Author: Bedik Zaminian

HATE MEETS HISTORY IN AZERBAIJANI CARTOONIST’S ANTI-ARMENIAN ART
by Simon Ostrovsky
Agence France Presse — English
October 3, 2005 Monday 3:32 AM GMT
Venom dripping from its fangs onto a Swastika, only the efforts of
powerful arms grasping metal pincers restrain a black serpent and
its desire for global domination, in a drawing displayed at a Baku
gallery recently.
This could be the description a World War II-era Soviet propaganda
poster depicting the concerted effort of the allies as they hold back
the menace of Nazi Germany and the Axis forces.
But this poster — and others like it, recently on display in the
Artists’ Union in former Soviet Azerbaijan — are the recent works
of an Azerbaijani scientist-turned-cartoonist.
You may not have heard of it, but the author Kerim Kerimov is on a
mission to blow the whistle on “Armenian hegemony.”
Slithering across a watercolor globe towards Azerbaijan, the serpent
is Kerimov’s metaphor for Armenia and its “Greater Armenia” policy
while the six arms grasping the pincers represent Azerbaijan’s Turkic
brethren from Turkey to Turkmenistan.
The president of Azerbaijan’s National Geophysicists Committee,
Kerimov is better known in oil circles for his role in the signing
of the so-called “contract of the century.”
The mid-1990s Caspian Sea oil deal marked the launch of development —
with Western participation — of Azerbaijan’s sizable oil reserves,
which Kerimov assessed on behalf of the Azerbaijani state.
Few know of his prolific political drawings however, which have
appeared in Soviet and later Azerbaijani newspapers for nearly
50 years.
Much of his work targets Armenia, against which Azerbaijan fought a
bloody war, and in large parts complements the government’s official
information campaign against the Caucasus nation.
Anyone in Baku will tell you that Azerbaijan has many enemies: Armenia
with its Russian backing, Armenia’s wealthy diaspora, Azerbaijan’s
own opposition forces and perhaps a few loose clerics from Iran.
Kerimov goes further and puts the enemies into pictures, with horned
and bewarted horrific caricatures of Armenians clawing at the map of
Azerbaijan or driving a wedge between the country and its ally Turkey
with a giant bomb.
Schooled in the style of Socialist Realism in the days when both
Azerbaijan and Armenia were constituent republics of the Soviet Union,
the 72-year-old Kerimov is a self-described disciple of Russian
WWII-era cartoonist Boris Yefimov.
But if Yefimov is remembered for his drawings of a contorted Hitler
in the pages of Soviet propaganda sheets, Kerimov has set his sights
on tackling Azerbaijan’s modern-day foe.
“I don’t want Armenians to see an enemy in me,” he said however,
claiming he has received death threats from Armenians and other
“enemies” of Azerbaijan.
“I want them to see that the policies they are carrying out are wrong;
then life will be better for both peoples.”
But his stated peaceable intentions might prove to be a tough sell to
Armenians, who in his drawings are alternately depicted as big-nosed
hairy demons or sometimes white-hooded Ku Klux Klan members.
In the Caucasus, Armenia’s neighbors often implicate Armenians in a
conspiracy to expand their territory through military conquest and
migration that has been in action since World War I when they were
expelled from Ottoman Turkey.
It is a charge that Armenians deny and attribute to biases which have
evolved since that war.
More recently, Azerbaijan and Armenia fell out over control of the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the twilight days of the Soviet Union,
when Moscow’s centuries-long rule over the Caucasus began to crumble.
After the fall of communism, the newly independent republics launched
into a full scale war over the mountainous region, which ended in
a tense ceasefire in 1994 with ethnic-Armenian forces in control of
Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani regions.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HATAY HOSTS FIRST MEETING OF CIVILIZATIONS IN HATAY
Turkish Press
Sept 26 2005
HATAY – “To those wishing for a clash of civilizations we must be
able to say ‘no to a clash of civilizations, yes to an alliance of
civilizations’,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
on Sunday.
Erdogan attended opening of “First Hatay Meeting of Civilizations”.
Taking the floor at the meeting, Erdogan said: “Everybody had his
own historical experience in different regions of the world. So we
have developed different culture and civilizations. Our beliefs may
be different, but to those looking for a clash of civilizations we
must be able to say this: no to a clash of civilizations, yes to an
alliance of civilizations.”
Erdogan also emphasized that the clashes are usually a result of
misinterpretations.
He said nobody in the world has the right and authority to put
any religion as attribute in front of terrorism concept. “As how we
accepted anti-Semitism as a crime against humanity, I am now declaring
Islami-phobia as a crime against humanity either,” he stated.
“From time to time, particularly after September 11th attacks, some
people started to use the term of ‘Islamic terrorism or Islamist
terrorism’. We cannot accept this,” he noted.
Erdogan said, “we should not surrender to clash and violence
culture. All of us have responsibility in this respect. Mutual fate
of humanity depends on our efforts.”
Armenian, Jewish and Antakya choruses gave concerts before the
ceremony.
Meanwhile, police detained four people who attempted to read out a
document prior to the meeting.

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Sept 23 2005
SENATOR OF AMERICAN STATE OF CALIFORNIA JACK SCOTT IN ARMENIA TO OPEN
CALIFORNIA-ARMENIA TRADE OFFICE
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Jack Scott, a
Senator of the state of California, US, a member of the Republican
Party accompanied by members the US western regional administration
of the Liberal Democratic Party is in Armenia with the goal of
opening California-Armenia Trade Office. Artur Baghdasarian, the
Chairman of the RA National Assembly received the delegation on
September 22.
In 2001, the Senate of California made a decision on opening a trade
office in Armenia by Jack Scott’s presentation. The Senator is famous
for his activity beneficial for Armenians: the Senate of California
recognized the Armenian Genocide by his assistance as well. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the NA Public Relations Department, at the
meeting with Artur Baghdasarian, the Senator expressed a hope that
the US Senate as well will recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
According to his estimation, the Trade Office can support development
of not only bilaterally beneficial economic ties but of tourism as
well.
The NA Chairman expressed satisfaction on the occasion of opening the
Trade Office with the US state of California and expressed readiness
to assist in strengthening commercial and economic ties.
Establishment of direct ties between the Parliament of the state of
California and the National Assembly was attached importance to
bilaterally. It was mentioned that the issue of necessity to develop
parliamentary ties was discussed with Dennis Hastert, the US Congress
Speaker, as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
ANPP TO BE REFUELED
23.09.2005 05:05
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Starting with October 1, 2005 the Armenian Nuclear Power
Plant will be stopped for refueling, RA Energy Minister Armen Movsissyan
told journalists today. According to the Minister, the process will take 45
days. At the same time Armen Movsissyan informed that the Russian party
represented by the RAO UES of Russia expressed readiness to yield the
management of the financial flows of the ANPP, though the agreement
concluded for a 5-year term has not expired yet. `We have not arrived at any
decision yet’, the Minister stated pointing out to the positive role of the
Russian Holding in the financial and technical recovery of the station. To
remind, in September 2003 the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was conveyed to
the trust management of the Inter RAO UES CJSC, the branch of the RAO UES of
Russia, reported IA Regnum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE GOAL IS QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS
Svetlana Khachatryan.
Azat Artsakh Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
05 Sept 05
The first bell of the new academic year rang in the schools of the
republic on September 1st. 234 secondary schools, 8 colleges and
universities and 5 specialized secondary schools opened their doors
for 28 thousand pupils and students. This academic year will mark a
new approach to secondary education. The summer discussions held by
the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, which continued in the
regional meetings of teachers in August and were summed up in the
republic consultation of school directors and education officers,
came to the conclusion that today’s secondary school does not fulfill
its role. It has the least effectiveness and the lowest quality in
the last 50 years. The problem is raised on a governmental level
as well. At the republic consultation the speaker of the National
Assembly of NKR Ashot Ghulyan gave his observations about education,
based on his impressions from the work in his former position and
regarding the sphere of education as a strategic issue.
The NKR minister of defence, Lieutenant General Seyran Ohanyan
emphasized the need for close relationships between school and army,
for both work to bring up healthy and well-educated generations. No
doubt having an education system which meets the requirements of the
time depends on the financial means provided for it. In the last ten
years 45 schools were built and 47 were reconstructed in Artsakh. 50
schools have new furniture. By the state budget 2005 (for the first
time in the period of independence) 595 million drams was provided
for construction and 100 million drams for repair of schools, which
is done successfully. It is planned to finish the construction of
schools in 2009 and to increase the salary of teachers up to 100
thousand drams by 2010. The state budget for the next year provides
for increasing the salary of teachers up to 58 thousand 800 drams,
and the budget of education will be 4 billion drams. The Minister of
Education, Culture and Sport Kamo Atayan thinks that this state of
education makes us take a ret!
rospective look of the education we used to have, make a profound
analysis, study the international experience and work out a clear
strategy. It is necessary to work out an educational doctrine for the
upcoming 25-30 years. Because the NKR law on development of education
expires this year, it is possible to make the development programmes
for education for the period between 2005 and 2005 on the basis of
the primary principles of the education doctrine. A clear strategy
of education for each year will be derived from it. This approach
supposes hard effort. First of all, the entire system of education
should be involved in this. Besides, the discussion of this serious
long-term education programme must be undertaken by the first meeting
of the teachers of Artsakh. There is no way back. Further development
of our young country depends on the effective work of the education
system, the guarantor of which is the teacher. This opinion is shared
by everyone.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia ready to establish relations with Turkey – presidential aide
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
1 Sep 05
Yerevan, 1 September: Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic
relations with Turkey without any preliminary conditions, the press
secretary of the Armenian president, Viktor Sogomonyan, said today.
“Armenia’s position is unchangeable – we are ready to start a
constructive dialogue with Turkey at any time and establish diplomatic
relations without any preliminary conditions,” he said at a news
conference, adding that these issues were recently touched upon in
correspondence between the Armenian and Turkish leaders.
“Yerevan highly rates the fact that Moscow and Ankara are strengthening
the dialogue and deepening cooperation and security,” the Armenian
president’s press secretary said.
“Taking into consideration the context of strategic relations
between Armenia and Russia, we think that the practical deepening of
cooperation between Moscow and Ankara can also be a certain mediatory
resource for us in solving our problems,” Sogomonyan said.
Having a common border of 330 km, Armenia and Turkey have not
established diplomatic relations up till now. As a condition for
normalizing bilateral relations, Ankara is demanding that Yerevan give
up on the international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide
in the Ottoman Empire and stop supporting Nagornyy Karabakh in its
conflict with Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Aging & Elder Health Week
Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week
Patient Care Law Weekly
Pharma Investments, Ventures & Law Weekly
Life Science Weekly
September 4, 2005
BUNIATIAN INSTITUTE OF BIOCHEMISTRY, YEREVAN;
Hypothalamic peptide analyzed, neuroprotection after hemisection
defined
Recent research published in the journal Neurochemical Research has
reported on the neuroprotective action of hypothalamic proline-rich
peptide-1 (PRP-1) at various time survivals following spinal cord
(SC) hemisection.
“The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the neuroprotective
action of PRP-1 produced by hypothalamic nuclei cells (nuclei
paraventricularis and supraopticus) following lateral hemisection of
SC,” wrote A.A. Galoyan and colleagues, Buniatian Institute of
Biochemistry.
“The dynamics of rehabilitative shifts were investigated at various
periods of postoperative survival (1-2, 3, and 4 weeks), both with
administration of PRP-1 and without it (control).
“We registered evoked spike flow activity in both interneurons and
motoneurons of the same segment of transected and symmetric intact
sides of SC and below it on the stimulation of mixed (n.
ischiadicus), flexor (n. gastrocnemius) and extensor (n. peroneus
communis) nerves,” the investigators explained.
“In the control group (administration of 0.9% saline as placebo), no
significant decrease of post-stimulus activity of neurons was
observed on the transected side by the 2nd week. This activity
strongly decreased by week 3 postaxotomy, with some increase on the
intact side, possibly of compensatory origin. No shifts occurred by
the 4th week.
“Regardless of the period of administration, PRP-1 increased neuronal
activity on the transected side, with the same activation levels on
both SC sides,” wrote the researchers.
They continued, “These data were confirmed by histochemical
investigation. PRP-1 administration, both daily and every other day,
for a period of 2-3 weeks led to prevention of scar formation and
promotion of the re-growth of white matter nerve fibers in the
damaged area.
“It also resulted in prevention of neuroglial elements degeneration
and reduction in gliosis expression in the lesion supporting neuronal
survival. Thus, PRP-1 achieved protection against ’tissue stress’,
which was also confirmed by the registration of activity on the level
of transection and restoration of the motor activity on the injured
side.?
“The obtained data propose the possibility of PRP-1 application in
clinical practice for prevention of neurodegeneration of traumatic
origin,” Galoyan and coinvestigators concluded.
Galoyan and colleagues published their study in Neurochemical
Research (Neuroprotective action of hypothalamic peptide PRP-1 at
various time survivals following spinal cord hemisection. Neurochem
Res, 2005;30(4):507-525).
For additional information, contact A.A. Galoyan, NAS RA, Buniatian
Institute Biochemistry, 5-1 Sevag Str, Yerevan 375014, Armenia.
The publisher’s contact information for the journal Neurochemical
Research is: Springer, Plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St., New York,
NY 10013, USA.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
Aug 23 2005
Chess battle hots up
By A Correspondent
ABU DHABI – Grandmasters Aleksej Aleksandrov of Belarus, Anastasian
Ashot of Armenia and Alexander Goloshchapov of Ukraine shared the
lead with 5.5 points in the Masters section at the end of the seventh
round of Abu Dhabi Chess Festival here at the Khalidia Palace Hotel
on Monday night.
Shahriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, Uzbek Saidali Iuldachev, Alexei
Fedorov of Belarus, Russians Mikhail Kobalia and Vladmir Potkin –
with 5 points apiece – were in the second spot.
Hussain Khouri, manager of the Chess Festival said: ‘The event is an
eye opener for the talented juniors of UAE. We have invited
youngsters to play in the Masters section to provide them with
international exposure.’
Dmitry Bocharov lost to Aleksandrov in an unusual variation of the
nimzo Indian defence. Bochorov’s choice of a dubious variation led to
a catastrophe as Alexandrov dominated the proceedings by creating a
powerful outpost on d3.
Bochorov lost castling rights and was unable to combine his pieces.
Alexandrov initiated the winning sequence with an exchange sacrifice
and clinched the game. The chief arbiter Zuhair Ahmad said: `The
tournament is heading to a close finish and technical scores as per
Fide regulations will be used in case of a tie.’
Ulvi Bajarani of Azerbaijan and Dhruv Hingorani of India share the
lead with 5.5 points each at the end of the sixth and penultimate
round in children’s section. Azad Bakhsh Farshid and Khalaji Hanyeh
of Iran are in the second place with 5 points.
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
20-08-2005
Foreign Minister Oskanian, on the Nagorno Karabakh Negotiations, on the Eve
of Kazan:
“They Can Neither Seduce us nor Scare us with their Oil”
Prior to the presidents’ meeting in Kazan, Azerbaijan’s assessments of the
Nagorno Karabakh resolution process have become more frequent. Specifically,
Azerbaijani officials of varying capacities, have made statements on
different occasions, alleging that the essence of the Prague Process is a
stage-by-stage solution, and that time works in their favor, and that
international public opinion is moving in their direction. On the other
hand, they also say that the negotiations are not productive and that “we
must be prepared for everything,” most probably having in mind a military
solution to the conflict, since Azerbaijan’s military budget has increased
by one-third. What are your interpretations of these statements?
As a rule, each time Azerbaijan does not achieve what it wants, they either
badmouth the Minsk Group, or express dissatisfaction or disaffection with
the negotiations process, thus creating new political backdrop for the next
stage of the negotiating process. That’s what they’re trying to do now.
As for the Azerbaijani characterization of the Prague Process, here too,
they are talking not about what is, but about what they would like to see.
It is clear to everyone, including the Azerbaijanis, that Karabakh’s
self-determination is the key issue, which must find expression in the right
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to decide its own future. The remainder –
doing away with the consequences of the conflict, the issue of territories,
return of refugees, etc. – will follow. Of course, the package solution of
the conflict may be implemented in stages; in this regard, we are prepared
to demonstrate flexibility.
As for the time factor, I will repeat that which we all know: time works to
no one’s advantage, because as a result of the unresolved conflict,
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh all suffer. On the other hand, an
Azerbaijani military budget that is bloated by oil dollars, doesn’t change
anything. First, they can neither seduce nor, worse, scare us with their
oil. Armenia always has the ability to militarily counter any Azerbaijani
military budget. In fact, the advantage that Armenians have over Azerbaijan
is not in military expenditures or arms, but in the justness of the cause.
Armenians believe that the Nagorno Karabakh cause is just, and in case of
war, they will be fighting for their own homes and land. This is not what
the Azerbaijanis did or would do.
It would be better for Azerbaijan to compete not militarily, but engage in
healthy economic and political competition. And in those realms, today,
Azerbaijan is far from challenging Armenia or even Nagorno Karabakh.
As for the position of the international community, they are assessing the
situation more realistically, and are reckoning with reality and fact. The
international trend regarding conflicts — East Timor, developments around
Kosovo, the Sudan Agreement — all these developments demonstrate that the
international community today is leaning towards greater respect for the
right of peoples to self-determination.-0-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Rocklin and Roseville Today, CA
Aug 16 2005
Habitat for Humanity brings more than new homes to India
BARTHOLOMEW SULLIVAN (Scripps Howard News Service)
KANYAKUMARI, India — Fisherman Michel and his wife Vivitha said one
of the biggest satisfactions of owning their new home is knowing
their children won’t have to go door-to-door looking for lighting to
do their schoolwork. The new house has electricity.
Menaga, a 35-year-old unmarried seamstress, lost her chief asset, a
sewing machine, in the December tsunami that damaged much of the
fishing village of Kootapuly. But on Monday, she too became a
homeowner.
An international team of Habitat for Humanity volunteers spent seven
days working on five houses here and took the eighth day to finish
some last-minute painting, and then to celebrate.
Habitat for Humanity officials were on hand to dedicate one of the
houses _ Michel’s and Vivitha’s _ as the 200,001st home built by the
housing charity. House 200,000, in Knoxville, Tenn., was also
dedicated Monday.
Armenian sociology student Karen Tataryan, 21, pointed proudly at
Michel and Vivitha’s house as he listed the jobs he’d performed
there, from roof framing and tiling to painting.
“I’m very impressed,” he said. “It’s not just my first time to see
the ocean; this is my first trip (outside Armenia), actually. Habitat
gave me the chance to see the world.”
Dick Graham, 65 and a retiree from Knoxville, said he and five other
volunteers with extensive Habitat experience in Tennessee had no
clear feel for the kind of houses they’d be building before they
reached the seaside village of about 4,000.
“There was a little bit of apprehension, but we were real excited to
be coming over here building homes for God’s people,” he said. At
first, the interaction with local laborers made for slow going, he
said.
“They learned that we could do some things and they taught us their
ways and we listened and we started doing it their way,” he added.
“We’d always have the thumbs up whenever everything was right. It
exceeded every expectation I had.”
At Monday’s celebration, the pastor of the village Catholic Church,
Father Kumar Raja, blessed each house after giving the assembled
neighborhood a brief lesson from the Bible. “Unless the Lord builds
the house,” he quoted, “the workers labor in vain.”
Mahesh Lobo, interim national director for Habitat in India,
explained the tradition of allowing milk to boil over in a cauldron
at auspicious occasions like Monday’s dedication. He urged the
neighborhood to share the warm milk, which he said symbolized “that
health and prosperity also will overflow.”
Lobo also noted that Monday was Indian Independence Day, a national
holiday, which permitted all the school children to join in
celebrating.
“With God, there are no coincidences,” he said. “He surprises us with
his miracles.”
Volunteers worked a scheduled day off Sunday to get the roof up on
House Five, which was no more than a concrete slab when they arrived
on the site Aug. 8.
Volunteer Julius Wejuli, 23, an agricultural engineering graduate
from Uganda, cut the ribbon Monday to permit Anthony and his wife
George Ammal into their almost-completed home. The blue painted
shutters were still wet.
There they sang hymns and thanked Samuel Peter, the Habitat official
from Madras who has been working on tsunami relief since the Sunday
afternoon of Dec. 26 when the wave struck.
One house went to Setlis, 50, and it won’t solve all his problems. He
has two sons fishing in Saudi Arabia. The sons’ travel was funded
with borrowed money. Last week, they sent word that they want to come
home, their venture a complete loss.
In an interview in his brother’s house, Setlis, 50, said he couldn’t
imagine his good fortune after being so hopeless after the wave
destroyed his home.
“I have a heart full of joy,” he said. “I can see that Habitat for
Humanity is God’s messenger.”
The international student volunteers have bonded so well that they
are singing songs in Tamil, taught by the college-age local
volunteers who also helped with communication with the carpenters,
brick masons and plasterers on the site.
On Saturday, during a break, they were singing “Amma Enkvava,” a
Tamil nursery rhyme that tells of a baby asking its mother for more
food. Spanish speakers Andrea Lisseth Arevalo Ortiz of El Salvador,
Daniel Piliado of Mexico, and Carolyn Beal of Tucson, Ariz., also got
the group to sing some Spanish popular songs. Beal leaves India this
week en route to a two-year hitch with the Peace Corps in Guatemala.
Interaction between the international volunteers often leads to
laughter.
“So you’ve never seen the ocean?” medical student Ortiz asked
Tataryan, of Yerevan State University in Armenia.
“No,” he said. “In Armenia there is no ocean, not even sea.”
He was out swimming in it during a lunch break by week’s end.
The Habitat work goes on while the cacophony of a village of 4,000
people plays on. Mothers comb their daughters’ hair under the
hibiscus-like trees locals call puvarasamaram that grow outside
almost every front door.
The sandy streets are streaked with the red betal nut that the locals
chew and spit all day. Hens peck at ants when a pile of rubble is
wheel-barrowed off to expose their colony. Tamil music wafts from
glassless windows. In the distance, the gentle whir of a giant
windmill can be heard. There are more than 50 modern power-generating
windmills within a few miles of Kootapuly, taking advantage of its
strong sea breezes at the southernmost tip of India.
Children wander around and under the makeshift wooden beams tied with
rope that form the scaffolding for bricklayers, and most workers work
barefoot, prompting volunteer Mariane Whittemore of Knoxville to
suggest that U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
inspectors might have some problems with the setup.
There will be 6,000 Habitat houses built in India in the
tsunami-affected areas over the next two years. But the effort is
clearly more than homebuilding. Even Indians who didn’t receive
houses said they found something valuable in their interaction with
the international group of volunteers.
Selvi, 23, who lives in a fishing village northeast of here that was
more seriously damaged than Kootapuly, said she volunteered to help
English speakers communicate with the Tamils. She had no idea that
she would be a bricklaying laborer, and says she doesn’t know where
she gets the strength to do it.
“For me, it is a gift from God, you people,” she said. “He has given
me you to share your happiness and my happiness.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress