Author: admin

The Times (London)
January 11, 2005, Tuesday

Knight, surgeon, author and porter

by Anjana Ahuja

Professor Sir Ara Darzi: a pioneer of minimally invasive surgery ARA
DARZI once received a memorable phone call from a colleague. There
was a rumour going around, the colleague explained worriedly, that
one of the hospital porters had masqueraded as a doctor and, during
the night, had operated on one of Darzi’s patients.

Any other surgeon might have been speechless with horror but Darzi’s
response was to chuckle. His colleague was right about the charade
but had nobbled the wrong man. It was, in fact, Darzi who had
perpetrated the deception.

The professor of surgery at Imperial College had worked a night shift
as a hospital porter before returning at 6am as a smartly dressed
surgeon to perform the life-saving operation. The undercover
experiment – conducted with the full knowledge of the management of
St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, just in case colleagues thought he
had taken leave of his senses – confirmed Sir Ara’s suspicion that
porters are undervalued and ignored by clinicians, despite being in
the front line. As soon as the suave, softly spoken professor had
swapped his dapper suit for a blue shirt, he became invisible, even
to his own students and trainees: “They wouldn’t look you in the eye.
Once the uniform was there, there was no eye contact. I was just a
porter.”

It was another display of the restless, rebellious streak that pushed
Sir Ara into medicine in the first place. His father, an engineer who
roamed the globe with his family, expected his son to follow his lead
but Darzi Jr didn’t bite. “I was brought up in an engineering way of
thinking,” he explains, of his decision to defy his father. “I’d
lived it, and seen it, and felt like I’d done it. Why do the same? I
just wanted to do something different. Medicine was so strange to me.
I’d never really been to a hospital.”

Sir Ara, 44, was born in Armenia but spent much of his childhood in
Ireland – the accent is still audible, especially when he is being
lighthearted – and he applied for medicine there. When he arrived at
university, it seemed to him that medical students, with their late
nights and fondness for alcohol, had so much more fun than anyone
else. He loved it.

It was equally obvious during training that his future lay in
surgery, with its rewarding blend of practicality and immediacy.
Since then, engineering’s loss – he still describes himself as a
“failed engineer” – has been a coup for British surgery. He has spent
the last decade applying an engineer’s eye to making surgery less
physically and psychologically traumatic, pioneering minimally
invasive surgery. When Sir Ara started his surgical career in earnest
in London at the end of the Eighties, the term “minimally invasive
surgery” barely existed. Simply, it was about making cuts smaller,
and shortening patient stays. “I was very much in the right place at
the right time,” he reflects. “There were reports of gall bladder
surgery being done the keyhole way in Lyons.”

The young academic quickly progressed, developing robotic surgery and
image guided surgery. In 1995 he was appointed professor of surgery
at Imperial College; by this time, he had became a world leader in
minimally invasive colorectal surgery.

He has also authored patents and published several textbooks.

Today he sits on a committee charged with modernising the NHS: “I
really, truly believe that you can throw as much money as you like at
anything in life, but if you don’t keep up and try to modernise, the
value of it is not the same.” That is why he dressed up as a porter,
to “stimulate the thinking within hospitals that porters do make a
big contribution to hospital care. And I can tell you one thing: they
are undervalued.”

In 2002, his achievements were rewarded with an honorary knighthood.
It crystallised his decision to become a British citizen. Why change
nationality? “I got (the knighthood) for services to medicine in this
country – I’ve made it here, and I got it because of the
opportunities here that allowed me to serve this country. I wanted to
acknowledge that.”

Just like in any profession, he says, the recognition of one person
can provoke the jealousy of many, but colleagues have generally been
delighted, as the honour recognises a field as much as an individual.
And, Sir Ara laughs, being a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire means that his views are taken a little
more seriously.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Foreign Ministry notes progress in regional ties in 2004

Arminfo
12 Jan 05

YEREVAN

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s report on the results of
2004, which was made public today, last year saw some progress in
Armenia’s relations with its South Caucasus neighbours.

Under the document, significant progress was registered in the
development of Armenian-Georgian relations. A number of top-level
visits were paid and a meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental
commission was held. Together with economic issues, the sides focused
on the establishment of a regional security system, confidence
building measures in conflict solution, etc.

In the domain of Armenian-Iranian relations, the sides continued their
dialogue towards developing bilateral relations even further and
implementing mutually beneficial economic projects.

The document says there was no progress in Armenian-Turkish relations
in 2004. Turkey continues to make the problem of opening the
Armenian-Turkish border and normalizing relations with Armenia
conditional on a number of things, while Armenia stands for the
establishment of normal relations with Turkey without any
preconditions. In 2004, the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers met
in New York to discuss bilateral problems, while the foreign ministers
of Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan also held a trilateral meeting on
the sidelines of the NATO Istanbul summit.

As regards relations with Azerbaijan, the report says that apart from
the discussions over the Karabakh conflict these relations were
maintained within the confines of international organizations and
certain contacts at the level of public organizations. The report adds
that the obstacles put up by the Azerbaijani side to bar the Armenian
side from NATO’s Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises in Baku led to
their cancellation.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia remained top priority in Armenian foreign policy in 2004, ministry
says

Arminfo
12 Jan 05

YEREVAN

The development and expansion of relations with the Russian Federation
continued to be the highest priority in Armenia’s foreign policy in
2004, says the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s report on the results of
last year.

The document says that Armenian-Russian cooperation developed and
expanded in the military-political, trade, economic and humanitarian
spheres last year, and within the CIS and the Collective Security
Treaty Organization.

Top-level meetings were held as part of three working visits of the
Armenian president to Russia, an official visit of Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Markaryan, and visits to Armenia by the chairmen of
both houses of the Russian parliament, Sergey Mironov and Boris
Gryzlov. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan paid an official
visit to Moscow in July. During the negotiations held the sides spoke
about bilateral cooperation at the international level and ways of
resolving the Nagornyy Karabakh problem.

Issues of economic partnership were discussed at a meeting of the
Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission at the end of the
year. In an effort to expand the economic partnership between legal
entities and individuals of the two countries, an Armenian-Russian
association of business cooperation was set up and over 100 companies
from both countries have already joined it.

A wide range of military and military-economic issues was discussed
during a visit to Armenia by Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov
and during the first meeting of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental
commission for military and technical cooperation in September.

As part of a cooperation programme between the two countries’ culture
ministries, days of Russian culture were held in Armenia in April
2004, while a week of Armenian films was held in Moscow in March. The
agreement was reached to declare 2005 the year of Russia in Armenia
and 2006 the year of Armenia in Russia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MILITARY COOPERATION OF ISRAEL AND USA WITH TURKEY MAKE THEM
CO-PARTICIPANTS IN CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 12. ARMINFO. It is tragic that part of the
understanding between Israel and Turkey was that Israel would continue
to deny the Armenian Genocide and would not comment on Turkey’s human
rights violations against Turkey’s 20% Kurdish minority. Furthermore,
Israel’s military cooperation with Turkey makes Israel an accessory to
Turkey’s ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and genocide
against its 15- 20 million Kurdish minority. It should also be noted
that the U.S. military and economic assistance to Turkey these past
decades has made the U.S. the prime accessory to Turkey-s massive
human rights violations against the Kurds. Israel-s failure to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide mirrors those nations and
individuals who do not acknowledge the Jewish Holocaust.
Unfortunately, Israel does not stand alone in this regard: the U.S.
Executive Branch has also failed to acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide. The U.S. and Israel also need to acknowledge the genocide by
Turkey between 1914-1923 of 350,000 Greeks of the Pontos, Black Sea
region.

The attempts to deny the Jewish Holocaust have been vigorously
denounced and rightly so by Israel and the U.S., in books, articles,
speeches and in the media. Yet where is the outcry against Turkey’s
and Israel-s denial of the Armenian Genocide? And where is the outcry
against Turkey’s horrendous crimes against its Kurdish minority? It is
imperative that the U.S. change its policy towards Turkey.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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HyeSanta Says Thanks!!!!!

ArmeniaNow readers and viewers of Shoghakat Television’s production of this year’s HyeSanta campaign, have made the
2004 fund drive a great success.
In the coming days, ArmeniaNow journalists who brought you the stories of hardship, and of bravery in the face of
catastrophe, will be revisiting those families, with news that people they’ve never even met care about their
condition. Using the money that you have provided, our staff will be arranging for the purchase of cows, sheep,
chickens, medicines, books and other provisions that will make 2005 start much better than 2004 ended for those you
read about.
Help came in dollars by 5s and 500s from North America; by the $100s from Belgium; pounds were mailed from the UK and,
we are especially pleased to report, by millions of drams from within Armenia.
As soon as all the mail has been received (by the end of this month) we will report a total. Already, however, we can
gladly tell you that every person we wrote about, photographed, filmed, will receive significant aid.
We hope that by next week we can begin distributing the items we suggested that our readers purchase. Upon completion
of the program we will publish a detailed report of how the money was spent – none of which has been used for
administrative purposes, unless specified for that reason.
It is not too late to add your gift to this year’s campaign. See last week’s archive to read about those who are being
helped.
ArmeniaNow and the HyeSanta Foundation thanks you for your generosity and are glad you share our belief that it is
better to help a few than to ignore everyone.
This year’s holiday campaign has successfully concluded, but we invite you to read our HyeSanta issue and continue to
read our site to learn about others who might benefit from your concern. Click here.
John Hughes and Tony Halpin
Editors, ArmeniaNow
Cow Feet Soup for Breakfast: Armenia’s winter-time tradition of khash

By Julia Hakobyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter

If you come to Armenia in summer season you may be offered to taste the best Armenian fruits such as grapes, peaches
and apricots.
But if you appear in Armenia in winter times most likely you will be invited to go for khash-a masterpiece of Armenian
cuisine made by cows’ feet, stomach and Armenian ingenuity.
Khash is a unique experience for any foreign visitor, and whether they like it or not (and many don’t), almost all
enjoy the ritual of a khash party.
Khash is a gastronomic ceremony, a combination of ritual and lively heart-to-heart talks in the flavor of garlic and
raddish.
To prepare totikner (this is how Armenians call cows feet) for cooking it should be stripped of hairs and clean until
it turns opaque.
Then, the cow feet are boiled all night until the ingredients give its juice and piquancy to water and the flesh
flakes off the bones.
Usually Armenians go for khash in the morning on weekends, because after a khash party, participants are happy, but
also heavy with sleep. And, typically, not smelling so sociably acceptable. It may not be the cow feet that make a
person sleepy; rather the vodka, which, real khash professionals assures is good for digestion.
Besides vodka, a proper khash must have six components: mineral water, greens, raddishes, yellow chili pepers, lavash
and garlic. Minced garlic and salt – lots of both — is put into khash right before the eating. Dry lavash is soaked
in the soup until it becomes like a sponge. Hardcore khash eaters use only their fingers for consuming the odd meal,
and they recommend that participants abstain from eating, early on the previous evening.
Photogenic: Armenian model among winners in Turkey

By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter

Teenage beauty queen Anush Grigoryan has added another crown to her career, winning one of five places at `World’s
Best Photo Model’ last month in Turkey.
It was the second victory for the 19-year old, who is also a former Miss Armenia (2003). In November Anush was also
crowned `Miss Tourism’ in a competition in Beijing, China.
To be crowned `Best Photo Model’, Anush beat out girls from 92 countries. The contest chooses five winners – of equal
rank – out of the entrants.
A requirement for competing in the contest is that participants must first have won a similar contest in their own
countries. But, as such a pageant has not yet been held in Armenia, organizers invited Anush based on her win in
China.
Anush was selected to the Top Five that included girls from Egypt, Philippines, Azerbaijan and Belgium. (Best male
models were also selected.)
`I Was A Slave’: Victim of human trafficking tells of abduction

By Arpi Harutyunyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter

Mariam is 18 months old and can say three words: `Mummy, Pa, Grandma’.
When she says `Mummy’ or `Grandma’ she knows someone will respond. She will never know the identity of `Pa’.
Mariam’s father is one of the many men her mother was forced to have sex with, after she was deceived into traveling
abroad for what was promised as a good job and a good life.
In 2002, when she was 19, Naira (names have been changed to protect privacy) managed to escape a life of forced
prostitution and returned to Armenia after about 3 months as a victim of human trafficking.
She gave birth to twins, but only Mariam survived.
When she was 19 Naira lived in Armenia with her mother and 17-year old sister. She had studied at school for eight
years and went to work as a waitress in one of the cafés in her home town.
`I had to provide for my family,’ she says. `We had neither father nor a brother so I began working to provide for my
mother and my sister. But an acquaintance, a woman whose name was Alla, suggested that I go with her abroad and work
there. Me, a naïve child, I agreed.’
In a neighboring country Alla said a girl could earn much more working as a waitress. (To protect her family identity,
ArmeniaNow agreed to not reveal the exact place to which Naira was taken). Naira trusted the woman. She knew Alla had
children of her own, and Naira could not imagine her being deceitful.
Timeless: Researcher uses ancient manuscripts for modern medicine

