Author: Alex Jidarian

EDUARD ROSSEL SUGGESTED FOUNDING ARMENIAN TRADE CENTER IN SVERDLOVSK REGION
PanArmenian News
March 22 2005
22.03.2005 07:11
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian has met
with Sverdlovsk Russian region Governor Eduard Rossel, the Press
Service of the Armenian Government reported. In the course of the
meeting Margarian noted that active cooperation between Armenia and
25 administrative subjects of Russia was established recently,
agreements between the Governments of Armenia and Moscow, Leningrad,
Saratov, Astrakhan, Kirov regions and the Krasnodar territory are
signed. In his words, the commodity turnover between Armenia and
Russia grows constantly, also due to cooperation with the
administrative subjects. Eduard Rossel acquainted with the social and
economic situation in the Sverdlovsk region and development
prospects, noting that the region is the first one in Russia to
implement a long-term development program, one of its main components
being stimulation of cooperation with neighbor countries, including
Armenia and its regions. He suggested Armenia founding a trade center
in Sverdlovsk region, organizing an exhibition of the Armenian
production, creating joint ventures, as well as invited the Armenian
party to participate in an annual international economic forum.
Having accepted the Governor~Rs proposals, Mr. Margarian noted that
after the signing of the agreement it will be possible to use the
potential of the Commercial and Industrial Chambers of Armenia and
Russia, the Association of the Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation.
The interlocutors also noted that the Vladimir Putin~Rs coming visit
to Armenia and the official opening of the Year of Russia in Armenia
will be a new stimulus for further strengthening the Armenian-Russian
relations. At the completion of the meeting the parties signed a
Protocol on the outcomes of the visit of the Sverdlovsk delegation to
Yerevan, which notes the main directions of the commercial and
economic, industrial and humanitarian cooperation, as well as
emphasizes the need for signing an inter-governmental agreement for
the realization of the cooperation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Miami Herald, FL
March 17 2005
Psst, pal, wanna buy some cheap guided missiles?
Any fan of Hollywood B movies expects a hot-tub scene. Our thriller
gets it out of the way early: Page 13 of the rousing 62-page United
States of America versus Armo, Tiko, Soso, Joe, Jabs, Spies, Nikush,
et al.
The FBI’s confidential informant, known only as CI, traveled to a
Brooklyn spa last spring to negotiate with some scoundrels with
nefarious ties to the international arms black market. The meeting
began “first in a sauna, then in a hot tub.”
The movie version, of course, would have added a couple of nearly
naked, beautiful women sloshing about as an arms deal simmered in
roiling water. No mention of skin in the federal complaint released
this week.
Our main villain, Artur Solomonyan, 26, asked as he soaked if CI’s
clients had ”dark skin,” meaning, of course, were they Arab
terrorists.
Solomonyan, an Armenian, and his partner, a 33-year-old South African
known as Spies (as Dave Barry would say, I’m not making this up)
assured the FBI’s own spy that they could supply him with land mines,
rocket- propelled grenade launchers, surface-to-air missiles,
including shoulder-launched Stingers, and a variety of machine guns,
all obtained from leaky armories in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia
and Chechnya. Solomonyan also mentioned enriched uranium that “could
be used in the subway system.”
CI intimated that he was the middle man for some very unsavory
clients, “specifically mentioning foreign and domestic terrorists.”
NO SCRUPLES
These were pure Hollywood-style evildoers, unburdened by
soul-searching, guilt, doubts or anguish. No complicated character
studies here. More like the one-dimensional bad guys on Fox TV’s 24.
“Spies responded that he did not care who purchased the
explosives.”
For more than a year, the FBI monitored 15,000 cellphone
conversations among the gang members. CI traveled from New York to
Los Angeles to South Florida, a place seen by the crooks as a
nurturing, low-risk climate for their criminal enterprise. “Spies
said Florida was a good place to do things.”
Two South Florida men were among those arrested Tuesday when the FBI
trap snapped shut on 17 alleged arms dealers. Joseph Colpani, 53, of
Hollywood, and Michael Demare, 50, of north Miami-Dade were captured
in their not-very-flashy neighborhoods after selling two AK-47s and
promising nastier stuff to come. I’m sure the movie version will
relocate the pair to Star Island.
PUPPY LOVE
The gang had their nicknames, a cinematic touch. And cute code names
for weapons. Machine guns and rocket launchers became toys, condos,
SUVs and puppies.
Can guys who love puppies be so bad?
The FBI’s CI purchased eight assault rifles during the course of the
investigation. What’s unclear is whether the other stuff promised was
so much smoke blown by low-rent hoods, who ran credit-card and
Medicare scams on the side.
Did they really have access to missiles powerful enough to take down
an airliner? Or enriched uranium? Or rocket grenade launchers?
The case is reminiscent of the so-called Russian mobsters who ran
Porky’s, a strip bar in Hialeah. In 1995, they tried to sell
undercover cops, posing as drug smugglers, a Russian submarine. It
was never quite clear how much of that was bravado, how much was a
real possibility.
Not that this latest batch of Soviet-bloc criminals weren’t sinister.
Solomonyan was taped saying he had something unsavory in mind for CI,
who he thought was ”playing with him.” Solomonyan said, “He’ll see
what it means to play.”
His threatening words were pure film noir.
He said the CI “won’t forget me for all his life. He’s gonna
remember me for a while. I’m not joking. You’ll see. I’ve got a
couple plans.”
The gang was nabbed before our tough guy could carry out his threat
— a perfect Hollywood ending.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Today.Az, Azerabaijan
Feb 28 2005
US State Department disappointed by the words of its own Ambassador
to Armenia
27 February 2005 [08:52] – Today.Az
Some news agencies based on armenian sources quoted US Ambassador to
Amernia as saying “Karabakh can not be given to Azerbaijan”.
He said this while speaking in Berkley University, CA to the members
of Armenian Diaspora. It is strange to hear these words from the
representative of US Administartion that has always made clear its
support to territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and never recognized
Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.
The words of Ambassador John Evans should be considered as a “private
comment at a private party” said State Department official Steve
Pike, commenting on the odd statement of its Ambassador to Armenia.
“They do not reflect US official position on this issue. US policy on
Nagorno-Karabakh remains unchanged”, he added.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to US Hafiz Pashayev discussed this incident
with US officials, as well as with Laura Kenndey, Deputy Assistant
Secretary on Caucasus, Central Asia and Southeast Europe. According
to Hafiz Pashayev, from his conversations with US officials he
concluded that American side was disappointed with John Evans’s
statement. US officials once again reassured Azerbaijani Ambassador
that the United States supports the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan and doesn’t recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent
state, nor it recognizes its authorities. (AzerTadj)
“This is an irresponsible statement to make on the eve of the next
meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. John
Evans should give an explanation to his statement”, Azerbaijani
Ambassador added. “Every Ambassador tries to be particularly careful
in the statements and not use a word that might undermine an official
stance of his country in a certain issue. It seems, that an
atmosphere of two week long meetings in different states with
Armenian Diaspora influenced Ambassador Evans in such an extent, that
he didn’t adhere to this basic principle of diplomacy”.
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
Feb 22 2005
PALLONE AGAIN RAISED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE IN US CONGRESS
22.02.2005 15:45
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ When addressing the Congress Co-Chair of the US
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone (D-NJ) cited
the speech of Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian at a special
sitting of the UN General Assembly devoted to the 60-th anniversary
of liberation of prisoners of Osventsim concentration camp. “By
remembering all the cases of inhuman treatment with people we
reaffirm our stand to always prevent the opportunity of repetition of
the crime against humanity, thus denying the statement that history
is doomed to repeat,” the Congressman stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
February 16, 2005
____________________
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA AND USAID ARMENIA MISSION DIRECTOR SHARE
INSIGHT AT TOWN HALL MEETING HOSTED BY FAR AND THE DIOCESE
Despite difficulties — ranging from the heritage of Soviet misrule to
cultural and economic factors – America’s new Ambassador to Armenia,
John Evans, feels strongly that “Armenia today is on the right track.”
To help stay on track, Armenia receives assistance from America — in
fact, Armenia receives more American assistance per capita than any
other nation, save Israel. That statistic only takes into account
governmental aid, and does not include help provided by private
organizations, such as the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR).
During a town hall meeting on Friday, February 11, 2005, co-hosted by
FAR and the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern),
Ambassador Evans described the three areas that the U.S. administration
focuses its aid to Armenia: (1) to see stability and security for the
people in the south Caucasus; (2) to work with other international
donors to build up the economy in Armenia, hopefully to a point where it
is self-sustaining; and (3) to foster the development of genuine
democratic institutions, touching the executive, legislative and
judicial branches of government as well as the media, often considered
the fourth branch of democracy.
The U.S. assistance program includes projects by the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Peace
Corps, the Treasury Department, the Pentagon and several others. “I
think it is probably the best,” the Ambassador said, referring to the
high quality of work and the existence of checks and balances in
Armenia.
About 40 people attended the intimate gathering at New York City’s
Diocesan Center, which included remarks by Ambassador Evans, and USAID
Country Director for Armenia Robin Phillips.
FAR AND U.S. WORK JOINTLY
USAID’s Phillips indicated that of the $75 million Congress allocates to
Armenia’s assistance, USAID implements $50 million. He noted that FAR
is overseeing $16.55 million for humanitarian assistance granted by
USAID — $15 million for work in Karabagh and $1.55 million for work in
Armenia. This double award demonstrates USAID’s recognition of FAR as a
credible, responsible and effective relief organization.
“We are happy with our long-standing relationship with USAID,” said
Garnik Nanagoulian, Executive Director of FAR, “and look forward to
continuing our partnership for the benefit of the people of Armenia and
Karabagh.”
The four sectors that categorize USAID’s 60 activities in Armenia are
Regional Stability, Economic Development, Democracy, and Social
Transition. To exhibit USAID’s top-down and bottom-up approaches,
Director Phillips described various USAID programs in Armenia.
Additional information about USAID projects was shown through a short
film, Partners for the Future, copies of which were made available to
the public.
WELCOMING AND QUESTIONING THE NEW AMBASSADOR
The gathering was a chance for the Armenian community in New York to get
to know Ambassador Evans, who was confirmed by the Senate on June 25,
2004 and sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia on August 11, 2004.
Earlier, on October 1, 2004, FAR and Diocesan leaders met with the Mr.
Evans in New York City to reaffirm their partnerships with the State
Department and USAID.
A native of Williamsburg, VA, Ambassador Evans has served at American
embassies in Iran, the former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Russia.
Most recently he served as the Director of the Office of Russian Affairs
at the U.S. State Department.
Ambassador Evans was heavily involved in the coordination of U.S. relief
efforts to the victims of the Spitak earthquake in December 1988, for
which he earned a medal and statement of appreciation from the Armenian
government of that time.
During the town hall meeting, Ambassador Evans welcomed questions from
those in attendance, who asked several tough questions — touching on
areas such as the U.S. role in fair elections, the efforts to open
Armenia’s two closed borders, the ramifications of Azerbaijan’s use of
Chechen terrorists against Armenians, the effects of Armenia-Iran
relationship given recent U.S. policies, the environmental concerns
surrounding Armenia’s nuclear energy, and the example of the U.S.
Consular representative indicted on bribery charges.
FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 16 years, FAR has
implemented various relief, development, social, educational, and
cultural projects valued at more than $250 million. It is the
preeminent relief and development organization operating there.
For more information on FAR, contact us at 630 Second Avenue, New York,
NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849; web
; e-mail [email protected].
— 2/16/05
E-mail photos available upon request.
PHOTO CAPTION 1: FAR and the Diocese co-hosted a town hall meeting in
New York on February 11, 2005: left to right: Aaron H. Sherinian,
Political Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, Garnik A. Nanagoulian,
FAR Executive Director, Randy Sapah-Gulian, Secretary of the FAR Board
of Directors, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, Rev. Fr. Mardiros
Chevian, Dean of the St. Vartan Cathedral, Annette Choolfaian, Treasurer
of the FAR Board of Directors, USAID Armenia Director Robin Phillips,
and Dr. Edgar Housepian, Vice Chairman of the FAR Board of Directors.
PHOTO CAPTION 2: FAR Executive Director Garnik Nanagoulian welcomed the
40 guests attending the reception and introduced the U.S. Ambassador and
USAID Armenia Director.
PHOTO CAPTION 3: Ambassador John M. Evans spoke openly about U.S.
policies and priorities in Armenia.
PHOTO 4: After making presentations and showing a film about USAID
activities in Armenia, U.S. Ambassador John Evans and USAID Armenia
Director Robin Phillips answered questions from community members.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
February 10, 2005
American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576
Contact: Gohar Momjian
E-mail: [email protected]
University of Tehran Honors AUA Dean of Engineering Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian
Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian was selected as a distinguished alumnus of the
Faculty of Engineering of Tehran University, Iran in December 2004. In a
ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Faculty of Engineering, the
University recognized one alumnus from all fields of engineering per year of
the Faculty’s existence for their scholarly and professional contributions
to engineering. It may be of interest to note that among 70 honorees there
were 4 Armenians. Der Kiureghian received both his B.Sc. in Civil
Engineering and his M.Sc. in Structural Engineering from Tehran University.
He holds a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign.
After the devastating Spitak earthquake of 1988 in Armenia, Dr. Armen Der
Kiureghian was instrumental in establishing the American University of
Armenia in Yerevan as an affiliate of the University of California.
Concurrently with his position as Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering at
UC Berkeley, Dr. Der Kiureghian has served as the founding Dean of
Engineering since 1991 and directed the Engineering Research Center of AUA
until 2004. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the American
University of Armenia Corporation.
AUA’s College of Engineering offers two degree programs: a Master of
Engineering in Industrial Engineering and Systems Management and a Master of
Science in Computer and Information Science. Under Dr. Armen Der
Kiureghian’s leadership, AUA hosted the 8th World Seminar on Seismic
Isolation in October 2003, whereby over 100 academic and field specialists
from 23 countries of the world came to exchange and disseminate information
on new technologies in anti-seismic systems; AUA convened opening ceremonies
of the Solar Photovoltaic Power Station in May 2004, demonstrating new solar
technologies on generating electricity and heating & cooling power in
Armenia; and most recently in Fall 2004 AUA provided a distance learning
course on Software Architecture, from Yerevan via the Internet, to students
at the San Francisco State University.
*******************
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit
Photo: Armen Der Kiureghian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, January 27, 2005
AGBU – AYA LEBANON HOSTS SOLD-OUT GASPARYAN CONCERT
New York, NY – With its ongoing commitment to Armenian culture, AGBU –
Antranik Youth Association (AYA) Lebanon hosted internationally
acclaimed duduk virtuoso Djivan Gasparyan in Beirut from November
25-27, 2004.
Similar to the success of the concerts hosted for renowned new age
musician Ara Gevorgian last May, the three Gasparyan performances were
sold-out with over 3000 spectators, including a special matinee show
for 1000 Armenian school students, attending.
The winner of four Gold Medals in UNESCO’s worldwide competitions,
Gasparyan mesmerized audiences with his program of original and
popular Armenian songs. As an added bonus, talented dancer Sophie
Devoyan from Armenia accompanied Gasparyan with her dance troupe the
“Theatre of Dance and Soul.”

AGBU – AYA Lebanon, founded in 1931, oversees all AGBU youth
activities of Lebanon, including scouting, sports, and cultural
events. For more information on AGBU – AYA Lebanon, please e-mail
[email protected]. For more information on AGBU and its worldwide
chapters, please visit and click on Global AGBU.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“Inconsistent” foreign policy damages Azeri-Turkish ties – opposition daily
Azadliq, Baku
13 Jan 05

Text of Xayal Sahinoglu report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 13
January headlined “Relations between Baku and Ankara have become cool”
and subheaded “Fuad Mustafayev: ‘Relations between Turkey and
Azerbaijan have cooled because the foreign policy priorities have not
been set correctly'”
As a result of the foreign policy conducted by the incumbent regime,
Azerbaijan is about to lose Turkey as its strategic ally. To recap,
relations between the two sides began to deteriorate in the wake of
[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev’s certain irresponsible statement
on the Cyprus problem. This trend was confirmed once again when
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not discuss the
Karabakh issue with Vladimir Putin on his visit to Russia.
It is a manifestation of the cooling of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations
that Erdogan did not discuss the Karabakh conflict when he visited
Russia, Fuad Mustafayev, deputy chairman of the People’s Front of
Azerbaijan Party [PFAP], said. The authorities are to blame for the
current state of affairs in bilateral relations, Mustafayev said. The
wrong foreign policy of the incumbent regime creates additional
problems for Azerbaijan, he said.
“Relations with Turkey, Azerbaijan’s strategic ally, have cooled
because the foreign policy priorities have not been set
correctly. Over the past few years, Azerbaijan’s foreign policy course
has been uncertain. The authorities suddenly declare Arab countries a
foreign policy priority, but then turn to Central Asia and
Russia. Such a foreign policy is bound to create problems for
Azerbaijan. It is the result of this policy that the Turkish prime
minister did not discuss with Russia, which is an interested party, a
very important issue for the region,” he said.
Mustafayev also linked the inconsistency of the authorities’ foreign
policy with the emergence of the issue of reopening the
Turkish-Armenian border on the agenda of the Moscow talks. “If the
authorities take populist steps trying to take advantage of the
problem instead of steadily defending our interests in settling the
Karabakh conflict, we have no right to hope that some country would
defend our interests. Although the Azerbaijani people may want Turkey
to demonstrate that it is Azerbaijan’s friend in the Karabakh
conflict, the authorities’ foreign policy does not allow this to
happen.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Al-Jazeera, Qatar
Jan 12 2005
Armenian ‘genocide’: Probe sought
As Armenians prepare to mark the 90th anniversary of what they
believe was a genocide of their people by Ottoman Turkish forces, a
leading Turkish historian has called for a multi-national inquiry
into what happened.
Armenia says 1.5 million of its people died between 1915 and 1923 on
Ottoman territory in a systematic genocide and says the decision to
carry it out was taken by the political party then in power in
Istanbul, popularly known as the Young Turks.
Turkey denies genocide, saying the Armenians were victims of a
partisan war during World War One which also claimed many Muslim
Turkish lives. Turkey accuses Armenians of carrying out massacres
while siding with invading Russian troops.
“I think we historians, Turkish, American, French, British and
Armenian, must come together and form a commission to investigate
this issue objectively,” Yusuf Halacoglu, head of the Turkish
Historical Society, told Reuters on Wednesday.
EU issue
Halacoglu, who endorses the mainstream Turkish view of the events and
rejects the genocide claims, said setting scholars to work together
was all the more important for his country because the genocide issue
threatened to complicate Turkey’s entry talks with the European
Union.

The genocide issue might
complicate Turkey’s EU entry

The European Parliament and France, home to Europe’s largest Amenian
community, have both urged Turkey to recognise the killings of
Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as genocide.
Armenians this year mark the 90th anniversary of the events on April
24 and Turkey is to start EU entry talks on 3 October
Halacoglu said the commission would ideally work under the auspices
of the United Nations or another international body to help ensure
impartiality and to encourage all states concerned to open up their
archives to the panel.
He was due to discuss his research on the period on Wednesday with
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and said he hoped for official Turkish
backing for a commission.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Dec 27 2004
ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION COMMISSION MEETS IN MOSCOW
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian delegation, headed
by defense minister Serzh Sarkisian has left today for the Russian
capital Moscow to participate in the sixth meeting of a bilateral
inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation. The commission
is co-chaired by Serzh Sarkisian and Russian transport minister Igor
Levitin.
The meeting agenda will be topped by economic, trade, transport
and energy issues.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress