Author: Ani Tigranian

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
28 Jul 04
Armenian aide warns Azerbaijan against solving Karabakh problem by
force

Yerevan, 28 July: “The fact that [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev
spoke about a possible military solution to the Karabakh problem in
his address to Azerbaijan’s ambassadors abroad is a matter of serious
concern,” Gamlet Gasparyan, press secretary of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry, told a press conference in Yerevan today.
According to Mediamax news agency, Gasparyan said that Ilham Aliyev’s
statement “testifies to the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities
have no desire to solve the Karabakh conflict in a peaceful way and
link their hopes with a military solution to the problem”.
“We have repeatedly stated that the consequences of any attempt to
solve the Karabakh problem by force will be catastrophic for the
whole region and first of all, for Azerbaijan,” the press secretary
of the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 27 2004
Mann Supports Karabakh’s Inclusion in Talks
The US co-chairman of the Minsk group of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Stephen Mann, voiced
support for the idea to include Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians in the
Azerbaijani-Armenian peace talks in an interview with Russia’s Regnum
news agency on Monday.
`Nagorno-Narabakh’s participation [in the talks] does no depend on
the co-chairs of the OSCE’s Minsk group, but on the sides of the
conflict. But in my personal opinion, it is needed to attract all the
interested sides to the talks,’ Regnum quoted Mann as saying.
The US diplomat said this would help speed up finding a settlement to
the conflict.
`However, it is the sides of the conflict that have a final say [on
the issue]. It is up to them to decide whom they are going to attract
to the peace process,’ Mann said, according to Regnum.
Baku strongly opposes to the idea of the inclusion of
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to the peace negotiations on the grounds
that it was Armenia, but not the ethnic-Armenian populated Azeri
region that fought the 1991-94 war against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the war, Armenian troops took control over
Nagorno-Karabakh – a western Azeri region that was home to nearly
100,000 ethnic-Armenians in late 1980s – along with seven of
Azerbaijan’s administrative districts, Lachin Kelbajar, Aghdam,
Fuzuli, Jebrail, Qubadli and Zengilan.
Nearly 20,000 Azeris were killed and 700,000 were forced to leave
their homes during the war.
A shaky armistice agreement reached between Baku and Yerevan in 1994
is frequently violated in the line of contact between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani armies.
The US co-chair of the Misk group, Mann, said his country is for a
peaceful resolution of the conflict, urging the sides to go for a
compromise.
“We will do everything to prevent a new tragedy,” Mann said, adding
that any breach of the stability in the region could jeopardize
multi-billion projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Moscow Times
July 22 2004
Worried About Yukos
By Alexei Bayer

I recently approached a number of Jewish businessmen in Russia about
contributing money to an American charity, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society.
HIAS was founded by Russian Jews in New York in the 1880s to assist
those fleeing the pogroms in the Pale of Settlement. Over the years,
it helped generations of Jewish refugees, including thousands of
Holocaust survivors, to resettle in a safer diaspora. Half a million
Soviet Jews have come to the United States under its auspices since
1967. But now, the flow of refugees has slowed to a trickle, and HIAS
is facing an uncertain future.
I was initially skeptical about discussing HIAS with successful
Russian Jews. I had interviewed some of them for an article in 2002
and found them uninterested, even hostile, to the idea of leaving
Russia. They were putting their money and effort into strengthening
the Jewish community in Russia, and they supported local charities
and organizations that helped Russian Jews stay put, not emigrate.
Most of them still say they do not want to leave. But all of a sudden
they feel that a Jewish refugee organization is worth preserving, and
are willing to fund it. This response will no doubt hearten HIAS, but
it left me extremely uneasy. What has happened over the past two
years to change their minds?
Although many of the disgraced oligarchs running afoul of President
Vladimir Putin — notably Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Gusinsky and
Mikhail Khodorkovsky — are either wholly or partially Jewish, even
the president’s harshest critics have not accused him of singling out
Jews in his attack on private business. Many things in Putin’s Russia
are reverting to the Soviet model, but official anti-Semitism is not
one of them. The bad old days when Jews were barred from prestigious
universities, denied employment and promotion and vilified for
wanting to go to Israel are no more. Anti-Semitism may be more in the
open in post-Soviet Russia, and some prominent members of the State
Duma are given to making nasty, bigoted statements, but it is
definitely not the policy of the Russian government.
Nevertheless, the state’s campaign against Yukos is the main reason
why Russian Jews, especially those in business, are starting to feel
nervous. Since time immemorial, Jews have been blamed for economic
failures. The Russian government may not currently pursue
anti-Semitic policies, but Russian society remains intolerant of
foreigners. For now, its prejudice is directed predominately against
immigrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Persecution of such
“blacks” has a semi-official flavor: the government often closes its
eyes when they are harassed by the police and government officials.
At the height of the anti-Jewish campaign in the Soviet Union, the
following joke used to make the rounds in Moscow. An old Armenian is
dying. His family is waiting for some parting words of wisdom, but
all he keeps telling them instead is that they will have to protect
the Jews.
“Why should we bother with the Jews, grandpa?” they ask him. “Because
once they’re done with the Jews, they’ll start on the Armenians.”
Now this joke has been turned on its head. The hardships of everyday
life, such as rising consumer prices, are being blamed on “blacks,”
who are seen as street vendors and petty merchants. But the Jews may
once more become scapegoats if Russia suffers another economic
crisis. Because the Jews, as is well known, control big business and
the financial markets.
With its attack on Yukos, and the systematic return of large-scale
private enterprise to bureaucratic control, the Putin administration
is making sure that Russia’s economy will eventually go down the
drain. The Kremlin has been determined to squander the opportunities
that high oil prices and the weak ruble have thrown its way in the
early years of the millennium. Instead of promoting foreign
investment, strengthening market mechanisms and modernizing the legal
and physical infrastructure of the country, it is steadily
re-Sovietizing the economy.
The era of high oil prices will not last forever. But even if Russia
continues to derive strong earnings from oil, gas and other commodity
exports, the money is certain to be wasted. Places like Nigeria and
Venezuela have shown how a rapacious, incompetent bureaucracy can
make hundreds of billions of dollars disappear without a trace. The
Soviet-Russian bureaucracy, still very much in charge of the country,
has a remarkable track record of turning a fabulously resource-rich
country into an economic, environmental and social basket case.
The post-Yukos Russian economy will be a precarious construct. It
will combine inefficiency, rigidity and corruption characteristic of
a state-run system with half-baked financial markets and a
rudimentary banking system. It will be an environment ripe for a
major economic crisis and, ultimately, for another surge of
anti-Semitism. It will be tempting, of course, for the government to
blame an economic debacle on the rapaciousness of the Jews, rather
than admit its own ineptitude.
It would be a good thing for HIAS if wealthy Russian Jews came to its
support. But this might also presage another wave of Jewish
immigration. Russian Jews are the last significant Jewish community
in Eastern Europe. Moscow, with its extensive and varied Jewish
cultural and religious life, its Jews prominent in the arts,
sciences, commerce and the white-collar professions, is the heir to
such brilliant early 20th-century cities as Vienna, Prague, Budapest,
Berlin and Warsaw. It would be a tragedy for Jews, Russia and,
ultimately, Europe, if this community were to follow the others into
oblivion.
Alexei Bayer, a New York-based economist, writes the Globalist column
for Vedomosti on alternate weeks. He contributed this comment to The
Moscow Times.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Two Armenian fugitives said to be granted asylum in Europe – Azeri lawyer
ANS TV, Baku
19 Jul 04

[Presenter in studio] Fugitives Artur Apresyan and Roman Teryan who
have fled from [President] Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia and come to
Azerbaijan are about to be handed over to a third country, but the
refugees themselves do not know about that yet.
[Correspondent over archive footage of the two fugitives] Artur
Apresyan and Roman Teryan who fled Armenia for Azerbaijan on 7 April
and who have since been held at the National Security Ministry’s
remand facility, will leave Azerbaijan within one month. This
information has been shared with us by the director of the Committee
for Democracy and Human Rights, Cingiz Qanizada.
According to him, this was discussed about 10 days ago during a
meeting between several human rights activists and National Security
Minister Namiq Abbasov. Without elaborating which country this might
be, Qanizada said it would be a West European state. Artur Apresyan
and Roman Teryan are still unaware of this.
The Armenian fugitives are saying that only the Red Cross has been
taking interest in their fate of late.
[Passage omitted: known details]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
July 19 2004
Erdogan Goes to Paris with EU Agenda
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to France today
on an official visit. On the first day of his three day visit,
Erdogan will meet with French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
Afterward, he will greet Turks living in France.
On the second day, after French President Jacques Chirac receives
him, Erdogan will convene with French Parliamentary Foreign Affairs
Commission President, Edouard Balladur, and other commission members.
Additionally, he will see political party leaders including Alaine
Juppe, the People’s Union Movement President, an opponent of Turkey’s
membership to the European Union (EU).
Armenian associations in France are preparing to protest Erdogan’s
visit. The French Armenian Committee called Armenians to join rallies
in Paris and Marseilles. On posters prepared by the Committee,
statements such as, “Erdogan comes to Paris for France to say ‘yes,’
we will be there to say ‘no’ to Turkey for Turkey’s acceptance of
Armenian genocide,” attract the attention. Another noteworthy
anti-Turk statement consists of photographs depicting hanged people
next to a Turkish flag.
07.19.2004
Ali Ýhsan Aydýn
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Youth Federation
Western United States
104 N. Belmont St. Suite 206
Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Vicken Sosikian
Tel: 818.507.1933
Fax: 818.240.3442
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
AYF Youth Corps Participants Arrive in Armenia
The Armenian Youth Federation Western United States Garo Madenlian Public
Affairs Office announced that the participants of this summer’s AYF Youth
Corps program arrived in Armenia Thursday.
The participants, will stay in Armenia and Artsakh for over a month, and
spend most of their summer in Stepanakert, the capitol city of Artsakh. The
group is working to rebuild the `Soseh’ kindergarten and the Paraplegic
Rehabilitation Center both located in Stepanakert. This year is the third
year that the AYF Youth Corps program will help the rebuilding efforts at
the kindergarten and rehabilitation center.
The group members will also have the opportunity to meet with government
officials, local ARF representatives, and AYF members. They will also spend
their weekends sightseeing in Armenia and Artsakh.
The participants of the 2003 Youth Corps program come from areas including
Glendale, the South Bay, and the West San Fernando Valley.
The AYF Youth Corps program, founded after the cease-fire in 1994, has sent
over 100 Armenian youth to Artsakh and Armenia to assist in the rebuilding
efforts of various Armenian structures such as schools, centers, churches,
and youth camps damaged during the war. This year marks the 10th anniversary
of the AYF Youth Corps program.
The Armenian Youth Federation of Western United States strives to serve
Armenian American Communities west of the Mississippi through education,
athletics, political activism, cultural activities and social settings. To
learn more about the Armenian Youth Federation please log on to
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Head of Armenian reporters’ union accuses authorities of controlling media
Mediamax news agency
29 Jun 04
YEREVAN
The chairman of the Gyumri-based Asparez journalists’ club, Levon
Barsegyan, has accused the Armenian authorities of violating freedom
of speech and of the desire to control the media.
Addressing a seminar organized by the Yerevan Press Club and the
Friedrich Naumann Fund in Yerevan today, Levon Barsegyan said that
“Armenian TV companies have the right to criticize the work of the
country’s legislative and executive branches but not the president of
the country”.
According to him, at present Armenia seriously lacks independent
media, like A1+ which was deprived of the right to broadcast two years
ago. At the same time, Barsegyan noted that “the major part of
Armenia’s mass media is controlled by the president’s administration”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

La Croix
28 juin 2004
Sommet de l’OTAN. La Turquie pousse ses pions en Europe. Istamboul
accueille aujourd’hui et demain le sommet de l’Otan. Une occasion
pour la Turquie de prouver à ses alliés européens qu’elle est un
atout stratégique pour l’avenir de l’Union européenne. ANKARA,
reportage de notre envoyée spéciale.
par ROTIVEL Agnès
Après la tenue du sommet de l’Organisation de la conférence islamique
(OCI) en juin, la Turquie accueille aujourd’hui les chefs d’Etat et
de gouvernement des 26 pays appartenant à l’Organisation du traité de
l’Atlantique-Nord (Otan), dont elle est membre depuis 1952. Un
événement à la hauteur des grandes ambitions de la Turquie et de son
premier ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, qui veut montrer que la
position géopolitique et stratégique unique de la Turquie en fait un
partenaire incontournable.
Elle a forgé des relations amicales avec la Bulgarie et la Roumanie,
auparavant dans la sphère d’influence de l’ex-URSS. Ankara a
également noué des relations étroites avec des pays émergents du
Caucase et de l’Asie centrale, devenus stratégiques en matière de
pétrole et de débouchés économiques pour la Turquie. Ainsi, le
pétrole de la mer Caspienne devrait être transporté par le nouveau
pipeline Bakou-Tbilissi-Ceyhan (Ceyhan est située dans le sud de la
Turquie, à proximité de la frontière syrienne), en service en 2005.
De plus, du temps de l’ancien premier ministre turc Turgut özal, le
pays, guidé par le nouvel environnement international, avait amorcé
une politique étrangère libérale , héritage que reprend la nouvelle
équipe au pouvoir aujourd’hui, en y ajoutant le terme pacifique .
· l’occasion du tremblement de terre qui a frappé la Turquie en 1999,
les Grecs et les Turcs ont entrepris un rapprochement historique.
Depuis l’arrestation du leader du Parti des travailleurs kurdes
(PKK), Abdullah Ocal”n, le gouvernement Erdogan a renoué des
relations politiques et économiques avec la Syrie, recevant en visite
officielle, le 6 janvier, son président, Bachar el-Assad. Enfin, avec
le soutien du plan Annan au référendum pour la réunification de l’île
de Chypre, bien que refusé par les Chypriotes grecs, Ankara a montré
sa bonne volonté pour mettre un terme à ce conflit de plus de trente
ans. Sur le front géorgien, c’est aussi la détente. Avec les Kurdes
de Turquie, sous la pression européenne, Ankara a accéléré les
réformes. La chaîne en continue CNN Turc a diffusé pour la première
fois une chanson en Kurde et les cours privés en langue kurde
devraient commencer à se généraliser. Reste l’Arménie, pays avec
lequel le contentieux demeure, du fait de la non-reconnaissance du
génocide dont fut victime la population arménienne en 1915.
Selon Seyfi Tashan, directeur de l’Institut de politique étrangère à
Ankara, la Turquie pourrait être une porte d’accès à des pays dont
l’Europe ne serait pas forcément très familière. Pour un conseiller
du premier ministre turc, depuis le 11 septembre 2001, nous avons
travaillé à renforcer la démocratie en même temps que la sécurité .
Une stratégie qui vise, dit-il, à aplanir les frontières au lieu de
les renforcer. Lorsqu’il s’agit de l’Iran, de la Syrie et des Kurdes,
nous regardons les réalités d’aujourd’hui, nous ne nous basons pas
sur le passé. Nous ne renouons pas des liens avec les Syriens et les
Iraniens sur le dos des Kurdes. Nous voulons établir une zone de paix
et prévenir les affrontements
ethniques .
Parallèlement, l’évolution de la politique étrangère de la Turquie a
bousculé ses relations avec deux de ses alliés de toujours : Israël
et les Etats-Unis. En 1996, Ankara et Tel-Aviv signaient un accord de
coopération militaire. Depuis son arrivée au pouvoir, le gouvernement
de l’AKP affirmait remplir le rôle de facilitateur dans le conflit
israélo-palestinien. Mais voilà que, fin mai, les relations entre les
deux pays se sont gtées. Recevant à Ankara le ministre israélien des
infrastructures, le premier ministre turc lui demandait : Quelle est
la différence entre les terroristes qui tuent des civils israéliens,
et Israël qui tue aussi des civils ? Quelques jours plus tard, dans
un entretien au quotidien israélien Haaretz, il qualifiait les
opérations israéliennes à Rafah de terreur d’Etat , provoquant une
véritable crise diplomatique. En avril, une visite du vice-premier
ministre israélien Ehoud Olmert avait été annulée. En novembre,
Receyp Tayyep Erdogan déclinait une invitation d’Ariel Sharon. La
Turquie réprouve les méthodes des terroristes palestiniens, mais
s’affirme pour la création d’un Etat palestinien, contre la
construction du mur et réclame qu’Israël respecte les droits des
Palestiniens.
Depuis la guerre en Irak, les différends se sont accumulés aussi avec
Washington, la Turquie refusant le passage des troupes américaines
sur son sol. Il n’est pas bon d’avoir une seule superpuissance dans
le monde , explique Hüsnü Bozkurt, ancien officier de l’armée turque.
Et d’avancer les pions de la Turquie dans l’Union européenne : Si
l’Union européenne avait fixé une date pour l’entrée d’Ankara au
moment de la guerre en Irak, ce n’est pas par deux voix que la
Turquie aurait refusé le passage des troupes américaines sur son sol,
mais par une majorité. Nous avons déjà adopté un certain nombre de
standards européens. Nous partageons déjà notre souveraineté et, une
fois dans l’UE, nous ferons partie du processus de décision , estime
encore Seyfi Tashan. Mais qu’en pense l’armée, le pilier de l’Etat
turc ? Il y a deux choses qu’elle n’acceptera jamais, affirme
l’ancien militaire, Hüsnü Bozkurt, c’est d’être le légionnaire des
Américains au Proche-Orient et dans le Caucase et d’être l’armée d’un
pays fondamentaliste religieux . De quoi rassurer l’Europe à l’heure
du sommet de l’Otan.
AGNÔS ROTIVEL
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress