ASBAREZ Online [04-05-2005]

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04/05/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) New Armenian Ambassador to US Assumes Duties 2) Armenian Delegation to Attend Pope's Funeral 3) Armenia Dismisses Coach Casoni 4) Armenia, Azerbaijan to Mull New Karabagh Peace Plan 1) New Armenian Ambassador to US Assumes Duties WASHINGTON, DC--Armenia's newly-appointed Ambassador to the United States Tatoul Margarian, arrived in Washington, DC and assumed the duties of his office on March 31. Prior to his appointment, Margarian served as Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia. According to an embassy press release, Margarian brings to his position a wealth of experience in US-Armenian relations. Margarian received the appointment from President Robert Kocharian on March 19, and is expected to present his credentials to President George W. Bush shortly. Prior to assuming this position, Margarian served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, beginning June 2000. In that capacity, he was the Armenian coordinator for US-Armenia Strategic Dialogue, as well as the NATO-Armenia Political-Military Dialogue. Margarian also served as the President's Special Representative for Mountainous Karabagh negotiations, in 2002-2003. His previous diplomatic assignments include a term as Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister-Counselor at the Armenian Embassy in Washington, DC from December 1994 to January 1999. Before joining the Armenian Foreign Service, Margarian served in Armenia's legislative and executive branches. He was Assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Armenian Parliament from 1990 to 1991, and Assistant and Adviser to the Vice President of Armenia from 1991 to 1994, and also served as Acting Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992. Margarian was born on April 16, 1964, in Ghapan, Armenia. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, and is a Doctoral candidate at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He graduated from the Yerevan University of National Economy in 1985, and completed a PhD in Economics at the same University in 1988. Margarian is fluent in English and Russian. He is married and has one son. 2) Armenian Delegation to Attend Pope's Funeral YEREVAN (Armenpress)--An Armenian delegation headed by Prime Minister Andranik Margarian will leave for Vatican City on April 7 to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. The delegation includes Armenian ambassador to Italy Ruben Shugarian, ambassador to France and Vatican Eduard Nalbandian, deputy foreign minister Armen Bayburdian, as well as Catholicos Karekin II, who will be accompanied by Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, and Rev. Fr. Geghard Vahuni. Catholicos Karekin II paid tribute to the pope's legacy in a message of condolence to the Vatican. "Throughout his 26-year reign, His Holiness Pope John Paul II was a staunch defender of life and champion of justice," he wrote. "His Holiness's calls for peace and reconciliation in the world were anchored in his moral convictions and love for humanity." John Paul was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to set foot on Armenian soil and describe the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide--a fact emphasized by Karekin II. The pontiff spoke of a "moment of grace and joy" as he arrived in Yerevan on September 25, 2001 on a three-day visit that coincided with official celebrations of Armenia's adoption of Christianity as a state religion. "For ever, the annals of the universal Church will say that the people of Armenia were the first as a whole people to embrace the grace and truth for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Chris," he declared. "You zealously guard the memory of your many martyrs: indeed, martyrdom has been the special mark of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people." The pope had termed the 1915 tragedy a genocide in a joint communiqué with Karekin issued in the Vatican in November 2000. Another joint statement signed by the two spiritual leaders in Yerevan likewise referred to "the extermination of 1.5 million Armenian Christians in what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the 20th century." 3) Armenia Dismisses Coach Casoni YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--Armenia's French coach Bernard Casoni was fired on Tuesday, following a string of poor performances, federation president Ruben Hayrapetyan confirmed. The former Marseille player and manager, who had landed a one-year contract with the Armenian football federation last August, had been widely criticized for his methods and tactical choices, as his side endured 4 consecutive defeats against Macedonia (3-0), Finland (0-2 and 3-1), and Czech Republic (0-3) before collecting their first 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign points against Romania (1-1) and Andorra (2-1). And last Wednesday's 2-0 defeat in Holland appears to have been the last straw for the tactician. "We were very dissatisfied with the coach's work, especially his choice of players for games and his work methods," Hayrapetyan said. A new coach is expected to be named within the next 10 days. Armenia shares last place in European Zone Group One with Andorra after their most recent defeat, a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands. 4) Armenia, Azerbaijan to Mull New Karabagh Peace Plan MOSCOW (RFE/RL)--The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in London next week to discuss new proposals on Mountainous Karabagh put forward by international mediators, a senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday. Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chair of the OSCE's Minsk Group, said that Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mammadyarov may also agree a date for a meeting of the two countries' presidents, which he said is essential for further progress in the peace process. "The parties seem to have reached a point where a meeting of the presidents should give a new impetus to the negotiations," he said. Mammadyarov announced last week that his new round of talks with Oskanian, originally scheduled for March 2, will take place on April 15. The Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Oskanian will travel to London to meet with the Minsk Group's French, Russian, and US co-chairs. But it said a face-to-face encounter with his Azeri counterpart has yet to be confirmed. Merzlyakov acknowledged that the London talks will determine whether Aliyev and Kocharian will meet in Warsaw on the sidelines of the May 15-16 summit of the Council of Europe member countries. The mediators hope that they will discuss and present their opinion on the new peace proposals, he said. "The co-chairs believe that a political decision is required at the highest level," he said. "It is possible that they will not agree to our proposals and will suggest something else." The Russian diplomat refused to reveal those proposals, saying that they require major concessions from both conflicting parties. "The co-chairs of the Minsk Group have always said that public opinion needs to be prepared for agreement and to be told that mutual concessions are inevitable," he said. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. --Boundary_(ID_dWjkda3zvvoAa7/EOiqNQQ)--