do. His words, “Contrary to what is widely
believed in Europe, Turkey did not take a step backwards in its reform
efforts; it continued the reforms last year, only at a slower pace,”
disappointed Turkey’s opponents from the start.
Looking at the outcry of anti-Turkish activities across the board
from Plassnik to Stoiber and from Merkel to the Armenian lobby, it
is clear that expectations of a suspension in accession talks with
Rehn’s report have turned out to be mainly unfulfilled.
Christian Democrats are bombarding Rehn with criticism because he
didn’t display the “brave” stand they showed in their reports blaming
Turkey for two more genocides.
The Armenian lobby reproached the Commission’s “double standard”
for not even including the expression, “1915’s tragic events,” which
was in last year’s progress report.
A broad spectrum of Turkey’s opponents, enemies, and racists have made
an alliance to eliminate the influence and legitimacy of Rehn’s report.
Thus, showing the “daring” to delay his Cyprus recommendation for
a month, Rehn is being pushed to prepare the recommendation in the
most critical way, which is expected to be ready in December.
The progress report and strategy paper crystallized at a point of
balance keeping Cyprus and the reform process separate.
While these two reports and the responses to them have mainly occupied
the press, the Commission’s new enlargement plan, which was published
in the strategy paper, wasn’t discussed much in Turkey.
The real reason for Rehn explaining at length that the politics
of enlargement was not a high-speed train, that the quality of the
trip and the safety of the passengers were more important than the
train’s speed and that the aim was to arrive at the station without
a derailment, is the reality that Europe’s enlargement process is
going to advance more slowly.
It can be understood within the framework of the afore-mentioned
plan that Turkey’s candidacy, which already possesses the “heaviest”
conditions, is going to be subject to closer scrutiny.
Combining the EU’s quite cautious approach slowly turning against
enlargement with the Cyprus issue, using Rehn’s metaphor, the front
opposed to Turkey wants to derail Turkey from the track.
It’s necessary not to contribute to Rehn’s isolation, who is trying
to end Cyprus’s isolation, on Turkey’s account.
Significant moves made outside of Cyprus before the December summit
that would lighten up the Commission’s recommendation would also be
helpful to Rehn.
Article 301 of the Turkish penal code has become an embarrassing
monkey on Turkey’s back but could be useful during this period. The
only way for some ‘good’ to come out of 301 is for it to be either
eliminated or amended.

MATTHEW BRYZA NOT TO JOIN VISIT OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS
Today, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006
American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Matthew Bryza will not join the visit
of co-chairs to the region, US Embassy Public Relations Department
chief Jonathan Henick told.
The reason for his absence is Bryza’s tense schedule and celebration
of Thanksgiving Day this week, the most important holiday in US.
“Answering the question if another diplomat or the ambassador himself
will substitute Mattew Bryza, the ambassador answered that anyone
can substitute the co-chair, so only the co-chairs from Russia and
France Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard Fasie will visit the region.”
It should be noted that, Merzlyakov and Fasie went to Yerevan
yesterday evening.
They will hold talks on the regulation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict
with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian, and will discuss the issue concerning the preparations
to the meeting of Armenian president with Azerbaijan president on
November 28 in the frame of CIS Summit. The co-chairs are expected
to come to Baku tomorrow.
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METYU BRYZA NOT TO JOIN VISIT OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006
American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Metyu Bryza will not join the visit
of co-chairs to the region, US Embassy Public Relations Department
chief Jonathan Henick told the APA.
The reason for his absence is Bryza’s tense schedule and celebration
of Thanks Giving Day this week, the most important holiday in US.
“Answering the question if another diplomat or the ambassador himself
will substitute Metyu Bryza, the ambassador answered that anyone can
substitute the co-chair, so only the co-chairs from Russia and France
Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard Fasie will visit the region.
It should be noted that, Merzlyakov and Fasie went to Yerevan yesterday
evening. They will hold talks on the regulation of Nagorno Garabagh
conflict with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian, and will discuss the issue concerning the preparations
to the meeting of Armenian president with Azerbaijan president on
November 28 in the frame of CIS Summit. The co-chairs are expected
to come to Baku tomorrow.

RUSSIAN AND FRENCH CO-CHAIRS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP ARE IN YEREVAN
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006
The Chairmen of OSCE MG from Russia and France, Yuri Merzliakov and
Bernard Fassier, have arrived in Yerevan, the acting press-secretary
of RA FM, Vladimir Karapetyan, told ArmInfo. According to him, the
Cochairmen will meet today, at 11:00 AM, with the RA Foreign Minister,
Vardan Oskanyan, Trend reports citing ArmIinfo.
After this meeting, the Cochairmen will be received by the Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan “The visit of the Cochairmen will be
held upon the results of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels”, V. Karapetyan said. He added
that a possibility of organizing a meeting of the Presidents, Robert
Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev, within the frames of the Minsk summit of
CIS states on November 28 will be discussed.
In is turn, as ArmInfo was told in the USA Embassy in Armenia,
that the American Cochairman, Mathew Bryza, could not join the rest
Cochairmen and arrive in Yerevan due to a loaded working schedule.

AMERICAN CO-CHAIR OF OSCE MINSK GROUP WILL NOT ARRIVE IN BAKU
Author: E.Huseynov
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006
The American Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza, will
now not be travelling to Baku, the Head of the Press Service of the
U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, Jonathan Henik informed Trend.
According to Henik, the Co-chair’s visit will not take place due to his
busy schedule. On 23-24 November, SA celebrates its National Holiday,
Thanksgiving Day. “The American co-chair has good inter-relations
with other co-chairs of the Minsk Group and they will represent his
interests in the talks,” Henik underlined, adding that Bryza’s visit
to Yerevan scheduled for 21 November has also been cancelled. The
agreement of the visit of the co-chairs to the region was confirmed
during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan Elmar
Mammadyarov and Armenia Vardan Oskanyan in Brussels on 14 November. The
mediators will hold negotiations with the heads of these countries to
discuss the recent initiatives regarding the solution of the peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
During the visit, the topic of discussions will be the organization
of the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents that is
scheduled to take place on 28 November in Minsk.

AMBASSADOR OF AZERBAIJAN HAS SOME MEETINGS IN QUEBEC
AzerTag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Nov 21 2006
According to the Azerbaijan’s embassy to Canada, ambassador Fakhraddin
Gurbanov visited the Quebec and met with the executives of the Quebec’s
Ministries of International Relations, Economic Development, Innovation
and Export Trade to discuss the prospects for development of relations.
The meeting focused on the political and economic situation in
Azerbaijan and region, security issues, trade relations and investment
projects.
Ambassador told of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and its hard consequences as well as negotiations to settle the
problem.
Later the same day, F. Gurbanov was invite to the local parliament
and introduced to MPs.