Month: March 2007

Turkish nationalism

Waving Ataturk’s flag

Mar 8th 2007 | ISTANBUL AND WASHINGTON, DC
>From The Economist print edition

There has been a lethal upsurge in ultra-nationalist feeling in Turkey

SITTING in an office plastered with Ottoman pennants, portraits of Ataturk
and the Turkish flag, Kemal Kerincsiz, a lawyer, says his mission in life is
to protect the Turkish nation from "Western imperialism and global forces
that want to dismember and destroy us". In the past two years Mr Kerincsiz
and his Turkish Jurists’ Union have launched a slew of cases against Turkish
intellectuals under article 301 of the penal code, which makes "insulting
Turkishness" a criminal offence.

Mr Kerincsiz has confined his nationalism to the courts. But elsewhere new
ultra-nationalist groups, some of them led by retired army officers, have
been vowing over guns and copies of the Koran to make Turks "the masters of
the world" and even "to die and kill" in the process. In January one of Mr
Kerincsiz’s targets, a Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor, Hrant Dink, was
shot dead by a 17-year-old, Ogun Samast, because he had "insulted the Turks".
The murder, in broad daylight on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets, was a
chilling manifestation of a resurgence of xenophobic nationalism aimed at
Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities and the Kurds-plus their defenders in the
liberal elite.

The upsurge threatens to undo the good of four years of reforms by the
mildly Islamist government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Indeed, it is partly
in response to these reforms-more freedom for the Kurds, a trimming of the
army’s powers, concessions on Cyprus-that nationalist passions have been
roused. The knowledge that many members of the European Union do not want
Turkey to join has inflamed them further (the EU partially suspended
membership talks with Turkey in December because of its refusal to open its
ports and airspace to Greek-Cypriots).

Another factor is America’s refusal to move against separatist PKK
guerrillas who are based in northern Iraq. If the United States Congress
delivers its pledge to adopt a resolution calling the mass slaughter of the
Ottoman Armenians in 1915 genocide, Turkey’s relationship with its ally
would suffer "lasting damage", says the foreign minister, Abdullah Gul.

Murat Belge, a leftist intellectual who is being hounded by Mr Kerincsiz,
sees disturbing similarities between the racist nationalism espoused by the
"Young Turks" in the dying days of the Ottoman empire (who ordered the mass
slaughter of its Armenian subjects), and the siege mentality gripping Turkey
today. The perception, now as then, is that Western powers are pressing for
changes to empower their local collaborators (ie, Kurds and non-Muslims),
with the aim of breaking up the country. "This social Darwinist mindset that
implies it’s OK to kill your enemies in order to survive" has been
perpetuated through an education system that tells young Turks that "they
have no other friend than the Turks," says Mr Belge. And it has been
cynically exploited by politicians and generals alike.

Mr Erdogan and Deniz Baykal, the leader of the opposition Republican
People’s Party, have proved no exception. When more than 100,000 Turks
gathered at Mr Dink’s funeral chanting "We are all Armenians", Mr Erdogan
opined that they had gone "too far". Both he and Mr Baykal have resisted
calls to scrap article 301, though there have been hints that it will be
amended.

The politicians are keen to court nationalist votes in the run-up to
November’s parliamentary election. Mr Erdogan also hopes that burnishing his
nationalist credentials will help him to coax a blessing from Turkey’s
hawkish generals for his hopes of succeeding the fiercely secular Ahmet
Necdet Sezer as president in May.

Yet a recent outburst by the chief of the general staff, Yasar Buyukanit,
suggests otherwise. He declared that Turkey faced more threats to its
national security than at any time in its modern history and added that only
its "dynamic forces" [ie, the army] could prevent efforts to "partition the
country". These words, uttered during an official trip to America, were
widely seen as a direct warning to Mr Erdogan to shelve his presidential
ambitions.

Others do not rule out possible collusion between nationalist elements
within the army and retired officers who are organising new
ultra-nationalist groups (one is said to be training nationalist youths in
Trabzon, where Dink’s alleged murderers came from). "The real purpose is to
sow chaos, to polarise society so they can regain ground [lost with the EU
reforms]," argues Belma Akcura, an investigative journalist whose recent
book about rogue security forces known as the "deep state" earned her a
three-month jail sentence. It would not be surprising if their next target
were a nationalist, she adds.

Meanwhile prominent writers and academics, including Mr Belge, continue to
be bombarded with death threats. Some are under police protection. Orhan
Pamuk, the Nobel prize-winning author whom Mr Kerincsiz took to court over
his comments about the persecution of the Armenians and the Kurds, has fled
to New York.

Where will matters go from here? This week one court banned access to
YouTube after clips calling Ataturk gay appeared on it; and another
sentenced a Kurdish politician to six months’ jail for giving the PKK
leader, Abdullah Ocalan, an honorific Mr. But a private television station
also withdrew a popular series, "The Valley of the Wolves", that glorifies
gun-toting nationalists who mow down their mainly Kurdish enemies, after the
channel was inundated with calls for the show’s axing. The battle for
Turkey’s soul is not over yet.

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:

A GATHERING WITH HIS HOLINESS ARAM I AT THE SEMINARY IN BIKFAYA

The Dean of the Cilician Seminary organized a gathering at the Seminary in
Bikfaya, bringing together His Holiness Aram I and the Catholicosate’s large
family, including the Cilician Brotherhood members, the Seminary staff,
students and the Catholicosate staff.

A warm family atmosphere surrounded the event with consecutive speeches by
the eldest member of the Cilician Brotherhood, Archbishop Ardavazt
Terterian, Primate of the Diocese of Lebanon Bishop Kegham Khatcherian,
Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian, V. Rev. Fr. Norayr Ashekian, V. Rev. Far. Shahe
Panossian, Seminary professor and poet Sarkis Giragossian, the Catholicosate’s
chancellor Khatchig Dedeyan and others. The speakers praised the
achievements of the Catholicosate of Cilicia on national and international
levels thanks to the untiring efforts, deep dedication and ecumenical
leadership of the Pontiff Aram I.

By bringing together the most senior and junior members of the
Catholicosate’s family, it reinforced among them the notion of being the
servants of the same calling.

In his words of blessing, the Pontiff praised the work carried out by each
member of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s large family, pointing out that
Brotherhood members, teachers, staff and students are all humble travelers
on the path of the Catholicosate’s mission.

"We must commit ourselves to that mission. We must always remind ourselves
that the church is not a structure, administration or authority. This is a
misconception of church. The church is essentially a mission of faith. As
members of church, as well as, as the servants of the church, our life must
be undergirded by this vision. What takes place in the Catholicosate of
Cilicia is noting but mission. A mission aimed at the preaching of the Word
of God, serving the needy, forming the young generation with Christian and
Armenian values, keeping the Armenian identity intact and strong in a
Diaspora situation, pursuing the human right of our people, etc… We will
continue the work of our predecessors. Each of you is a part of this
mission", said His Holiness.

The Seminary’s administration marked His Holiness’ 60th birthday with this
event, wishing him a long and fruitful tenure.

##
View the photo here:

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:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF JAPAN

His Holiness Aram I received the newly appointed Ambassador of Japan to
Lebanon, H.E. Yoshihisa Kuroda, in Antelias on Match 9. The Catholicosate of
Cilicia and the Japanese Embassy actively cooperated in the last decade in
the field of humanitarian service particularly in the "Birds’ Nest"
Orphanage and the Azounieh National Sanatorium which enjoy the Catholicosate’s
patronage.

The Ambassador and His Holiness discussed the recent local and
international developments, focusing on the efforts to resolve the Middle
East conflict. Speaking about the stabilization of political life in
Lebanon, the Pontiff stressed the importance of dialogue and the need to end
the political ‘fights’ between various leaders. He stressed the need to
strengthen the internal unity and mutual trust between the different
communities in the country.

The Catholicos also talked about his visit to Japan and his dialogue with
Buddhism, highlighting the role of inter-faith dialogue and cooperation in
the current world.

##
View the photo here: #2

Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
March 10 2007

Georgia’s NATO aspirations

This interview was recently taken by the `Eurasian Home’ a Moscow
based think tank with Mr. Pachulia, head of GORBI Gallup
International, a Georgian based research firm. The verbatim text
follows:

Q. How far can the Georgian leadership go in terms of collaboration
with NATO, including opportunities for placing NATO troops in the
country?

The Georgian leadership has strong support of its population in terms
Georgian NATO relationship at this moment. The consensus about the
benefits that the country could receive after becoming a member
appears mutual but there remain many contradictions. Although
Georgian president Saakshvili and key officials have stated several
times that NATO membership does not necessarily means locating NATO
troops on Georgian territory. However, this argument is not
convincing for NATO bashers outside of the country. Moreover, there
are many homegrown opponents in Georgia who see NATO needing Georgia
and ask whether Georgia really needs NATO?

Nonetheless, and as some pundits believe, Russia can even digest (as
a matter of fact that NATO may end up on its door step, sooner or
later) Georgian membership, but they could not digest the theoretical
possibility of Turkey (via a possible heavy military presence in
Georgia), and from a country that has been a historical rival of
Russia to be some 300 kilometers closer to the Russian borders than
they are at already.

In the meantime, however, striving for NATO is a useful distraction
for the more pressing social and human rights issues facing Georgia.
It is easier to blame the domestic problems of Georgia on the lack of
territorial integrity and the constant meddling that Russia stands
behind in the conflict zones. This becomes a convenient distraction
as to more pressuring problems facing the average citizen such as
problems of human rights, living wages and ever-increasing inflation
(both actual and hidden).

Under normal circumstances, Georgians ambitions would be held in
abeyance until it would clear up its act, and get away from fancy
proclamations that all is well on the home front, and prove it in
fact. NATO does, however, serve in the meantime as a useful function
for the Georgian State. And that NATO standard means more than to
volunteer Georgian troops for the NATO mission in Afghanistan as a
down payment for membership.

Q. To what extent is the Georgian population supportive of NATO
membership?

After the recent expansion of the EU, which even took hold of once
Soviet territory, the majority of those new member states quickly
welcomed NATO membership. Although not a member of the EU, Georgian
has expressed a similar desire to sign on to European structures such
as NATO not only for economic reasons, but to distance itself from
Russia, especially following the recent deterioration of
Georgian-Russian relations and political standoff in late 2006 over
the arrest of alleged Russian military officers who were alleged to
be spies. The ensuring war of words contributed already stressed
relations. Interestingly though, in early 1990s, opinion polls
demonstrated that Georgians were not very eager even to join the EU
and the sentiments were split, however this was due to the fact that
experience of being a member of the USSR was not considered as `good’
and respondents seemed a bit skeptical about future membership of any
club. There must be a reason for a shift in public opinion and not
only because Georgians to buy into NATO as a transparent organization
that has a clear definition in the post-Cold War period. It may be
that Georgians see NATO as a stick not to measure the success of
their government’s efforts to gain membership but a beating stick to
whip the government into line to what are the membership requirements
and how that can improve their lives. Georgians are pragmatic in
nature and more concerned about true democracy and not political
rhetoric.

Interestingly enough, right after NATO’s secretary general’s remark
that `Georgia and Ukraine may become members of NATO in 2009′ this
issue raised debates among different parties and it was understood in
different ways by those with different standpoint dependencies.

A week earlier, Russian ambassador Vyacheslav Kovalenko’s new
initiative even added fuel to the fire with his proposition of
`Moscow wants Georgia to be independent and a neutral state’ and this
could have been heard far and wide. All things considered, its is
pretty pathetic that such proclamation was not heard 16 years ago,
right after Georgia declared independence and started crashing and
burning with the help of Russia and its imbedded agents. However,
better late than never; those years have passed. Now Russia and
Georgia can look back and dwell on them or get on with their lives
and start fresh. The time has passed for finger pointing and trying
to sort out who is guiltier for making a mess of things. In the
meantime bad memories still serve the purpose of keeping a
controversial political relationship, nothing to say about official
Tbilisi accusing Russia of annexing territories of its own country,
and Russian keeping the `breakaway’ regions as their hedge for a
showdown over NATO.

This begs the question as to what the Kremlin really means with its
conception of neutrality, and what price is Georgian willing to pay
for this neutrality, if anything. There are many questions in the
air, and should Georgia and the alleged stakeholders trust such an
initiative? The price could be very high if trust is not forthcoming
and it does not conform to the reality on the ground. More
importantly, however, is what benefits would a vaguely defined
position of neutrality serve when there is the possibility of being
part of a collective security organization in the not-too-distant
future? Georgians see NATO as the cure-all for resolving their
problems with territorial integrity and this overall attitude is
supported by various comments of key members of the US Senate foreign
intelligence committee.

In some respect Georgia is doing quite well at first impression (in
terms of international relationship with NATO and the West,
conducting reforms in the Army, etc). However, one thing that is
often forgotten in the minds of many still remains missing: there is
a need for a public education campaign about NATO, and what benefits
it actually will bring in the future, apart from a collective
security agreement, the sooner results are forthcoming to the average
Georgian the better.

Otherwise, we could find ourselves in the same situation as the
famous quote of the Jewish-American comedian, Grocho Marks (of the
Mark’s Brothers) "I wouldn’t want to join any club that would have me
as a member". In fact, this may be an overstatement but if Georgia
really qualified for membership then Georgia would not need NATO. Not
all Georgians are delusional in understanding that membership for
Georgia is not a serious issue for NATO.

In the final analysis it may be that NATO can find more fertile
ground in Georgia for collaboration and this can be a good example in
bringing Ukraine back to active negotiations and put some color back
into the Orange Revolution whose colors have started to fade and run
because of meddling influence of Kremlin. It goes without saying that
so goes Georgia, so goes other countries in the neighborhood as in
the case of the future pragmatic direction of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Q. What kind of problems and issues could be solved, thanks to
joining NATO, in terms of general public opinion of (e.g. solving
territorial disputes, etc)?

Perhaps the biggest challenge to membership is not from Russia but
from within: time will resolve the conflict zones and demands of
secessionist governments. Ideally, if all goes well, all parties will
realize that the time has arrived to sit down at the same table of
negotiations, and without outside influences calling the shots.
Tbilisi and its supporters do not need to be drawn into a military
confrontation, the situation could be solved faster than anyone is
willing to expect. Case study of Aslan Abashidze and his little black
sea fiefdom that is still in the minds of those who thought that it
could not be ended because of its closes ties with the inter-circle
of the Kremlin.

Snows are melting due to the arrival of spring, and it is highly
likely if things are not carefully considered on diplomatic fronts,
that the smoking coals could be stirred and everybody knows the
potential fallout. Outsiders have nothing to lose but Georgia has
everything to loose, its statehood, while secessionist governments
and those who blatantly egged them on will lose face and this can
result in lots of unintentional consequences.

Moreover, NATO is a goal – something to aim high in the hope that we
will come closer to the mark. Georgia needs standards, and even if
the sentence to wander is shortened by just a few years in trying to
live up to those standards, then all the extra effort will have been
well worth it. However, one thing is missing and it should be
emphasized as perhaps the weakest link: in the minds of many, mostly
politicians and those looking to belong to the proverbial club with
wannabe members, there needs to be more than just a military
emphasis. Alternatively, there should be more emphasis on the process
in itself that allows for a professional army as part of a civilian
government that actually works.

National Security does not mean an army in isolation but it rather
means democracy; a system where the informed majority of the
population holds their elected leaders accountable, where there is no
doubt that the society is one of a rule of law and not the rule of
men.

As it stands now, Georgian officials on the one hand, are proclaiming
peaceful integration of breakaway regions, and on the other hand they
can see only a united Georgia as being able to enter NATO. Can those
two things happen in this sequence? At this moment, it is hard to
predict, however during the last 3 years several miracles had
transpired in the political life of Georgians, so one could never
know what to expect next (you never know).

Georgian Times

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan supports the OSCE MG format of the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process

Arminfo
2007-03-10 12:21:00

Azerbaijan supports the OSCE Minsk Group format of the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. That’s why we continue the talks, the
spokesman of the Azeri Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibragim told Day.az
(Baku) while commenting on the statement of Armenian FM Vardan
Oskanyan that, once there is an OSCE MG format, a UN decision on the
issue would be illogical.

As you may know, very shortly we will decide on the next round of the
talks between the Armenian and Azeri FMs in Geneva, says Ibragim. The
adoption of any UN resolutions, documents or statements concerning
conflicts and the inclusion of such problems in the agenda of the UN
General Assembly are a positive moment. The international community
should be aware of these problems and should solve them. Final
decisions can be made within other formats but all the other
organizations, especially a universal organization like the UN, are
obliged to support negotiating formats, says Ibragim.

Araratbank starts issuing debit-credit Autocards

Arminfo
2007-03-10 00:47:00

Araratbank has started to issue debit-credit ArCa cards – Autocards.

The head of the plastic card department of the bank Gagik Shahinyan
says that there are three types of Atuocards: Classic, Gold (for
physical entities) and Business (for legal entities). The partner
network of the project consists of seven car services: Mercedes
Service, BMW Service, KIA Motors, KARKOMAUTO, Bosh Car Service, Flash
network of fuelling stations, Tufenkyan Hotel Network, where
card-holders can enjoy up to 15% discounts.

One of the key advantages of Classic card is INGO-Armenia third car
insurance policy and of Gold cards – additional 1.5mln AMD accident
insurance policy. Besides, the bank provides bonuses: return of 0.25%
of total transaction amount to Classic card holders, 0.5% to Gold card
holders. The annual fee of Classic card is 5,000 AMD, Gold – 12,000
AMD, Business – 10,000 AMD for main card and 5,000 AMD for additional
one.

The bank is negotiating about discounts with the Georgian car services
situated along the roads heading for the Black Sea coast as tens of
thousands of Armenian cars pass by them every year.

Today, Araratbank has 5 bancomats and is going to redouble their
number by the end of this year. By the end of this year the bank is
planning to have 8,000 card holders. In the autumn the bank is going
to become an associate member of Master Card system.

Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
March 10 2007

Georgian Patriarch on "Goodwill Mission" to Russia

At the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Patriarch of the
Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II paid a four-day visit to Moscow
March 1-5. President Mikhail Saakashvili described the visit as a
"goodwill mission" and a "public diplomacy effort."

The leader of Georgia’s orthodox believers was invited to Moscow to
attend the presentation of the 13th volume of the Orthodox
Encyclopaedia, which devotes articles to the history of the Georgian
Orthodox Church. Accompanied by an 80-man delegation, the Georgian
Patriarch departed to the Russian capital in a direct charter
Tbilisi-Moscow flight of Georgian Airways (Airzena), making the first
precedent since October 3, 2006, when Russia imposed a transportation
embargo against its pro-Western neighbor over the so called `spy
row.’

The charter flight was arranged at the request of the Georgian
Patriarch. Earlier, Russia imposed an economic and transportation
embargo on the Tbilisi administration, banning imports of Georgian
wine and mineral waters. The sanctions against Georgia have included
the deportation of hundreds of Georgian nationals residing in Russia.

Since the sanctions started, Georgia and Russia have been exchanging
accusations and have never reached a compromise. This is why such
value is attached to the Georgian Patriarch’s visit; it is hoped that
this visit will make a change.

The strengthening of relations between the Russian and Georgian
churches is a guarantee of the preservation of friendship between our
two nations, Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All of Russia, said at
a meeting with Ilia II in Moscow’s St. Daniel Monastery on March 2.
`The consolidation of the pacifying, beneficial impact of the Church,
which brings spiritual revival to the people, is the foundation of
our hope for the future, for the well-being of Georgia, for accord
between its public forces, for unbreakable and eternal friendship
between our nations,’ according to Russia’s Itar Tass news agency.

Relations between the Georgian and Russian Orthodox Churches have
become tense with regard to the conflicts of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia during the past several years. On several occasions the
Georgian Orthodox Church accused the Moscow Patriarchate of violating
church law. The latest complaint was voiced in early January when
Georgian Patriarch’s Office accused Russia of church separatism after
Russia’s secular and spiritual authorities blessed the translation of
the Gospel into Abkhazian, the official language of Georgia’s
breakaway province without having consent from the Georgian
Patriarch.

A special reception to present the Abkhazian gospel was held in
Moscow on January 10. Russian President Vladimir Putin along with the
Russian Patriarch attended the event. This fact stirred up widespread
discontent in Georgia as the Abkhaz Church is under the jurisdiction
of Georgian Orthodox Church – a fact officially recognised by the
Russian Orthodox Church.

Spokesperson for the Georgian Patriarchate Zurab Tskhovrebadze
commented in January: "Religious separatism is being pushed by
[Russia] along with political separatism. Anti-Georgian forces are
making every effort to detach this [Abkhazia] region from Georgia
both politically and spiritually. Disregard for the consent of the
Georgian Orthodox Church [for translating the Gospel], is nothing but
a gross violation of religious law."

The Russian Orthodox Church has rebuffed these allegations, saying
that it only provided "humanitarian" assistance to the breakaway
provinces. Recent talks in Moscow focused only on positive side of
the bilateral relations in a bid to build a bridge between the
conflicted parties.

Georgian Patriarch emphasized that the first direct flight to Moscow
[performed after the embargo] symbolically coincided with the first
day of spring, hinting at the optimistic expectations for the visit.
"I believe a goodwill relationship will resume [between Georgia and
Russia] and peace will be re-established," he told reporters.

Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II [secular name: Irakli
Gudushauri – Shiolashvili] was born on January 4, 1933, in
Vladikavkaz, capital of Russia’s Republic of North Ossetia. However,
his parents were from Georgia’s Kazbegi region. The future Patriarch
professed his monastic vows while a graduate student of the
Theological Academy in 1957 and was enthroned on December 23, 1977.

>From 1978 – 1983, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was Co-President of
the World Council of Churches [WCC]. According to the Georgian
Patriarch’s office, "His Holiness has received the highest Church
awards from Patriarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Orthodox
Churches of Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Russia, Georgia, Greece,
Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia and almost all other
Orthodox Churches." Over the past decades, Ilia II has been one of
the most highly respected personalities in Georgia thanks to his huge
contribution to restoration of the religious life in Georgia after
the 70-year history of Soviet atheism as well as to his balancing
role during the country’s post-independence political turbulences.

Speaking at a meeting with media representatives on November 23,
President Saakashvili voiced his hope that Patriarch’s Moscow trip
would make a breakthrough in the stalemated Russian-Georgian ties.

`It seems that the government [of Georgia] is mulling over
stabilising the strained relationship with Russia and is pinning its
hopes on religious leverages," leader of Tbilisi-based NGO National
Lobby Giorgi Andriadze told GT. As Andriadze said, after a 6
month-suspension, even a one-time operation of a Tbilisi-Moscow
flight is a remarkable achievement "demonstrating the considerable
and yet unexhausted diplomatic potential of our church."

Pursuant to historical records, Georgian’s Orthodox Church was
established in the forth century by the Holy Apostles Andrew the
First Called, Simon Canaanite and Mathew. In the 4th century,
Christianity was announced the state religion of Georgia which over
the centuries shaped the essence of Georgian culture and politics. In
the 5th century, the Georgian Orthodox Church obtained autocephaly
[independence] from Antioch. In 1811, Russian Synod stripped Georgia
of autocephaly and put it under Russian Church’s jurisdiction. Almost
a century later in 1917, the Georgian church regained independence.

In Georgia, Orthodox Church enjoys great support and the largest
number of followers. According to the 2003 census, 83.9% of
Georgia’s population is Orthodox Christian, Muslim population makes
up 9.9%, while Armenian-Gregorian believers account for 3.9%,
Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8% and 0.7% are atheists.

Georgian Times,By Maia Edilashvili

Mar 24-25 night Armenia to switch to summer time

Arminfo
2007-03-10 12:14:00

Mar 24-25 Armenia will switch to summer time. The clock should be advanced
one hour all over the country.

Summer time also known as daylight saving time was first applied in England
in 1908. It is the convention of advancing clocks so that evenings have more
daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one
hour in late winter or early spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. 110
countries observe DST. In the CIS only Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and
Turkmenistan don’t observe it.

Government of Canada Newsroom (press release), Canada
March 10 2007

Health Hazard Alert – Excessive Levels of Arsenic in Jermuk Classic
Brand Natural Sparkling Mineral Water

Related Alerts: 2007-03-09 | 2007-03-08

OTTAWA, March 9, 2007 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is
warning the public not to consume Jermuk Classic brand Natural
Sparkling Mineral Water because the product may contain excessive
levels of Arsenic.

The following products are known to have been imported in Canada. All
sizes and codes of these products are affected by this alert.

The first product, Jermuk Classic brand Naturally Sparkling Mineral
Water was imported by D.A. Arcan Inc., for Phoenicia Inc., Ville St.
Laurent, Quebec. Label identifies that the product was bottled by
Jermuk CJSC. It is known to have been sold from the following stores:

Adonis, 4601 Boul. des Sources, Dollard des Ormeaux, Quebec.
Adonis, 2001 rue Sauvé ouest, Montréal, Quebec.
Adonis, 705, Boul. Curé-Labelle,Chomedey, Laval, Quebec.
Intermarché Latina, 11847 rue Lachapelle, Ville St-Laurent, Quebec.
D.A. Arcan Inc., is voluntarily recalling the affected product from
the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the
recall.

The second product is Jermuk Classic brand Medicinal-Table Natural
Mineral Water Sparkling. The label for this product identifies that
the water is from Jermuk Group in Armenia. This may be available
Canada wide.

The CFIA is continuing its food safety investigations.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption
of these products. Arsenic is a toxic substance and is a known cause
of cancer in humans.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at
1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
time, Monday to Friday).

For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food
safety facts, visit our web site at

– 30 –

Media enquiries:

Davendra Sharma (English)
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Food Recall and Emergency Response
613-755-2890

Linda Leblanc (French)
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Food Recall and Emergency Response
613-760-4112

cleid=282759

Baku and Ankara upholds the hostile policy towards Armenia

10.03.2007 13:13
Tatul Hakobyan
"Radiolur"

The forum of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations, featuring
more than 500 participants from 50 countries, started in Baku
yesterday. Among the guests are the Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and leader of the unrecognized Northern Cyprus Mehmet
Ali Talat. Undoubtedly, the forum mainly focused on the statements of
the Turkish Premier and the President of Azerbaijan, which have a
clear anti-Armenian character.

Ilham Aliyev declared in his speech that `Azerbaijan will never put up
with the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent regions and
will not allow building a second Armenian state on Azeri land.’ Aliyev
urged Armenia to reconsider its policy and `refuse from the ungrounded
demands on Azerbaijan and Turkey.’

`Armenia should implement changes in its policy; it should withdrow
from Azerbaijan land and refuse from demands on Turkey connected with
the Armenian Genocide,’ he said, adding that otherwise the future of
Armenia may be questionable. It’s still nothing. From Aliyev’s next
sentence it becomes clear to what extent Baku is ready for concessions
and the settlement of the Karabakh issue. `Armenia has no territorial
demands on Armenia, although it could have, since today’s Armenia has
been created on historically Azerbaijani lands.’ ` Zangezur and
Yerevan were the lands of our predecessors, these are old Turkish
territories. If we lay claims on these lands, the self-determination
of Armenians will be under question.’

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared in his speech that only
through close cooperation Azerbaijan and Turkey will manage to solve
the problems and issues they face and. He said `Armenia has occupied
Azerbaijani lands, but earlier or later justice will triumph.’ Among
the challenges to Turkey Erdogan stressed the `demand of the Armenian
Diaspora to recognize the Armenian Genocide,’ as well as `the unfair
isolation of the Turkish community of Cyprus.’ `The pain of
Azerbaijan is Turkey’s pain, the joy of Azerbaijan is the joy of
Turkey,’ Erdogan underlined.

In an interview with the Azeri APA agency Erdogan cited departed
President Heydar Aliyev as saying that `Azerbaijan and Turkey are
separate states, but Turks and Azerbaijanis are the same people.’
Highly assessing the Ankara-Baku relations, Erdogan emphasized the
construction of pipelines with neighboring Georgia and friendly
Azerbaijan, as well as other regional programs, including the
Kars-Akhalkalaki rail project.

It’s worth mentioning that Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship is
particularly strong especially when the question refers to the policy
towards Armenia. For many years these two countries have been keeping
Armenia in blockade, which is considered a hostile activity. Turkey
associates the normalization of relations with Armenia and
establishment of diplomatic relations with the resolution of the
Karabakh issue.

Certainly, the word `resolution’ has no negative meaning, but by
saying ` resolution’ Turkey means unilateral concessions by Armenia.