Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Russia’s Putin to visit Armenia this week

The Associated Press
03/22/05 08:45 EST

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is to make
a two-day visit to Armenia starting Thursday, the presidency said.

Putin will hold talks with his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian,
and participate in a gala ceremony marking the start of the “Year
of Russia” in Armenia, presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said.

Armenia, an impoverished landlocked Caucausus state, is one of Moscow’s
closest allies in the region.
From: Baghdasarian

PanArmenian News
March 21 2005

ARMENIAN AND AZERI PARLIAMENTARIANS MET IN BRUSSELS WITH NATO
SECRETARY GENERAL~RS REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS

21.03.2005 05:14

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azeri parliamentarians met in Brussels
with NATO Secretary General’s Representative for South Caucasus
and Central Asia Robert Simmons. During the meeting Azeri deputy
Sattar Safarov stated that the Armenian side every day violates the
cease-fire regime. In his turn Mr. Simmons noted that he will bring
these facts to the notion of the NATO Secretary General and expressed
hope that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be settled on the basis
of international legal principles.
From: Baghdasarian

TATUL MARGARYAN REPLACES ARMAN KIRAKOSSYAN AS ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO
UNITED STATES

YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan
decreed today to dismiss Arman Kirakossyan from the post of Armenian
Ambassador to the United States and to replace him by Tatul Margaryan.

Margaryan was born in Kapan Apr 16 1964. In 1985 he graduated from
Yerevan Agriculture Institute. In 1989 he studied in Washington and
London. In 1991-1994 he was assistant to Armenia’s vice president, in
1994-1998 advisor at the Armenian Embassy to the US. In 1999 he was
appointed advisor to Armenia’s Foreign Minister, in June 2000 deputy
FM. In 2002-2003 he was special representative of Armenia’s president
to the talks for the Karabakh conflict settlement.
From: Baghdasarian

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 18, 2005, Friday
10:21:12 Central European Time

Jewish investors secretly buy street in East Jerusalem – report

Jerusalem

Jewish investors from abroad have bought almost all the buildings on
a street and popular square inhabited by Palestinians in East
Jerusalem, the Israeli daily Ma’ariv reported Friday.

The transaction was done secretly, without the knowledge of the
tenants.

Most of the buildings on the street, which lies in the Old City of
Jerusalem between the Christian and Armenian Quarters, were the
property of the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Church sold them because it was in financial difficulties,
Ma’ariv said.

The buildings are along the street leading from the Old City’s Jaffa
gate to Omar Ibn al-Khattab Square and on the square itself, which is
an important Palestinian social centre in East Jerusalem.

Among others, it contains the Imperial Hotel, where senior
Palestinian officials, including al-Quds University chairman and PLO
Jerusalem representative Sari Nusseibeh, hold meetings.

Ma’ariv quoted a Greek Orthodox Church official who spoke on
condition of anonymity as expressing fears the multimillion dollar
deal alienate the Palestinian Authority.

Former Patriarchate spokesman Archmandrite Attallah Hanna said he saw
the report, which he said “we cannot deny or confirm”.

“We are against these steps,” he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
“We are demanding a neutral investigative committee – Jordanian,
Palestinian and Greek – to investigate these matters”.

“The Patriarch himself (Eirinaios I) is the one who should respond to
this,” he said, adding: “We are against giving up Church property”.
dpa mak ok ms
From: Baghdasarian

Washington Times, DC
March 18 2005

UPI hears

It is undoubtedly only coincidence, but Chinese President Hu Jintao
told visiting Azeri President Ilham Aliyev that China backs
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within the framework of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In turn, Alieyev assured Hu that
Azerbaijan supports Beijing on the issue of settling the Taiwan
“problem.” Their meeting was followed by the signing of 13 documents,
ranging from the Chinese Foreign Ministry providing technical
assistance to agreements on cooperation between the two countries’
state television channels, national Olympic committees and justice
ministries. Other agreements dealt with communications and
information technologies, trade, economic, technical and cultural
collaboration, as well as on eliminating double taxation. Aliyev
walked away with a joint declaration supporting Azeri initiatives to
solve its intransigent Nargorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia and an
agreement covering military cooperation. And the Chinese? Well, they
did discuss bilateral trade, and the $300 million that China has
invested in Azerbaijan’s energy sector. Low-sulfur Azeri crude has
hit record prices in the world market; according to Azerbaijan’s
state oil company, SOCAR, Azeri light oil peaked earlier this week at
$54.81 per barrel.
From: Baghdasarian

YOUNG DASHNAKS ORGANIZED MARCH ON OCCASION OF UPCOMING 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

A1+
15-03-2005

Today the ARFD Youth Union organized a march from the Yerevan State
University to the Yerevan EU Office on the occasion of the upcoming
90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

Representatives of the Union Mkhitar Margaryan submitted a letter
entitled«A call to progressive society» to the EU Office. The letter
says that with the burden of the Armenian Genocide Turkey has know
right for the EU membership.

«We want all the young people to joint over the problem. I think this
is the only issue without political affiliation or orientation», one
of the marchers said.

To note, journalists present at the march exceeded the number of the
demonstrators themselves. Mkhitar Margaryan conditioned it by the fact
that this was the first measure of the kind.
From: Baghdasarian

Turkish Daily News
Friday, March 11 2005

>>From the Columns:

The alleged Armenian genocide that was supposed to have occurred
during the latter years of Ottoman rule and the reaction of the
Turkish government, European Union officials and the European
Parliament to the excessive use of force on female demonstrators
dominated the columns in yesterday’s Turkish press.

Is Turkey maintaining its old stance regarding alleged genocide?

Sabah’s Mehmet Barlas criticizes the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
for maintaining the old discourse regarding the issue of an alleged
genocide of Armenians that is supposed to have occurred from
1915-1916 at the hands of the Ottomans.

Quoting the late former President Turgut Özal’s reported proposal
to Turkish Ambassador to the United States Nüzhet Kandemir to
recognize the events of 1915 as a genocide and to put an end to the
ongoing discussions, Barlas said that Kandemir had responded to Özal
by saying that the issue was too complicated to be resolved
overnight.

Barlas asks what has been done regarding the issue in the 12 years
since the death of Özal?

Highlighting remarks made by government members and officials
saying that the Armenian genocide issue should be left to historians,
Barlas asks why nobody looked over the work of prominent Armenian
historians Vahak Dadrian [an academic in the United States] and Peter
Balakian [the author of books on Armenian issue].

After noting reactions to well-known Turkish author Orhan Pamuk,
who said that 1 million Armenians were killed in Turkey, Barlas also
asks why the ideas of Professor Halil Berktay, an academic from
Sabancý University, who argues for the identification of the events
of 1915 as genocide, are not regarded as being worth considering.

Facing the past is better than turning a blind eye:

Yeni Þafak’s Yasin Dogan also focuses on the Armenian issue and
appreciates the commitments made by the ruling AKP and the main
opposition CHP to face and fight the claims of the alleged Armenian
genocide.

Dogan says that anyone can easily cling to the falsity of the
arguments claiming that Turkey had committed a systematic genocide of
Armenian people.

Further elaborating on the allegations, Dogan says that even if
some mistakes were made, it would still be wrong to hold the Turkish
Republic or even the Ottoman Empire accountable for the acts today.

Dogan concludes by saying that the goal is to eradicate hatred
between Turks and Armenians and to leave that negative atmosphere in
the past.

–Boundary_(ID_4ITEEs4LbODH/kg05HekfA)–
From: Baghdasarian

South Korea goes large on Fringe

The Scotsman – United Kingdom;
Mar 10, 2005

Tim Cornwell Arts Correspondent

SOUTH Korea has formed an unlikely bond with the Edinburgh Festival
Fringe that will see four shows make the long journey from Asia this
year – including a Korean version of Shakespeare, The Scotsman can
reveal.

Audiences at the festival will this year have the choice of a show
that mixes Korean martial arts and comic mayhem – entitled Jump – as
well as an alternative version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The new connection with South Korea goes well beyond just another
chapter in the Fringe’s far-flung line-up, however.

Paul Gudgin, the Fringe director, travelled to Seoul in December at
the invitation of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation. The trip
saw nearly 200 performers turn up to hear him speak and put him on
the front pages of the national press. The Fringe is now planning a
live video conference for Korean acts hoping to get to Edinburgh,
while the Seoul foundation has helped out by translating the Fringe’s
guide in full for performers.

“There are no direct flights. I don’t believe South Korea has any
embassy in Edinburgh. But this extraordinary connection has grown and
will continue to grow,” Mr Gudgin said.

“Loads of people running Korean cultural institutions have been
coming to study us. Their two main television stations come to the
Fringe.”

South Korea’s interest in the Fringe grew out of a single show,
Cooking, which came to Edinburgh in 1999.

The show, set in a kitchen, was an energetic mix of rhythm and comedy
using cooking tools, and proved such a hit with audiences that it is
currently showing on Broadway.

“We think the success of that performance is a great model for us.
Many presenters in Korea realise that we need to build up a market in
Europe,” said Hyuncha Kim, the foundation’s deputy manager for
international exchange.

“If we can join with the festival in Edinburgh, it could be a great
chance to show our talent in the world market. We believe the
Edinburgh festival is an essential pass to go to the rest of the
world,” said Ms Kim.

The Koreans now hope to emulate Cooking’s success this year with
Jump. The show, with about ten performers, mixes traditional Korean
martial arts and comedy in a story centred on a single family.

“It is one family of strange characters,” said Ms Kim. “They fight
each other but later they find their real enemy and are unified.”

Also on the slate is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The
Koreans have already showcased the work in festivals in Armenia and
Cairo. It is in Korean but relies heavily on gesture, mime and
costumes.
From: Baghdasarian

Patriarch warns against attempts to revise results of WWII

09.03.2005, 18.18

MOSCOW, March 9 (Itar-Tass) — Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All
Russia warned against attempts to revise the results of World War II.

Speaking at the opening of the 9th World Russian Peopleâ~@~Ys
Assembly on Wednesday, Alexy II said, â~@~Today some are trying to
slander and bury in oblivion the feat of our people and to equalise
aggressors and those who fought them.â~@~]

He believes it necessary to â~@~do everything possible to ensure
that these attempts do not succeed and that the thankful memory of
those who fought against the strongest army of the world safeguarded
mankind from a new mutual extermination.â~@~]

The patriarch stressed, â~@~The idea of the global dictatorship of
terrorism still dominates many minds. We must think about how to
counter terrorism, how to preserve the greatest achievement of the
victory â~@~S lasting peace between nations, how to revive the ideal
of unity and spiritual strength that were shown in those years so
that the lessons of the great victory were not forgotten but would
serve for the future of mankind.â~@~]

The World Russian Peopleâ~@~Ys Assembly, which opened at Moscowâ~@~Ys
Christ the Saviour Cathedral on Wednesday, is devoted to the unity of
peoples as a guarantee of the victory over fascism and terrorism.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, officials from the Defence Ministry,
politicians, statesmen, public and religious figures addressed the
congress.

The religious delegates include the chairman of the Central Moslem
Board, Talgat Tadzhutdin, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church of
Old Believers, Metropolitan Andrian, the head of the Russian eparchy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Ezras, the chairman of
the Congress of the Jewish Religious Communities of Russia, Rabbi
Zinovy Kogan, and a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church
Abroad, Archbishop Mark of Germany.

–Boundary_(ID_A7w42jVoZ0m5e1Hh5qHHIQ)–
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SEN. ALLEN CALLS FOR U.S. RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

— Virginia Legislator: U.S. “Not Willing to Sweep History under
the Rug”

WASHINGTON, DC – In a principled stand for U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, Senator George Allen (R-VA), today, in his
capacity as the presiding officer of a Senate Foreign Relations
Subcommittee hearing on the Black Sea region, noted that the United
States “wants to have good relations with Turkey but we are not
willing to sweep history under the rug,” reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

The hearing, on “The Future of Democracy in the Black Sea Area,”
was held before the Subcommittee on European Affairs and featured
testimony by John F. Tefft, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State,
European and Eurasian Affairs; Bruce P. Jackson, President of the
Project on Transitional Democracies; Vladimir Socor, a Senior
Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, and; Zeyno Baran, Director of
International Security and Energy Programs for the Nixon Center.

Senator Allen, during his remarks, also noted the chilling nature
of Adolf Hitler’s remarks to quiet the reservations of his military
staff on the eve of invading Poland – “Who, after all, remembers
the Armenians?”

“As he has done so often in the past – as a member of the Virginia
legislature, a U.S. Representative, Governor of the Commonwealth,
and now as Senator – George Allen has spoken with moral clarity on
the need to end any association with Turkey’s shameful policy of
genocide denial,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“Armenians throughout the Old Dominion and around the nation
appreciate the Senator’s strong leadership on the issue of the
Armenian Genocide and the full range of legislative issues dealing
with Armenia and the surrounding region.”

Early in her testimony, Baran of the Nixon Center cited the
“deterioration in the U.S.-Turkey bilateral relationship.” She
went on to voice her opposition to the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, noting that its passage would harm U.S.-Turkey
relations. “Given the prevalent Turkish view that the U.S. is
running a campaign against Turkey, it would be very damaging if the
“Armenian Genocide” resolution passed Congress this year,” stated
Baran. “This year is the 90th anniversary of the tragic 1915
massacre and certainly Armenian diaspora groups would like to get
recognition. However, such a resolution would play right into the
hands of the growing set of anti-Americans and ultra-nationalists
in Turkey.”

“We are profoundly troubled that there remain voices whose recipe
for reining in the Turkish government’s increasing anti-American
policies is to reward Turkey by compromising our nation’s
principles stand against genocide,” said Hamparian. “American
leadership requires that we stand up for our values, not run away
from them.”

#####
From: Baghdasarian