By Suren Deheryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter

A doctor who became a priest has devoted himself to the life of a pharmacist to maintain a science that reaches to the
days when Armenia was a land of kings.
In a small laboratory that looks to be picked from the pages of a fantasy book, 43-year old Armen Sahakyan concocts
paints, herbs and ointments, using recipes found in the ancient manuscripts of the Matenadaran.
In 1993, Sahakyan, who is a priest at St. Astvatsatsin Church in Parakar, began collecting the ingredients found in
pharmacological recipes dating to the 10th century and turning them into the same sort of products used in those
times. And, since 2004, he has been selling those products in the gift shop at the Matenadaran. He has produced skin
lotion, ointment, tea – items that sell from $5 to $24.
His role as a senior researcher at the Manuscripts Museum led him on a quest to make paints – in 14 colors – using
Armenian herbs and flora. He developed paints, using barberry roots, apricot pulp and other distinctly Armenian
natural products. The paint is now being used by artists in the Matenadaran to produce paintings and pottery.

Silent Nights?: Bothered residents hope authorities will put a lid on noisy strip joints

By Mariam Badalyan

Opponents of nightclubs in Yerevan residential buildings won a legal victory recently that they hope will set a
precedent for ridding the capital of noisy discos and strip clubs.
In late November, after a drawn-out dispute between residents of 13 Tumanyan Lane and the `Yojik’ strip bar located in
the same building, a court ruled that the bar must turn down its music at midnight. As most clubs of the sort hardly
get much of their business after that hour, the ruling is seen, in effect, to close the club.
In fact, the strip club has not operated since the court ruling was imposed.
The residents’ case was championed by Yerevan intelligentsia whose letter-writing campaign drew the attention of
President Robert Kocharyan. During the week of December 20, the president called a special meeting attended by various
department heads of the Yerevan Municipality, and Mayor Yervand Zakharyan.
According to Karen Gevorgyan, head of the Department of Merchandise and Services of Yerevan Municipality, a working
group has been formed to investigate the noise issue and offer solutions.
It is welcomed news to many residents in the center of Yerevan, where nightclubs have sprung up in the past several
years, bringing thumping music and topless dancers into previously quiet apartment buildings for families.
Larisa Isahakyan, a 79-year old professor says she has been in a conflict with the `Relax’ nightclub since it opened
in her building on Moskovian Street in 1997. `People are afraid to speak out,’ she says. `Out of 94 people who
resisted `Relax’ existence in our building in 1997 only 14 are left today. Others complain each time they meet you,
but will not sign a paper. They know that the bar owners have strong backing.’
The Armenia Court of First Instance ruled in favor of residents in a case against “Omega”, Yerevan’s most popular
strip bar and a favorite of out of towners. But, one resident told ArmeniaNow that although the ruling should bring
peace to the neighborhood, it has in fact had no impact.
The club is believed to be among those that are “well connected” and are seemingly immune to prosecution.
Some annoyed residents, however, may get relief from the Republic of Armenia’s Ombudsman office.
Jora Khachatryan, chief legal advisor to Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan says their office has received four complaints in
the past couple months and that the cases are being investigated and a report prepared for addressing the Government
and National Assembly.
The cases, Khachatryan said, include complaints from residents who say they have been threatened by bar owners if they
complain. Larisa Harutiunyan, a retired eye doctor, claims that she was beaten twice for complaining to police about
the noise coming from `Relax’ and `Marcel’ bars on her street.
Fighting for Breath: MSF plan aims to combat tuberculosis in Armenia

By Suren Musayelyan
ArmenianNow Reporter

The New Year is bringing a new hope for recovery for patients suffering from forms of tuberculosis so far deemed
incurable in Armenia.
Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients in two districts of Yerevan will be diagnosed and treated by local
polyclinics free of charge thanks to a new $3.8 million program of the French arm of the international medical relief
organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The MSF program whose active phase will start in February/March 2005 will be implemented with the assistance of
Armenian health authorities and, in particular, through basic polyclinics N18 and N19 in the Shengavit and Malatia-
Sebastia communities of Yerevan and two TB dispensaries in Yerevan and Abovian.
MSF/France Head of Mission Christian Ferrier expects that up to 200 patients suffering from resistant forms of
tuberculosis might be totally cured of the disease by 2008, when the program is due for completion, and another 100
might pass the first intensive phase and be involved in continuous ambulatory treatment.
`Our possibilities are limited and we cannot involve the whole of Armenia in our program, nor can we involve the whole
of Yerevan. However, our program will respond to specific demands and will be an effective one,’ Ferrier says.
But he acknowledges that the end result will also depend on patients’ cooperation with medical staffs. `Of course, our
primary goal is to cure MDR tuberculosis patients totally. But treating such patients is a difficult process and in
many cases patients leave their treatment half-finished themselves.’
In this regard, Ferrier attaches great importance to psychological assistance and explanatory work among the
population. He also thinks the role of mass media is crucial here. `The media must speak about this problem so that
people know more about tuberculosis, get rid of prejudices towards this disease and understand that tuberculosis is
not incurable,’ says Ferrier. `To be a tuberculosis patient is difficult as it is. And these people should not be
stigmatized because of their disease, but on the contrary should be helped in every possible way.’
According to the Ministry of Health statistics, there are at least 6,000 tuberculosis cases in Armenia, but the actual
figure may be much higher. Over a hundred people are said to have died of tuberculosis in 2003. At least 15 percent of
new TB cases, as believed by the MSF, might be those of MDR, which is a form resistant to at least the two most
powerful tuberculosis drugs – Rifampicin and Isoniazid.
A complete treatment of such forms might cost from $5,000 to $25,000 and the duration of treatment might vary from 12
to 24 months.
The MSF will build, rehabilitate and equip two specialized labs and two medical-social rooms in the Yerevan
polyclinics, two diagnostic departments in TB dispensaries of Yerevan and Abovyan, and a special department for MDR
patients’ treatment in the Republican Tuberculosis Dispensary in Abovyan (jointly with the Armenian Ministry of
Health).
Cutoff: A glimpse of life in Armenia’s coldest region

By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter

On the northwestern border of Armenia in the Shirak province, villages such as Paghakn and Berdashen maintain the
unpleasant reputation of being the coldest point in Armenia and one of the coldest in the Caucasus.
Some 2,000 meters above sea level, temperatures plunge to -46 Celsius. Winters aren’t just severe, but are long,
lasting from November to April. Snow often measures two meters deep, and the only road leading to Gyumri closes,
shutting villagers away from provisions, communications, and from healthcare resources.
`We open the ways by ourselves in case of acute necessity – when someone is ill or when we lack food. All of us gather
winter supplies like bears to stand the 6 months,’ says the head of the village, 41-year old Slavik Chapanyan.
Families plan childbirth for delivery before November or after April.
Nine villages in the region used to be populated by Azerbaijanis until hostilities began between Armenia and
Azerbaijan soon after the USSR dissolved. Most of the population now is made up of families who moved from Armenian
villages in Georgia.
In Berdashen, 57 of 61 households came from Poga, mostly for patriotic reasons.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
January 10, 2005

Christmas Eve Services in Holy Etchmiadzin

On the evening of January 5, the Eve of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of
Jesus Christ, a candlelight Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Cathedral
of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos
of All Armenians, presided as His Eminence Archbishop Datev Sarkissian
celebrated the liturgy and delivered the sermon.

With the joyous singing of “Christ is Born and Revealed!”, the Armenian
Church proclaimed the great tiding of Jesus’ birth to her faithful in
Armenia and the Diaspora. Hundreds of faithful, representatives of sister
Churches and members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin gathered in the
Cathedral to hear the traditional reading from the prophet Daniel, the
readings from the Holy Scriptures concerning the birth of Christ and to
participate in the liturgy.

Following the candlelight Divine Liturgy, His Holiness offered a Home
Blessing service in the Pontifical Residence, and prayed for our Lord to
keep and protect the Armenian Church, her hierarchal centers, her dioceses,
clergy and faithful under the protection of His Holy Cross in 2005 and
always.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Sofia Echo, Bulgaria
Jan 11 2005

Restaurant Review-A few of our favourites
Clive Leviev-Sawyer

In addition to this week’s special 2004 in Review pages of this
newspaper, it is also an appropriate time to honour the tradition
established last January of asking The Sofia Echo restaurant
reviewers to say which restaurants they found most memorable during
the course of their visits last year.

