Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 9, 2005
___________________
DIOCESE PLAYS LEADERSHIP ROLE IN NEW CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION
During a closed-doors meeting in the first week of June, the new
ecumenical organization — called Christian Churches Together — took
its first formal steps towards organizing. The new group seeks to bring
together the “five families” of Christian churches: mainline Protestant,
Catholic, Orthodox, racial/ethnic and evangelical/Pentecostal churches.
The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), through its
legate, is deeply involved in this effort, which is making historic
inroads in the Catholic and evangelical churches, which have
traditionally not been associated with national ecumenical groups such
as the National Council of Churches. While the new Christian Churches
Together has been well received by leaders of the Catholic and
evangelical churches, no official endorsement from world-wide leaders
has come yet.
“This is going to be the first time in the history of United States that
the ‘five families’ of churches are coming together to jointly create
such an organization,” said Bishop Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and
ecumenical officer, who has served on the group’s steering committee
since it was proposed in 2001. “We have to express ourselves with the
same voice about the social problems, political problems, and
theological problems.”
About two dozen church leaders attended the steering committee gathering
from June 1 to 3 in Los Altos Hills, CA, during which they talked about
the final shape of the organization, and the goal to officially launch
the new effort in 2006.
Participants in the group’s initial meetings the past few years have
spent much of their time praying together and getting acquainted with
one another’s traditions. Organizers of the group say such
trust-building sessions are critical to building consensus between
churches during future discussions of moral and social issues.
During the most recent meeting, Bishop Aykazian shared an Orthodox view
of ecumenicalism with the participants by reading remarks written by
Chris Zakian, coordinator of public relations at the Diocese.
“What we regard today as the modern ecumenical movement saw its birth in
the middle years of the 20th century. For most of the ensuing period,
the Armenian Church has played a role in ecumenical gatherings on the
world and various national stages, under the support and blessing of
three catholicoi of the worldwide Armenian Church, centered at our
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in today’s Republic of Armenia,” the
remarks read.
“The idea of an ‘ecumenical’ Christianity — that is, a Christianity
that encompasses all the world’s human habitations — is much older, of
course, having received its most elaborate expression in the 4th
century, under the Council of Nicaea. Astonishingly, all of us gathered
here today still live in the shadow of that great gathering — and not
simply those of us who explicitly adhere to the Nicene Creed. By the
very fact of our coming together, we are in some measure seeking to
continue, or perhaps complete, the project begun 1,680 years ago.”
— 6/9/05
From: Baghdasarian

AZG Armenian Daily #105, 09/06/2005
Diaspora
AN ATTEMPT TO DENATIONALIZE ARMENIAN SCHOOL OF AKHALTSKHA?
‘Police’ Beat Pupils While Quelling the Rally
On June7, the police of Samtskhe-Javakhk region of Georgia headed by
coordinator of the region’s law enforcement forces Aram Poghosian crushed
down the rally of Armenian pupils of Akhaltskha secondary school after
Hovhannes Tumanian. According to a source in Akhaltskha, Armenian and
Georgian policemen beat several students while making their way to the
school. Two of them were admitted to the hospital; one of the children got
his clavicle broken.
The events a few days back stand for the local Armenians’ protest rally. The
education minister of Georgia signed a decree on May 24 sacking the
headmaster of the school Lyuba Matevosian. She was replaced by
Russian-speaking Robert Muradian. Mrs. Matevosian was informed about her
dismissal on June 2.
Though Mrs. Matevosian was going to resign at the end of the academic year
(by the end of June) and terminate the teacher’s 45-year-old career, she
claims she was sacked unlawfully. In a phone conversation with daily Azg
Mrs. Matevosian said that the new legislation forces all headmasters of
Georgia’s secondary schools resign by the end of each academic year and to
elect a new one.
Lyuba Matevosian notes that the school’s staff, pupils and the alumni were
going to organize a farewell party for her. “The teaching staff is against
the new candidate for headmaster, the pupils and people are against it,
too”, she explains.
A member of Akhaltskha’s Armenian community (name withheld for safety
reasons) told daily Azg that there is political calculation in dismissing
the honored teacher as Lyuba Matevosian. He claims that the new headmaster
has no connection with the school, moreover, he is Russian-speaking. “We
think that the 175-year-old Armenian school will get ruined with him as a
headmaster”, he says.
Reportedly the newly appointed headmaster was introduced to the staff. The
teachers refused to work with Robert Muradian and left the school compound.
The wife of the headmaster, teacher of the school, failed to enter the
school yesterday as a few students blocked her way. According to news from
Akhaltskha, the situation between local Armenians and the region’s law
enforcement bodies is tense. The regional administration announced that the
police will arrest several Armenian “nationalists”.
Georgian education minister Kakha Lomaya is resolute to defend his candidate
to the end.
The situation over the school in Akhaltskha should be viewed in a wider
context. International organizations such as the International Federation of
Human Rights and NATO Parliamentary Assembly point out in a report issued
lately that the minority rights, including national, religious and cultural
rights of the Armenians, in “rose Georgia” are violated.
In an interview to daily Azg in early May Lyuba Matevosian told with pain
that the school after Tumanian remains the only cultural center in
Akhaltskha. “There was a time when Akhaltskha was almost an Armenian town.
60-70 percent of the population was Armenian before the 1950s, now hardly 30
percent is Armenian. There are almost no Armenian officials. People have
changed a great deal. Everybody used to speak Armenian in past days, we felt
as though at home”.
World famous French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour, whose parents
originate from Akhaltskha, visited the town on May 29 on invitation of
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and met local Armenians in that very
school. In case the last cultural fortress — Tumanian school — gets
denationalized, tens of thousands Armenians can do nothing but leave their
birthplace.
By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Baghdasarian

Washington Post, DC
June 9 2005
Association Withdraws Award to U.S. Envoy
Ambassador Was to Be Honored for Dissent
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 9, 2005; Page A19
The American Foreign Service Association recently announced that John
M. Evans, the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, was to receive a
prestigious award for “constructive dissent” for characterizing as
genocide the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in the waning days of
the Ottoman Empire in 1915. His comments stirred such a diplomatic
tempest that Evans not only had to retract his remarks but also had
to later clarify his retraction.
Earlier this week, however, the selection committee met again and
decided to withdraw the honor, known as the Christian A. Herter
Award. They decided not to offer any award in the category, reserved
for a senior foreign service officer. Other awards are issued for
officers at lower levels.

The timing of the association’s decision appeared curious, given it
came just before Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived
in Washington for a meeting with President Bush to bolster strained
U.S.-Turkish relations. John W. Limbert, president of the
association, said that no one at the organization can remember an
award being withdrawn after it had been announced.
“It is not something we do easily,” he said.
The award is intended to foster creative thinking and intellectual
courage within the State Department bureaucracy, and the secretary of
state usually attends the award ceremony. One of last year’s awards,
for instance, went to a mid-level foreign service officer who sent a
cable challenging the administration’s policy in Iraq. “Dissent is
supposed to be controversial,” Limbert said.
Speaking to an Armenian group in California, Evans referred to the
“Armenian genocide” and said that the U.S. government owes “you, our
fellow citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing the
problem.” He added that “there is no doubt in my mind what happened”
and it was “unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games here.”
Armenian groups hailed his comment, noting Evans was the first U.S.
official since President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to refer to the
Armenian deaths as genocide. But the comments infuriated Turkey.
Evans issued a statement saying U.S. policy, in which the United
States “acknowledges the tragedy” and encourages “scholarly, civil
society and diplomatic discussion” of the event, had not changed.
Evans said he used the term “genocide” in “my personal capacity”
during “informal meetings” and “this was inappropriate.” After more
complaints from Turkey, Evans corrected the statement a day later and
removed a reference to genocide, instead calling it “the Armenian
tragedy.”
Limbert said the committee, made up of current and former State
Department officials, concluded that the award to Evans did not meet
the selection criteria. He declined to comment further, saying State
Department officials would have to explain their concerns.
L. Bruce Laingen, who chaired the selection committee, said “very
serious people from the State Department in particular” expressed
concern about the award to Evans. But he said they did not raise
political issues. Instead, he said, they focused on the fact that the
award criteria specifically says the actions must be taken while
“working in the system”; Evans made his comments in speeches.
“Dissent has to be within the system,” Laingen said. He said the
committee did not focus on that fact until it was reminded by the
State Department.
But when the committee decided to withdraw the award, it was faced
with a dilemma. The committee had received only two nominations, and
it had already concluded the other nominee did not meet the criteria.
So no award could be offered.
Laingen said the committee generally receives few examples of dissent
at senior levels of the agency. “That is regrettable,” he said. “It
does not reflect well on the foreign service broadly at that level
for dissent within the system.”
From: Baghdasarian

A1plus
| 17:27:44 | 08-06-2005 | Official |
NATO IN ARMENIA IN NOVEMBER
On October 6-9 in Yerevan a seminar titled `Rose-Road’ will be organized.
And the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Fall session will take place in November
again in Yerevan.
80-100 members of the Parliamentary Assembly will take part in the session.
They will discuss issues of regional importance, as well as those referring
global policy.
From: Baghdasarian

Baltic News Service
June 7, 2005
LITHUANIA OFFERS ITS EURO-INTEGRATION EXPERIENCE TO AZERBAIJAN
VILNIUS
Lithuania is prepared to share its experience in conducting
democratic reforms, integration into the EU and NATO, regional
cooperation and peaceful solution of conflicts.
According to a press release from the parliament, this opinion was
voiced by Parliamentary Speaker Arturas Paulauskas, who is currently
visiting Azerbaijan.
This is the Lithuanian parliamentary speaker’s first visit to
Azerbaijan after the restoration of Lithuania’s Independence in 1990.
The parliamentary speaker has met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilgam
Aliev, President of Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company Natik Aliev, Prime
Minister Artur Rasizade, Parliamentary Speaker Murtuz Aleskerov,
Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov.
During the meetings with Lithuania’s delegation, the leaders of
Azerbaijan’s parliament stressed that Azerbaijan was interested in
experience in the legislation area, especially when it comes to
regulation of the solution of social issues.
The president of Azerbaijan approved of Lithuania’s initiative to
activate mutual ties and voiced an idea to set up an
intergovernmental commission tasked with developing mutual
relationship between Lithuania and Azerbaijan.
The Lithuanian delegation ran a presentation for the leaders of
Azerbaijan on the Klaipeda sea port and the possibilities of reaching
remote EU markets from it.
The meetings with Azerbaijan’s president, leaders of the parliament
and of the government focused on the possibilities to regulate the
unresolved conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Mountain
Karabah.
Paulauskas accentuated that Lithuania was interested in solving the
conflict peacefully and emphasized that the solving of this matter
should have the widest possible representation of international
community.
Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia should withdraw its troops from
the Mountain Karabah.
Later this week, the parliamentary speaker will also visit Georgia
and Armenia.
From: Baghdasarian

A1plus
| 13:27:51 | 06-06-2005 | Social |
YERVAND ZAKHARYAN LOOKS AT THE CITIZENS FROM THE WINDOW
At the beginning of the year in the Yerevan municipality and the communities
the principle of `one window’ was introduced. That is, another `opportunity’
was created for the citizens and their application-letters to reach the
authorities `quickly’.
Today the guest of the municipality briefing was Souren Koshetsyan, head of
the Yerevan mayor staff and the program `One Window’. According to him, up
to May 31 there have been 6766 official letters. The working group has
answered about 14% of the letters. The letters have been about land
allotment, leasing and privatization.
By the way, the ex-residents of the North Avenue who organize numerous
marches just in front of the municipality building demanding a meeting with
the mayor in order to restore their violated rights, cannot use the right of
`One window’. Souren Koshetsyan explains this by the fact that Yervand
Zakharyan has received them and the issue is `almost’ in the solution phase.
The staff head is not aware what `solution phase’ means, but he hopes that
it is in favor of the residents.
From: Baghdasarian

THE GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES ACCEPTED THE ARMENIAN HELP GLADLY
A1plus
| 15:35:53 | 03-06-2005 | Social |
During the meeting of RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan with the
Georgian Parliament President Nino Burjanadze and Prime Minister
Zourab Noghaideli the sides spoke about the improvement of the social
-economical condition of Javakhq.
The RA Prime Minister offered to help the reconstruction of the roads
of Javakhq and the improvement of the social-economical conditions
of Javakhq. The Georgian officials have expressed their readiness to
gladly accept help from Armenia.
The information is provided by the agency “A-Info”.
From: Baghdasarian

Who will manage Ataturk Airport Terminals.
Posted on Thursday, June 02, 2005 @ 9:40 PM CEST by webmaster
Luchtzak Aviation, Belgium
June 2 2005
SN30952 writes “This are the firms that bid for the management
contract Ataturk Airport Terminals (tender scheduled for June 10.)
Here is the list:
Turkish Ictas operates Antalya Airport’s second international terminal
(AYT Terminal 2) and joins with british TBI (Luton Airport-Britain).
Turkish Celebi joins with german Fraport that manages Antalya
international lines terminal with turkish Bayindir.
Canadian company, SNC joins with french ADP (Aero de Paris) that
operates airports in France.
Malaysian Company KLI joins with italian ADR (Auroport Di Roma)
that operates Leonardo Da Vinci and Fiominico airport in Rome.
Alsim Alarko joins the bidding with argentinian Corporacion
America SA, owned by an Argentinean Armenian businessman. Eduardo
Eurnekian’s consortium operates 32 airports in Argentina and Zvartnots
International Airport in Armenia.
The company that provides the highest bid in a closed envelope bid
will win the lease for the international and domestic airport terminals
for a period of 15.5 years.”
From: Baghdasarian

The Daily Star, Lebanon
May 30 2005
Security tight for first phase of crucial Lebanon elections
Disabled voters made it through to cast their ballots despite no
recognition from government and a lack of help at polling stations
By Jessy Chahine
Daily Star staff
Monday, May 30, 2005

BEIRUT: On Sunday morning, Beirut resembled a giant barricade with
security tight across the capital for the first phase of the
four-round elections. However, after four hours of voting, barely one
in 10 voters had cast their ballot despite opposition calls for a
high turnout.
“For me, this day will concretize all what we demonstrated for on
March 14 in Martyrs’ Square,” said Abu Ali, a campaign delegate for a
voting poll in Mosseitebeh, “even if we do not agree on the current
electoral law, even if we do not agree on the current electoral
machinery, voting is the only way out for us to put an end to all
this.”
Abu Ali said: “Unfortunately,” Beirutis were “unaware of this.”
In the first election not under Syrian or Lebanese intelligence
control and free from pressure on the voters’ choice, many Beirutis –
mainly Christians – felt reluctant to take part in the election
process on Sunday.
“I’m not going to vote,” said Elias Hajal. “What for? I’d rather go
to the beach. We already know who has won and who hasn’t, even before
the election process started.”
However, other voters described the current elections as “historical”
and “mandatory for the winds of change to come.”
“Now that the Syrians are gone, there is no pressure,” said Kamal
Badran, a 52-year-old butcher who voted for Saad Hariri’s list.
Giant pictures of the slain former Premier Rafik Hariri with his son
and random posters of independent candidates filled the streets of
Beirut, with campaign banners reading “the truth,” referring to the
public demand to uncover the culprits behind Hariri’s assassination,
posted outside some polling stations.
However, disabled Lebanese who had to vote in other polling stations
still had to face many obstacles, most notably the presence of
numerous stairs in every polling station.
Disabled voters’ access to polling stations was as hard as ever,
despite an exemplary polling station set up for disabled voters in
Makassed Harj High School in Beirut’s first district.
“I had to be carried to the sixth floor to vote,” said Rima Najjar,
36. “People were fighting over who would carry me up, but were much
less enthusiastic about bringing me down later on.”

Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa, when approached by a disabled woman
demanding that the government rectify the situation for the 900
disabled eligible to vote in Beirut, said: “I wasn’t aware of that
presence.”
Others, mainly members of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the
Armenian Tachnag Party – both of whom boycotted the elections –
roamed the streets of Beirut, especially Achrafieh, singing patriotic
hymns of “freedom,” carrying posters of General Michel Aoun and
distributing leaflets reading “do not vote.”
“What is taking place now are not ‘elections,’ they are merely
‘nominations,'” said Paul Achkar, an FPM supporter, “everything has
been planned in advance, they’re only making us believe these
elections are democratic. They’re not.”
Taking place a month after the last Syrian soldier left Lebanon, the
polls were being staged under international supervision for the first
time with over 100 European Union and UN observers on the ground.
White cars bearing large stickers with the logo of the EU and the
words “international observers” were seen touring the streets of
Beirut, checking the various polling stations.
The presence of other local volunteer observers, belonging to the
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), was also a
first for Lebanon.
“For the first time, we were granted permission by the Interior
Ministry to access the polls and our observers were allowed in there,
to closely follow up and monitor the elections process,” said Ziyad
Baroud, LADE’s secretary general.
Nevertheless, some continued to complain at pressure being exerted on
them not to vote.
“A man called me at home this morning asking me not to vote,” said
Abraham, a voter preferred not to give his last name, “and my
neighbors were given false tickets featuring the names of candidate
who have already won unopposed.”
Ayman, a LADE volunteer, said this kind of fraud was not the
responsibility of the observer teams.
“People know how to read and write, don’t they?” he said, “so they
can distinguish a legitimate ticket from an illicit one.”
From: Baghdasarian

SYMPOSIUM DEDICATED TO 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TAKES
PLACE IN EDINBURGH
EDINBURGH, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. A symposium headed under the title
“Remembering Past, Facing Future” dedicated to the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide took place on May 20 in Edinburgh (Scotland) in
the building of the city authorities. Vahe Gabrielian, the RA
Ambassador also participated in the event. In spite of the
unprecedented pressure of the Ambassador of Turkey to the United
Kingdom and Turkish organizations, the memory evening, however, took
place. Donald Anderson, the leader of the Edinburgh City Council
chaired the event. As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Press Center
of the State Commission on organization of events dedicated to the
90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Hagop Bessos, a
representative of the Edinburgh Armenian community, a son of survivers
in the Genocide, and Donald Bloxam, a Professor of the Edinburgh
University, the author of the book “The Great Game of Genocide,”
(about the Genocide) published this year made speeches. Ambassador
Gabrielian closed the event with a speech titled “Last Close Border in
Europe.” Within the framework of the visit paid to Edinburgh, at the
newly built Parliament of Scotland, Ambassador Vahe Gabrielian met
with Nicola Stargen, the Deputy Chairman of the National Party of
Scotland, a Parliamentary, and discussed the possibility of the
Scotland Parliament’s assistance in the issue of the cooperation
between Armenia and Scotland.