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PRESIDENT’S MEETING

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
20 Oct 04

On October 16 NKR president Arkady Ghukassian met with the noted
Armenian philanthropist from America Vaheh Karapetian. During this
visit Vaheh Karapetian observed the maintenance works on the road
Goris – Stepanakert carried out on his financing. He said that
presently the building for the company `Road Maintenance’ implementing
these works is reconstructed, as well as a warehouse for storage and
repairs of the machines is built. Mr. Karapetian told the president of
NKR about his intention to assume financing of the maintenanceof the
highway `North – South’ after its construction is finished. During the
meeting V. Karapetian spoke about a number of programs implemented in
Artsakh on his means. Among these are the restoration of the church in
the village of Aghavno and improvement of the territory around the
church Ghazanchetsots in Shoushi.

AA.
20-10-2004

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOUNDATION OF ST. CROSS CHURCH IN MOSCOW CONSECRATED UNDER LEADERSHIP
OF CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AND WITH PARTICIPATION OF PATRIARCH OF
MOSCOW AND ALL-RUSSIA

MOSCOW, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin
II departed to Moscow on October 15 to mark the 75th anniversary of
Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II, as well as for the
consecration of the foundation of the Surb Khach (St. Cross) Church
and the residence of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II
accompanied by high-ranking representatives of priesthood, Archbishop
Grigoris Buniatian, Head of the Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian
Church, Ezras Nersisian, Head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan
Diocese, and members of the Diocesan Board met Catholicos of All
Armenians Karekin II at the airport. On October 16 morning, His
Holiness visited Surb Harutiun (St.

Resurrection) Church in Moscow. The ceremony of the consecration of
the foundation of the St. Cross Church was held the same day under the
leadership of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and with the
participation of Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II. 16
consecrated stones were laid into the foundation of the church. After
the ceremony Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II thanked Patriarch
of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II and the authorities of Russia for
contribution to the construction of the church, as well as for the
careful attitude towards the Armenian Community of Moscow. “Our soul
is glad on the occasion of the happy event, which we mark together
with the Armenian Community today and which is held simultaneously
with the celebration of the jubilee of His Holiness Patriarch of
Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II. Today we thank God that we day by day
develop the relations between our countries and strengthen fraternal
love between our peoples and our churches in the spirit of
traditionally steadfast friendship and cooperation,” said, in
particular, the Catholicos of All Armenians. The Supreme Patriarch
blessed philanthropists of the St.

Cross Church Vitaly Grigoriants, Murad Sargsian and others. Then
Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II spoke. He expressed hope
that the construction of the church will more strengthen the relations
between the two people and churches. “Warm relations have been formed
between the two peoples during long years and centuries. A friend in
need is a friend indeed, and when Armenia faced disasters, when the
earthquake in Spitak took human lives, Russia was with the Armenian
people, shared its pain and sufferings. I thank You, Your Holiness,
that when Russia experiences the ramifications of the terrorist acts,
You always share our pain, support us with Your prayers in Holy
Etchmiadzin,” said the Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia, expressing
hope that “the Cathedral, which will be constructed here, will be the
place, where friendship between the two peoples and cooperation
between our churches will grow and consolidate.” Moscow Mayor Yury
Luzhkov also sent congratulations to the Armenian Community.

“When we speak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, we feel our spiritual
kinship, which unites our churches, the especial similarity of our
peoples, which was born many centuries ago and which, thank God,
consolidates and I hope will consolidate in the future,” mentioned the
Moscow Mayor. According to the Information System of the Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin, Georgy Poltavchenko, Plenipotentiary of the
President of Russia to the Central Federal Okrug, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Russia Armen Smbatian,
Chairman of the Diocesan Council Artur Chilingarov and numerous
believers also participated in the ceremony. A meeting of the two
Patriarchs was held at the patriarchal residence after the
ceremony. The Head of the Russian Orthodox Church gave the Catholicos
of All Armenians the supreme award of the church, the order of
St. Andrey Perwozwanny, for contribution to the strengthening of
friendship and cooperation between the Russian and Armenian churches
and peoples.

Turkmen leader’s book of spiritual teachings to be published in Armenian

Turkmen TV first channel, Asgabat
18 Oct 04

Presenter A creative group of the Partev Armenian-Turkmen cooperation
centre in charge of the publication of Ruhnama in the Armenian
language has sent a message to Turkmen President Saparmyrat
Turkmenbasy the Great Nyyazow .

In the letter, they informed the Turkmen head of state that they were
preparing for the publication of the first volume of Ruhnama of our
esteemed leader Saparmyrat Turkmenbasy the Great in the Armenian
language. The authors of the letter say that when thinking of starting
the publication of Ruhnama in Armenian, that they were guided by the
followings words of Saparmyrat Turkmenbasy the Great: “Ruhnama is not
only for Turkmens! Ruhnama is also a book of other nationalities and
our brothers who live among us and share our joy and happiness and
create the Golden Age on this soil with us.”

Members of the creative group also wrote that the publication of
Ruhnama in Armenian would facilitate further understanding between the
peoples of Armenia and Turkmenistan and strengthen the cultural ties
of our countries.

“It will be a great honour for us to receive your approval for the
publication of Ruhnama in Armenian and hand you copies of the book
after its publication,” the message says.

Passage omitted: authors of the letter congratulate Turkmen president
and people on Independence Day

No video

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Social justice

Editorial

Yerkir/am
October 15, 2004

The efficiency of the political system is determined by the
qualitative and quantitative characteristics of demands presented to
the system and the system’ s ability to find operational solutions to
the demands presented.

Any material and political support to the existing political system
can contribute to the reproduction if that system if it is transformed
into a socially useful political decision.

However, experience shows that mutually beneficial cooperation between
the economic elite and the political leadership results in pressure
exerted by various interest groups on the political decision making
thus making it biased and failing to represent the interests of
economically weak and vulnerable segments of the society.

The institutional structures and processes of decision making are
under the influence of large businesses and social groups. As a result
of this the price for supporting the political system does not match
the benefits gained from the decisions being made.

The society pays a higher price. If we take into consideration that
the civil society institutions that can serve as interest groups for
the more vulnerable segments of the society do not work in Armenia, we
can say that the majority of the society does not have any impact on
the political decision making in return to the support it gives to the
political system.

In Armenia, the support to the political system (in the form of paying
taxes and public services fees, participation in the elections,
abiding by the laws, etc) is not commensurate to the feedback from the
political system (in the form of social security, ensuring equality
under the law, paying pensions, etc.).

In addition to this, an opinion prevails in the Armenian society that
the social-political elite provides less support to the political
system (by understating their incomes, avoiding military service,
etc.) while at the same time taking advantage of certain privileges.

Social justice is the pre-condition for constructive cooperation
between the political leadership and the citizens. Transition period
is sometimes used to justify political manipulations and failures.

When social justice is violated certain segments of the society are
deprived of the opportunity for material and spiritual
reproduction. In this case, such segments resort to isolationist
approach of interaction with the political system – they refuse to
participate in the political processes.

The social-economic and spiritual-cultural life of the country is
always influenced by the problems the nation is facing. Today, the
solution to these problems implies self-restriction, readiness for
sacrifices, unity and most importantly, organization at the level of
the state. Nothing is more dangerous for the country than the
privileged status of certain groups and classes against the general
background of self-restriction and sacrifice of the larger society.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RFE/RL President Thomas Dine Urges Armenian President To Help Return
“Azatutiun” To TV Airwaves

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-457-6900
Fax: 202-457-6992

CONTACT: Donald Jensen +1-202-457-6947
Sonia Winter +420-221-123-007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Prague/Washington — October 19, 2004) RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine
today sent a letter to Armenian President Robert Kocharian, denouncing the
“Soviet-style” cancellation of the new RFE/RL Armenian Service news and
analysis program, “Azatutiun” by the private Armenian television station
Kentron. Dine urges President Kocharian “to denounce this contemptible
Soviet-style act, and to help return “Azatutiun” to the air.”

In his letter, Dine asserts that he is “determined to get “Azatutiun”
back on the air and will make every effort to make that happen —
including raising this issue with the Bush Administration, the U.S.
Congress, the Council of Europe, and non-governmental organizations
worldwide.”

“Azatutiun,” a new television program created by and featuring news and
analysis from RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, was abruptly pulled from the
schedule of the local Armenian television station “Kentron” on October
13, three days after it debuted to rave reviews on Kentron. Although the
television station’s management has made no comment on the decision, it
is widely suspected that Kentron was pressured to suspend further
broadcasts of the program, either by official interests or local media
competitors.

The suspension of the “Azatutiun” program has been widely covered in the
Armenian press. On October 14, “Aravot” daily alleged that the head of
Armenian state television and radio, Aleksan Harutiunian, was
instrumental in the ban because he wanted RFE/RL to lease airtime from
his channel and pay for that. Harutiunian, in an interview published by
“Aravot” on October 15, denied any involvement in the suspension of
“Azatutiun”. In his letter to President Kocharian, however, Dine states
that he has been “personally informed that this cancellation was the
result of pressure from a high-level Armenian government official.”

RFE/RL’s Armenian Service broadcasts four hours of programming a day to
Armenia, produced in Prague and the service’s Yerevan Bureau and
transmitted to listeners via shortwave, satellite and FM, AM, Cable
Radio, UKV and longwave signals provided by local affiliate stations.
Armenian Service programming is also available via the Internet, at the
service’s website and at

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international
communications service to Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe; the
Caucasus; and Central and Southwestern Asia funded by the U.S. Congress
through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DELEGATION OF USA’S ARMENIAN CONGRESS IN ARTSAKH

Azg/am
20 Oct 04

Delegation of America’s Armenian Congress, headed by Ani Totah,
arrived in Stepanakert on a three-day visit.

The delegation members visited the HALO Trust office, the Center of
Child’s Works in Stepanakert and then headed for Shushi.

Accompanied by first lady Inna Ghukasian, they visited secondary
school N2. On the initiative of Inna Ghukasian and AAC’s support $120
thousandwas gathered in Los Angeles for repairing the school. Repair
started on August of the current year. The guests learnt of the
working rate and handed out copybooks and pens to pupils.

Ani Totah said that an Armenian American promised to contribute $270
thousand to one of Stepanakert’s schools only in case it is named
after him.School N6 was chosen for this purpose.

Delegation visited Gandzasar and Stepanakert’s carpet weaving factory
yesterday. President of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasian and chairman of
National Assembly Oleg Yesayan received the guests at the end of the
day.

According to the schedule, AAC delegation will visit Stepanakert’s
Museum of History and Geology after which they will leave Artsakh.

By Kim Gabrielian from Stepanakert

Catholic World News, United States
Oct 19 2004

Catholic, Jewish leader urge respect for Jerusalem

Rome, Oct. 19 (CWNews.com) – A three-day meeting of Catholic and
Jewish officials has concluded with a joint statement urging
political leaders to respect the sacred character of the city of
Jerusalem.

The statement punctuated the 4th session of dialogue arranged by the
Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, together
with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Rabbi Shar Yishuv Cohen of Haifa
led the Jewish delegation; Cardinal Jorge Mejia, the retired Vatican
archivist, was the top representative of the Holy See.

After three days of discussions in Grottaferrata, just south of Rome,
the group issued a three-part statement. It began with a clear
commitment to continuing the inter-religious dialogue: “We are not
enemies, but unequivocal partners in articulating the essential moral
values for the survival and welfare of human society.”

The statement went on to affirm that “Jerusalem has a sacred
character for all the children of Abraham.” The group asked world
leaders “to respect this character and to prevent actions which
offend the sensibilities of religious communities that rely in
Jerusalem and hold her dear.”

The third point of the joint statement was directed at religious
leaders, asking them to “protest publicly” against “actions of
disrespect toward religious persons, symbols, and holy sites.” The
statement specifically mentioned a recent violent assault on the
Armenian Apostolic Patriarch of Jerusalem and the desecration of
cemeteries.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Oct 19 2004

KOCHARIAN MEETS CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS: President Kocharian received
today the visiting foreign minister of China Lee Jaosin and members
of the Chinese delegation. Kocharian’s press service said the foreign
minister conveyed to Kocharian the greetings of the Chinese president
Hu Zintao. The minister also said China gives great importance to
developing diverse relations with Armenia and appreciates highly
Kocharian’s personal contributions to boosting bilateral ties.
Kocharian in turn voiced his satisfaction with the growing
cooperation with China. According to the Armenian president, the
absence of political problems between the two nations provides them
with good development prospects. Kocharian also singled out China’s
and Armenia’s close cooperation within international organizations,
saying both have virtually the same positions on many key issues.
China’s foreign minister discussed economic cooperation with prime
minister Andranik Margarian, who underscored high-level exchange
visits for enhancing bigger trade between the two countries. Among
priority areas the two mentioned chemistry, energy and agriculture.
Other areas of possible cooperation include science, technology,
education and culture, health and tourism. Noting with satisfaction
the growth in bilateral trade circulation during the first quarter of
the running year, the Chinese FM reaffirmed Chinese determination to
make large scale investment in Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Oct 18 2004

US-ARMENIAN BENEFACTOR PLEDGES MONEY FOR MAINTENANCE OF NORTH-SOUTH
HIGHWAY IN KARABAGH

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS: An American-Armenian benefactor
Vahe Karapetian pledged on October 16 to release funds for the
maintenance of a strategic highway that will run across Nagorno
Karabagh. Christened as the North-South highway the new road will
provide safe communication among all rural and urban communities.
Funds for its accomplishment are raised by Hayastan all-Armenian fund
through annual telethons conducted in the USA, Armenia and other
countries with strong Armenian communities.
Vahe Karapetian was in Nagorno Karabagh October 16 where he met
with its leader Arkady Ghukasian. He traveled to Karabagh via
Goris-Stepanakert highway that was also built on Hayastan funds.
Karapetian provides money for its technical maintenance.
The US benefactor also promised to help restore two churches in
Nagorno Karabagh.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse — English
October 18, 2004 Monday

Jewish religious student apologies for spitting at Armenian
archbishop

JERUSALEM

A Jewish religious student who spat at an Armenian archbishop during
a religious procession in Jerusalem’s Old City last week has
apologised for his behaviour, a police spokesman said Monday.

Natan Zvi Rosental, a student at the prestigious Har Hamor yeshiva,
or Jewish seminary, formally apologised to Archbishop Nourhan
Manougian at a meeting in a police station, spokesman Shmulik Ben
Ruby told AFP.

Manougian had said he accepted the apology as his faith taught
forgiveness.

The incident took place during a religious procession when Rosental
spat at the archbishop’s feet, causing the priest to react
physically, according to Ben Ruby.

A brawl broke out, during which Rosental ripped the cross from around
the archbishop’s neck. The two were separated and police arrested the
student.

Despite the apology, police were still likely to charge Rosental with
“insulting” the archbishop and could even add further charges for
attacking him, Ben Ruby said.

In defence of his actions, Rosental said he had been brought up to
see Christianity as idol worship, which is forbidden by the Torah,
the Jewish holy book, Haaretz newspaper reported.

Haaretz has said the student spat at the cross being carried during
the procession as well as at the archbishop, who reacted by slapping
him.

“To approach in the middle of a religious procession and to spit on
the cross in front of all the priests of the sect is humiliation that
we are not prepared to accept,” Manougian said.

“The Israeli government … cries out in the face of any harm done to
Jews all over the world, but is simply not interested at all when we
(Christians) are humiliated on an almost daily basis,” he said,
quoted by Haaretz.

The 3,000-strong Armenian community live in the Armenian quarter of
the Old City and many Jews walk through it on their way from west
Jerusalem to the Wailing Wall.

Christian clergy at an emergency meeting of parliament’s interior and
environment committee called to discuss the abuse of Christians by
Orthodox Jews in the Old City said the practise was widespread but
rarely reported.

Vandalism of church property has also been reported in recent months,
with Jewish graffiti scrawled on the Georgian-built Monastery of the
Cross in west Jerusalem.

Three months ago, an 11th-century fresco in the same church was
defaced by unknown assailants.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress