Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Armenia to help fund road building in ethnic Armenian region of Georgia
Imedi TV, Tbilisi
24 Jul 05
[Presenter] The Armenian prime minister crossed the Georgian-Armenian
border by car this morning. Andranik Markaryan was met by his Georgian
counterpart, Zurab Noghaideli, and the governor of Samtskhe-Javakheti,
Goga Khachidze.
Andranik Markaryan’s visit will last for two days and end in
Tbilisi. The two prime ministers will meet local residents in
Samtskhe-Javakheti and visit Ninotsminda, Gandzani and Akhalkalaki.
The prime ministers made their first comments in the village of
Satkhe, saying that the main challenge was to improve the
economy. They announced that Armenia is prepared to help the Georgian
government finance road repairs. Local people say there are no
problems between Georgians and Armenians.
[Noghaideli, in Russian] It was a very good idea to come here. We will
discuss several issues relating to economic cooperation between our
two countries. More specifically, we will discuss how to develop
border regions and this region, Javakheti. You have seen for
yourselves that the road infrastructure needs to be developed. We need
to provide opportunities for economic development and we are doing
that. We are doing it quickly. I think that in three or four years
this region will be unrecognizable.
[Markaryan, in Russian] This is the first time in history that both
prime ministers have been on the border of Armenia and Georgia in a
village where there are issues relating to both Armenia and
Georgia. We think that we will be able to solve these problems
together.
[Samvel Isayan, local resident, in Russian] We are showing that we are
not just friends in words. We should meet more often.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
22. Juli 2005
Brandenburg ist belehrbar;
Was die Handreichung über den Armenier-Genozid sagt
Am 1. August, wenn in Brandenburg das neue Schuljahr beginnt, werden
die Internetseiten für den Geschichtsunterricht überarbeitet ins Netz
gestellt. Gleichzeitig steht Geschichtslehrern zum ersten Mal
umfangreiches Unterrichtsmaterial zum schwierigen Thema “Völkermorde
und staatliche Gewaltverbrechen im 20. Jahrhundert” zur Verfügung
(herausgegeben vom Landesinstitut für Schule und Medien,
Ludwigsfelde-Struveshof). Dem Völkermord an den Armeniern ist ein
ausführliches Kapitel gewidmet, andere behandeln Völkermorde an den
Hereros und in Ruanda sowie sogenannte “staatliche Gewaltverbrechen”
in der Sowjetunion unter Stalin, im Kambodscha der Roten Khmer und in
Jugoslawien. All dies war auch bisher Gegenstand des
Geschichtsunterrichtes – sofern die Lehrer die Zeit dafür fanden und
Interesse am Thema. Kein Lehrplan legt minutiös fest, was wann in wie
vielen Stunden zu behandeln ist. Das wird auch in Zukunft nicht
anders sein. Und immer noch ist, nach einer kurzen Unterbrechung,
Brandenburg das einzige deutsche Bundesland, das zu den wesentlichen
Schulbeispielen staatlich organisierter Massenmorde die Vernichtung
der Armenier zählt und sie deshalb hervorhebt (der Holocaust an den
europäischen Juden und andere nationalsozialistische Verbrechen
bleiben ein besonderes, eigenes Unterrichtsthema).
Eine Meldung, die im föderalen Deutschland normalerweise nur von
lokalem Interesse wäre, hätte sich nicht an diesem Lehrplan ein
hochpolitischer Streit entzündet. Im Januar dieses Jahres hatte der
brandenburgische Ministerpräsident auf Wunsch des türkischen
Gesandten verfügt, einen Verweis auf den Völkermord an Armeniern im
Jahre 1915 zu streichen (F.A.Z. vom 25. Januar). Die Begründung für
diese Leugnung eines historischen Ereignisses grenzte ans Absurde, im
Falle der türkischen Stellungnahmen war ein nationalistischer Ton
unüberhörbar. Vor allem sah es einige Zeit so aus, als würde der
Türkei ein weiteres Mal gestattet, sich der Verantwortung für den
Ausrottungsfeldzug gegen die armenische Bevölkerung Kleinasiens, der
anderthalb Millionen Menschen zum Opfer fielen, zu entziehen.
Die kontroverse Debatte um diesen politischen Skandal hat immerhin
dazu geführt, daß sich deutsche Politiker zum ersten Mal öffentlich
mit den Ereignissen im Osmanischen Reich auseinandersetzten. Die
wütenden Auslassungen türkischer Diplomaten liefen ins Leere. Die
Schulbehörden des Landes Brandenburg aber begannen in aller Stille
und großer Eile, den fatalen Fehler zu korrigieren. Außer der
Lehrplanstreichung hatte man im Januar eine fast druckfertige
Handreichung für Geschichtslehrer beim Bochumer Institut für
Diaspora- und Genozidforschung wieder abbestellt. Auch dieser Schritt
wurde zurückgenommen. Neben Mihran Dabag (Direktor des Bochumer
Institutes) wurden weitere Autoren und Gutachter – Historiker und
Pädagogen – gewonnen. Das nun vorliegende, etwa hundert Seiten starke
Buch, dem eine CD-Rom mit Karten-, Bild- und Quellenmaterial
beigelegt ist, soll eine Lücke schließen, die, für sich genommen,
auch ein Skandal ist. Nur wenige Schulbücher haben sich bisher dieses
Themas angenommen und, wenn überhaupt, wird es – eine Ausnahme ist
hier der Schroedel Verlag – mit ein paar kurzen, lapidaren Sätzen
abgehandelt, die im Falle des Genozids an den Armeniern zum Teil
sogar mißverständlich sind. Diese fragwürdige Praxis wurde von
deutschen Schulbehörden bislang mit Rücksichtnahmen auf türkische
Schüler begründet, denen man historische Wahrheiten meinte ersparen
zu müssen – eine, bei Lichte besehen, diskriminierende Entmündigung.
Eine andere, nicht minder fadenscheinige Begründung lautete, ein
solches Unterrichtsthema könnte Vorbehalte gegen Migranten
verstärken, worauf es jedoch keinerlei Hinweise gab.
Auf achtzehn Seiten behandelt die neue Handreichung jetzt die
Vorgeschichte, das Ereignis und die politischen Hintergründe, die im
Osmanischen Reich vor neunzig Jahren zur Auslöschung der Armenier und
ihrer Kultur führten. Sie läßt Spekulationen keinen Raum, auch wenn
das türkische Generalkonsulat in Berlin das Gegenteil und nach wie
vor behauptet, es habe sich 1915/16 um eine Art fremdbestimmter
“tragischer Vorfälle” gehandelt, auch seien Armenier wie Türken
gleichermaßen Täter und Opfer gewesen “in den Fängen der Kräfte, die
das Osmanische Reich zu zerstören versuchten”. Dabags kluger Essay zu
dieser komplizierten Zeit endet mit einer Zusammenfassung aktueller
Kontroversen, vor allem in der Türkei. Die Stellungnahme des
Konsulats ist mit abgedruckt, ein interessantes Lehrbeispiel für
europäische Standards der Gedenk- und Erinnerungspolitik, denen sich
der Beitrittskandidat Türkei offensichtlich hartnäckig verweigert.
Das erste Kapitel der Handreichung versucht völkerrechtliche
Definitionen, die Rolle der Ideologie und die Problematik staatlicher
Gewalt zusammenzufassen – durchaus informativ, aber teilweise
unverständlich, was vielleicht der großen Eile zuzuschreiben ist, mit
der dieses Projekt zu einem guten Ende gebracht werden sollte. Alles
in allem bleibt festzustellen, daß der Beschluß Brandenburgs, auch
den Völkermord an den Armeniern im Unterricht zu behandeln, der
Nachahmung harrt. Diese Chance ließen alle Bundesländer bisher aus,
obwohl sie seit drei Jahren Gelegenheit dazu gehabt hätten. 2002
hatte man sich in Potsdam zum ersten Mal entschlossen, diesen blinden
Fleck unserer historischen Wahrnehmung aufzuhellen. Wie kühn dieser
Schritt damals war, hat uns der Skandal um die nun zurückgenommene
Streichung vor Augen geführt.
REGINA MÖNCH

75 MLN FOR ARMENIA, 70.5 FOR GEORGIA, 38 MLN FOR AZERBAIJAN AND 3 MLN
FOR KARABAKH
Azg/arm
23 July 05
The US Senate has approved US financial aid for post-Soviet states in
2006. The press center of Armenian Assembly of America informs that
the aid for Armenia will make $75 million plus additional $5.7 million
for military expanses.
Neighboring Georgia will get $70.5 million and Azerbaijan $38 million.
Financial aid for Nagorno Karabakh in 2006 will make $3 million. The
US is the only country after Armenia that provides humanitarian aid to
unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lockheed Martin Receives Contract to Start Upgrade Program for Turkey’s F-16s
Wednesday July 20, 12:33 pm ET
FORT WORTH, Texas, July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT – News) received a long-lead contract, valued
at approximately $67.7 million, from the U.S. Air Force to begin
development of a major systems upgrade of Turkish Air Force F-16
aircraft. The total contract is valued at approximately $800 million
and is expected to be issued in mid-2006.
The upgrade program will create a robust, common avionics configuration
for the Turkish Air Force’s F-16 Block 40 and Block 50 aircraft,
plus a modest modification to their Block 30 aircraft.
“We have long-term relationships with the Government of Turkey,
the Turkish Air Force and Turkish industry, and we are pleased to be
expanding those relationships,” said June Shrewsbury, vice president,
F-16 programs. “The Turkish Air Force is taking advantage of a
cost-effective upgrade program to their F-16s. This program is based
on a similar approach by the U.S. Air Force; therefore, much of the
design and development effort has already been accomplished, and our
task will be to address unique aspects of the Turkish configuration.
Other countries have expressed interest in a similar upgrade package
for their F-16s.”
The Turkish configuration being integrated consists of the APG-68(V)9
multimode radar (currently being installed on new Advanced Block
50/52 F-16s), color cockpit displays and recorders, new core avionics
processors, the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System, Link 16 data link,
advanced interrogator/transponder, integrated precision navigation,
an upgraded version of the Self-Protection Electronic Warfare System
(SPEWS II) and compatibility with a number of new weapons and
targeting systems.
Acquisition of the SPEWS II hardware and installation beyond the
lead-the-fleet kits [those for installation validation and flight
test] will be accomplished on a separate contract. Acquisition of the
APG-68(V)9 radar upgrade kits beyond those required for development
integration testing is not currently planned.
Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the program. Tasks
include the development effort, kit accumulation, technical assistance
for kit installation, upgrades to pilot training systems, and logistics
support and training. The baseline program includes kits for 37 Block
30s, 76 Block 50s and four Block 40s. There is an option for 100 more
Block 40 kits.
Kit installation will be performed by TUSAS Aerospace Industries
(by separate agreement) with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin.
Program milestones include modification kit trial verification
installation beginning in early 2007 and continuing about two years.
Flight testing will begin in early 2009 and will last approximately
two years. The Turkish Air Force is expecting to achieve initial
operational capability with the new configuration in 2011.
The program, titled Peace Onyx III, is being processed as a Foreign
Military Sale through the U.S. government and follows Peace Onyx I
(160 new F-16s in late 1980s to mid-1990s) and Peace Onyx II (80 new
F-16s in late 1990s).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The F-16 is the choice of 24 countries. More than 4,000 aircraft have
been delivered worldwide from assembly lines in five countries. The
F-16 program has been characterized by unprecedented international
cooperation among governments, air forces and aerospace industries.
Major upgrades to all F-16 versions are being incorporated to keep
the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircraft’s long
service life.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., a business area of Lockheed Martin, is
a leader in the design, research and development, systems integration,
production and support of advanced military aircraft and related
technologies. Its customers include the military services of the
United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products
include the F-16, F/A-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, C-5, C-130, C-130J, P-3,
S-3 and U-2. The company produces major components for the F-2 fighter,
and is a co-developer of the C-27J tactical transport and T-50 advanced
jet trainer.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin Corp. employs about
130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology
systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2004 sales
of $35.5 billion.
Turkey’s Population Exceeds 72 Million
Turkey’s population has increased by 6.3 percent (4,297 millions)
since the last census held in 2000 and has reached 72.65 million as
of the end of June 2005.
Turkey’s population was 67,768 million in 2000. The State Institute
of Statistics (DIE) demographic figures note that the population of
Istanbul, the largest metropolis of Turkey, has increased by 1,313
million within the last five years. Recorded at 10.19 million in 2000,
it has climbed to 11,332 million in 2005. In other words, Istanbul’s
population increase is equal to the populations of Gaziantep or
Kocaeli, two relatively large cities of Turkey. In the same period,
Ankara’s population increased from 4.08 million to 4,319 million,
while Izmir’s population rose from 3,371 million to 3,649 million.
The highest population increase in terms of percentage was recorded
in Turkey’s tourism capital Antalya in the period of 2000-2005. The
city’s population has exceeded two million with a 16.7 percent
increase. Sanliurfa follows with a 11.6 percent rise and Istanbul with
a 13.1 percent increase. The highest population decline was recorded in
Tunceli, with a fall of 15.4 percent. Tunceli’s population fell from
93,584 in 2000 to 79,176 in 2005. Sinop, Kilis, Kastamonu, and Bartin
were other cities facing the highest population decline. Meanwhile,
24 provinces have seen a population increase above the Turkey average,
while 33 provinces remained below it. The population of the remaining
24 provinces has declined.
20.07.2005 Economy News Desk
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

USAID FINANCES MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN BUSINESSMEN
By Ara Martirosian
Azg/arm
20 July 05
Businessmen of two neighboring states – Armenia and Georgia – met at
the Congress Hotel on July 18. The meeting was organized by USAID-run
Micro Enterprise Development Initiative in Armenia. The get-together
aimed at helping representatives of small enterprises buy or sell
each other’s production.
“Business Meets Business in the Sphere of House Building” gathered
60 Armenian and 10 Georgian companies. Besides, 8 financial and 5
consulting companies took part in the meeting to hold up the talks.
All more or less famous Armenian house building companies and building
material producers took part in the meeting.

AZERBAIJAN PUBLIC TV COMPANY WILL BROADCAST PROGRAMS IN ARMENIAN
PanArmenian News
July 18 2005
19.07.2005 03:55
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Director General of the Public Television Company
(OTV) of Azerbaijan, that was founded yesterday, Ismail Omarov stated
that programs in the Armenian language will be aired at the OTV. He
added that the final decision over the issue will be passed after a
study of the public opinion is held. In case the society supports the
idea, in his words, OTV will broadcast a program in Armenian.
“Karabakh Armenians are citizens of Azerbaijan. We are going to
provide a special status to them. Citizens of Azerbaijan should know
about the processes in the country and state development not through
hearsay. After they get to know about this development, they will
come against Armenian occupation themselves,” he said. As I. Omarov
noted, programs in Armenian can be aired before settlement of the
Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, too, reported IA
Regnum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Houston Chronicle
July 14, 2005, Thursday 2 STAR EDITION
Area cities have ‘adopted’ sisters;
Galveston has participated in at least eight such agreements
by KELLYE NEUWEILER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
Though he has lived in Galveston for more than 20 years and considers
himself a Texan, Ray Koshy still feels a strong connection to his
native India.
Realizing that few in his adopted city knew much about Indian
culture, Koshy and others from his home country lobbied Galveston City
Council to forge a partnership of sorts with the city of his birth –
Trivandrum, the capital of the state of Kerala in India.
The group proposed that Galveston make Trivandrum a sister city under
a program introduced in the 1950s by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Today, nearly 700 U.S. cities participate in sister-city programs, many
of them partnering with multiple cities, according to Sister Cities
International, a nonprofit organization that oversees sister-city
partnerships.
In Galveston County, a handful of cities, including Seabrook, Nassau
Bay, and Galveston, have active sister-city programs.
In 1994, to the delight of Koshy and his comrades, Galveston City
Council designated Trivandrum a sister city. In Trivandrum, the
program has been well-received.
“The sister-city people from Trivandrum are telling us that they want
to replicate a beautiful Galveston building in Trivandrum and call it
Galveston House. It will be a symbol of America in our sister city,”
said Koshy, 57, a nurse in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
In addition to Trivandrum, Galveston has sister-city relationships
with at least seven cities, including Nigata, Japan; Veracruz, Mexico;
Stavanger, Norway; Cape Town, South Africa; Tamsui, on the island of
Taiwan; Progreso, Mexico; and Armavir, Armenia.
Galveston may have even more sister cities that city staff are not
aware of, City Secretary Barbara Lawrence said.
The city tracked and administered the programs until the Galveston
Chamber of Commerce took over most administrative duties last year,
Lawrence said. The chamber is still sorting through records.
City officials oversee such official business as greeting dignitaries,
issuing proclamations and accepting and receiving gifts, but beyond
that, sister-city contacts and activities overwhelmingly are fueled
and funded by volunteers such as Koshy, who are interested in keeping
the programs alive.
Society keeps busy
The Galveston-Trivandrum Sister City Society, one of Galveston’s most
active sister-city organizations, sponsors regular educational and
cultural events and goodwill visits between the cities.
Over the past decade, several delegations from Trivandrum have visited
Galveston, and several Galvestonians have visited Trivandrum.
Earlier this year, the Galveston-Trivandrum Sister City Society raised
more than $ 7,000 to aid Indian victims of last year’s tsunami in
Southeast Asia.
Launched three years ago, Seabrook’s partnerships with its sister
city – Santa Cruz, which is in the Galapagos Islands chain that is
part of Ecuador – is young but very active.
That relationship was sparked after Seabrook residents expressed
interest in developing a program, Mayor Robin Riley said.
Because Seabrook has a thriving ecotourism industry, he said, “it was
logical that we partner with a city that had similar interests. The
Galapagos Islands is the pinnacle of all ecotourism sites in the
world.”
Galapagos Island officials, in turn, expressed interest in a
relationship with Seabrook, and “the rest is history,” Riley said.
As similar as the two communities are in terms of industry, Riley
said, they are strikingly different in other areas. Because Seabrook
is much more affluent than Santa Cruz, “we’ve sent them toys (to
distribute) during Christmas, equipment for their small hospital,
toys, and computers.”
During one visit to Santa Cruz, a delegation from Seabrook delivered
computer cameras that were installed at City Hall and the Darwin
Institute, which is an internationally renowned institute for
ecological and environmental studies.
Similar cameras installed at Seabrook Intermediate School allow
students to communicate with their peers in the Galapagos Islands
and learn about environmental issues.
Educational opportunities are a valuable component of sister-city
relationships, volunteers say.
The Galveston-Niigata, Japan sister-city program sponsors a cultural
exchange nearly every year, said Raquel Gonzales, who has been active
in the program for about five years.
This summer, Gonzales will be among a local group visiting Niigata
to commemorate the partnership’s 40th anniversary.
A narrow focus
Other sister-city relationships have narrower, more utilitarian
focuses.
Galveston’s relationship with Armevir, Armenia, for example, is driven
by a group at UTMB committed to helping develop a community-based,
primary-care delivery system in the region.
The program, which was established in 2001, continues to be a catalyst
for improving Armevir’s and all of Armenia’s healthcare system,
said Cissy Yoes, UTMB’s director of community outreach.
UTMB-Galveston operates a “train-the-trainer” program for its Armevir
counterparts. To date, almost 50 physicians and nurses from Armevir
have visited UTMB for hands-on training, which they share with
professionals back home.
Last year, the Armenian government adopted the program as a model for
the entire country, committing to provide funding through the Armenian
Ministry of Health so our partners can use the train-the-trainer
program to train all the doctors and nurses in Armenia, Yoes said.
While sister-city partnerships often are viewed as opportunities
to develop commerce, realizing that goal often proves to be a slow
process.
“We’ve had several parties show interest in opening up Ecuadorian shops
or restaurants, but nothing has come to fruition yet,” Riley said.
In the short time that the chamber has overseen Galveston’s programs,
chamber President Gina Spagnola said she is not aware of any concrete
commercial initiatives that have resulted.
However, she added that because sister cities often are similar
geographically and demographically, “city officials learn a lot from
each other” even in the absence of business partnerships by sharing
their approaches to economic development.
And, according to one of Nassau Bay’s sister-city coordinators,
the partnerships often provide opportunities for businesses to share
ideas and information.
Nassau Bay’s sister city, Star City, Russia, houses the Russian
equivalent of the Johnson Space Center. That relationship, says
sister-city program assistant Thomas Cone, has been an important
springboard for the informal exchange of information between companies
in the aerospace industry.
“There’s no question that the partnership has benefited both cities,”
he said. “I’d say it has enriched everyone involved.”

Turkish P.M. Leaves For Russia
Turkish Press
July 17 2005
ISTANBUL – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan left on Sunday
for Russia.
Before he flew to Sochi, Russia, Erdogan told reporters that he
would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in dinner today, and in
breakfast tomorrow.
They would have the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations
between Turkey and Russia, which had been speeded up in recent years,
said Erdogan.
Erdogan noted that he would proceed to Mongolia after completing his
talks in Russia, and underlined historic importance of his trip to
Mongolia for being the first Turkish prime minister visiting this
country since June 24th, 1964.
PM Erdogan stated that he would meet president, parliament speaker
and prime minister of Mongolia, visit Orhun Monuments, and lay the
foundation of 40-kilometers of highway, connecting these monuments
with Karakurum city, with his Mongolian counterpart.
AZERBAIJANI-TRNC RELATIONS
Recalling that a group of Azerbaijani parliamentarians would
visit Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Erdogan said,
“during my recent visit to Azerbaijan, we discussed this matter with
President Ilham Aliyev. That day, he instructed his officials to start
direct flights, join celebrations in TRNC, and take several steps
for investments. And, this is the first step, we are very pleased
with it.”
Expressing belief that such steps would continue, Erdogan said,
“the decision made by the foreign ministers of Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) member states in Yemen is not one that can
be ignored. They have recognized Turkish Cypriot State as an observer
member, and this is important. All member states have made a decision
to end isolation (of TRNC).”
UPPER KARABAKH PROBLEM
Asked if he would discuss Upper Karabakh dispute with Russian
President Putin, Erdogan said, “naturally, we will. As you know,
Russia is in the Minsk Group. I discussed this matter with Putin
in Moscow before. He said that they would extend every support they
could. This is an international problem, not a problem of one country
or a region. We hope we will solve it.”

Armenian leader’s would-be killer to stand trial on 25 July
Noyan Tapan news agency
14 Jul 05
YEREVAN
Court hearings into an attempt to kill the Armenian president [Robert
Kocharyan] and the defence minister [Serzh Sarkisyan] will start on 25
July, Noyan Tapan learnt today from the office of Pargev Oganyan, a
judge of the first instance court of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork Marash
communities who will preside over the case.
Gagik Grigoryan, the only defendant in the case, faces charges under
Articles 38, 35, 305 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, i.e. complicity
in masterminding the assassination of state, political and public
figures.

ARKA News Agency
July 13 2005
OSCE MINSK GROUP’S CO-CHAIRS TO ARRIVE IN NAGORNO KARABAKH
STEPANAKERT, July 13. /ARKA/. OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chairs Yuri
Merzlyakov, Russia, Bernard Fassier (France) and Steven Mann (the
U.S.A.) are expected to arrive in Nagorno Karabakh on Wednesday.
ARKA News Agency’s correspondent reports from Stepanakert that
International mediators intend to meet with Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic’s President Arkady Ghukasyan.
The OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chairs will return back to Yerevan on June
14. M.V. -0–