Marlene Smits said of restaurant Bvlgaria (4 Tsar Osvoboditel Street,
Phone 988 53 07), “The food, service and atmosphere definitely stand
out for me. It’s calm and modern, the food is really up to standard
and the service is great. Its personnel know about etiquette, but are
absolutely not stiff. After having dinner there, I went back several
times just for some dessert or a meeting.”

Of The Thirsty Dragon (2, 13 Mart Street, 964 06 40), Marlene noted:
“This is one of my all time favourite restaurants in Sofia. I visit
it almost weekly. The food is great except for some exotic dishes
that they simply don’t know how to prepare properly. Apart from that
the atmosphere is cosy and nice and that makes it a great place for
informal dinners.”

Her view on Pod Lipite (1 Elin Pelin Street, 866 50 53 or 866 50 59):
“This restaurant is definitely a great way to have real traditional
Bulgarian food in an old fashioned, but quite classy, environment.
The food is great! And that’s why it’s a good start for foreigners to
acquaint themselves with Bulgarian cuisine.”

Of Hua Sing Sin Low (113 Vassil Levski, Telephone 943 34 83), she
said:

“Here I simply had the best Chinese experience in Bulgaria. It’s not
a place one chooses to dine in for its looks, but the food is great.”

Marlene’s view on Komara (on Edison Street and Trudolubie Street,
behind the parking of block nr. 9, 0887 265 021): “Komara is
certainly also not on my list in terms of beauty. The food however,
and in summer the tranquillity of the garden, is really a pleasure. I
went back many times after the review and every single time I had a
nice meal.”

Gersende Schubert gave Pizza Victoria (7 Tsar Osvoboditel Street)
four stars “for a terrific quality restaurant that is simply and
neatly decorated” and she liked Pizzeria Ugo (45 Vitosha Boulevard
and on William Gladstone Street), noting the careful thought that
went into the decor, a diverse selection of dishes and pizza sizes
that were “just right” as Goldilocks might have put it.

David McMullin gave Opera (113 Rakovski Street) five stars, as well
as describing it as trendy and tasteful, and giving it a “bravo!”

Julia Terlinchamp had her first experience of Russian food at Gara Za
Dvama (18 Benkovski Street) and said it had “eliminated any bad
thoughts I once had about Russian cuisine”.

Gus Worth awarded four stars to Amber (70 Burel Street in Ivan
Vazov): “We can definitely say go to Amber and prepare to stop,” and
four stars to Rio (1 Bulgaria Boulevard, near the National Palace of
Culture), which he thought to be good value for money, even with a
bill for two of 64.40 leva.

Danny Dresser gave Awadh (41 Cherkovna Street) three stars, an Indian
restaurant that he praised as a “highly welcome newcomer to the Sofia
scene…even those who don’t like very spicy food should give it a
try, as the chefs are very happy to hold back on the chillis”.

David Toal said of Bistro Boné, “the restaurant is basically a
quaint, simple place favoured by locals. Much of the menu features
the standard Bulgarian fare, but there are some interesting
variations on traditional recipes and a few unique offerings. I’ve
visited the restaurant three times, and each time found that the
kitchen took care in consistently producing attractive, well-prepared
meals.”

Christine Milner said: “The best one I reviewed this year was the At
the Fountain (17 Yanko Sakuzov Boulevard) where we had a really good
meal that stood out from so many mediocre places. They obviously have
an excellent chef and I hope it stays that way. The interior was just
right – fairly trendy and tasteful but still cosy and we had a very
good waiter who behaved naturally.

“The health food restaurant Kibea (2a Dr G Valkovich Street) is also
a good restaurant and I regret being a little down on them in my
review, they were the victim of circumstance and the fact that I
chose something to eat that I should have known I wouldn’t like. I
know lots of people who really like the place and the standard of
cooking has remained very high. Kibea also has a bookshop and a
health food store downstairs, which I use quite frequently”.

Looking back over the 15 restaurants he reviewed in 2004, Clive
Leviev-Sawyer named his favourites as Armenian restaurant Egur, Egur
(18 Sheinovo Street), Maharaja (65 Kiril and Metodii Street) for its
Indian cuisine, and Retro (2 Dobromir Hristov Street) for its
sophisticated atmosphere and decor, and excellent food and service.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Jan 11 2005

TURKISH PM SAYS ANKARA WANTS NORMAL RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

MOSCOW, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS: Turkish prime minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, who is visiting Moscow, said his government wants to
normalize relations with the neighboring Armenia.
Addressing a meeting with Turkish businessmen working in Russia,
attended also by Russia’s president Putin, Erdogan said Istanbul’s
airport is open for Armenian aircrafts. He said opening of the land
border depends on the progress in talks with Yerevan. “Our policy is
to have normal relations with all our neighbors,” Erdogan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SHORT BY DUTCH FILMMAKER DISAPPOINTS COMPATRIOTS

AzerTaj News Agency
January 11, 2005

A short documentary entitled “Hope Dies Last” made by Dutch filmmaker
Susanne Kroger has caused serious discontent among Azerbaijani community
of Holland.

According to the State Committee for Working with Azerbaijanis Living in
Foreign Countries, the film tells the story about 3 Armenian and 2
Azerbaijani soldiers missing in the battles for Karabakh during the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. After the film was first presented in
Amsterdam, over 100 members of the Society “Netherlands – Azerbaijan”
and organizations of Azerbaijan Diaspora exchanged views on what they
had seen with representatives of the Dutch National Council of Churches
and Red Cross, and Armenian community. The members of the Azerbaijani
Diaspora exasperated by the facts that the film allots 21 minutes to
Armenia against 8 minutes to Azerbaijan, presents the missing soldiers’
parents as well as cities of the countries in sharply different ways,
refers to towns and villages of Karabakh under Armenian names. They
resolutely condemned the work noting it does not represent the reality
but distorts the facts in favor of Armenians. The claims were supported
by Dutch specialists, as well.

;catid=&news_year=&news_month=&news_day=&newsid=88422&themes_viewing=&themes_page=&themeid=&news_page

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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01/11/2005
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1. Armenia Demands Corrections to Atkinson Report on Karabagh Conflict
2. Russia Ready to Act as Intermediary in South Caucasus Conflicts
3. Oskanian, Mammadyarov Meeting in Prague
4. Armenia Hails New Russian-Georgian Ferry Link

1. Armenia Demands Corrections to Atkinson Report on Karabagh Conflict

In a letter to the President and Secretary General of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, (PACE), Armenia has requested that several
corrections be made to the January 26 PACE report on the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict, reports the Trend news agency.
In their letter to PACE president Peter Schieder and secretary general Terry
Davis, Armenia’s parliamentary leadership accuses the European Commission of
one-sidedly supporting Azerbaijan’s position [in the conflict], and demands
the
removal of the term “separatist forces,” among others. Armenia also expresses
serious concern that the report fails to reflect issues tied to the regions of
Ketashen and Shahumian.
Overall, the Armenian side requests changes in 14 articles of the report that
deal with the status of Mountainous Karabagh, format of negotiations, and the
history of that conflict. Authored by PACE rapporteur David Atkinson, the
report will be reviewed on January 22 PACE’s Political Committee during a
Council of Europe leadership summit.

2. Russia Ready to Act as Intermediary in South Caucasus Conflicts

MOSCOW (Combined Sources)–Russian president Vladimir Putin affirmed his
readiness to act only as an intermediary in the settlement of the Karabagh
conflict.
“Russia will do everything possible to settle the conflicts remaining on
post-Soviet space, including the long-lasting Karabagh conflict,” Putin
announced. “However, we will do it only as an intermediary and guarantor of
agreements which are going to be reached by conflicting sides.”
Meeting with Turkish businessmen in Moscow, Putin said that although the
Karabagh conflict was not discussed specifically, general issues of relations
between countries in the region were on the agenda. Both sides, he stated,
expressed the desire to establish friendly relations among neighbors.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan again ruled out an unconditional
reopening of his country’s border with Armenia, saying that official Yerevan
should first take unspecified “positive” steps.
Putin, meanwhile, pledged to assist in the normalization of relations between
the two historical foes.
“If we see positive approaches from Armenia’s government, we will open the
border. But we don’t see such approaches now,” Erdogan said at a joint news
conference with Putin during an official visit to Moscow. He did not
elaborate.

The Turkish premier’s stance contrasted with Putin’s positive assessment of
the Armenian leadership’s efforts to improve relations with Turkey. Putin said
Moscow is holding “constant consultations” with Ankara on the normalization of
Turkish-Armenian ties.
“Armenia is looking for ways of improving relations with Turkey,” he said.
“Russia will assist in this process as much as possible.”
Putin was also pleased with the current state of Russian-Turkish relations,
pointing in particular to the booming trade between the two nations seen as
longtime geopolitical rivals. “Our most optimistic forecasts about economic
cooperation have come true,” he told Erdogan.
According to Putin, Russia and Turkey need to “continue developing an
effective infrastructure of bilateral trade.”
Erdogan, in his turn, promised to support Russia’s admission to the World
Trade Organization. “Turkey is expected to demonstrate its full support for
Russia’s membership in the WTO at a meeting of the working group on Russia’s
admission to the WTO in Geneva on January 24,” he said.
He highly commended the high level of trade and economic relations between
the
two countries. “We couldn’t even dream about this 10-15 years ago,” Erdogan
said.
Ways to broaden cooperation will be discussed by the Business Council on
Wednesday, which will be attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.
Putin thanked the Turkish businessmen for their concrete proposals, assuring
them that “all those proposals will be thoroughly studied by Russian experts
and ministry officials.”

3. Oskanian, Mammadyarov Meeting in Prague

PRAGUE (RFE/RL)–After three-hour talks with his Azeri counterpart Elmar
Mammadyarov, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian revealed that no
specific agreement for a resolution to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict had
been reached.
“I wish I could say that there is a full agreement on the principles [of the
settlement],” he said. “But we are still not there. There is a general
framework of issues [discussed by the parties], but as this meeting showed,
they need to be further consolidated.”
The meeting took place in Prague on Tuesday, in the presence of French,
Russian, and US mediators; it marked the start of the second stage of “the
Prague process.”
Oskanian refused to go into details of the discussions, saying that much
remains to be done for hammering out a compromise agreement acceptable to both
parties. “This is a fairly difficult and complex process and it will continue
to be like this during further meetings,” he said. “On the whole, I consider
the overall mood and the atmosphere positive.
“It is still too early too disclose any details. Once we have agreements on
concrete issues, I think we will be able to talk about them little by
little.”
Asked about chances of a breakthrough in the peace process this year,
Oskanian
said, “We are working toward achieving that goal. But it is still too early to
make definite statements to that effect.”

4. Armenia Hails New Russian-Georgian Ferry Link

YEREVAN (RFE/RL–Armenian government officials and businessmen said on Monday
that they are looking forward to the impending launch of a Russian-Georgian
ferry link that will effectively restore Armenia’s rail communication with
Russia disrupted more than a decade ago.
A relevant agreement was due to be signed in Tbilisi by Russia’s Transport
Minister Igor Levitin and Georgia’s Minister of Economic Development Alexi
Alexishvili. The planned regular service between the Georgian Black Sea
port of
Poti and Russia’s Port Kavkaz is designed for cargos shipped in train cars. It
is expected to become operational by the end of this month.
Senior officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan were also in the Georgian
capital
to discuss final preparations for the launch of the service. Transport and
Communications Minister Andranik Manukian, who headed the Armenian delegation,
was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as welcoming the Russian-Georgian
agreement.
Armenian businessmen involved in external trade were also confident about its
positive impact on landlocked Armenia’s economy. “It will have considerable
effects on the cost of goods shipped from Armenia to Russia and vice versa,”
said Arsen Ghazarian, chairman of the Armenian Union of Entrepreneurs and
Industrialists. He said the high transportation costs in Russian-Armenian
trade
could go down by 30 percent as a result.
Ferries capable of carrying heavy train cars have until now operated between
Poti and Ukrainian and Bulgarian ports. Armenia has relied on them heavily in
its commercial exchange with the rest of the world.
The Armenian government has long been pushing for the opening of the
Poti-Kavkaz service and has financially contributed to the scheme. Among the
costs involved was the purchase of a ferryboat that can carry up to 28 rails
during a single journey. The service is expected to operate twice a week.
“The volume of our cargo turnover [with Russia] is great,” said Vladimir
Badalian, co-chairman of the Armenian-Georgian Business Association.
“According
to our calculations, we need four or even more ferries.”
But Ghazarian disagreed. “I don’t think there is a need for a second ferry
right now,” he said. “What we need is that the existing ferry operates at full
capacity in both directions so that we have a reasonable transportation
cost.”
Levitin’s trip to Tbilisi, the second in two months, is also likely to have
involved discussions on ways of reopening direct rail communication between
Russia and Georgia that used to run through the breakaway region of Abkhazia.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow on December 28, Levitin sounded upbeat about
the possibility of doing that as early as this year. He said he believes that
it is now possible to restore the rail link, once vital for the Armenian
economy, before a full resolution of the Abkhaz conflict.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress