Author: Chalian Meline

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

INTELLECTUALS FROM ARMENIA AND THE DIASPORA DISCUSS CULTURAL,
EDUCATIONAL, ECONOMIC AND ARMENIAN CAUSE RELATED ISSUES

The conference of Armenia-Diaspora intellectuals continued its sessions
on Friday and Saturday, 12-13 August, under the patronage of His
Holiness Aram I. Six sessions tackling the cultural, educational,
Armenian’s rights and economic issues occurred on the second and
third days of the conference.

The lecturers during the session on cultural issues were Dr. Hovhannes
Taslakian and Berdj Zeitountsian. They talked about the current
situation of Armenian culture in Armenia and the Diaspora, the
challenges it faces, its achievements and failures.

The two outlined the worrying phenomena of the obvious fall in moral
values and increase in material values. They discussed the imperative
of rescuing various cultural heritages, including literature, music
and dance from foreign influences. Dr. Taslakian raised the issue of
implementing the Mesrobian guidelines for dictation.

The attendants particularly emphasized the importance of reforming
the structures of the Diaspora so Armenian communities could retain
their Armenian character and regain their activeness.

“There’s a retreat in the cultural field in Armenia and the
Diaspora. But this retreat should be treated as a crises and crisis
are sometimes positive phenomena which open up new horizons,” said
His Holiness Aram I as a conclusion to the discussions revolving
around culture, he underscored the following points:

Armenia-Diaspora relations should be planned, organized and continuous.
rather than occasional.

Armenians should aim at betterment of quality and values..

In return of the new cultural liveliness provided by Armenia to the.
Diaspora, the Diaspora should help Armenia financially.

The Armenian culture should be rescued from its monologue and its dialogue.
with other cultures in the Diaspora should not be left to chance.

In the end, His Holiness called for “purifying the Armenian culture and
returning it to its roots and authentic spirit.”

The second session was dedicated to educational issues. Edig Melkonian and
Bebo Simonian discussed the main challenges Armenia and the Diaspora face in
this field, including issues related to educational curricula, textbooks,
reform of teachers and betterment of their life standards.

His Holiness drew out the following conclusions from the discussions:

a.. Armenians should not consider their educational field to be in
retreat, but should see the Armenian school as facing new challenges.

b.. Armenian education should be re-organized in Armenia and especially in
the Diaspora.

c.. There’s a lack in coordination. Duplication and competition should be
avoided and we must aim at coherence.

d.. Local circumstances of each community should be taken into account
while preparing textbooks, which should be adjusted to a given country’s
religious and cultural particularities.

e.. The educational standards of Armenian schools must be kept high
especially in the Diaspora. Diaspora and Armenia should work together for
this purpose.

The agenda of the third session of the day concerned the issue of the
Armenian nation’s rights and their struggle for securing these rights. Dr.
Aida Hovhannisian from Iran and Dr. Ashod Melkonian from Armenia delivered
brief lectures about the topic, talking about the work carried out so far
and about the direction this should take in the future.

The impossibility of reconciliation between the criminals and victims was
discussed unless the criminal accepts its crime.

They emphasized the need to prepare professionals in legal matters as well
as the importance of publishing books, making films and establishing a
satellite TV for dissemination.

The Catholicos talked about the efforts carried out by the Diaspora during
the last 90 years for securing the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by
the international community and highlighted the work of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia in this direction. He also mentioned the efforts put forth by
Armenia in this direction during the last 15 years.

After lively discussions, the session was concluded by His Holiness:

a.. Armenia and the Diaspora should clarify the division of work and roles
between them in order to achieve harmony and coordination.

b.. Armenia should play its role as a government and the Diaspora should
bring its contribution to the struggle for the Armenian Cause.

c.. Armenia and the Diaspora should show differences in their styles.

d.. The struggle for rights and reparations should go hand in hand.

e.. The Armenian Cause should retain its pan-Armenian character. All
Armenians are obliged to bring their contributions to it.

f.. Technology should be widely incorporated for propaganda purposes.

The fourth session was related to the economic field. Meguerditch
Bouldoukian, Sergei Hampartsoumian and Levon Meguerdtchian delivered brief
lectures, talking about the economic progress and its potentials in Armenia
today.

Bedros Terzian talked about the potentiality of oil in the world and its
limitedness in the countries neighboring Armenia, and particularly
Azerbaidjan in the coming decades.

The participants discussed the various aspects of Armenia-Diaspora economic
aid and stated that the Armenian economy has undergone significant growth as
compared to the first few years of independence. They pointed out, however,
that the Armenian economy is still no self-sufficient.

In summarizing the discussions Aram I said:

a.. There’s a lack of economic laws in Armenia

b.. The aid provided by the Diaspora will decrease with time because of
the economic difficulties the structures of the various communities face.
Therefore,

c.. Armenians should focus on investments, not economic aid.

d.. At this point in time short-term business should be emphasized in
Armenia.

e.. Small business should be encouraged in order to guarantee wide
participation by the people.

f.. The Diaspora should help in the export of Armenian products.

g.. Armenia and the Diaspora should engage in cooperation where each has
its role to play.

h.. The relations of Diaspora Armenians with foreign businessmen and
investors should be used to increase foreign investments in Armenia.

i.. Guidelines should be established for Armenia-Diaspora economic
cooperation.

A press release including the viewpoints and approaches of participants to
each topic will be issued at the end of the conference.

At the end of the sessions, the participants attended the musical concert
organized on the occasion of St. Asdvadzadzine’s Day.

##

View pictures here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Azeri Officer Taken Captive

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Aug 17 2005

22-year-old Azerbaijani warrant officer Ramin Khudaverdiyev has been
taken captive by Armenian military men.

The Yerevan office of the International Committee of the Red Cross
informed the organization’s Baku office of the incident on Monday,
the Azerbaijan State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and
Missing Persons told AssA-Irada.

The State Commission has appealed to international organizations over
the release of the Azerbaijani officer from captivity.

Pro-government group in Azerbaijan attempts to attack opposition

BAKU, Aug 10 (AFP) – Some 200 supporters of a pro-government group in
Azerbaijan attempted to storm the headquarters of an opposition party
Wednesday in a new sign of tension ahead of November 6 parliamentary
elections, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.

Protestors chanted “Shame!” as they pushed against a police cordon in
the ex-Soviet republic’s capital Baku while trying to break into the
opposition National Front party building.

The crowd, from the Muasir Musavat (Modern Unity) party, said they
were incensed by an opposition leader’s alleged contacts with agents
from Azerbaijan’s neighbour Armenia.

The leader of the Yeni Fikir opposition movement, Ruslan Bashirli, was
arrested last week and charged with allegedly accepting Armenian money
to finance a revolution in Azerbaijan. Yeni Fikir has an office in the
National Front headquarters.

The opposition has denied the accusation, which is potentially
damaging because of tense relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia,
rivals that fought a war in the 1990s over the territory of Nagorno
Karabakh.

The last two days have already seen scuffles and stone-throwing
between pro- and anti-government supporters in Baku.

Europe’s top election-monitoring body, the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Tuesday condemned violent attacks
directed at the opposition.

The head of the OSCE office in Baku, Maurizio Pavesi, called on the
authorities to prevent “violent and unauthorized public meetings” or
risk causing the “deterioration” of the electoral campaign.

Positions of Washington and Baku on Democratic Development Concide
Completely – Azeri Official

Trend
10/08/2005 00:06

Positions of Washington and Baku on democratic institutions
development in Azerbaijan coincide completely, says spokesman of the
Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry.

Such a statement was made on 9 August by the head of the information
and press department of the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry (FM) Tair
Tagizade at the news conference on the results of the visit to
Washington of the Azerbaijan’s FM head Elmar Mammedyarov, Trend
reports.

“Washington fully supports the policy of the Azerbaijan’s leadership
in the field of the country’s democracy development, in holding open
and fair elections,” the FM spokesman noted.

??gizade reported, during Mamedyarov’s visit to Washington the key
attention was focused on the discussion of the issues of the strategic
partnership between Azerbaijan and Washington. Exchange of opinions
also took place in regard of Azerbaijan’s integration into the
European structures, settlement of the

Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, terrorism fighting,
democratic transformations in the county.

Touching upon the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement
Tagizade noted, the US leadership, the State Secretary Condoleezza
Rice particularly, spoke for the continuation of peaceful talks on the
conflict settlement.

“The White House attaches an important significance to top level
talks, in particular, to the forthcoming meeting of the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia in Kazan,” head of the FM department noted.

Tagizade also underlined, during the visit stationing of the US
military bases in Azerbaijan was not discussed too.

In conclusion Tagizade touched upon the preparation of Ilham
Aliyev’s visit to the USA. He noted, the issue was not discussed
during Mamedyarov’s visit to Washington.

“The Embassy of Azerbaijan carries out an active work on preparation
the visit. However, the date is not specified yet,” the FM’ spokesman
noted, indicating the issue will be coordinated with the American
side.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS WITH THE AMBASSADOR OF CANADA

His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of Canada to Lebanon, Michel
Duval in his office on August 8. The Canadian diplomat visited Antelias to
get His Holiness Aram I’s blessings and bid farewell at the end of his
three-year term.

The two discussed the internal situation in Lebanon and the latest
developments in the country. They also discussed the activeness of the
Armenian community of Canada.

His Holiness informed the ambassador of his upcoming Patriarchal visit to
Canada in September. Duval promised he would meet with His Holiness in
Montreal before accepting his next position at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.

The Ambassador commended the work carried out by the Catholicosate of
Cilicia in the Diaspora and its initiatives in this direction.

##

View picture here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Swiss Senate: ‘Genocide’ Allegations is Not Parliament’s Job

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Aug 7 2005

* The 1915 events and Armenian ‘genocide’ allegations will never be an
issue for the Swiss Senate, according to the president of the Senate
foreign affairs committee.

* Peter Briner said other countries had no business pointing the
finger at Turkey 90 years after the disputed events.

Kemal YENICE (ANKARA) Peter Briner, president of the Senate foreign
affairs committee, said the committee had decided that the death
or deportation of Armenians between 1915 and 1919 would not be the
subject of a plenary session. During the First World War many Turks
and Armenians were killed as a result of war circumstances and ethnic
conflicts. Turks claim that at least 520,000 Turkish villagers were
massacred by armed Armenian ultra-nationalist groups, Tashnaks and
others, while the Armenian side similarly argue that more than 500,000
Armenians were killed during the years.

Peter Briner said the Swiss committee agreed with the Swiss government
that it was not parliament’s job to decide on the whether the
killings constituted genocide. They have been recognised as such by
the parliaments of several countries, including the United States,
France, Russia and Italy.

The Swiss House of Representatives recognized the Armenian allegations
as if they are truth in 2003. The Swiss government however does not
officially speak of “genocide” but of “mass deportation”. Turkey
condemned the Swiss Parliament for the decision.

Briner said the committee believed that it was more for the parties
involved, namely Turkey and Armenia, to reach an agreement. Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the Armenian President Kocherian
to establish a joint committee to discuss the historical disputes.
However Armenia strongly rejected the offer.

Disagree to Disagree

Briner said a mixed commission of historians had to “work through the
terrible events” – just as Switzerland had reappraised its history
during the Second World War.

Attempts by international scholars to determine once and for all what
really happened between 1915 and 1919 have never got much further
than agreeing which two countries were involved.

In June Alev Kilic, the Turkish ambassador in Bern, told swissinfo
that during Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey’s visit to Turkey
in March, the Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul talked about
establishing a commission of historians from both sides and opening
all files and archives.

“But of course the proposal has also been made to the Armenian
government and we can’t establish anything without their agreement.
We have still not received a positive reply,” Kilic said.

Dr. Davut Sahiner from ISRO says the Swiss step is historical and
should be a good example to all the national parliaments including
the Swiss House of Representatives:

“Strangely the parliaments has started to discuss the 1915 events for
2-3 years. They have just remembered the Armenians. I cannot see any
good will in these decisions. 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories
have been under Armenian occupation. More than 1 million Azerbaijanis
have been refugees as a result of Armenian attacks. Armenia does
not recognize Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s national borders. Armenian
genocide attempt in Khojally in 1992 cannot be ignored by anyone.
However while all these facts are there, all the Western parliaments
discuss almost a century, the events of 1915. The aim is to stop
Turkey’s EU membership process. Nobody cares Armenians but their
national interests. They have nothing to use in Turkey’s membership
process but Armenian allegations”.

JTW and news agencies 7 August 2005

Duke leader pleads for scholar
By SARAH OVASKA, Staff Writer

Researcher is being held because he tried to take
books out of Armenia

The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)
August 5, 2005

Duke University President Richard Brodhead wrote a letter to the
president of Armenia this week, joining other scholars in calling
for the release of a Duke researcher jailed for attempting to take
books out of the country.

Yektan Turkyilmaz, 33, a doctoral student in Duke’s cultural
anthropology department, was jailed June 17 by Armenian authorities
while trying to fly to Turkey, his native country. He had about a
hundred secondhand books with him and has been held in custody since.

In his letter, Brodhead appealed to Armenian President Robert Kocharian
to release Turkyilmaz.

“As the leader of a great country, you have the ability to intervene
in this matter and to determine the appropriateness of the actions of
your government and the Armenian prosecutors and police,” Brodhead
wrote in his Aug. 1 letter. “You also have the ability to release
Mr. Turkyilmaz.”

An open letter from more than 200 scholars from the United States,
Turkey and Armenia asking for Turkyilmaz’s release has also been sent
to Kocharian, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

A Turk of Kurdish heritage, Turkyilmaz was in Armenia conducting
research at the country’s national archives, the first Turkish citizen
granted permission to do so.

Tensions between Turkey and Armenia stem from the killings of Armenians
between 1915 and 1923, which Armenians consider a genocide of 1.5
million people.

Turkyilmaz is the first person charged in Armenia under a little-known
customs law that requires permission to take books older than 50
years out of the country, Brodhead’s letter states.

If convicted, he faces four to eight years in prison.

Staff writer Sarah Ovaska can be reached at 829-4622 or
[email protected].

Blagojevich signs law requiring genocide education for public schools

KWQC-TV, IA
Aug 5 2005

CHICAGO Governor Rod Blagojevich today signed a bill that requires
Illinois public elementary and high schools to teach about recent
acts of genocide around the world.

The measure takes effect immediately and expands the previous
requirement that students learn about the Holocaust to include a unit
on genocide in Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan and Ukraine.

Blagojevich says it’s important that students understand that racial,
national, ethnic and religious hatred can lead to tragedies.

The measure was sponsored by state Representative John Fritchey and
state Senator Jacqueline Collins, both Chicago Democrats.

Glenn McGee is the former state schools superintendent who is now a
superintendent in Wilmette. He says learning about genocide should
be a component of educating tomorrow’s leaders. But he worries the
requirement could become an unfunded mandate.

Karabakh electoral commission re-elects its chief

Arminfo, Yerevan
3 Aug 05

Stepanakert, 3 August: A session of the Central Electoral Commission
of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic was held today. The commission
discussed its dissolution and election of new heads.

As Aminfo correspondent reports from Stepanakert, the chairman of
the commission, Sergey Nasibyan, expressed due appreciation of its
work, having noted that the June election of the National Assembly
was organized and carried out at a high level and in accordance with
the electoral code.

Today, the commission held its first session in the new composition,
at which it re-elected by the open vote Sergey Nasibyan as chairman
of the Central Electoral Commission. It also elected Seyran Ayrapetyan
as his deputy and Raya Nazaryan – secretary.

SwissInfo, Suisse
31 Juillet 2005

Génocide arménien: loi suisse contre le racisme critiquée

BERNE – Pour le politicien turc Dogu Perincek, sous le coup de deux
enquêtes pour négation du génocide arménien, la loi suisse contre le
racisme est comparable à la “loi médiévale de l’Inquisition”. Elle
doit être supprimée, exige-t-il dans le “SonntagsBlick”.

La loi contre le racisme va à l’encontre des droits fondamentaux et
de la liberté d’expression, critique le chef du Parti des
travailleurs turcs, une formation nationaliste de gauche, dans une
interview accordée au journal alémanique “SonntagsBlick”. Elle fait
perdre à la Suisse l’amitié de la Turquie et le respect du monde.

“Il n’y a pas eu de génocide” arménien, a répété le politicien. Dogu
Perincek a ainsi réitéré ses propos négationnistes concernant le
massacre de 1915 sous l’empire ottoman. Il avait déjà parlé de
“soi-disant génocide arménien” dimanche dernier dans la capitale
vaudoise, lors de l’anniversaire du Traité de Lausanne, à l’origine
de la création de l’Etat turc en 1923.

Le chef du Parti des travailleurs turcs fait l’objet de deux enquêtes
en Suisse pour violation à la norme pénale contre le racisme. Une
instruction a également été ouverte pour la même raison contre une
autre personnalité turque, l’historien Yusuf Halacoglu. Ankara a
vivement dénoncé ces enquêtes.