Month: October 2008

THE SO-CALLED ‘GENOCIDE OF MOUNTAIN JEWS’ ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED BY ARMENIANS IS FICTION

AZG Armenian Daily
07/10/2008

National Interests

Despite the negative lessons of cultivating enmity around the South
Ossetian and Abkhazian conflicts and deliberations about Turkey’s
Platform of Stability and Security, the Azerbaijani special propaganda
continues poisoning the public conscience with misinformation",
Head of the Institute of National Strategic Studies of the Armenian
Defense Ministry, Major-General, Doctor of Political Sciences Hayk
Kotanjian said when commenting allegations in Azeri mass media that
the Knesseth has made decision to investigate the "genocide" against
Mountain Jews in the north of present Azerbaijan at the beginning of
the 20th century perpetrated by Armenians.

According to Kotanjian, the so-called "genocide against Mountain
Jews" is pure fiction imposed on the public conscience of Israel and
Jewish Diaspora by Azeri special propagandists and their foreign
partners. "These actions aim to undermine the friendship between
Jewish and Armenian peoples having very much in common in their
centuries-old history. Besides the gift to support their century-old
cultural and historical identity and develop the intellectual potential
of hundreds of generations, our people are united by the disastrous
hardship of Genocide and Holocaust, as well as by the experience of
heroic surviving and rebirth of statehood as the Republic of Armenia
and the State of Israel", he said.

One thing is clear: the falsifiers’ fuss is immoral, actually, it is
sneering at the memory of Armenians exterminated by gangs of Caucasian
Tatars in places of century-old friendly co-existence of Armenians
and Mountain Jews. Experts of invention of "genocide" are trying to
pass off the remains of these Armenians, victims of the massacre, as
the remains of Jews allegedly killed by Armenians. The matter concerns
the crimes of the gangs which at that time exterminated in the north
of Azerbaijan several thousands of Russian officers and soldiers who
were returning home from the Caucasian frontline, Kotanjian said.

IN THE CAUCASUS, BEING CAUTIOUS WORKS BEST
Mansur Aslanov

Turkish Daily News
Monday, October 6, 2008
Turkey

Recently, Azerbaijan has lived through some dramatic changes, which are
having profound effect on the nation’s outlook and perceptions. The
most obvious, of course, is Russia’s show of force against the
fellow Caucasus nation of Georgia. For Azerbaijan, Moscow’s easy and
previously unthinkable blatant annexation of Georgia’s territories
demonstrated the vulnerability of its main access route to the outside
world. Suddenly, the idea of the East-West Corridor, a cornerstone of
the regional developments since the early 90s, is severely undermined.

Perhaps even more shocking was that the Western reaction to the
outright crossing of once clearly marked "red line" of entering Georgia
amounted to nothing serious and has, in effect, condoned Russian
behavior. If Russian readiness to invade and erratic moves by Georgia’s
leaders came as little surprise, the degree of weakness of the West,
especially that of the United States, was unexpected. Similarly
surprising has been Turkey’s cold shoulder to Tbilisi. If Ankara’s
willingness to blur its regional vision from time to time in order to
accommodate Moscow has been a persistent pattern, Turkish easy-going
view of Georgia’s tragedy does not make much sense in the long term.

Emotional scar of Gul’s visit

Speaking of Turkey, many Azerbaijanis watched in disbelief as President
Abdullah Gul joined Armenia’s Sarkissian in Yerevan. Within two months
since Radovan Karadzic’s arrest for war crimes, the Turkish President
was visiting a leader who admitted to an international journalist that
he was behind the mass murder in Khojaly during the Armenia-Azerbaijan
war and that the objective was to instill mass terror. While smaller
in scope, in Azerbaijani psychology, Khojali has a place very similar
to the tragedy of Srebrenica in Bosnian minds. Therefore, the deep
emotional scar of seeing together Gul, the leader of Azerbaijan’s
closest people, and Sarkissian should not be underestimated. Of course,
Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev and his Armenian counterparts meet,
but those meetings take place on neutral grounds and have a goal of
discussing specific proposals toward resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, not grand symbolism.

Turkey has also chosen rather interesting timing for new and somewhat
vague proposals as well as major symbolic gestures. Azerbaijanis,
seeing their main regional partner, Georgia, being strangled and
still digesting the implications of Western impotence, suddenly faced
ambiguity from fraternal Turkey. All of this combined, can produce
a major re-evaluation of Azerbaijan’s perceptions and, certainly,
contributes to strengthening Russia’s regional dominance. In an
unpleasant deja vu, some in Azerbaijan were reminded about being
abandoned by Turkey in the 1920s only to be consumed by Russia. The
history of Moscow playing regional games more skillfully than Ankara
should not be ignored by Turkish policymakers as they assess the
costs and benefits of their next steps.

Turkey’s relative success in the region has been built on its strategic
relations with both Azerbaijan and Georgia and its alliance with
the West. In fact, Turkey has done pretty well in the region. Today,
Ankara can either expand that success rightfully claiming the mantle
of a regional leader and peacemaker, which seems to be a new obsession
of Turkish leaders, or waste the credit it has earned over the last
two decades trading real benefits for ephemeral symbolism.

More dialogue on more sophisticated terms is needed between
Azerbaijanis and Turks. The former, often seeing Turkey in simplistic
terms, have not been fully successful in making their case to the
more liberal sections of Turkish society. The liberals, in turn, keep
seeing Azerbaijan through a misleading prism of domestic politics. For
instance, the ideas of Turkism do not bear anti-liberal flavor in
Azerbaijan and other Turkic nations, quite to the contrary. They,
as often happens, fall victim to misnomers. Nor is Azerbaijan’s
problem with Armenia that of history and symbols. The conflict around
Nagorno-Karabakh is a practical issue, which should be resolved
on practical terms with respect to the rights of Azerbaijanis and
Armenians alike. This is not about digging in one’s past and projecting
it on present-day political divisions, it is about actual people and
issues of today. Turkish liberals taking a closer look may find it
still more comfortable to side with Azerbaijani victims of ethnic
cleansing than with radical Armenian nationalists all too ready to
use violence. Furthermore, what would be the choice of a liberal
Turk: a society, ideally, based on civic identity and, by the way,
rather tolerant of expression of religious identity or an exclusive
ethnicity-dominated political system?

Assuming direct ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh

Thus, looking at Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey should employ
healthy and informed pragmatism. If Armenia’s leader is serious about
ending its nation’s self-isolation, Turkey can and should use this
opportunity to help re-integrate the region. This could be the case
with Sarkissian because his country’s strategic vulnerability has
been made plenty clear by the war in Georgia and because he needs
to restore his legitimacy, which, after coming to power, was marred
by shooting protesters. If so, he also understands that the real
sustainability of Armenia’s future lies not in opening borders with
Turkey alone, but in a comprehensive approach involving normalization
with Azerbaijan and joining the regional infrastructure. For Armenia,
the difference between being an impasse on Turkey’s east and a major
transit point between East and West seems pretty clear.

So it should be to Turkish leaders. Moreover, whatever symbolic
benefits new friendship with Armenia can bring to Ankara, potentially
losing a stronghold in Azerbaijan would immediately decrease Turkey’s
regional role. Therefore, Turkey’s approach should focus on expanding
its presence, not losing the most important pillar of it. To do
so, Turkey’s leaders should be much more forceful in explaining
to Sarkissian that any progress should involve some progress on
Nagorno-Karabakh. They should also work diligently to continuously
reassure Azerbaijan, especially the public opinion, that Turkey does
consider Azerbaijani interests when talking to Armenia, even better
involve Azerbaijan in the conversation. This is important not only
because should the efforts succeed, the benefits can be enormous,
but also, because if they fail, Turkey wouldn’t lose Azerbaijan. Of
course, any attempts to bring in Armenia into a more integrated region
should not be done at the expense of abandoning Georgia, a wounded,
yet very important regional friend.

By stepping up its regional activism and its president visiting
Yerevan, Turkey has assumed direct ownership of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict. If some think that it has made its life easier, they need
to look at the history of international involvement with protracted
conflicts. Owning the conflict means that Turkey will be more than
ever involved in the Caucasus and bear greater responsibility than
before. If Ankara threads carefully and cautiously, this could be
Turkey’s best hour. If not, then the 1920’s may return to haunt all
of us with a vengeance.

CANDIDATE WITHDRAWS FROM RACE

A1+
[01:21 pm] 06 October, 2008

Republican Jora Sahabalian, ex mayor of Dilijan Town, head of the
Tavush State Department of Environmental Protection, withdrew from
the Mayor’s race on October 1, informed Chairman of Precinct 41
(seat in Ijevan) Smbat Gasparian.

Presently, two candidates run for the post – incumbent Mayor Armen
Santrosyan, head of the regional structure of the Republican Party
of Armenia (HHK), and non-partisan Ashot Hovhanisyan, Chairman of
"Dialnet" Company.

Local residents think that after Sahabalian’s withdrawal Santrosyan
has more chances to be relected to the post.

NA SPEAKER RECEIVES NEW CONGRATULATIONS

A1+
[07:15 pm] 06 October, 2008

President of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the
Russian Federation Sergey Mironov congratulated the Speaker of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Hovik Abrahamian. The
congratulatory message states, in part: "I’m sure that it’s necessary
to continue the close and productive cooperation, exchange experience
within the framework of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and
international parliamentary bodies. I wish success to you and all
the Deputies of the National Assembly in your legislative activity
for the sake of the brotherly Armenian nation and the reinforcement
of Armenian-Russian relations."

Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone
and Joe Knollenberg congratulated Hovik Abrahamian. "Armenia continues
the reforms and the work in the direction of establishing stability
in the region, and your new position inspires hope. We support the
diplomacy Armenia undertook in the Caucasus recently. The positive
nature of these actions will contribute to the deepening of US-Armenia
relations and will reinforce the international image of the country
as a reliable partner. As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues, we expect to work with you to help raise the issues
Armenians and American Armenians face.

We render our best wishes to you on the occasion of assuming office."

Secretary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization Peter Ryabukhin congratulated Hovik Abrahamian,
wishing him success in his high position and expressing confidence
in further cooperation.

Congratulations have been received also from the Armenian community
of Kharkov, marzes of Armenia, scientific institutions and other
organizations.

S. SARGSYAN: "PUBLIC NORM TO HONOR TEACHERS"

Panorama.am
17:28 06/10/2008

President Serzh Sargsyan congratulated all the teachers in this
Day of Pedagogues. "I cordially congratulate you with this Day of
Pedagogues. For centuries Armenian teachers grew up young generations
leaving as a heritage not only knowledge but also love towards
motherland and education. Current fact and the oldest customs of our
school system made honoring teachers a public norm.

Today you educate the young generation of Armenia, a generation which
should be the conqueror of our young democracy and achievements, as
well as should carry national and global values. Those values should
be transferred by teachers in schools.

Once again I congratulate you and wish health, optimism and all the
best," says the official message of the President.

BATTING FOR BOLLYWOOD: APPEARING IN A BOLLYWOOD FILM

Independent
Monday, 6 October 2008
UK

Indian movies certainly look like fun. But what’s it like to actually
appear in one? Andrew Buncombe finds out

The Indian bowler paused momentarily, gave the ball a final polish
and then began his run towards the crease. His teammates yelled
encouragement, urging him to make the crucial breakthrough. He ran in,
swung his arm and let fly. The ball pitched on the rock-hard ground
and I played forward, pushing at the hissing ball.

Bollywood plots are not known for their strict adherence to
reality. This was certainly the case when I found myself opening the
batting for the England cricket team in the 2011 World Cup. Can you
bat, the frazzled-looking assistant director had asked. "Well…,"
I began to explain. "That’ll do," he replied. "Get padded up".

The Indian movie industry churns out hundreds of films every year
and almost all have one thing in common: the need for plenty of
extras. People make careers playing bit parts in various films,
perhaps without ever uttering any dialogue. When the makers of
World Cupp 2011 – the use of double letters in movie titles is a
trend – arrived in Delhi to shoot the cricketing scenes of a sport
and match-fixing spectacular, there was a need to find some stand-in
players. Pale-skinned extras, to be more precise. "You don’t have to
know how to play," said my friend Ed, who called me. "But you have
to look as though you know."

Seven-thirty the next morning found us at an empty cricket stadium
on the outskirts of Delhi. The crew had been there for hours. The
director, Farah Sultan Ahmed, and her deputy, Zia Ur Rahman, outlined
the plot. Basically, he explained, the Indian team beats all the
opposition and wins. The following day, the crew was scheduled to
film the Indians beating the devilish Australians and the day after
that they would put the dastardly Pakistanis to the sword in the
final. But today was the day they beat England. Our job was to lose.

It rapidly emerged why the filmmakers were desperate to find
pale-skinned extras as there were only five of us – two Britons, an
Australian, an Afghan and a shaven-headed Russian – in the team. In
what might be taken as a sign of the progress made by Monty Panesar,
Nasser Hussain and others, the producers reckoned no one would
think it strange if the remainder of the English side was made up of
Indians. The Russian, it was whispered, had been cast as the England
captain even though he could not speak a word of English.

The truth was even more interesting. The sweet-natured man who was
leading us into battle was from Moscow but was actually Armenian. Armen
Grygoryn left Russia six months ago to fulfill a lifelong ambition to
be a Bollywood actor. "I have more than 3,000 Hindi movies at home,"
he said. "When I came to Mumbai I could not speak English or Hindi
but this is my dream."

Armen said he had already appeared in three films and was hoping World
Cupp – looking to cash-in on the success of last year’s hockey drama
Chak De! India – would be his breakthrough. Unfortunately, for all
his dedication, the moment we began shooting, it emerged that Armen
didn’t have the first clue how to play, or even to make it look as
though he knew how to. Even movies can only stretch reality so far.

Armen’s scenes were hurried through, seemingly destined for the
cutting-room floor. The routine was the same; a bowler bowled, the
Indian batsmen played went into action and the umpire signalled a
six. On the couple of occasions when the handsome Indian captain,
played by Ravi Kapoor, accidentally got out, we had to reshoot. "India
win this game with 154 for no loss," boomed Rahman.

The morning wore on. It was mercilessly hot. Just as Indian society
is stratified by a caste system, so was life on the movie set. Ravi
for instance, as the star, had someone follow him with a parasol and
spray his face with water. The rest of us had to make do with a few
gulps of water. Heavy make-up, insisted upon by the director, melted.

But no one was complaining. For the majority of the young
wannabe-stars, appearing in World Cupp represented a step on the
path to what they hope will be successful careers. "I don’t always
play sports films, but if someone offers me one I’ll take it, said
Abhinav Shrivastava, a 22-year-old actor originally from Bhopal,
who was playing England’s wicket-keeper.

Then it was England’s turn to bat. It was still important to make it
look real. Thrust into the unlikely role of opener, I hoped to play
a couple of balls before having to give up my wicket. Concentrate,
concentrate. Camera rolling, cried the director. "Action!"

The bowler ran in. The ball zipped off the pitch. I played forward
and felt the ball clip the edge of the bat. Behind me shouts of glee
erupted from the Indian players. I stood in disbelief. Caught out,
on the very first ball? I hoped the crew would want to shoot the
scene again, perhaps to get a better angle. But then I heard the
words that told me there would no second chance, that my day as an
extra was over. After all, even in Bollywood you can’t beat the real
thing. "OK," she cried. "Cut."

AZERBAIJAN TO THRUST WEDGE AMONG ARMENIANS AND COSSACKS

Panorama.am
18:06 06/10/2008

"Azerbaijan is intended to thrust a wedge among Armenians and
Cossacks," said Tigran Tavedyan, the editor-in-chief of "Yerkramas"
newspaper of Russian Armenians and the director of "Hamshen"
scientific, information and cultural Center, commenting on Viktor
Mereshkin’s, the leader of Cossacks of Azerbaijan, interview given to
Azeri "Dei Az". According to him Mereshkin was aimed to refresh the
news spread by Azeri and Turkish propagandists in 90th – Armenians
put an eye on Russian lands, in particular Armavir city in Krasnodar
region.

Moreover, Mereshkin notified that Cossacks of Cuban find it important
to remove local Armenians. T. Tavadyan reminded that in 90th anti
Armenian leaflets were published and spread but it was not a success
as they failed to thrust a wedge among Armenians and Cossacks.

SOUTH CAUCASUS: STABILITY PLATFORM AND CONFLICTS

International Analyst Network

05 Oct 2008
NY

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN ON TURKEY’S NEW UNDERTAKING IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

The five day long war in August between Russia and Georgia have
resulted important changes in South Caucasus. It is still early
to speak about the final results; however, it is already known the
main tendency – strengthening of Russia’s geopolitical position in
the region.

Displaying its political will and decisiveness and winning the war
Russia has reestablished its role in South Caucasus as the main power
center which it had lost at the end of the last century. It has not
only succeeded in furthering the establishment of the two new states –
South Ossetia and Abkhazia – in the region, but also in "legitimating"
deployment of its troops in their territories. Georgia, which in the
period of M. Sahakashvili’s presidency has became the main ally of
the west, namely the US, not only suffered irreversible loses in the
region, but also lost fighting capability of its armed forces and
efficiency of the military infrastructures.

Among the closest neighbor states of South Caucasus Turkey was the
first to respond the geopolitical changes in the region. That respond
appeared in the form of establishing South Caucasus Stability and
Cooperation Platform (SCP). The author of the undertaking is Professor,

Racep Tayyip Erdoghan’s closest advisor, chief architect of the Justice
and Development party’s governing circle’s foreign policy course
who is also considered to be one of the leading geopoliticians and
strategists of Turkey. In particular, he is the author of a distinctive
geopolitical conception called "Turkey’s strategic depth" which aims at
theoretically grounding the necessity to develop geostrategy directed
at creating spheres of influence around Turkey so reestablishing
its privileges over its neighbors due to its favorable geography and
magnificent imperial history.

In the beginning stage Turkey’s suggestion was envisaging to include
the US into the structure, besides the three South Caucasian countries,
Turkey and Russia, however, later on, as a result of discussions among
the leaders of Russia and Turkey in Moscow, was elected 3+2 format –
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Russia and Turkey.

In this case the situation was quite different: Turkey was responded
positively by all the possible participants of the Platform, besides
Georgia. The later one refused to take part in any undertaking
together with Russia, as Russian troops were on its territory, which
is politically quite perceptible. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan has
not officially appeared with any suchlike objections in connection with
Armenia. It is clear that it is the result of Turkey’s tough pressure.

However, from the geopolitical standpoint it is much more important
that Turkey’s undertaking is supported by Russia. As a matter of fact,
this circumstance is conditioned by Turkey’s readiness to exclude
the US from the Platform participants. We think that Russia positive
approach to SCP is only of tactical character as it is difficult to
imagine that country’s geostrategic prospective involving another
active player in South Caucasus beside itself. This circumstance
makes a ground to characterize SCP’s plan as hardly realizable.

We suppose that if Turkey and Russia being well aware of that
circumstance, nevertheless actively further preliminary works of
founding SCP, they have an objective to use that process in favor of
their tactic interests. Turkey tries to assure its neighbors and the
world that the foreign policy it carries out is based on active and
multi-polar world order perceptions, just like it befits the successor
state of the Ottoman Empire. At the same time SCP processes provide
a chance for Turkey to have "privilege" in the centuries-old struggle
with its regional and historical rival Iran – wakening its positions
in Caucasus. Russia spares no efforts to hinder the US entrance into
South Caucasus.

As for us, our involvement into SCP processes will raise Armenia’s
geopolitical "value" in the region. Accordingly, Turkey will get
more interested in settling its relations with Armenia which will
further mollifying "enforcement" policy implemented by Turkey. As it
is known, the expression of that "enforcement" policy is the three
preconditions put forward by Turkey and for it settlement of diplomatic
relations and opening of borders are conditioned by realization of
these preconditions. By the way, the visit of Turkey’s president
to Armenian provided a favorable chance to develop dialogues over
normalizing the relations.

"Noravank" Foundation, 29 September 2008

CAUCASUS PLATFORM: REGION TO SHARE EXPERIENCE WITH RUSSIA

Turkey took an initiative to establish Caucasus Platform in the region
and in this regard Turkey is trying to create positive relations
with Armenia, said Ruben Safrastyan, the director of Eastern Studies
Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. "Imagine
Armenia refuses to take part in the negotiations held in the frames
of the platform. Georgia has also rejected its participation. Hence
from Southern Caucasus countries only Azerbaijan remains which is not
preferable for Turkey," said Mr. Safrastyan and added that these are
our advantages to create communication with Turkey.

Panorama.am, 01/10/2008

Ruben Safrastyan: The Minsk Group remains the best format for
negotiations

During the Georgian conflict the Armenian diplomacy managed to be
on the height, preserving its role of an ally for Russia, the ties
with Georgia, the friendly relations with the UN and Europe. Armenia
did not only manage to formulae its national and state interests,
but also make those understandable for Russia, Georgia and the US,
Director of the Oriental Studies Institute of the National Academy of
Sciences Ruben Safrastyan told a press conference today. According to
him, Armenia proved that it’s committed to the strategic partnership
with Russia, and the Russian Federation does not conceal that the
importance of Armenia is growing.

According to Ruben Safrastyan the recent harsh statements of Turkey’s
President Abdullah Gul on the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border
are Turkey’s diplomatic tricks. For the first time in the recent
years Turkey is somewhat interested in continuing the negotiations,
first of all aspiring to get Armenia’s consent on participation in the
Caucasus Platform. Armenia’s having positive attitude is important
for Turkey. Armenia has two trump cards to resist the demands of
the Turkish diplomacy: Armenia can suspend the talks at any point,
which is not favorable to Turkey and Armenia can disagree with the
platform, thus making Turkey’s initiative senseless.

According to the Turkologist, Turkey will continue posing its
demands to Armenia: refusal from the policy of recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, unilateral concessions on the Karabakh issue and
recognition of territorial integrity with reconfirmation of the Kars
Agreement. However, according to Ruben Safrastyan, Armenia will make no
concessions. Ruben Safrastyan noted also that the Minsk Group maintains
its role as the best format for resolving the Karabakh conflict

Public Radio of Armenia , 01.10.2008

No Future in Turkish Initiative to Mediate Karabakh Conflict, Says
Safrastyan

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–Turkey’s recent efforts to mediate a
resolution in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan outside the Minsk Group format have no future, Armenia’s
top Turkologist, Ruben Safrastyan, told reporters on Wednesday.

The OSCE Minsk Group continues to be the best format for resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to Safrastyan, who is the director
Oriental Studies Institute at the Armenian National Academy of Science.

Turkey’s recent overtures to Armenia on the opening of borders and
the establishment of relations are "diplomatic tricks," aimed at
consolidating Turkish influence in the Caucasus, he added. Safrastyan
explained that Armenia’s significance to stability in the region
has grown in the wake of the brief but devastating Russian-Georgian
conflict, which cut off the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and hurt
Turkish energy revenues. This reality, he added, now compels Turkey
to seek Armenia’s participation in its proposed Caucasus Stability
and Cooperation Platform.

Official Ankara announced plans to create a Caucasus Stability and
Cooperation Platform that would include the three South Caucasus
countries plus two regional heavyweights, Turkey and Russia, following
the conflict. The regional framework, if realized, will allow Turkey
to extend its influence into the Caucasus at a level unseen since
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

According to Safrastyan, Armenia was able maintain its longstanding
policy of complimentarity, preserving its role as an ally of Russia,
its ties with Georgia, and friendly relations with the UN and Europe.

"Armenia not only managed to conceptualize its national and state
interests, it also l them clear to Russia, Georgia and the US,"
Safrastyan said. "Armenia proved that it is committed to a strategic
partnership with Russia, and the Russian Federation does not conceal
that the importance of Armenia is growing."

It is therefore important for Turkey that Armenia has a positive
attitude toward Ankara’s latest diplomatic initiative, he noted.

Armenia’s significance in the region, however, will not impel Turkey
to drop its longstanding preconditions for establishing relations
with Armenia, Safrastyan said. "Turkey will continue posing its
demands on Armenia: refusal from the policy of recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, unilateral concessions on the Karabakh issue and
recognition of [Turkey’s] territorial integrity with reconfirmation
of the Kars Treaty," he said.

But Armenia will not make concessions, according to
Safrastyan. "Armenia has two trump cards to resist the demands
posed by Turkish diplomacy," he explained. "Armenia can suspend the
talks at any point, which is not favorable to Turkey and Armenia can
disagree with the platform, thus making Turkey’s [Caucasus platform]
initiative senseless.

DEATH BECOMES HIM: KEVORKIAN’S ARTWORK ON DISPLAY AT ARMENIAN LIBRARY
By Steve Bagley

Daily News Tribune
Oct 06, 2008 @ 10:49 AM
MA

Jack Kevorkian speaks to a large crowd at the Armenian Library and
Museum of American on Sunday afternoon, October 5, 2008 about an
exhibit of his paintings.

The dying Jack Kevorkian is trying to get his point across.

The man known in the 20th century as Dr. Death marked the opening of
his painting exhibition "The Doctor is Out," at the Armenian Library
and Museum of America in Watertown by speaking largely about his run
for Congress in his home state in Michigan.

Greeted like a rock star yesterday afternoon, the 80-year-old
Kevorkian, who fought and went to jail in his crusade for euthanasia,
brushed the standing ovations, the crowd and the encomia aside.

"There’s too much praise for someone doing their duty," Kevorkian
said. "Courage is knowing what’s right and doing it."

Diagnosed with a terminal case of Hepatitis C, Kevorkian knows he
has limited time to get his message across.

"It scares me. I’m afraid it curtails my life," he said. "Dying in
prison is a vacuous death. It’s meaningless."

Charged with second-degree murder in 1999, he was released from prison
last year.

Kevorkian is waging a campaign to bring his philosophy to the people,
by discussing his paintings and run for office.

But don’t call his pieces art.

Art takes training, Kevorkian told an audience of upwards of 300
people, packing the museum’s lobby.

"It really isn’t art. Its main mission is conveying a philosophic
point. An abstract point," he said. "I call it pictorial philosophy."

By all accounts, that philosophy is indelibly linked to Kevorkian’s
years of suicide assistance, but not in the way one might think.

Several of his paintings are grim, depicting strong images. The piece
representing Kevorkian’s statement on war features a decapitated man
with Ares, the Greek god of war, over one shoulder and his own head
on a plate in front of him, apple in mouth.

To depict death, Kevorkian painted a man screaming as he falls to a
black pit full of ghosts, his fingers clutching to cliffsides with
such ferocity as to have rent the flesh from their tips.

Simultaneously political and philosophical, Kevorkian’s basic
perspective is unified by one idea: A rejection of fear and a powerful
individual freedom.

"We have relinquished our rights because we’ve been trained to think
that way," Kevorkian said.

American politics is ruled by fear, he said, and American people,
and people of the world, are taught to be afraid of death.

"I think it carries a message," Kevorkian said of his art, "which is
all I wanted."

That message?

"When death is approaching naturally, nature prepares you for it. You
actually welcome it," Kevorkian said. "We’ll go to any length to avoid
it. Screaming, terrified, we’ll go to any lengths to avoid it. Because
we’re taught that. Remember religion says it’s our greatest enemy? Can
you imagine that?"

Kevorkian said he had to be taken to prison to get his message out,
that the American judicial system refuses to give people the right
to die as they would see fit, and they are infringing on many other
rights of Americans.

He wants to educate people about the value of the Ninth Amendment of
the Constitution, which says the Constitution cannot infringe upon
people’s freedoms.

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not
be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people,"
it reads.

"That’s where all the rights are for the people," Kevorkian said. "
That’s why it hasn’t been used … And that’s one reason why I’m
running: to educate the people more on the Constitutional right we
have, of rights. We had it. We lost it. Can we get it back? Hard
to say."

Kevorkian was trailed by documentary filmmakers, working on
"Kevorkian," about his run for Congress he started after getting out
of prison in 2007.

Producer Steve Jones said of Kevorkian, seemingly in awe, "he’s
fearless. Absolutely fearless."

Even if you don’t agree with him, Jones said, you admire Kevorkian.

"No matter how controversial he is, he’s so logical. It’s very hard
to refute him."

Nobody among the crowd tried to refute him. Perhaps the most famous
Armenian American alive today, Kevorkian was greeted at the museum
like a hero.

"He’s among friends," Jones said. "He’s one of their own."

Kevorkian, son of two immigrant survivors of the Armenian Genocide,
turned to painting as a hobby, and produced 16 canvases over time. He
donated all of them to the museum.

"He’s a man of great integrity," said Brigham Moberly, who came from
out of state to see Kevorkian, whom he admired for his political
views. "He knows it’s time for the revolution to begin."

Artist Katherine Keogh, who traveled with Moberly, said Kevorkian’s
art spoke to her.

"His artwork is amazingly poignant," she said. "He really, really
strikes a chord with his paintings."

TOUGHER MEASURES SOUGHT FOR PLAQUE METAL THEFTS
By Roger Alford

Forbes
Associated Press
10.06.08, 11:09 AM ET
NY

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gene Ray cringes at the irreverence of thieves who
would steal historical markers to sell as scrap metal.

Ray, a great-great-great-great-great grandson of famed frontiersman
Daniel Boone, is calling for tougher sentences for people caught
plundering the bronze, brass, copper and aluminum plaques displayed
across the country to commemorate places of historical significance.

The issue arose after a man was sentenced in August to only four
months in jail for stealing a $10,000 plaque marking the original
Missouri burial site for Boone. Cut into pieces, the Boone marker
sold as scrap for less than $100.

"We were all just horrified," said Ray, an Atlanta resident. "That this
would happen, especially to someone of such historical significance,
infuriated many of us."

In the western Kentucky town of Henderson, investigators are trying
to find who took a cast aluminum marker that stood in front of the
one-time home of Gov. Augustus Owsley Stanley, who was elected in
1915. The newly refurbished marker disappeared about two months ago,
said Ronnie Browning, a superintendent in the state transportation
office in Madisonville.

In California, thieves stole a 160-pound bronze plaque last year from
the base of San Francisco’s Mount Davidson Cross. The plaque honored
victims of Armenian genocide from 1915 to 1918. Police notified
recycling plants in the San Francisco area to be on the look out for
the marker. So far, it hasn’t been found. The Council of Armenian
American Organizations of Northern California paid $11,000 for a
new marker.

Browning said the markers make easy targets for thieves because they’re
accessible and can be easily ripped from their posts or foundations. He
said he is convinced metal salvagers took the 60-pound aluminum marker
commemorating Gov. Stanley. Though such markers cost more than $2,000
to make, Browning said they probably would fetch relatively little
cash at scrap yards.

Copper was bringing $2.25 per pound on Friday at Baker Iron & Metal
Co. in Lexington. Aluminum, depending on its quality, was bringing
43 cents to 55 cents a pound. Copper alloys like brass and bronze
were just over $1 a pound.

Prices have been declining in recent months, said Bob Garino,
commodities director for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
Inc. in Washington.

"We’re seeing some lows that we really haven’t seen in quite some
time," he said.

Garino said wholesale prices for copper fell since September from
$3.15 a pound to $2.65 a pound, and aluminum fell from $1.17 to
$1.04. He said the prices still are high compared to five years ago,
when the average price for copper was 80 cents a pound and aluminum
was 65 cents a pound.

Cashing in with stolen scrap is risky in Kentucky and more than 30
other states where legislators have passed laws in recent years
requiring recyclers to notify police if they suspect someone has
dropped off stolen metal.

State Rep. Mike Denham, D-Maysville, said he believes Kentucky’s law,
which went into effect July 15, has discouraged metal theft. The law
requires scrap dealers to record the names and addresses of people
who cash in recyclable metals.

Utility companies had pushed for the new law primarily to combat the
theft of copper, which has been stolen from power and telephone lines,
electrical substations and construction sites. Its ramifications
reach beyond copper wire to bronze grave markers, urns and flag
holders that can be melted down for quick cash.

Jerry Raisor, curator at Fort Boonesborough near Richmond in central
Kentucky, said all kinds of monuments, even statues, are at risk of
being destroyed. Raisor said judges need to be tough with people who
plunder anything of historic value.

"It’s pretty pathetic," he said. "These are national treasures."

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