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FORMER DIPLOMAT AND CHP DEPUTY SUKRU ELEKDAG
By AYLA GANIOGLU

Turkish Probe
November 7, 2004

ANKARA – Former diplomat, Parliamentary Foreign Commission member
and opposition Republican People’s Party deputy Sukru Elekdag, when
asked about the debate on whether Kurds and Alewis should be considered
minorities, said the example of France should be followed. Elekdag said
the attitude towards ethnic groups was the same in Turkey and France.

Speaking to TDN, Elekdag said: “In France, just like the Republic of
Turkey, a unitary nation-state exists. In such a state, the guiding
principle of the system is the the unity and indivisibility of the
state, nation and the country. Turkey, by adhering to the guidelines
provided by the Lausanne Treaty, does not accept a concept of minority
based on ethnicity or religion, just like France.”

France, which was one of the founders of the European Union,
had established a unitary state and had implemented a concept of
citizenship not based on ethnic identity, he said. Elekdag noted:
“France, in addition to having various religious groups, also has
local ethnic groups in Brittany, Bask, Catalan, Oksitan, Savuaca,
Flemish, German and Italian communities. However, France refuses
to say it has minorities and believes ethnic characteristics are
something that can be practiced in private.”

Elekdag said every citizen in France had the right to respect, protect
and develop his or her cultural values. However, it did not mean this
right was a collective one of an ethnic group, he said, noting that
this was a right of an individual. He said, “No one in the EU objects
to the French system or accuses them of medieval mentality.”

Armenian, Greek or Jewish

Elekdag said the founder of the Republic of Turkey was the Turkish
nation, which as a supra-national identity, covered all groups such
as Turks, Kurds, Bosnians, Laz, Sunnis and Alewis.

Elekdag said that a homogeneous nation was an exception, rather than
the rule. In a unitary state, citizens could not be granted special
rights just because they were different, said Elekdag, adding that
certain groups could not be given the right to utilize special
privileges or the right to establish political movements.

He said attempts to create new minorities in addition to those listed
in the Lausanne Treaty aimed to divide the country, noting that
the rights granted to Armenians, Greeks and Jews in the treaty were
collective ones. Elekdag said: “Turkey has no obligation, politically
or legally, to grant such rights to any group apart from non-Muslims.”

Turkey’s obligation to the EU was to make sure all its citizens equally
enjoyed the benefits of democracy and the rule of law, said Elekdag,
adding each individual should enshrine, protect and develop his or
her own cultural values. This was not a collective right, but was
the right of an individual as a citizen, said Elekdag.

EU’s minorities

CHP deputy Elekdag said that by mentioning Kurds and Alewis in Turkey
as minorities in its progress report, the European Commission was
recommending the broadening of the concept of minority, as defined in
the Lausanne Treaty. Elekdag said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had succeeded in removing the part
of the report that mentioned Kurds and Alewis as minorities, adding
that despite their efforts, the matter was far from resolved. He said
the other assessments in the report showed that the commission still
considered Kurds as a minority.

He said the Kurdish issue was included in the “Minority Rights,
Cultural Rights and the Protection of Minorities” section in the
report, and added that one passage said: “According to Turkey, the
minorities in Turkey are only the nun-Muslim communities listed in
the Lausanne treaty. The only communities defined as minorities are
Greeks, Armenians and Jews. In addition to these groups, there are
other communities in Turkey, including the Kurds. In this context,
the reservations put by Turkey on certain sections of the United
Nations Charters on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights is a source of concern. These reservations
may be used to prevent the future development of the protection of
minority rights.”

Elekdag also added that statements concerning the Alewis aimed to
create a new minority. He said the report noted the fact that no
change in the status of Muslim minorities had taken place, and that
Alewis were not recognized as a separate religious community.

In the last few European Commission progress reports, Kurds were
repeatedly seen as a minority and that Turkey was being forced to
accept this as a fact, he said, adding that now new attempts at
doing the same for Alewis was taking place. He said: “According
to international principles that guide the minority issue, being a
member of a minority is a personal choice. Even if individuals are
members of different ethnic groups or religions, they can’t be forced
to accept themselves as a minority. The guiding principle is for a
person to make his or her own choice. The European Commission to try
to question the identity of a few select groups and its attempts to
create new minorities in Turkey is both illegal and ugly.”

Government and the federative structure

Elekdag said that the minority report prepared by the Prime
Ministry Human Rights Advisory Board was significantly influenced
by the European Commission progress report. He said that the
report in question recommended the annulment of the concept of
the “indivisibility of the Turkish nation” from Article 3 of the
Constitution. He said the board’s reason for this recommendation was,
“the use of this term insinuates that the nation is a monolithic
structure, which means the disregarding of the sub-national identities
that form the nation and consequently is undemocratic.”

Elekdag said that the board also wanted to replace the system of
nation-state with its Turkish identity with a multicultural model with
a supra-national identity called “the citizen of Turkey. He said: “The
report, by suggesting the concept of “citizen of Turkey,” dismissing
the supra-national identity of Turkishness of the Turkish nation,
is trying to change the unitary state into a federal structure. This
recommendation boosts the efforts of domestic groups that call for
a bi-national state and their supporters overseas.”

The government needs to make its opinion on the report public, he
said, asking Prime Minister Erdogan to say if he is still behind his
suggestion to replace “Turkishness” with the concept of the “citizen
of Turkey.”

“The government’s statement on this issue is especially important in
terms of membership negotiations with the EU. If not, the EU will try
to force Turkey to accept a federative structure. The recommendations
made in the report, if implemented, would result in the collapse
of the nation-state system in Turkey and would begin the process of
transformation from a unitary state to a federative one.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Danish government, far-right reach deal on refugees

Agence France Presse — English
November 8, 2004 Monday 5:42 PM GMT

COPENHAGEN Nov 8 — The Danish government reached a deal Monday on
the repatriation of refugees with a far-right party whose support it
needs to get its budget through the national parliament.

The far-right Danish Peoples Party (PPD) had made a hard line on
refugees who been denied asylum the minimum price for its support for
the minority centre right government, which has no other political
ally.

Under the agreement refugees will be encouraged to go back to their
countries of origin and states that refuse to accept their nationals
who have been refused asylum will see their aid suspended or reduced.

The measures concern about 2,200 unsuccessful asylum-seekers, of whom
between 500 and 600 are Iraqis.

“What we wanted was to withdraw economic aid to states which do not
want to agree to take back their own nationals whose asylum requests
have been rejected,” PPD leader Pia Kjaersgaard told reporters.

“And we have obtained the assurance of the government in this
direction.”

The PPD is the third biggest group in the Danish parliament and was
instrumental in the coming to power of the ruling coalition in November
2001. It has chosen to make the return of refugees its flagship issue.

It wants refugees from Afghanistan, Armenia, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Iraq,
Kosovo and Somalia sent home, as well as stateless Palestinians from
Lebanon and the West Bank.

But Bertel Haarder, the minister with responsbility for refugees,
immigration and integration, declined to set a time limit on the
repatriation process.

“I cannot fix a number or deadlines or criteria for the success of
this operation since this will depend on war and peace in the world,”
he told Danish television.

On Monday he offered a bonus of 17,000 Danish kronor (2,963 dollars,
2,287 euros) per adult and 6,000 kronor (1,046 dollars, 807 euros)
per child to Iraqis who volunteered before February 1 next year to
go back home..

Last month the United Nations High Commission for Refugees called on
countries that had taken in Iraqi refugees not pressure them to go
home because it was not safe to do so.

“There are considerable pressures on Iraqi refugees in a number of
European countries for them to return,” a spokesman said.

“There are financial incitments to go back and penalties if they are
not taken up, he added.

“The situation in Iraq is still extremely unstable and dangerous. No
parts of Iraq can be considered definitely safe for return.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL LOOKING FOR PARTNERS IN CAUCASUS

Azg
9 Nov 04

Serge Sargsian: No Issue of Becoming NATO Members Included in
RA Political Agenda. Relations between RA and NATO Canâ~@~Yt Have
Negative Impact on Russian-Armenian Relations

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO Secretary General, who paid a short
visit to Armenia within the framework of his regional visit, stated
in the course of the press conference held after the meeting with RA
President Robert Kocharian that “Armeniaâ~@~Ys relations with NATO
are developing very well.”

President Kocharian told Scheffer that Armenia is ready to
deepen relations with NATO. According to the press release of RA
Presidentâ~@~Ys press office, Kocharian stated that recently Armenia
has enlarged the cooperation with NATO. “Armenia has already its
representative at NATO, we try to participate in a number of programs
more actively,” he said.

In late June it was fixed in the joint communiqué adopted at NATO
Istanbul summit that NATO is going to pay special attention to the
South Caucasus and the Central Asian regions. Already on September
15, Brussels appointed NATOâ~@~Ys special representative for these
regions. Robert Simons was accompanying Scheffer during his visits
to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

NATO Secretary General informed the journalists that NATO is not going
to compete with any country or organization in this region. During his
meeting with the students of the Yerevan State University, Scheffer
said that NATO needs partners in this region.

He said that the Organization is conducting peacemaking activities in
Kosovo and Afghanistan and, in particular, emphasized Armeniaâ~@~Ys
contribution to the peacemaking activities in Kosovo. NATOâ~@~Ys role
in the peacemaking activities will be enlarged. Scheffer said that the
Organization is deepening its relations with the countries that can
contribute to the settlement of such global issues as those related
to mass destruction arms and anti-terrorist struggle. Scheffer said
that one canâ~@~Yt fight against such enemies alone. That is why it
is necessary that the anti-terrorist struggle should be conducted by
joint efforts.

Scheffer noticed in the talk with the journalists that Armenia took a
principal step expressing its determination in signing an Individual
Partnership Action Plan with NATO. He emphasized that Armenia should
independently decide on its priorities and represent them to NATOâ~@~Ys
consideration.

Itâ~@~Ys worth mentioning that only Georgia is cooperating with
NATO on Individual Partnership Action Plan among the South Caucasus
countries. On November 5, during a short talk with journalists, Serge
Sargsian, RA Defense Minister, said that the government should approve
the program, it also concerns the reforms in the armed forces, while
the Individual Partnership Action Plan means deepening Armeniaâ~@~Ys
relations with NATO.

Answering question put by Azg Daily Sargsian said that there is no
issue of becoming a NATO member on the foreign political agenda of
Armenia, and the deepening of Armenia-NATO relations canâ~@~Yt have
any negative impact on the Armenian-Russian relations.

Scheffer noticed during the meeting with the journalists that the
three South Caucasus countries have different positions in the issue
of becoming NATO members. According to him, if President Mikheil
Saakashvili directly announces about his countryâ~@~Ys determination
to become a NATO member, he heard nothing similar in Armenia. In this
respect, Scheffer repeated that deepening of Armenia-NATO relations
does not mean that it is directed against a third country. “I
havenâ~@~Yt come here to compete with anyone,” he said.

During the meeting with the students, Scheffer stated that NATO
has no plan on establishing a military station in any of the South
Caucasus countries. He reminded that Georgia has unsolved issues in
the South Ossetia, Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh. He added that NATO
isnâ~@~Yt going to interfere in these conflicts. Earlier Scheffer
told the journalists: “NATO is for brief settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. The alliance has no determination to deal with the settlement
of the conflict. We believe that OSCE Minsk group should play the
main role in achieving the settlement.”

In Tbilisi, during a joint press conference with Mikheil Saakashvili,
Scheffer said that Russia and NATO have very good relations, but,
henceforth, the alliance will also demand from Russia to meet the
commitments undertaken in OSCE Istanbul assembly in 1999. Itâ~@~Ys
worth reminding that, according to the commitments of Istanbul
assembly, Russia should begin negotiations with Tbilisi around the
deadlines of dislocating Batumiâ~@~Ys 12th and Akhalkalakâ~@~Ys 62d
military bases.

According to Civil online newspaper, Saakashvili announced that Georgia
is getting closer and closer to NATO. The president said probably
till 2009 Georgia will become a NATO member-country. Scheffer said
in his turn that he is realistic and optimistic, but he added that
he will speak of no deadlines in the issue of Georgiaâ~@~Ys membership.

At Yerevan State University, Scheffer said the Organization considers
the South Caucasus as one region, but it applies individual principal
in relations with each republic. “Armenia can develop relations with
NATO without decreasing its relations with other countries. NATO is
Russiaâ~@~Y partner,” Scheffer said.

NATO Secretary general announced in Yerevan that the alliance is not
going to play an active part in the issue of securing the safety of
Baku-Tbilisi-Jeihan oil pipeline.

By Tatoul Hakobian

–Boundary_(ID_SgvIg2g5ipZyWkU/dImwkw)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska)
November 6, 2004, Saturday

Educators here to learn, teach

by Emily Gersema

LINCOLN — A group of Eurasian educators is here for a month to learn
about civics education, but they’re teaching Nebraska students,
professors and administrators a lesson about the freedoms that many
Americans take for granted.

“I think it probably improves our outlook on the world,” said Larry
Dlugosh, professor and chairman of educational administration at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The group of 21 educators from the former Soviet countries of
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are visiting schools in Nebraska,
including some in Omaha and Lincoln, to study how Americans teach
children about civic rights and responsibilities.

The UNL program is funded by an $ 83,450 grant from the U.S.
Department of State. The countries have been getting support from the
United States to make the transition into independent states since
the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991.

The foreign educators’ situation is especially unique because Armenia
and Azerbaijan have been in conflict for nearly two decades. Although
the countries declared a cease-fire in 1994, their relationship
remains tense.

But the educators said their countries have worked side by side for
several years to improve education for children in their nations.

“There have been conferences in Georgia,” said Tatev Margaryan, who
works for an educational policy organization in Armenia.

Programs like this “are a rich experience for us,” said Liana
Ayvazyan, a vice principal for an Armenian school.

Already, Rasmiya Badirov said she intends to connect her students in
Azerbaijan with some of the students she’s met in Nebraska.

“We are going to do cross-cultural projects,” Badirov said. “I think
it would be beneficial for our students to learn U.S. culture.”

Joe McNulty, a UNL professor of education administration who applied
for the grant project, said some Nebraska educators will visit the
countries in the spring.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Tacy Ltd., Israel
Nov 7 2004

ARMENIA CUT DIAMOND OUTPUT FALLS 25%

Armenia produced US$160 million worth of cut diamonds in the first
nine months of 2004, marking a decrease of some 25 percent as
compared to the same period of 2003, according to a spokesman for the
Trade and Economic Development Ministry of Armenia.

Sales of cut diamonds fell to US$157 million, while exports fell to
US$156 million.

The decreases are attributed to a drop in supplies of Russian rough
diamonds. Armenia imported just 100,000 carats of rough diamonds from
Russia in the nine months under an intergovernmental agreement that
provides a quota of 400,000 carats for 2004.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RELATIONS FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN COMPANIES OF IT SPHERE AND OTHER
SPHERES OF ECONOMY POORLY DEVELOPED

YEREVAN, November 5 (Noyan Tapan). The purpose of the fourth
specialized exhibition “Infotech” and the “Information Technologies
for Organization of Industrial and Financial-Economic Activities”
business-forum held within its framework on November 5 is to encourage
the further development of cooperation between the enterprises of the
sphere of information technologies (IT) and the companies of other
spheres using their services. Anna Hakobian, the Director of the “Expo
Media” Center of Exhibition Planning, said about it during the
November 5 press conference. Bagrat Yengibarian, Director of the
“Incubator Enterprises” Fund, mentioned that the sphere of information
technologies is quite developed in Armenia. He gave assurance that
close cooperation with enterprises of other spheres will contribute to
the development of the country’s economy. It was also mentioned that
this forum is the first step in the process of the integration of the
companies in different spheres. The IT sphere today provides 2% of GDP
in Armenia, and the exports of about 100 companies of the sphere
annually make 50 mln dollars. According to Bagrat Yengibarian, it is
possible to make this index 500 mln dollars during the upcoming ten
years. Reports entitled “Automation of Management of Bases and
Industrial Process”, “E-Dram System and other Instruments of
Organization of Financial-Technical Activities”, “Consultation and
Estimation of Enterprises of IT Sphere” were made at the forum.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian agency warns foreign states not to indulge Azeri president

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
6 Nov 04

An Armenian news agency has warned foreign powers not to indulge the
Azerbaijani president whom it accused of shutting “the half-open
window of possibilities in the process of a Karabakh settlement”. In
its weekly analysis, Mediamax said that the talks were in “a state of
full uncertainty” as Ilham Aliyev “interprets an indulgent attitude
to himself on the part of foreign powers purely as a good opportunity
to delay the beginning of a real dialogue”. The agency called on the
mediating states to “change their tactics and treat each party to the
conflict equally”. The following is an excerpt from report in English
by Armenian news agency Mediamax; subheadings have been inserted
editorially:

The recent developments around the Nagornyy Karabakh peace process
testify to the fact that despite great expectations the Armenian and
Azerbaijani presidents’ meeting in Astana on 15 September has not
become a “breakthrough” in the peace process.

According to statements from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, after
the talks in the capital of Kazakhstan the presidents took a
“time-out”, which as the mediators hoped, would finish in early
November. However, today we, vice versa, witness the sides’ return to
the situation, which has been observed since Heydar Aliyev’s death
till this spring – the absence of negotiating process accompanied by
the sides’ mutual accusations.

The optimistic picture formed after President Robert Kocharyan and
President Ilham Aliyev’s meeting in Astana, began going bad already in
early October, when the Azerbaijani president gave an interview to
Reuters, where he, in particular, called Armenia an “aggressor
country”. In fact, Ilham Aliyev did not say anything new – Azerbaijani
leaders have been using this cliche over the last 10 years. However,
the reaction of official Yerevan, which until now has expressed
restrained optimism in relation to the situation in the negotiating
process formed after several round of talks between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani foreign ministers and the meeting in Astana, turned out to
be rather harsh.

“Azerbaijan reaps the fruits of the military aggression unleashed by
it and is the hostage of the colonial policy pursued in relation to
Nagornyy Karabakh,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Gamlet
Gasparyan, said on 8 October.

Some days later, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan also
commented on Ilham Aliyev’s statement, saying that “Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev has chosen a wrong direction and wrong theme.”

Oskanyan noted that such harsh-worded statements can put Ilham Aliyev
in a difficult situation and complicate his ability to make
compromises without which the settlement of the Karabakh problem is
impossible. The Armenian foreign minister said that commenting on the
negotiating process, Yerevan’s representatives unambiguously state the
impossibility of Nagornyy Karabakh’s existence within Azerbaijan. “In
all other issues we behave quite carefully and do not enter into
polemics,” Oskanyan stressed.

Passage omitted: more recap of mutual accusations

Baku shuts “window of possibilities”, paper says

>From this moment it became obvious that the hopes aroused by the
Astana meeting will remain unrealized, at least, in the short-term
perspective. The Armenian leaders have repeatedly stated that they
refused the plan of land swap, which had been for some time discussed
at talks with Heydar Aliyev. The fact that official Baku decided to
return to this theme just on the eve of the 5th anniversary of the
terrorist act in the Armenian parliament testifies to the fact that
Azerbaijan has made up its mind to shut the half-open “window of
possibilities” in the process of the Karabakh settlement. And the
statement made by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on 26
October only proved this.

Elmar Mammadyarov said that “Baku is waiting for an answer from
Yerevan regarding the continuation of the process on a settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict”. “We would like the talks, the
exchange of opinion and the conclusions that were reached in certain
spheres to be continued,” the Azerbaijani foreign minister said and
stressed that all the talks are aimed at Armenia’s liberating the
seven occupied regions around Nagornyy Karabakh.

“We have got no answer concerning this either from Yerevan or from the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, who, as the Azerbaijani side thinks,
should work more actively,” Elmar Mammadyarov said.

In reply, the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Gamlet Gasparyan,
said that “we have repeatedly said, and we will say so again, that
despite Azerbaijan’s wishes or statements, Armenia’s focus during
negotiations is on the issue of the status of Nagornyy Karabakh”.

“All other issues are tangential to the status issue and Armenia views
them only in the context of the future status of NKR,” the Armenian
Foreign Ministry’s official representative said. Commenting on another
statement by the Azerbaijani foreign minister that the Armenian
president took a time-out in Astana “to analyse the results of the
meetings held”, Gamlet Gasparyan said that both presidents agreed to
take time to consider the issues which were raised. “On the matters
which are of interest to Armenia, we have not yet received a response
from Azerbaijan,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman said.

Passage omitted: recaps talks under former president Levon
Ter-Petrosyan

UN General Assembly

The Azerbaijani leadership’s further steps demonstrated that Baku, as
before, decided to get involved in a propaganda campaign and not a
real settlement. In late October, the UN General Assembly committee
decided to recommend the inclusion of three additional items in the
assembly’s current agenda, including the proposal to consider the
situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The request was
contained in a letter from the permanent representative of
Azerbaijan. The French representative, speaking on behalf of the
co-chairmanship of the Minsk Group spoke against the discussion of the
issue suggested by Azerbaijan by the UN General Assembly. According to
him, the request for the introduction of a new item could have
negative consequences and harm efforts to bring about a just and
lasting settlement.

After the Azerbaijani initiative had been officially included in the
UN General Assembly’s agenda, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that
it “can hardly have a favourable influence on the negotiating
process”. “Russia abstained from voting like the other co-chairman of
the OSCE Minsk Group. We think that the initiative in parallel with
the OSCE consideration of this issue at the UN General Assembly can
hardly have a favourable influence on the negotiating process. The
results of the voting testify to the fact that most members of the
international community adhere to a similar position,” the Russian
Foreign Ministry noted.

The Russian cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuriy Merzliakov was
more open. In an interview with Baku’s ATV TV company he said: “The
discussion of the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
at the UN will seriously harm the peace process.”

“Full uncertainty” at Karabakh talks

Today we decided to repeat an excerpt from our analytical review of
January 31 2004, since as we have already mentioned at the beginning
of this article, the situation, unfortunately, returns to a state of
full uncertainty. Here is the excerpt, which, in our opinion, has not
only lost but, vice versa, has acquired additional actuality: “We
think that the representatives of the international community and
mediator-states, speaking about the need for ‘giving more time to
Ilham Aliyev’ make an essential mistake calling on to wait for the
moment when the new Azerbaijani leader ‘will get firmly established’
in his post. A question arises – will Ilham Aliyev be firmly
established in three months or half a year? Why not take into account
the fact that Aliyev’s position may vice versa become weaker because
of some reasons thus making the Karabakh settlement more unreal?”

If the mediator-states are really interested in settling the conflict,
they should change their tactics and treat each party to the conflict
equally. Otherwise, the solution will be dragged on as Ilham Aliyev,
to all appearances, interprets an indulgent attitude to himself on the
part of foreign powers purely as a good opportunity to delay the
beginning of a real dialogue.

Passage omitted: recaps the 2002 US ambassador to the OSCE appeal to
both presidents to continue talks

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Messenger, Georgia
Nov. 5, 2004

Snapshots of living together
By Nino Gvalia

At the exhibition
Photographers from Georgia Ira Kurmaeva and Liza Osephaishvili-Nemtsova

Until November 7, the TMS Art Gallery (16 Rustaveli Avenue) is holding
a photography exhibition titled ‘Living Together,’ presented by the
British Council and BP.

The collection features works by six young photographers from Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Armenia – Liza Osepaishvili-Nemtsova, Irina Kurmaeva,
Sitara Ibrahimova, David Hakobyan, Vahe Gevorgyan and Rafail Shakirov.

The Living Together exhibition is the result of a week’s work in
February this year, when the six photographers from the three Caucasian
countries met up to take snapshots around the theme of living together.
They worked in Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Marneuli and Tskhinvali, where
different ethnic and social groups live side by side.

According to Liza Osepaishvili-Nemtsova, working together on the
project was a very interesting experience, as it gave her the
opportunity to meet up with colleagues and share ideas. “I liked the
project very much. I met with interesting photographers and
collaborated with them,” she said.

The project was coordinated by the British photographer Ann Doherty,
whose works were exhibited in a British Council exhibition in the three
South Caucasian countries in 2003.

The aim of the project was to bring together a photo collection for a
touring exhibition describing how people of different origins can live
in peace and harmony, despite the recent ethnic conflicts in the South
Caucasus.

“When I see this exhibition, I think that it belongs to one author. I
don’t know if this is good or bad, but I find the exhibition very
interesting and also think that it is a very good idea when
photographers from different countries work on the same theme and then
exhibit their work together,” said the famous photographer Irina
Abzhandadze.

The black and white photographs printed to a very high quality well
illustrate the often harsh life of Caucasian people, who live in
poverty, face many difficulties, and whose eyes are thoughtful and sad.

“This theme has made a strong influence on me. The exhibition again and
again proves that photography is one of the main art-forms, which can
send a powerful message to a viewer,” commented the well known
photographer Yuri Mechitov while visiting the exhibition.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Messenger, Georgia
Nov. 5, 2004

Abkhazia-Georgia rail link “within a year”

The Head of the Russian Railway Gennady Fadeev declared on Thursday
that the basic transport corridor connecting Russia with Armenia
through Georgia can start functioning within a year, Prime News
reports.
Gennady Fadeev told journalists in Yerevan that “from the point of view
of financial and technical opportunities, the
Sochi-Sukhumi-Tbilisi-Yerevan transport corridor can start functioning
within a year.”
Fadeev noted that there was a prospect of increase of the volume of the
Armenian-Russian cargo transportations by means of railway, and also
noted that there was an opportunity to open a ferry link with Russian
port of Caucasus, but that in this issue “the opinion of the Georgian
side” was very important.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

International Journalist’s Network
Nov. 5, 2004

Contest in Armenia to honor special reports on Georgia

Television stations and companies in Armenia can enter a competition
aimed at producing a series of special reports about Georgia.

Internews-Armenia is organizing the competition, sponsored by the U.S.
Agency for International Development. The application deadline is
November 20.

The contest aims to offer the public better information on the social
and political processes in Georgia. Internews encourages a creative
approach to the reports, which could focus on the economy, culture,
environment, politics, social problems or international relations,
among other topics.

Candidates should submit a completed application form; two
Russian-language copies of a detailed script proposal; the production
schedule, to be completed by January 15; the curriculum vitae of the
director/producer and main participants; detailed production expenses;
a videotape of the applicant’s past work; and a letter from the TV
company agreeing to air the reports.

Internews will select the proposal based on the best likelihood of
carrying out the project and the professionalism of the bid, among
other criteria.

Detailed requirements and forms are available at

For more information, contact Internews-Armenia at [email protected],
telephone +374 1 583 620.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress