Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Flight International
May 8 2006
Armavia A320 crashes on second approach to Sochi
DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW & DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON
The crew of the Armavia Airbus A320 that crashed into the Black Sea
close to Sochi in southern Russia on 3 May was attempting to make its
second approach to the airport in poor weather conditions. All 105
passengers and eight crew members were killed.
Armavia says the crew of flight U8 967, operating from Yerevan,
Armenia, to Sochi, had planned to divert to the Georgian capital
Tbilisi as weather reported for the destination was below minima, but
information about improved conditions led them to change their minds
and attempt a landing.
Russia’s transport ministry says the weather conditions at Sochi did
not meet the minimum criteria of `100m’ (330ft) cloud ceiling and
1,500m visibility. The crew abandoned its initial approach to runway
06, which has an instrument landing system, before opting to make a
second attempt using runway 02 where visibility was reported to be
better.
Meteorological data from the Sochi airport weather station at 02:00
local time indicate the presence of cumulonimbus clouds, but only
light precipitation, the wind light and variable, and the cloudbase
at 600ft with mist below it.
The ministry says air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft
while it was manoeuvring to position for the second approach at about
02:15, and at that time the aircraft was operating at a height of
around 920ft and an airspeed of 135kt (250km/h). The 11-year-old A320
hit the surface of the Black Sea about 6km (3nm) offshore, and there
had been no emergency call from the crew. Russia’s transport minister
Igor Levitin has reportedly cautioned that a recovery effort will be
difficult. He says the bulk of the wreckage is lying at a depth of
around 680m.
The aircraft had accumulated about 28,200 flight hours and 14,400
cycles.
les/2006/05/09/Navigation/177/206443/Armavia+A320+ crashes+on+second+approach+to+Sochi.html
From: Baghdasarian

47 of Black Sea air crash victims identified
Interfax, Russia
May 7 2006
SOCHI. May 7 (Interfax-South) – The bodies of 47 people killed in the
crash of an Armenian airliner off the Russian Black Sea coast on May
3 have been identified, a source at the headquarters of the search
effort told Interfax on Sunday.
“Out of the 51 retrieved bodies 47 have been identified and sent to
places of burial,” the source said.
Also on Sunday evening rescuers discovered one more fragment of
the airliner’s fuselage on the sea bottom. The operations of rescue
vessels have been suspended until Monday morning.
“The deep-sea diving system Kalmar noticed aircraft fragments at the
depth of 450 meters, not 680 as believed before. The signals of flight
recorders were registered but their exact whereabouts have not been
established,” the source said.
He added that Kalmar would be further used on Monday. ml
From: Baghdasarian

48 capsules with Black Sea water to represent not found victims
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 7 2006
YEREVAN, May 7 (Itar-Tass) — Forty-eight capsules filled with Black
Sea water and soil were delivered in Yerevan last night to represent
Sochi air crash victims, who had not been found. That was done by
request of the victims~R families.
Five bodies are still to be identified in Sochi, Armenian Ambassador
to Russia Armen Smbatyan told Itar-Tass.
A two-day mourning for the air crash victims is over in Armenia.
The tragedy aggrieved everyone in the small Armenia, which is
intertwined by family relations and friendship, President Robert
Kocharyan said.
The demand for flights between Yerevan and Sochi is very high, as
people want to attend funerals of the air crash victims and support
their families and friends, a source at the Armavia airline said.
From: Baghdasarian

CIS SECURITY BODY CHIEF CALLS FOR COOPERATION WITH UZBEKISTAN
UzReport.com website, Tashkent
5 May 06
The heads of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization [CSTO] are ready to deepen cooperation with Uzbekistan,
the secretary-general of the CSTO, Nikolay Bordyuzha said in Minsk
on Thursday [4 May].
He is taking part in the away session of the international
antiterrorist media forum which is taking place in the capital of
Belarus, RIA Novosti reported.
“An idea of joint activities with Uzbekistan in a number of specific
issues found a complete support of the presidents of all CSTO members
states,” Bordyuzha said.
Bordyuzha said that after meeting Uzbek President Islom Karimov,
during which an agreement on deepening cooperation in a number of
spheres was reached, he also visited leaders of the CSTO member states.
“The presidents believe that we should cooperate with Uzbekistan in
the sphere of countering political and religious extremism, providing
stability in the Central Asian region,” the secretary-general of the
CSTO noted.
As a specific example of cooperation he demonstrated consultations of
the secretaries of the security councils of CSTO of the central Asian
region and Uzbekistan that were held in Dushanbe, and during which
“specific joint measures on ensuring stable situation in Central Asia
were discussed”.
Uzbekistan, Bordyuzha emphasized, as a big and powerful state in the
region, very seriously influences the political situation.
The secretary-general of the CSTO believes that if the steps that
are being made bring the member states of the organization and
Uzbekistan to a new level of cooperation, then, he does not “exclude
a possibility, if Uzbekistan is interested, of its joining the CSTO”.
However, Bordyuzha noted, for Uzbekistan, that had once joined the
collective security treaty, “it is not serious to do hasty steps now
and to join the CSTO”.
“Only joint activities of all states will ensure stability in Central
Asia, particularly, when the situation is getting tense there,”
Bordyuzha underlined.
The CSTO member states are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan.
From: Baghdasarian

NEW CORPSES FOUND ON THE A320 CRASH SPOT
Yerevan, May 5. ArmInfo. The Emergency Department of Russia reports
that new bodies are found of the spot of the A320 liner crash.
Russian mass media repost that the corpses will be taken aout of
the sea later, as searches are suspended in connection with mourning
ceremony in Sochi town.
Today evening another airplane will arrive to Zvartnots airport,
Yerevan, carrying the bodies of the killed passengers. To be reminded,
113 people died in result of the air accident. 53 corpses have been
already found, of which 41 identified.
From: Baghdasarian

RF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS SERVICE: SEARCH OPERATIONS WHERE A320 CRASHED HELD IN TWO DIRECTIONS
Moscow, May 4. ArmInfo-RBC. Search operations in the area of the crash
in the Black Sea will be in two directions: at the spot and in the
bottom, Andrey Legoshin, Deputy Head of Russian ESS Operative Office,
told journalists.
A special a deep-sea robot was to be used to try to recover the
plane’s recorders, after the fuselage is found. The search operations
are coordinated by helicopters. Search and rescue teams had pulled
48 bodies from the water, 20 bodies were identified, including
a stewardess.
To recap, the wrecked Airbus A- 320 was carrying out U 8967 fight
Yerevan-Sochi. French specialists of Airbus Industry concern also
arrived in the place. Besides, the sonar system and deep-sea devices
were assembled. Investigation group of RF Prosecutor General’s Office
(PGO) headed by Vladimir Lisenko, Head of the RF PGP Department for
Investigation of Special Cases, is in the place of the crash. Besides,
arriving in the disaster place were Deputy Prosecutor General of RF
Nikolay Shepel, Krasnodar Regional Prosecutor Sergey Yeremin, and
other officials of the region. Preliminary data say that all the
133 passengers and the crew of Airbus A320 that crashed into the
Black Sea were killed. Among them were 26 citizens of Russia, one
citizen of Ukriane. Krasnodar Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated
a criminal case on the Article 263.3 of RF Criminal Code (violation
of safe transportation and air transport exploitation rules resulting
in death of two and more people).
From: Baghdasarian

VICTOR YUSHCHENKO OFFERS CONDOLENCE ON TRAGEDY OF ARMENIAN PLANE CRASH
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 04 2006
KIEV, MAY 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Ukrainian President
Victor Yushchenko sent letters of condolence to the Armenian President
Robert Kocharian and the Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the
letters he offered condolence to the family members and friends of
the victims, to the Armenian and Russian peoples on the tragedy of
the Armavia crash near the Russian city of Sochi. According to the
press service of the Ukrainian president, the tragic news caused a
feeling of deep grief in Ukraine. Victor Yushchenko’s message to the
Armenian President Robert Kocharian in particular reads: “We share
your deep pain from the irreplacable loss that the friendly people of
Armenia has suffered. On behalf of the Ukrainian people and myself,
I offer sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the
Armenian people.”
From: Baghdasarian

JEWISH COMMUNITY ASSISTS FAMILY OF PLANE CRASH VICTIM
Federation of Jewish Communitites of CIS, Russia
May 4 2006
SOCHI, Russia – Last night, an A-320 airplane routed to fly from the
Armenian capital of Yerevan to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi
ended up crashing in the sea just 500 meters off the coast. Upon
arriving at the accident site, the Russian search and rescue team
discovered that all of the 105 passengers and 8 crew members have died.
Rabbi Arie Edelkopf, the Chief Rabbi of Sochi and a Chabad Lubavitch
emissary, arrived to the site together with the rescue team. He
discovered that one Jewish person, who happens to be a citizen of
Armenia, was among the passengers to die on this tragic day. “With
the help of the rescue team, we will find the remains of this person
in order to bury him in accordance with Jewish national traditions,”
said Rabbi Edelkopf in reaction to this tragedy and the local Jewish
community’s response.
The Chief Rabbi of Armenia, Rabbi Gersh Burshtein, has already been
in contact with the family of the Jew whose life ended with this
airplane accident. He informed them about the carrying out of the
search for their loved-one at the accident site and promised to
provide the family every assistance possible.
Because of the catastrophe, Armenia and Russia have declared May,
5th the day of national mourning.
Both the Jewish communities of Armenia and the Jewish community
of Russia send their condolences to the families of this terrible
accident.
From: Baghdasarian

THANK YOU, MR. URPER
Recep Guvelioglu
The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 2 2006
I was going to write another article about the Armenian genocide
claims. But after I read a news item in the newspaper Sabah, I changed
my mind.
According to the report, a cultural and political crisis occurred
in Bergama, a town whose biblical name is Pergamum. Greek Fener
Patriarch Bartholemeos wanted to organize a special religious ceremony
for St. John’s Day. All the local leaders of political parties —
with the exception of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party
– submitted a petition to the local authority, demanding that no
permission be given to this ritual: They claimed that Bartholemeos
wants to create a positive atmosphere for his claims to have an
ecumenical status. But the mayor of Bergama, who is a member of the
AK Party, Rasit Urper, rejected that idea and gave the permission for
this special ceremony. Urper said: “What age are we living in? We
started this event to boost faith tourism three years ago. They’re
trying to mix politics up with this event.”
Personally I congratulate the mayor of Bergama, Mr. Urper.
What really bothers me is the “mentality of the other side.”
Let me give you an example. Let’s say that as a devoted Muslim you
would like to organize “Mevlud” in one of the European cities, but
the municipal authority doesn’t give you permission. What would you do?
What would your reaction be?
The claim that the patriarch wants to create a positive atmosphere
for his ecumenical status by organizing St. John’s Day in Bergama is
also funny. As a patriarch it is part of his duty to do this. This
event will not add any power to him. What it would add is tourism to
the region.
This kind of event enriches faith tourism. It creates an extra spending
opportunity for regular tourists.
There is another point I should add.
Bergama (Pergamum) has an importance in Christian history. It is the
site of one of the seven churches mentioned in the New Testament.
So if Christians organize a religious ceremony there, why should this
bother us? Would it not be their right to do so?
If you say “no,” then why are you trying to get Turkey into the
European Union?
Why are you trying to be included in the civilized world?
St. John and other apostles are also mentioned in our Koran as “Ensar”
(supporter of Jesus Christ). To a certain extent we Muslims recognize
them.
Then why are we getting bothered about their religious ceremony?
St. John described Pergamum as “Satan’s throne,” mostly because of
the Temple of Zeus which existed there. Now that great monumental
temple can’t be seen there. It’s in Berlin. Because of the negligence
of our people. The negligence of narrow-minded people.
Bigotry and negligence have destroyed many historical artifacts in
this beautiful land.
That’s why I would like thank Mr. Urper again and again .At least he
saved us from a great shame.
From: Baghdasarian

COUNCIL OF BENEFICIARIES OF THE “MILLENIUM CHALLENGE – ARMENIA” PROGRAM TO BE ELECTED
ArmRadio.am
02.05.2006 11:08
Elections of the civil society representatives at the Council of
Beneficiaries of the “Millenium Challenge – Armenia” program will be
held at the American University of Armenia.
The task force of the program is expected to sum up the election
results by 9 a.m.