Author: Aram Torosian

Armenian All-National Movement will never cooperate with “Prosperous Armenia”
ArmRadio.am
24.06.2006 15:10
“The Armenian All-National Movement intends to participate in the
coming parliamentary elections,” President of the Party’s Bureau
Ararat Zurabyan declared. The latter excluded that his party may
somehow cooperate with the newly founded “Prosperous Armenia” Party.
“This is never possible,” he declared decisively, turning to the
rumors that authors of the platform of the “Prosperous Armenia”
are front leaders of the Armenian All-National Movement.
“The Movement can in no way cooperate with several political forces,
which are unable to adhere to any kind of ideology,” Ararat Zurabyan
said.
“Obviously, some groups have been formed in Armenia, for which there
can be no restriction regarding any issue, and seeing the idleness
demonstrated by certain structures, we can confirm that there is a
very abandoned situation here,” he said.
In Ararat Zurabyan’s words, the corresponding bodies have an immense
work to do, but the speaker does not believe this will be realized,
especially considering that parliamentary elections are awaiting us.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES OPERATION TO RECOVER CRASHED PLANE’S FLIGHT RECORDERS FROM SEA FLOOR
Steve Gutterman
AP Worldstream
May 16, 2006
Russia launched an operation Tuesday to recover the flight recorders
from an Armenian passenger plane that crashed in the Black Sea,
sending a robotic device with a hydraulic arm to the sea floor in an
attempt to bring up the “black boxes.”
Authorities hope the recorders will help determine the cause of the
May 3 crash of the Armavia Airbus A-320, which plunged into the sea
in heavy rain and poor visibility as it approached the airport on
a flight from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to the Russian resort
city of Sochi, killing all 113 people on board.
An official involved in the operation said the recovery device was
lowered from a ship and reached the sea floor, where the recorders
were believed to by lying about 5 meters (15 feet) apart at a depth of
just under 500 meters (1,640 feet), the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
The RT-1000 apparatus has been used by geologists to lift natural
objects weighing up to 40 kilograms (88 pounds) from the sea floor,
but has not been used at such depths, ITAR-Tass quoted a Transport
Ministry official, Alexander Davydenko, as saying.
He said authorities believe the device can lift fragments of the plane
weighing up to 12 kilograms (26 pounds) and the flight recorders,
which weigh 7 kilograms (15 pounds), the report said. The operation
to pinpoint the boxes and lift them to the surface could take three
days, officials said.
Russian prosecutors dismissed the possibility of terrorism, and
officials pointed to the rough weather or pilot error as the likely
cause. But officials with Armavia have suggested that air traffic
controllers should at least share the blame.
The plane had covered most of its route from Yerevan to Sochi when it
turned back after air controllers in Sochi said the weather was too
rough for landing, but it headed for Sochi again after air traffic
controllers said the weather had improved.
Mikhail Bagdasarov, the owner of Armavia, said days after the crash
that a controller had “made a mistake that worsened the situation”
by ordering the crew to make another run when it came too close,
but that other factors may also have been involved. The plane was
turning back when it hit the water.
On Tuesday, Bagdasarov said that “the weather was bad, of course,
but not so bad that an A-320 could not land.”
Russia’s air force chief, however, was adamant that weather caused
the crash and said the plane should not have turned back toward
Sochi after the decision was made to return to Yerevan _ a decision
he seemed to blame on the crew.
“The whole reason is the weather,” Gen. Vladimir Mikhailov said in a
televised comment. “We’ll get these recorders, decode them, and this
will all be confirmed.”
“It is obvious that the pilots misread the (weather) conditions,”
RIA-Novosti quoted as saying.

U.S. PEACE CORPS FUNCTIONS IN ARMENIA FOR 13 YEARS
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The 45 anniversary of creation of the
U.S. Peace Corps is marked this year. The Corps has implemented
its activity during the recent 13 years in Armenia as well. On
this occasion, the U.S. Embassy organized on May 12 a visit to the
marzes of Gavar and Tavush where journalists were given possibility
to get acquainted with works of the Peace Corps at place. 25 years
old Kim Spigelmire has voluntary worked at secontary school No7 of
the city of Sevan already for 2 years. Within the framework of the
health care education program of the community, he, jointly with his
Armenian partner nurse Knkush Grigorian organizes courses addressed
against AIDS, introduces methods of prevention of diseases to
Armenian children, tells about consequences of smoking and using
alcohol. With the volunteer’s participation, a linguistic study
for teaching English was created in school. 24-years old Tony Kim
implements his voluntary activity in Dilijan, at the “Dilijan”
children’s anti-tubelcular health resort. As his Armenian partner,
Director of the health resort Yevgenia Hovhannisian mentioned, Kim
is engaged in entertaining children, holding computer and sports
courses with. Due to the volunteer’s efforts, the health resort
got text-books, solved problems connected with restoration of the
gym. According to the information of the Voluntary Corps Office,
482 volunteers have served in Armenia during the recent 13 years,
and 80 volunteers work in the republic at present. The Peace Corps
implements at present in Armenia 4 main programs: English language
teaching, community and business development, community health care
education, nature protectional education.

The Washington Times
March 29, 2006 Wednesday
Turkey’s dream of EU meets with hesitancy;
Conflicting Muslim roots, quest for modernity trouble some
By Andrew Borowiec, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Turkey’s search for a new European identity casts a long shadow over
eastern Mediterranean countries, where there is considerable
confusion as to Ankara’s intentions. Until now, Turkey has rarely
bothered to explain to the international community the reasons for
its decisions, thus causing misunderstandings.
For Europeans, Turkey’s traditional Islamic roots and its quest for a
modern outlook contradict each other. On this divided island, a third
of which is patrolled by Turkish troops, Ankara’s hopes to join the
European Union are viewed with misgivings.
Equally concerned is Greece, the motherland of Greek Cypriots, which
feels that Turkey’s foreign policy, its contested European
credentials and the slow pace of its reforms do not bode well.
This month, diplomatic alarms rang in Athens again as Turkey repeated
the threat of war if Greece extended its territorial waters in the
Aegean Sea. The nuances of that controversy often confuse most
Europeans.
“Threats don’t help Turkey come closer to Europe, which it has said
is its main goal,” said Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.
Six months after Turkey was invited to begin membership negotiations
with the EU, worries surfaced in several capitals that the talks
could collapse unless Turkey conforms totally to the union’s
requirements. These include the demand that it open its ports and air
space to Cypriot ships and aircraft and that it recognizes the
island’s Greek-Cypriot government. So far, Turkey has refused both
demands.
U.S. sees Ankara as ally
Olli Rehn, the EU enlargement commissioner, warned of negative
consequences for Turkey’s uncompromising attitude. “We have kept our
word and opened up accession negotiations. Now we expect Turkey to
keep its word,” he said.
Despite rising anti-Americanism and Turkish criticism of the U.S.-led
war in Iraq, Washington regards Ankara as an important ally in a
turbulent part of the world, and has supported its EU candidacy. The
EU is deeply divided on the admission of 71 million Muslim Turks into
the European “Christian club.”
Several European leaders have challenged Turkey’s European
qualifications. Only 5 percent of Turkey’s 297,000 square miles lies
on the European side of the Bosporus strait.
The recent warning came from Vice Chancellor Hubert Gorbach of
Austria, who currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency. “If we
pretend we are ready to take on a member country like Turkey, we are
ignoring reality,” he said.
The EU expects negotiations to last 10 years or more as Turkey
complies with all requirements. The Turks regard this as excessive
procrastination, and many have lost interest in “becoming Europeans.”
Some are tempted by closer links to the Middle East instead.
According to a recent opinion poll, 40 percent of Turks – 30 million
people – oppose EU membership at this stage. Turkish media are
becoming increasingly critical of Europe’s attitude toward their
country, frequently considering it as demeaning.
Commented Mehmet Dulger, a major figure in the governing Justice and
Development Party, which is known by its Turkish acronym, AKP, “For a
long time I have been a partisan of the EU, but my patience has its
limits … If the EU restricts itself to Eastern Europe and the West,
then it will die.”
There is little doubt that educated Turks want to belong to Europe,
and in fact consider themselves Europeans already, despite their
rejection by much of Europe. Turkey’s connection with the Middle East
is tenuous, mainly because of centuries of Ottoman domination of that
region, rarely benign and remembered for its cruelty.
Most EU governments support the idea of expansion to include Turkey;
opposition to Turkish membership comes at the grass-roots level. The
most outspoken signal was the rejection by French and Dutch voters in
separate referendums last year of the proposed European Constitution,
partly for fear it would speed Turkey’s accession.
A stark reflection of this feeling was a statement by former French
President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, one of the authors of the
defeated constitution, who said; “The question is whether Turkey is
or is not a European country. History and geography say no.”
A wave of nationalism
The obvious European procrastination with Turkey’s candidacy has
spurred already intense nationalism in a country where soldiers on
parade roar “one Turk is worth the whole world,” and where children
begin the school day by reciting “Lucky is the man who was born a
Turk” – a saying coined by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the
Turkish republic.
Lately, the intensity of Turkish nationalism has been reflected in
its arts and literature.
“The Third World War,” a novel in which the Turkish army defeats the
EU and establishes a “new world order,” was an instant best-seller,
as was “Metal Storm,” which tells the story of an imaginary U.S.
invasion of Turkey and the destruction of Washington by a Turkish
atomic bomb.
Equally popular, if not more so, was this year’s film “The Valley of
Wolves: Iraq,” featuring a Turkish “Rambo” who specializes in killing
American invaders in Iraq. It was an unparalleled box-office success,
applauded by audiences across Turkey.
Apart from its limited European territory and Muslim religion, the
list of other European objections is long. It includes the
restriction of self-expression for the Kurdish minority and
repression of Kurdish nationalist guerrillas with more than 35,000
deaths; the influence of the military on Turkey’s political life;
punishment for any form of criticism of the state, and Ankara’s
refusal to admit the World War I massacre of its Armenian minority,
considered by many in Europe as genocide.
Then there is the problem of divided Cyprus, where Turkey landed an
expeditionary corps in 1974 following a Greek coup intended to unite
the island with Greece. The Turkish army is still firmly in control
of northern Cyprus, now a state for the Turkish-Cypriot minority.
The Turkish military considers its presence in Cyprus to be
strategically important, and so far Ankara has refused to discuss the
island’s demilitarization. This has become a permanent irritant for
international diplomacy and another hurdle for Turkey’s EU
aspirations.
Europeans seem confused by Turkey’s contradictions. It is a country
where the army considers itself the republic’s guardian, where women
are not allowed to wear kerchiefs in government buildings because
these are seen as an Islamic political statement, but where the prime
minister’s wife wears one at public functions.
Erdogan seems ambiguous
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tries on one hand to lead the
country toward Europe, but on the other hand favors certain laws that
reflects Islamic fundamentalism.
Said Ankara commentator Burak Bekdil: “The government is accused of
promoting Islamic issues, including building a mosque in an Istanbul
park, banning alcoholic beverages by local authorities and setting
new Islamic standards for food.”
Opined the Athens daily Kathimerini: “The Islamic rhetorical tone
adopted lately by Turkey’s prime minister is at odds with his EU
ambitions.” And the Istanbul mass-circulation daily Hurryiet
commented that Mr. Erdogan’s party “is slowly wrapping the Islamic
blanket around us.”
Turkey’s European partners have yet to be convinced of the Turkish
army’s avowed commitment to democracy. It is a force that overthrew
the country’s civilian governments in 1960 and 1980, but after
forcing political changes, it returned to barracks. In 1997, the army
forced the resignation of Necmettin Erbakan, Turkey’s first Islamic
prime minister.
Thanks to EU pressure, an army general no longer presides over
Turkey’s powerful National Security Council, but other generals
maintain a high public profile with the government’s blessing. Thus,
when a public prosecutor tried to investigate reports about a secret
military unit set up by Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, head of Turkey’s land
forces, to fight Kurdish rebels, Mr. Erdogan quickly quashed the
probe.
“No one will gain anything by making the country’s military weak,”
the prime minister said. “The army is one of our most important
institutions.”
Some commentators call the Turkish army – the second-largest in NATO
– “a pressure group with heavy weapons.” Others think its role is
crucial in educating conscripts and instilling patriotism.

TWO SPORTSMEN FROM ARMENIA TO PARTICIPATE IN PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES IN TURIN
Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2006
TURIN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The Paralympic Winter Games are held in
the city of Turin (Torino), Italy, on March 10-19. Invalid sportsmen of
few dozens of countries will participate in the Olympiad. 2 sportsmen
will represent Armenia: mountain-skier Mher Avanesian and Greta
Khndzrtian. They were to compete on March 11 and 14.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATIONALIST TURKS PROTEST ARMENIA MOVE
Irish Examiner, Ireland
Sept 26 2005
HUNDREDS of Turkish nationalists chanting slogans and waving flags
protested over the weekend against a controversial academic conference
devoted to the WWI massacre of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey.
The conference had been due to open on Friday at two universities
in Istanbul but a last-minute court order blocked it, causing acute
embarrassment to the Turkish government just days before the start
of its EU membership talks.
Organisers then circumvented the court ban by moving the conference
to a third university in the city.
“This conference is an insult to our republic and to the memory of
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,” Erkal Onsel, head of the Istanbul branch of
the left wing but nationalist Workers’ Party, told protesters gathered
outside the private Bilgi University.
Ataturk is the revered founder of the modern Turkish Republic on the
ashes of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. Armenia and its supporters around
the world say 1.5 million Armenians died in a systematic genocide
committed by Ottoman Turkish forces between 1915 and 1923.
Ankara accepts many Armenians died on Turkish soil during and after
WWI, but says they were victims of a partisan conflict which claimed
even more Turkish Muslim lives as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing.
It denies any genocide.
Turkey is under pressure to change its stance if it is to become the
first Muslim country to join the EU.
The conference had originally been due to take place at Istanbul’s
Bosphorus University in May but was cancelled after Justice Minister
Cemil Cicek accused those backing the genocide claims of “stabbing
Turkey in the back”.
This time, with a nervous eye on Brussels as the clock ticks
towards the start of its long-delayed EU entry talks on October 3,
the government has strongly backed the conference. Despite a flurry
of EU-inspired reforms recently, promoting certain interpretations
of Turkish history can still be deemed a criminal offence under a
revised penal code.
The protesters said the organisers of the conference were not really
upholding freedom of speech.
“They don’t let us inside… they don’t give us a chance to put our
case. They forget those of the Turkish nation killed by Armenians,”
said Kemal Ermetin, who runs a nationalist magazine.
The protesters displayed photographs of what they said were Azeris
killed by Armenians in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
during fighting in the early 1990s.
Turkey closed its border and cut diplomatic ties with tiny
ex-Soviet Armenia in 1993 to protest against Armenian occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh, part of the territory of Azerbaijan, a regional
Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Aargauer Zeitung – Switzerland
BERN/ZÜRICH
Strafanzeige gegen Dogu Perinçek
Strafanzeige wegen Rassendiskriminierung
;rub=100004727&nr ub=0&sda=1&Artikel_ID=101048371
Die Kantonspolizei Bern hat gegen den türkischen Politiker Dogu Perinçek
Strafanzeige eingereicht. Dies wird auch die Zürcher Stadtpolizei tun.
Perinçek leugnete an Veranstaltungen in Köniz und Zürich den Genozid an den
Armeniern.
Die Anzeige der Berner Kantonspolizei wurde wegen Verdachts auf Verletzung
der Antirassismus-Strafnorm erhoben, wie das Untersuchungsrichteramt
Bern-Mittelland und Kantonspolizei Bern mitteilten. Perinçek war in Köniz an
einem Anlass der Türkischen Arbeiterpartei als Redner aufgetreten. Die
Polizei zeichnete das Referat auf; der Veranstalter wusste dies.
Der linksnationalistische türkische Politiker wiederholte darauf in Zürich
an einer Medienkonferenz die umstrittenen Thesen. Er bezeichnete die
Feststellung, die Türken hätten 1915 gegen die Armenier Völkermord begangen,
als «historische Lüge».
Die Strafuntersuchungen gegen ihn seien «rechtswidrig» und kämen einer
«Hexenjagd» gleich. Nicht er sei rassistisch, sondern der Schweizer
Nationalrat, der in einer Resolution den angeblichen Genozid der Türken an
Armenien verurteilte. Damit werde das politische Klima zwischen der Schweiz
und der Türkei vergiftet.
Nachdem die Stadtpolizei erfahren hatte, dass Perinçek in Zürich auftreten
werde, ordnete sie laut Mediensprecher Marco Cortesi einen Mitarbeiter zur
Beobachtung ab. Aufgrund der Äusserungen des Politikers werde dieser nun
auch in Zürich wegen Verstosses gegen die Antirassismus-Strafnorm angezeigt.
(sda)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“ALL OF US RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED,” ARMENIAN DEPUTY OF IRANIAN
PARLIAMENT SAYS

TEHRAN, SEPTEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The funeral of
Miro Begijanian, an Iranian Armenian young man killed during a dispute
with Persians late on Friday, took place on September 12. The funeral
was held at the Nor Burastan cemetery of Tehran, near graves of
Armenian victims.
Presence of a dense crowd at the graveyard witnessed the community’s
indignation concerning the happened. Archbishop Sepuh Sargsian, Vardan
Vardanian and Gevorg Vardanian, the former and present Deputies of the
North Iranian Armenians at the IRI Parliament, clergymen,
representatives of the Diocesan Council, national bodies and unions as
well as of the central administration of the Armenian cultural
organization “Ararat” and of the “Alik” institution and a great number
of sportsmen were present.
According to the Tehran “Alik” daily, Archbishop Sepuh Sargsian
chaired the religious ceremony, who, then, addressed a speech of his
fatherly consolation to those gathered.
Then a receiption of condolence took place at the “Raffi” complex
where the diocesan primate, deputies, representatives of the national
bodies and unions were present as well.
“I’m sure that all of us feel ourselves punished, I’m sure that
everybody feels responsibility for the happened and everyone
condoles. But nobody can protest louder, be a demander as Miro’s
family protests and demands by their silence,” Gevorg Vardanian
particularly said.
“Miro’s sad death must be a lesson for each of us how we can secure
the individuality of our Armenian youth, the appearance of our
national and Christian individuality,” Archbishop Sepuh Sargsian
mentioned.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]:
PRESS RELEASE
05-09-2005
Minister Oskanian receives Yves Arnoldy, Newly Appointed Head of ICRC
delegation to Armenia
On September 5, Minister Oskanian received Yves Arnoldy, the newly appointed
head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation to Armenia.
Highly appreciating the activities of ICRC Delegation, the Minister noted
that Armenia considers very important the efforts of the ICRC in exchanging
prisoners and searching for the missing during the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.
Yves Arnoldy attached great importance to the continuation of the efforts of
the Delegation in implementing new projects to teach international
humanitarian law and principles of humanitarian law in secondary schools and
higher education institutions.
Minister Oskanian congratulated Yves Arnoldy on the occasion of his
assignment as the head of ICRC delegation to Armenia and wished him success
in his important mission.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2005
Mats Lindberg held press conference dedicated to fulfillment of CE
Action Plan on parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan
02 September 2005 [14:23] – Today.Az
Special Representative of Council of Europe Secretary General to
our country Mats Lindberg held press conference dedicated to the
fulfillment of the Action Plan about the parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan confirmed by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
He reminded that, roundtable on elections was held for the government
and media representatives in July and as the result “Code of
behavior of mass media of Azerbaijan during the election campaigns”
appeared. M. Lindberg noted with regret that no all the mass media
signed the document.
Calling on all the mass media to join the document, M.Lindberg also
added that he will recommend Council of Europe Secretary General Terry
Davis who will be on a visit to Baku next week to draw pro-governmental
media, opposition-minded media and independent media to join to the
code of behavior. He stated on behalf of the organization he represents
that he will do his best to held monitoring of mass media on the
election campaign: “We have not made decision yet, but I suppose
the monitoring will cover 40 printed press bodies. There are enough
professional persons in Azerbaijan to make independent investigation
.As concerns the monitoring of TVs we shall have talks with TV and
Radio Council of Azerbaijan regarding this”.
According to him, Council of Europe experts will give trainings for
the members of CEC, district and precinct electoral committees, and
make recommendations on how to organize the work of the commissions on
7-8 September. CE Venice Commission experts will come to Azerbaijan and
will make recommendations to the CEC on how to work on the applications
of complaint received after the elections. Venice commission experts
will also hold trainings for the judges of Azerbaijan. They will be on
a visit to Baku on 29-30 September and provide trainings on the rules
of looking into the complaints. It is also planned to hold an event
on prevention of corruption. In addition, pre-election trainings will
be given to the police and Interior Forces on how to treat towards
the people in order not to violate their rights and to preserve law
and public tranquility. The Code of behavior of Azerbaijani police
will be prepared in October.
CE Information Office in Baku has published books entitled “Codex
of the best experience on election issues”, “Balanced participation
of women and men in politics and in making important decisions
with regard to the state”, “Women’s rights to individual voting”,
“Media and elections” and distributed them with regard to the
forthcoming elections. The office has prepared advertisement reels
in 3 directions. The goal is to inform the voters about the election
procedure, propagate elections and make explanation of parliament.
Posters are made for this purpose too.
Assessing the current pre-election situation, M.Lindberg noted that,
the process of registration is going on according to the rule and
no one has been rejected yet. Stating that the process of delivering
voter’s cards was delayed a little bit, the CE representative hoped
that these cards will not give opportunity to the voters to vote
several times on the Election Day.
Responding to the question on assistance to the CEC in making the list
of voters of Armenian origin in Khankendi Constituency Election #122,
he said that he received the appeal yesterday: “I must consult with the
headquarters. I have to confess that this is a very difficult process”.
/APA/
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress