Author: admin

ANDRE AGASSI AWARDED WITH "BIG LEGENDS" PRIZE

ARMENPRESS
Sep 25, 2008

Famous American-Armenian tennis player, Olympic champion, winner of 8
tournaments of "Grand Slam" and 68 other tournaments of professional
tennis Andre Agassi was awarded with special prize "Big Legends". Andre
Agassi was the leading tennis player of the world for a long time.

The prize was awarded to him by the USA "Baunakonty" fund during the
ceremony in the New York "Walldorf Astoria" hotel.

The legendary tennis veteran continues to be engaged with tennis,
he has his active role in the world of tennis. In all his interviews
A. Agassi always mentions about his Iranian-Armenian roots.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE
September 24, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Email: [email protected]

MENENDEZ HAMMERS TURKEY’S "HISTORICAL COMMISSION" PROPOSAL

— Senators Menendez and Kerry Grill Ambassador Designate to Ankara
during Confirmation Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC – New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez pressed U.S.
Ambassador to Turkey nominee James Jeffrey to explain the
Administration’s apparent renewed backing for Turkey’s widely
discredited push for a "historical commission" on the Armenian
Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA). The move comes despite the State Department’s pledge, made
during the nomination process for U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie
Yovanovitch, to oppose efforts that would open to debate the fact
that Ottoman Turkey used mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and
forced deportations to destroy over one and half million Armenians.

"We want to share our special thanks with Senator Menendez for,
once again, shining a powerful international spotlight on the
Administration’s policy of complicity in Turkey’s denial of the
Armenian Genocide," stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
"We are especially for his incisive line of questioning regarding
the State Department’s flawed and inconsistent position on Turkey’s
self-serving proposal for a historical commission. A clear
illustration of the bankruptcy of the Administration’s policy on
the Armenian Genocide was the nominee’s convoluted response to the
simple question, posed by Senator Menendez: ‘If Turkey would be
willing to recognize the Armenian Genocide, would the United States
be willing to do so?’"

Ambassador-Designate Jeffrey’s confirmation hearing, held earlier
today, was chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-MA), who, in his
opening remarks, cited his decades long support for Congressional
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide. Following Amb. Jeffrey’s
testimony, Sen. Kerry led the questioning on the Armenian Genocide,
asking if the nominee could "assure the Committee that the
Administration is not supporting – financially, rhetorically, or
otherwise – an effort to convene a commission to settle an
historical debate [on the Armenian Genocide] – that in effect is
not a debate."

Jeffrey responded, "Mr. Chairman, as you have indicated, the
Administration recognizes and mourns, and is very, very, very
concerned about the historical facts, which include, as you said,
the mass killing and the forced exile of up to 1.5 million
Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire. We support, as
President Bush made clear in his recent statement on March 24th,
the open effort on both sides to get to the bottom of the
historical facts and to move forward as part of a reconciliation
process both to establish closer and eventually full relations and
to work out these dark chapters in the past."

Sen. Kerry followed up, asking if Jeffrey is, in effect saying that
"we are supportive of the historical commission itself and its
goal? Or are we supportive of simply maintaining the historical
records?"

Jeffrey responded: "We are supportive of anything the two sides
mutually agree on, Sir. And as part of any process, there should
be a full and open review of the events of that time."

Jeffrey’s response sparked a series of probing questions from
Senator Menendez, who opened his remarks by expressing his "dismay"
at Jeffrey’s answers, arguing, "that puts us before where we were
when we had the Ambassador designee to Armenia [Marie Yovanovitch]
being interviewed." Senator Menendez then quoted extensively from a
July, 2008, letter from Asst. Secretary of Legislative Affairs
Matthew Reynolds, issued to clarify various responses that U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch had given during her
confirmation hearing. The letter explained that, a proposed effort
to bring Turkish and Armenian archivists to the U.S. is not a means
to "open a debate on whether the Ottomans committed these
horrendous acts; it is to help preserve the documentation that
supports the truth of those events." The letter went on to note
that "the Administration recognizes that the mass killings, ethnic
cleansing, and forced deportations of over one and a half million
Armenians were conducted by the Ottoman Empire. We indeed hold
Ottoman officials responsible for those crimes."

Sen. Menendez, concerned that Jeffrey had veered away from
Administration policy articulated in the Reynolds letter, asked
"The historical facts, as I see it, have now been admitted to by
the State Department and clearly stated as such." And I don’t get
the sense that’s what you’re telling us, so that puts a
complication in this process. Maybe you can help us out."

Jeffrey was again evasive, responding that, "what assistant Sec.
Reynolds wrote is U.S. government policy and we stand by it. What
I was trying to convey was that it is also important for Turks and
Armenians to move forward on a joint effort to work on these issues
to come to some kind of, to the extent they can, common view of the
historical past."

Menendez shot back, asking "Why would we support an initiative that
ultimately doubts whether those are the historical facts? If the
Turks seek to do it, that’s one thing. But why would we be
supportive of an effort that ultimately undermines the very
position that the State Department has?"

Jeffrey responded in generalities, noting "In conflicts such as
this, Senator, we believe, and we apply this across the board in
the many conflicts that I have been involved in, we have an
obligation to the historical record and to our citizens to have our
own views, but it is also important to encourage the various sides
on a dispute, be it this one, be it others, to try to come to some
sort of joint understanding of the past and a joint way forward for
the future."

Menendez then went back to Sen. Kerry’s original question once
again. "Would you then, as Ambassador, be someone who would
advocate rhetorically, financially or otherwise, that the
commission should be constituted and move forward?" Jeffrey
responded: "The effort that can be taken for people to review
openly the facts of that period would be supported by me."

Sen. Menendez would later return to Amb. Jeffrey for a second round
of questioning, expressing frustration that the lack of "straight
answers" from Ambassadors precludes Senators from making "straight
judgments" on key foreign policy issues. He then asked Amb.
Jeffrey, simply, if "If Turkey would be willing to recognize the
Armenian Genocide, would the United States be willing to do so?"
Jeffrey initially replied that he "can’t commit the Administration
to any future action," but upon further questioning stated, that
while Turkish recognition would be important, "there would be other
factors that would have to be weighed, such as our general approach
to other conflicts in the region and taking positions. The
relationship between Turkey and Armenia is a major factor in the
policies we take, the words we use. But there are other factors as
well, sir."

Menendez ended his questioning on the Administration’s Armenian
Genocide policy by asking whether Jeffrey would follow in the
footsteps of Undersecretary Edelman and Assistant Secretary of
State Dan Fried, who, according to multiple press accounts, last
October, traveled to Turkey to "express regret" at House Foreign
Affairs Committee passage of Armenian Genocide legislation.
"Senator," said Jeffrey, "I never have and I never will express
regret. This is an independent and equal organ of the U.S.
government and it deserves the respect of everyone, everywhere in
the world."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman and Vice-Presidential
nominee Joe Biden and other Committee members are set to submit
additional questions to Ambassadorial nominee, who may be confirmed
as early as Friday of this week.

Extended excerpts from the Menendez-Jeffrey question and answer
session follow.

#####

Excerpts of the Menendez-Jeffrey Question and Answer Session
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
September 24, 2008

Sen. Menendez: When you say ‘we support whatever the commission
does to get to the bottom of the historical facts’ well, that’s not
what the Administration has said to us. The Administration in its
letter, unless we are not to believe letters sent to this Committee
now, states ‘our goal is not to open a debate on whether the
Ottomans committed these horrendous acts; it is to help preserve
the documentation that supports the truth of those events.’ And
that letter by Asst. Secretary of Legislative Affairs Mr. Reynolds,
further went on to state that ‘the Administration recognizes that
the mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and forced deportations of
over one and a half million Armenians were conducted by the Ottoman
Empire. We indeed hold Ottoman officials responsible for those
crimes.’ What I heard you respond to the question is quite
different. So do you want to clear it up or are you sticking to
your story that we support whatever it is to get to the bottom of
the facts. The historical facts, as I see it, have now been
admitted to by the State Department and clearly stated as such.
And I don’t get the sense that’s what you’re telling us, so that
puts a complication in this process. Maybe you can help us out."

Amb. Jeffrey: Certainly what Assistant Sec. Reynolds wrote is U.S.
government policy and we stand by it. What I was trying to
communicate was that it is also important for Turks and Armenians
to move forward on a joint effort to work on these issues to come
to some kind of, to the extent they can, common view of the
historical past.

Sen. Menendez: If in fact we already have come to the conclusion
that the historical facts, as outlined by Mr. Reynolds on behalf of
the State Department in July of this year, are that ‘we indeed hold
Ottoman officials responsible for those crimes,’ why would we
support an initiative that ultimately doubts whether those are the
historical facts? If the Turks seek to do it, that’s one thing. But
why would we be supportive of an effort that ultimately undermines
the very position that the State Department has?

Amb. Jeffrey: In conflicts such as this, Senator, we believe that
as a general rule, and we apply this across the board in the many
conflicts that I have been involved in, we have an obligation to
our own citizens and the historical record to have our own views,
but it is also important to encourage the various sides on a
dispute, be it this one, be it others, to try come to some sort of
joint understanding of the past and a joint way forward for the
future.

Sen. Menendez: Would you then, as Ambassador, be someone who would
advocate rhetorically, financially or otherwise, that the
commission should be constituted and move forward?

Amb. Jeffrey: The effort that can be taken for people to review
openly the facts of that period would be supported by me.

======================
Sen. Menendez: If Turkey would be willing to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, would the United States be willing to do so?

Amb. Jeffrey: We would have to see at that time. I can’t commit
the Administration to any future action.

Sen. Menendez: I realize you can’t. But would you, as U.S.
Ambassador to Turkey, say to the next Administration – whoever that
Administration may be – that we should recognize it as well?

Amb. Jeffrey: We constantly review many things in our foreign
policy processes. This one, because of the great interest in the
American public and in Congress, is one that gets reviewed all the
time. That would certainly be a major factor in any review, if the
two sides could come to an agreement on that particular term or
other issues, related to the past, Sir.

Sen. Menendez: Well, if Turkey, on its own, came to the evolution
that in fact it made a decision that ‘yes, a previous – not even
Turkey as we know it today – but the Ottoman Empire did what the
State Department says it has’, that ‘yes, there was a Genocide’
would it not be in the interest of the United States to recognize
what Turkey itself has recognized?

Amb. Jeffrey: It would be, as you said, a very important factor,
but aside from being concerned of committing this or a future
Administration to a specific course of action or predicting it,
there would be other factors that would have to be weighed, such as
our general approach to other conflicts in the region and taking
positions. The relationship between Turkey and Armenia is a major
factor in the policies we take, the words we use. But there are
other factors as well, sir.

Sen. Menendez: When you take your oath, should you be confirmed as
the Ambassador to Turkey, do you know what that oath says?

Amb. Jeffrey: Yes, Sir.

Sen. Menendez: And does that oath speak to an Adminstration or to
the country.

Amb. Jeffrey: It speaks to the country, Senator.

Sen. Menendez: And in that respect, one of the things I look for,
when we have nominees here is that, understanding fully that the
State Department to a large degree and whatever Administration you
work for is going to define your parameters, when I have an
Ambassador here, I want to be able to get straight talk, so that I
know and I can make straight judgments as one member of the U.S.
Senate, and as a member of this committee. And I can’t get that
straight talk if I hear a constant constrainment of what is the
truth or the realities or opinions you may have in a country as it
relates to questions being posed to you as Members of this
committee. So, I hope that we recognize that the oath is to this
country and this [the Senate] is an institution of the country, at
the end of the day. And so, let me ask you this question. There
are a series of media accounts [. . .] that reported that
Undersecretary of State Edelman and Assistant Secretary of State
Dan Fried traveled to Turkey in October of 2007 to "express regret"
over the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the U.S.
House Foreign Affairs Committee, one that I sat in at one time. Is
it your view, should you ultimately be approved by the Senate as an
Ambassador, to express regret of what an institution of the U.S.
Congress does?

Amb. Jeffrey: Senator, I never have and I never will express
regret. This is an independent and equal organ of the U.S.
government and it deserves the respect of everyone, everywhere in
the world.

Sen. Menendez: I appreciate that answer.

======================================== ====
Text of July 29th State Department Letter to
Senate Foreign Relations Committee

United States Department of State
Washington DC, 20520

July 29, 2008

Dear Mr. Chairman:

I am writing in response to your concerns regarding responses to
questions for the record submitted by you and Senator Menendez
regarding the nomination of Marie Yovanovitch as Ambassador to
Armenia.

Regarding your Question #1, Ms. Yovanovitch mentions an
International Visitors Program under consideration that would bring
archivists from Turkey and Armenia to the United States for
professional training. Our goal is to help archivists protect the
evidence of the past so that future generations will have the
documentation of the mass killings and deportations of Armenians
committed by Ottoman soldiers and other Ottoman officials in 1915.
Our goal is not to open a debate on whether the Ottomans committed
these horrendous acts; it is to help preserve the documentation
that supports the truth of those events.

Regarding Ms. Yovanovitch’s response to Senator Menendez’s Question
#8, the Administration recognizes that the mass killings, ethnic
cleansing, and forced deportations of over one and a half million
Armenians were conducted by the Ottoman Empire. We indeed hold
Ottoman officials responsible for those crimes.

In her testimony, Ms. Yovanovitch tried to convey her deep empathy
with the profound suffering of the Armenian people and in no way
sought to cast any doubt on historical facts.

We hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not hesitate
to contact us if we can be of further assistance on this or any
other matter.

Sincerely,

[signed]
Matthew A. Reynolds
Acting Assistant Secretary
Legislative Affairs

The Honorable
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman,
Committee on Foreign Relations,
United States Senate

"AMERICAN EMPIRE" IS NEARING COLLAPSE, AHMADINEJAD SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.09.2008 15:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran’s president addressed the U.N. General Assembly
Tuesday declaring that "the American empire" is nearing collapse and
should end its military involvement in other countries.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said terrorism is spreading quickly in Afghanistan
while "the occupiers" are still in Iraq nearly six years after Saddam
Hussein was ousted from power in Iraq.

"American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and
its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders,"
Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad’s hardline rhetoric came as no surprise and offered
little in the way of compromise at the U.N., where he faces a new
round of sanctions if no agreement is reached on limiting Iran’s
nuclear capabilities.

While he reiterated that the country’s nuclear program is purely
peaceful, the U.S. and others fear it is aimed at producing enriched
uranium to make nuclear weapons

"A few bullying powers have sought to put hurdles in the way of
the peaceful nuclear activities of the Iranian nation by exerting
political and economic pressures against Iran," he said.

Ahmadinejad also lashed out at Israel on Tuesday, saying "the Zionist
regime is on a definite slope to collapse, and there is no way for
it to get out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters."

The Iranian president is feared and reviled in Israel because of
his repeated calls to wipe the Jewish state off the map, and his
aggressive pursuit of nuclear technology has only fueled Israel’s
fears. Ahmadinejad accused "a small but deceitful number of people
called Zionists … (of) dominating an important portion of the
financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making
centers of some European countries and the U.S."

Israeli President Shimon Peres reacted angrily to Ahjmadinejad’s
criticism. "It is again a repetition of the darkest accusations in the
name of Hitler and almost anti-Semitism," Peres later told journalists.

In discussing the U.S. war in Iraq, Ahmadinejad said, "Millions have
been killed or displaced, and the occupiers, without a sense of shame,
are still seeking to solidify their position in the … region and
to dominate oil resources."

He suggested that the presence of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan
has contributed to a sharp rise in terrorism and a huge increase in
the production of narcotics. He predicted that the alliance would
not be successful.

"Throughout history every force that has entered Afghanistan has left
in defeat," Ahmadinejad said.

His speech came just hours after President Bush made his eighth
and final appearance before the U.N. General Assembly, urging the
international community to stand firm against the nuclear ambitions
of Iran and North Korea.

"A few nations, regimes like Syria and Iran, continue to sponsor
terror," Bush said. "Yet their numbers are growing fewer, and they’re
growing more isolated from the world. As the 21st century unfolds,
some may be tempted to assume that the threat has receded. This would
be comforting. It would be wrong."

At one point during Bush’s 22-minute speech, Ahmadinejad turned to
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and gave a thumb’s down.

As in past years, the United States only had a low-level note-taker
present for the Iranian president’s address, said Richard Grenell,
spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The U.S. and
Iran do not have diplomatic relations.

During interviews ahead of his speech Tuesday, Ahmadinejad blamed
U.S. military interventions around the world in part for the collapse
of global financial markets, FOXNews reports.

"The U.S. government has made a series of mistakes in the past
few decades," Ahmadinejad said an interview with the Los Angeles
Times. "The imposition on the U.S. economy of the years of heavy
military engagement and involvement around the world … the war in
Iraq, for example. These are heavy costs imposed on the U.S. economy.

"The world economy can no longer tolerate the budgetary deficit and
the financial pressures occurring from markets here in the United
States, and by the U.S. government," he added.

He accused the U.S. of starting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to win
votes in elections and blamed a "few bullying powers" for trying to
undermine Iran’s nuclear program. He also accused the U.S. and NATO
is mongering war in South Ossetia.

AZERBAIJAN DIVERTS EU OIL TO RUSSIA AND IRAN
Valentina Pop

24 sept 08

Azerbaijan is sticking to plans to reduce oil exports to the EU and
increase shipments to Russia and Iran, as the South Caucasus country –
home to another Russia-influenced frozen conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh –
seeks to spread risk.

In the immediate aftermath of the Georgian crisis Azerbaijan decided
as a temporary move to reduce shipments through Europe’s only direct
import route from the energy-rich Caspian Sea – the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) pipeline – and to increase exports to Russia.

But Elhar Nasirov, vice-president of Socar, the Azeri state oil
company, told the Financial Times on Thursday (25 September) that
Azerbaijan would continue exporting oil to Russia and Iran even though
shipments through Georgia had resumed, because of the increased risks
in the Caucasus.

"We don’t want to insult anyone … but it’s not good to have all
your eggs in one basket, especially when the basket is very fragile,"
he said.

Separately, Elmar Mammedyarov, the foreign minister, told the FT:
"We are trying to be friends with everybody, at the same time as
acting in accordance with our national interests."

Unlike Russia-critical Ukraine, Azerbaijan has remained silent over
Russia’s invasion of Georgia despite disruptions caused to its oil
business.

With presidential elections coming up on 15 October, Azerbaijan’s
he ad of state, Ilham Aliev, is trying to strike a balance between a
re-assertive Russia and the West, especially since his country also
has a frozen conflict on its own territory.

The majority-Armenian populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh split
from Azerbaijan in a civil war in 1991 and remains under Armenian
occupation, with Russia and Armenia enjoying close ties.

More than 20 Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers have been killed in
Nagorno-Karabakh since July, an Azerbaijan government official said
Thursday in claims denied by the Armenian side.

An alleged Armenian-Russian link during the Georgian conflict was
highlighted by the chairperson of the European Parliament’s foreign
affairs committee, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, who asked EU’s foreign
policy chief Javier Solana in a public hearing on 10 September if
Russian bases in Armenia were used to launch missiles at Georgia
during the conflict.

Mr Solana said he could not confirm the information.

After talks held with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow
last week, Azerbaijani President Mr Aliev said his country sought
"predictability" in the Caucasus, while his foreign minister
said Azerbaijan’s main task was to preserve its independence and
sovereignty.

During a visit in Baku last week, the United States’ chief mediator
in the region, Matthew Bryza, said it was more important than ever
to resolve the dispute after the Russia-Georgia war.

"The recent events in Georgia underscore the importance of a timely
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said, adding that
the US strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.

Armenia-Turkey initiative

Meanwhile, in New York, a trilateral meeting between the foreign
ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan was due to take place on
Thursday (25 September), with Turkey recently opening a new chapter
in Armenian diplomacy.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul made a historic visit to Armenia
on 6 September to watch a football match between the two nations
which have had a closed border and no diplomatic ties since 1993,
when Turkey backed Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenian media hope that Turkey’s increasing distance from the US
and closer ties to Russia could work in its favour over the frozen
conflict, and could end-up rerouting future Caspian-EU energy links
through its territory instead of Georgia.

"Turkey’s pressure on Azerbaijan is also an option. The reason lies
in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which became insecure after
the Georgian war. Actually the BTC proved that no long-term political
project can be profitable if it is realised on the pretensions of
politicians and their unquenchable ambition to isolate the neighbouring
country, which in this particular case is Armenia," analyst Karine
Ter-Sahakian wrote for Pan-Armenian Network.

ALI BABACAN: ‘TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS CANNOT BE IMAGINED WITHOUT AZERBAIJAN’

ArmInfo
2008-09-23 19:49:00

ArmInfo. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan visiting New-York to
participate in the 63rd session of UN General Assembly made a keynote
speech at Council of Foreign Relations, APA reports quoting Dogan
news agency.

Babacan touched upon relations with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia,
Iraq, Cyprus problems, EU membership, and anti-American mood increased
in Turkey lately and other issues. Babacan noted that Turkey’s
relations with Armenia could not be imagined without the participation
of Azerbaijan. He added that Turkey closed its borders with Armenia,
because of ‘occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia’. The Minister
noted that he had proposed to ministers of two countries to hold
trilateral meeting and this meeting would be held soon.

Asked when Turkish soldiers will be withdrawn from Cyprus, Babacan
stated that Turkish soldiers would stay at island as long as necessary.

"If Greek Cypriots adopt Annan Plan, the number of Turkish soldiers
will be cut. We should not forget that there are Greek soldiers at
island. Annan plan was for decrease of military contingent in two
sides. But Greeks said "no", he said.

ABDULLAH GUL: "CAUCASUS STABILITY AND COOPERATION PLATFORM WILL HELP SOLVE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PRINCIPLE OF TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY"

Azeri Press Agency
24 Sep 2008 12:36
Azerbaijan

New York – APA. Turkish President Abdullah Gul addressed the 63rd
session of the UN General Assembly. APA reports quoting Turkish media
that Abdullah Gul especially touched upon his country’s initiative
on Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform.

"During my visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan and Prime Minister
Erdogan’s visits to Georgia and Russia we saw that all the parties
approved this idea", he said, The Turkish President considers that
establishment of the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform
will help solve "frozen conflicts" including Nagorno Karabakh problem
within the framework of the principle of territorial integrity.

Touching upon the problem of Cyprus Abdullah Gul underlined that it
was time to put an end to the international isolation against Turks
on the island.

IRAN TO DELIVER GAS TO ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.09.2008 17:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The head of Iranian Gas Export Company says the
country will be able to provide Armenia with the gas it needs during
the coming winter.

"Iran will pump three million cubic meters of gas to Armenia during
this winter," said Reza Kasaei-Zadeh.

Armenia’s Minister of Energy, Armen Movsisyan, recently said that the
capacity of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project would increase to
2.5 billion cubic meters per year.

"The opening of the Iranian-Armenian pipeline will guarantee the
energy safety of Armenia," he said.

He added that this would become feasible by increasing the capacity
of the Kadzharan-Yerevan section of the pipeline by November, 2008.

The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project was officially opened on
March 19, 2007 by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Armenian
President Robert Kocharian. The project will provide Armenia with an
alternative to the gas it now imports from Russia.

The two countries will share the $220 million cost of the 140 kilometer
pipeline, Press TV reports.

ARMENIANS TO BREAK GROUND ON NEW CHURCH SATURDAY
By Yadira Betances, [email protected]

Eagle Tribune
September 24, 2008 12:23 am
MA

HAVERHILL — With shovels in hand, members of the Armenian Church at
Hye Pointe will turn the soil on Saturday and bless the area where
the congregation’s new home will be built.

"I think it’s extremely exciting," said parish priest the Rev. Kevork
Arakelian, who will lead the blessing.

Hye Pointe was established seven years ago as a result of the merger
between St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Haverhill and Holy
Cross Armenian Apostolic Church in Lawrence.

It was the first time two Armenian congregations have merged to
create one parish in the United States. The parish has 132 dues paying
members and a total of 600 families.

Last October, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians,
blessed the cornerstones where the new church will be built.

Arakelian said the building will be done in three phases — starting
with the water, electricity and telephone hookup, followed by
construction of the church and cultural hall in the spring.

Hye Pointe will be built on nine acres at 1280 Boston Road (Route 125)
on the Bradford/North Andover line.

The architecture will be similar to those in Armenia with a dome atop
the church. The church will be decorated with icons of the apostles
and saints and stained-glass windows depicting biblical stories.

The baptismal font will be on the eastern side of the building,
symbolic of men looking for the light of Christ as the sun rises from
the east, Arakelian said.

The church will seat up to 200 people and there will be seven
classrooms for religious education.

Construction will cost between $4.5 million and $5 million, Arakelian
said. Church members have already raised $1 million from the sale of
the Lawrence church, donations and pledges.

Holy Cross Armenian was purchased by members of Church of God,
a Hispanic evangelical congregation, for $550,000. St. Gregory
the Illuminator Church, Main Street, Haverhill, is still on the
market. Parish council chairman Scott Sahagian said it took a long
time for the groundbreaking day to come, but he was always optimistic.

"Absolutely. This is a marathon and we’re approaching Heartbreak Hill,"
Sahagian said. "This is what needs to be done for our people. All of
us are elated."

Sahagian said having a new church home will not only keep their
Christian faith alive, but also their culture and traditions.

Arakelian agreed.

The church liturgy is celebrated mostly in Armenian, but the sermons
are in English. Hye Pointe also offers a Sunday School for children
and an Armenian school, where children and adults learn the history
of Armenia, songs and prayers.

"As with everything, there is hope and that will carry us forward,"
Arakelian said. "The foundation has been set by the people who are
there now and as the community builds, it will grow."

NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT BETWEEN HAMMER AND ANVIL: TRENDNEWS COMMENTATOR

Trend News Agency
23.09.08 18:15
Azerbaijan

Elmira Tariverdiyeva, commentator of European Department of Trend News

Russia’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
played the role of the catalyst, which warmed up and provided
motion for the unresolved territorial disputes in the post-Soviet
territory. So, good chance appears for Azerbaijan to solve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The issue with whose help Azerbaijan will resolve the problem is the
key item of the agenda.

Today several countries experience the need to strengthen their
positions in South Caucasus. Azerbaijan is the strategic place of
intersection of the energy and transport interests of Russia, Turkey
and the USA. And each of the countries makes efforts in order to
demonstrate themselves as the main mediator in the lingered conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, of course, pursuing its own interests.

Serious competition is expected in order to become a mediator. The
country who proposes effective solution will win. A number of visits
demonstrated certain political line in the region and probably caused
the concerns of Bush Administration.

For the first time in the history, the Turkish President visited
Armenia. Russian foreign minister visited Turkey. The Azerbaijani
foreign minister arrived in Moscow. And finally, the President of
Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, made an official visit to Russia, holding a
number of meetings with his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev. During
these visits, numerous discussions were organized on the solution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. These developments took place without
direct participation of the United States.

The reasons of every side are clear. Russia tries to smooth the
impression of international community from "the coercion to peace"
of Georgia and achieve certain progress in regulating conflicts,
including in the territory of Azerbaijan.

At the same time Turkey actively carries out work to develop a draft
Platform on co-operation in Caucasus jointly with Russia. In case
Turkish project is successful, the problems in Caucasus will be solved
through the forces of regional players, without interference of the
outer sides – such as the United States and the European Union. Turkey
and Russia can obtain significant dividends from this co-operation. In
future these countries would be able to go to the mutual recognitions:
we recognize North Cyprus, they – South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And
already on the basis of Turkey’s initiatives, the problems in the
Caucasus will be solved.

Furthermore, Turkey and Russia are exactly those countries, which are
capable to "convince" Armenia that it can only gain from releasing
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Possibly, Armenia will be
promised to host a pipeline route, or participate in the energy
projects. Indeed the economic situation in Armenia directly depends
on the re-establishment of transport communication and opening of
borders with Turkey and the Russian assistance.

Turkish Foreign Minister confirmed such possibility in his interview
with Reuters. Armenia could have gained economic dividends from
opening of borders and restoration of railway communication with
a big neighbor – Turkey, he said. " Armenia can also serve as an
alternative for a gas pipeline that runs to West through Georgia’s
territory from the Caspian Sea," Babacan added.

Originality of this political milestone is that the new format of
solution to Caucasus problems emerges due to the Turkey’s ‘Platform’
initiative which promises to be more successful than OSCE Minsk Group
who failed to reach an acceptable resolution over 16 year.

However, the United States is not going to hand over mediation in
such crucial problem for oil-rich Azerbaijan.

Matthew Bryza, co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group visited Azerbaijan at
the order of Condoleezza Rice on 17 September.

Bryza held consultations with the Azerbaijani government, putting
every effort so that the European and American mediators did not
lose significance. "The United States is going to work harder to
solve twenty-year-old conflict between two former Soviet republics –
Azerbaijan and Armenia that broke out because of Nagorno-Karabakh. The
United States fully supports sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan and is prepared to help solve the problem. The agreement
must be reached on the basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,"
he said to journalists in Baku.

However, another Minsk Group co-chairman Bernard Fassier noted
carefully during his visit to Baku on 19 September that "interim
resolution" is proposed in Nagorno-Karabakh "until future
self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh population". But, the
co-chairman did not clarify what he meant by "interim resolution".

Undoubtedly, the wish of the opposite side is also significant in the
resolution of a land dispute. Many called into question the success
of Turkey’s initiative because of bad relations between Ankara and
Yerevan. However, rejecting Turkey’s mediation, Minsk group would be
without alternative in the resolution of the conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

Foreign Minister of Armenia shattered hopes of sole mediation in the
resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by stating that " Turkey can
help resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, everything should
be solved within the framework of Minsk Group".

It is not so important who will contribute to the liberation of
Azerbaijani lands in the long run. If joint efforts of all interested
parties can yield a positive result, perhaps it would be worth for
Turkey, Russia and the United States to give up their own interests
and sit at talks table for the sake of peace in Caucasus region.

The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

AZERBAIJAN LEADING AMONG CIS COUNTRIES FOR CHILDREN’S DEATH RATE

Today.Az
22 September 2008 [15:07]

UNICEF has released a report (The State of the World’s Children 2008)
about the state of children in the world.

The report says that through the past 20 years the children’s death
rate has dropped by 27%. For example, 9.2 mln children at the age of
up to 5 years died in 2007, which is 60% lower as compared to 1960
(12.7 mln).

The drop in the death rate is recorded in all regions of the world. The
children’s death rate in the Central and Eastern Europe was reduced by
50% as compared to 1990. In Central, Eastern Europe and CIS states 26
out out of 1000 (55 in 1990) die. For comparison, in the industrially
developed countries, 6 out of 1,000 children die, in the countries
of Asian-Pacific region -28, Latin America – 27 and Near East – 46.

The situation is quite different in poor countries: the frustrating
record was set in Sierra-Leone, where 270 out of 1000 newborns die
before they reach the age 5 years. The first top five countries,
where the situation is the poorest, include Angola, Afghanistan,
Niger and Liberia (235 deaths).

The former USSR countries occupy the following positions: Azerbaijan
(46th place, 88 out of 1000 children do not reach the age of 5 years),
Tajikistan (57 and 68 respectively), Turkmenistan (67, 51), Uzbekistan
(69, 43), Kyrgyzstan (71, 41), Georgia (86, 32), Kazakhstan (92,
29), Armenia and Ukraine (101, 24), Moldova (116, 19), Russia (125,
18), Belarus (135, 13), Latvia (148, 9), Lithuania (151, 8), Estonia
(157, 7).

The best situation is recorded in Sweden, Singapore, San-Marino,
Lichtenstein, Iceland and Andorra (all on the 189th place), which
account for 3 cases of death among 1,000 children.

The United States is on the 151th place (8 cases), To compare, Israel
(167, 5), Cuba (157, 7), Kuqait (143, 11), China (101, 24), Saudi
Arabia (97, 25), Iran (83, 34), India (49, 76).

The authors of the report list poverty, which does not allow people
to get proper nutrition and medical aid, as a main cause of death
among children.

Pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, AIDS and so on remain the main killers
of underage children. Deficit of nutrition is responsible for the
death of every third child.