Author: Chatinian Lara

PRESS RELEASE
Hamazkayin Cultural Forum
P.O. Box. 70-1028 Antelias
Beirut, Lebanon
Contact: Arin Kalousdian
Tel: +961 (4) 71-56-84
Fax: +961 (1) 71-56-92
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society Announces Applications
Being Accepted for 2007 Cultural Forum

The Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society is currently accepting
applications for its 2007 Cultural Forum to be held in Yerevan,
Armenia, from July 15-29. All college-aged individuals are encouraged
to apply.

The Hamazkayin Cultural Forum is an annual event that started in 1995
with the aim to unite young Armenians from around the world to learn
more about Armenian art, history, culture, society, and modern life in
the homeland. It is a unique opportunity for people to visit Armenia
for the first time-or as a returning visitor-and meet with fellow
Armenians from around the globe who are interested in learning more
about their people’s past as well as where they are headed.

The Forum is an excellent way for college-aged Armenians to come
together and share ideas about what they envision as being important
for them, and if they don’t have a thorough understanding of their
history and culture, the Forum is a great medium to learn about
them. Plus, it gives people an excellent opportunity to visit
Armenia. The Forum also aims at bringing together students with
diverse backgrounds and create a melting pot where they can form close
bonds with one another which goes beyond the Forum.

There is no limit to the amount of culture that can be experienced in
Armenia. Each evening you can find multiple concerts, plays, and music
clubs to attend for entertainment. On most evenings classical
performances can be heard in one of Yerevan’s many chamber concert
halls, and in some restaurants visitors have the pleasure of hearing
authentic folk music any night of the week. Jazz and rock clubs have
become quite noticeable, and for those who enjoy dancing, there are
dozens of discos located throughout the city.

Most of Armenia’s cultural legacy however is found outside Yerevan, in
virtually all regions of the country. Armenia is home to
hundreds-perhaps thousands-of churches both preserved and in
ruins. There are also ancient fortresses and other fascinating
structures to see, including a pagan temple in the town of
Garni. Another prominent site definitely worth visiting is the
Sardarabad Memorial and History Museum, built on the very site where
the historic battle was won against the Turks, signifying the founding
of the first Armenian republic.

During the Forum attendees have the opportunity to hear lectures,
delivered by prominent intellectuals and academics such as
Prof. Richard G. Hovannisian, Dr. Vahakn Dadrian, Prof. Herant
Markarian and others.

To learn more about the Forum and how to apply, visit
You can send an email to
[email protected] with specific questions. All applications must be
received by June 1, 2007.

Hamazkayin is a worldwide organization with chapters in many countries
that aims to preserve and promote Armenian art, history, and
literature. Its goal is to educate people about the humanities
relating to the Armenian people and perpetuate Armenian culture.

TURKEY PRESSURES U.S. AGAINST ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL
By Jason Motlagh

The Washington Times
World Peace Herald, DC
March 20 2007

Ankara warns it could seriously damage relations

YEREVAN, Armenia — Inside the tomblike confines of the Armenian
Genocide Museum, a haunting narrative of images and words unfolds. A
list is posted at tour’s end of nations that have officially recognized
the tragedy, minus one major endorsement: the United States.

U.S. lawmakers have introduced nonbinding resolutions in Congress
that would declare up to 1.5 million Armenians victims of genocide
at the hands of Turkish forces almost a century ago.

Support is reported to be strong enough in the House to pass the
measure if it goes to a vote; the Senate introduced a similar
resolution last week with 21 co-sponsors.

Historians and analysts here in the Armenian capital say recognition
from Washington is long overdue because evidence validating the case
for genocide is "clear-cut, more than factual, and very obvious."

But Turkey’s priority status as a vital strategic ally in a troublesome
region stands in the way.

"Although Turkey needs the U.S. more, the U.S also needs Turkey
right now … so it’s not realistic to think the government will
formally acknowledge [the genocide]," said Hagop Avedikian, editor
of Azg newspaper.

He noted that every April 24, a day of observance, President Bush
"highlights the genocide and explains it without using the word."

In the past month, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Chief of
the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit and a parliamentary delegation
have met with U.S. lawmakers and Bush administration officials in an
attempt to derail the resolution.

Mr. Gul was quoted as saying the delivery of a U.S. genocide resolution
would inflict "lasting damage" on bilateral relations.

Such statements were not lost on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who last week wrote a joint
letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, and other
senior members warning that the measure would hurt national security
interests.

Passage of the House resolution, they wrote, "could harm American
troops in the field, constrain our ability to supply our troops in
Iraq and Afghanistan and significantly damage our efforts to promote
reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey."

Incirlik air base could be casualty

Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried has warned that Turkey
might respond by closing Incirlik air base, used for operations in
nearby Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Turkish military severed all ties with the French military and
terminated defense contracts after the French National Assembly voted
in October to criminalize the denial of genocide.

The Israeli Knesset killed a motion to discuss recognition earlier
this month, fearing a political crisis with Ankara.

Failure to pass the resolution would be "too bad because it could
be a very catalytic moment for rapid recognition by other states,"
said Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

Several Western countries have recognized the massacre in the waning
days of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide, some making genocide denial
a punishable offense.

An ethnic Turkish politician, Dogu Perincek, received a $2,500 fine
and a suspended prison sentence from a Swiss court on Friday for
calling Armenian genocide an "international lie" at a political rally
two years ago.

The dispute is over whether hundreds of thousands of Armenians who
died between 1915 and 1923 were part of systematic eradication campaign
by Ottoman Turkey.

Armenians contend mass killings and forced deportations amount to
genocide, while the Turkish government insists the deaths were the
result of chaos at the time.

GEORGIA’S UNRECOGNIZED REPUBLICS SEEK ‘DECISIVE’ ACTION FROM RUSSIA

Moskovskiy Komsomolets, Moscow
20 Mar 07

Representatives of the unrecognized CIS republics have become regular
visitors to Moscow recently. At present three ministers of foreign
affairs (from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the Dniester region) and
South Ossetia’s leader Eduard Kokoiti are in the capital. All of them
have one headache: Georgia is joining NATO…

At a meeting the ministers clarified details of a "rendezvous" between
the presidents of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the Dniester region
which will take place in Sokhumi at the beginning of April. According
to Sergey Shamba, head of Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry, the main
question which will be discussed there is the potential for Russia
to recognize the republics.

"Russia now has a unique and perhaps final chance to preserve
its influence in the South Caucasus – by recognizing Abkhazia
and South Ossetia," Shamba said in an interview with Moskovskiy
Komsomolets. "Moscow should use the Kosovo precedent and take a
decisive step now because the Kosovo example will lose its relevance
later. Georgia and Azerbaijan will become members of NATO, after this
Armenia will quite simply be forced to follow their example. Russia’s
influence in the region will come to nothing. Abkhazia and South
Ossetia are the only buffer remaining between Russia and NATO. These
countries are still prepared to defend Russian interests. But
politicians from a younger generation could soon come to power there
who, unlike us, have not lived through a war. And we do not know how
they will behave when they are surrounded by NATO countries."

"The international community’s reaction to Russia recognizing Abkhazia
will of course be negative. But any decisive Russian action causes
discontent in the West. If Russia does not now recognize Abkhazia
and South Ossetia, it will mean that politicians in Moscow do not
consider the South Caucasus to be a zone of Russian interest. It is
now or never: Either recognize the unrecognized, or lose influence
in the region completely…

South Ossetia’s President Eduard Kokoiti commented on the situation
specially for Moskovskiy Komsomolets: "It is no news to us that Georgia
is joining NATO. We have known about this for a long time and have
prepared ourselves for it. The United States is trying to inflame
the situation in the region with its own shortsighted actions. It
is not the United States or NATO but Russia which has always been
the guarantor of stability and order in the South Caucasus. We have
therefore made our choice: To try to gain independence, and we do not
intend to ask for the United States’ opinion on this matter. It is time
for Russia to take a principled stand, enough of making concessions."

ARTO TUNJBOYAJIAN AND TURKISH MUSICIAN RECORDING A CD DEDICATED TO HRANT DINK

ArmRadio.am
21.03.2007 17:10

Turkish musician Yasar Kurt is in Armenia. This is the first time
Yasar visits Armenia, and this visit carries a special mission. On
these days the together with Arto Tunjboyajian the Turkish musician
will work on a CD dedicated to the memory of their friend Hrant Dink.

This initiative, which resulted in the formations of a group
consisting of famous Armenian and Turkish musicians, will mark the
start of the campaign for humanity and human values. The group will
be named "Yas Ar" – an abbreviation from Yasar and Arto, which means
"living." The group will record a CD, and will shoot a clip on one
of the songs. However, this is only the start.

This work will be continuous.

ODE TO OUR SPORTSMEN
Alisa Gevorgyan

"Radiolur"
21.03.2007 11:25

Aram Moosakhanyan was born in Iran. He has been living in Canada ever
since 1999. He has practiced music for a long time, but his first
serious achievement is the album released in 2006.

"I consider that my first serious work is the "Here, it’s me" album
issued on March 15, 2006. For one year radio stations in different
countries have aired the songs included in the CD. I have a great
number of songs, which I will present in my next CDs.

– Your new song is titled "To our sportsmen." What will you say about
this song?

– The song was composed based on the poem by famous Iranian-Armenian
poet Varand. At my request, wonderful Boston Armenian poet and a
good friend of mine Avik Dermenjyan wrote an ode to our sportsmen. I
slightly redesigned these compositions. In the result the song "To
our sportsmen" was born. Actually, the lyric was written by Aram,
Avik and Varand, the music was composed by Aram Moosakhanyan.

– What will you say about your future plans?

– I’m very busy now. I’m working on a new CD in Armenian, which will
include the above-mentioned song. I hope the album will be released
in Armenia in December 2007. I’m also working on my new clip, which
will be probably completed by May 28.

DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION SYSTEM REMAINS IN THE FOCUS OF NKR LEADERSHIP ATTENTION

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 19 2007

In the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic 1000 Hectares out of 60 000 arable
lands are irrigated, or 5-6% of water’s total reserves are used,
NKR PM Anoushavan Danielian stated, answering the questions of Azat
Artsakh newspaper web site’s readers.

"We shouldn’t wink at the fact that 50 000 of Stepanakert inhabitants
receive water every other day, and yet for one or two hours", the PM
stated. In his words, the development of irrigation system remains
in the focus of the government’s attention.

Anoushavan Danielian said according to the specialists’ researches,
there were inexhaustible reserves of water in the Nagorno-Karabagh.

According to the specialists’ estimation, the NKR water resources
enable to accumulate over 95 millions cubic meters of water (without
Sarsang reservoir) and irrigate 21 000 hectares of land.

According to the PM, with the help of Armenia’s specialists the works
on elaborating technical and economical documents of water and economic
objects have already been completed.

The implementation of the program on transfer of waters of the river
of Trge to the Sarsang reservoir is being carried out.

As a whole, irrigation of about 8 000 hectares of land by water are
to be ensured until 2010. Only in 2007 about 2 milliards drams will
be allocated from the state budget for the purposes of irrigating.

ArabianBusiness.com, United Arab Emirates
March 18 2007

Iran, Armenia to open new gas pipeline

by Reuters on Sunday, 18 March 2007 Iran and Armenia will inaugurate
a new gas pipeline between the two neighbours on Monday, the web site
of Iran’s oil ministry said on Saturday.

The move is part of Tehran’s strategy to add new export markets.

Iran plans to deliver 1.1 billion cubic metres of natural gas to
Armenia this year through the pipeline, the volume rising to 1.5
billion in 2013 and 2.3 billion in 2026, the ministry said, quoting
the country’s Natural Gas Company.

The deal was initially approved by Iran and Armenia over a decade ago
but was not finalised until 2004 because the issue of financing the
$200 million pipeline to Armenia was stalled.

Armenia’s gas and power markets are dominated by Russian firms.

Armenia is due to pay for the gas by exporting electricity to Iran,
which is currently embroiled in a dispute with the West over its
nuclear programme.

Iran has the world’s second largest gas reserves after Russia.

"It is expected that in 20 years a total amount of 36 billion cubic
metres of natural gas will be exported to Armenia and it is possible
that this amount reaches 47 billion cubic metres," the ministry’s web
site said.

The 141-km (88 mile) long pipeline cost $210-220 million to build, it
said, adding Armenia contributed $120 million. The two countries’
presidents will attend Monday’s ceremony at the border.

Iran exports only modest volumes of gas, mainly to neighbouring
Turkey, which has said gas imports from Iran are overpriced, of low
quality and subject to disruptions.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
March 16, 2007 Friday

EXPERTS DISCUSS KARABAKH CONFLICT;
The use of military might in conflict resolution was discussed

by South Caucasus Research Center

AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL SCIENTISTS, MILITARY EXPERTS, AND JOURNALISTS
DISCUSS THE USE OF MILITARY MIGHT IN KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION; A
roundtable conference on Karabakh conflict resolution takes place.

The latest roundtable conference on the Karabakh conflict resolution
took place the other day on the initiative of the South Caucasus
Research Center. Political scientists, military experts, and
journalists discussed the possibility of a military operation in
conflict resolution. Experts were unanimous that the use of the army
in conflict resolution was both acceptable and actually necessary.
The Armenian and foreign intermediaries urge Azerbaijan to consider
"the realities" shaped by the outcome of the military campaign of
1992-1994. In other words, foreign mediators or the OSCE Minsk Group
essentially allow for the use of military might as an argument in
conflicts of this type in general and the Azerbaijani-Armenian
conflict in particular. Experts pointed out that the use of this
argument in conflict resolution did not necessarily mean its actual
employment with the aim to liberate the occupied Azerbaijani
territories. They are convinced nevertheless that delays in peace
talks or their absolute failure will leave the use of military might
the only option.

Experts believe:

1. The rise of Azerbaijan’s military expenditures (these days, they
equal Armenia’s entire state budget) is a positive factor in itself.
Baku therefore should continue the policy of maintaining military
superiority over Armenia and of trying to exhaust it economically.

2. Effective use of the military budget must be ensured. The matter
concerns both what goes directly to the Armed Forces and what is
spent on military hardware procurement. Experts do not think that the
government has been entirely successful so far.

3. Urgent measures are needed to improve the moral climate in the
Armed Forces. The latest events show that it leaves much to be
desired.

Experts are convinced that following of these suggestions will make
Armenia more constructive. They do not rule out the possibility,
however, that may find it necessary to use military might to resolve
the conflict.

Before it can be employed, however, the following should be made
absolutely plain:

1. that the army is not going to be used against the population of
Nagorno-Karabakh. On the contrary, Azerbaijan should make it plain to
the international community and to Armenians in Karabakh that it
regards the population of the area as citizens of the Republic of
Azerbaijan and that it is therefore prepared to shoulder the
responsibility for them and their safety;

2. that "Nagorno-Karabakh without Armenians" (the way it happened to
the Azerbaijanis in Armenia) is not the purpose of using the army and
neither is the determination of the future status of the territory in
question. The army is to be used only to speed up peace talks. The
widespread opinion in Armenia nowadays is that it should not turn
over to Azerbaijan the so called "liberated territories" i.e. the
occupied Azerbaijani districts surrounding Karabakh; and

3. that military might is only to be used to localize the conflict
and establish control over the state borders which is after all in
the interests of the international community. Reports of the US
Department of State and international organizations list the corridor
from Iran to Azerbaijan to Armenia and so on as one of the illegal
drug and weapons traffic.

Last but not least, military might should only be used in a scope
that will really speed up Azerbaijani-Armenian negotiations over the
Karabakh conflict resolution. It was emphasized at the roundtable
conference that liberation of a district or two was not going to
change the strategic correlation of forces and therefore couldn’t be
expected to accomplish anything.

Source: Ekho (Baku), March 13, 2007, EV

Translated by A. Ignatkin

Panorama.am

18:15 16/03/2007

TIGRANAKERT EXCAVATIONS SUMMED UP

The excavations of Tigranakert, a town in the vicinity of Nagorno
Karabakh Khachen village, are being summed up at present. Items dating
back to 1 century BC were found in the area, Hamlet Petrosyan, head of
excavation team, told a press conference today.

The excavations started in 2006. Petrosyan said active work is going
to be carried out in the upcoming two years.

He said Nagorno Karabakh leadership is enthusiastic about the
findings. The head of the research team said they may serve as good
evidence for Karabakh conflict settlement.

Source: Panorama.am

EurasiaNet, NY
March 16 2007

BUSH ADMINISTRATION TRIES TO PREVENT POSSIBLE RUPTURE WITH TURKEY
Joshua Kucera 3/16/07

The Bush administration is publicly opposing a resolution pending in
the US Congress that would officially recognize the mass killings of
Armenians during the Ottoman era as genocide. The administration’s
opposition is grounded in concerns that Turkey could retaliate by
refusing to cooperate with the US war in Iraq.

Such resolutions have been routinely proposed in Congress, but one
has never passed. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
This year, however, legislators appear more likely than ever to adopt
a resolution. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, is
on record as supporting passage of the resolution. The murder of
Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in January also seems to have
influenced the attitudes of some US representatives. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive]. A vote on the resolution could
occur in April.

At a Congressional hearing on March 15, representatives from the US
Department of State and Department of Defense said passage of the
resolution would unnecessarily inflame anti-American sentiment in
Turkey. The resolution "would undercut those voices emerging in
Turkey who call for a truthful exploration of those events in pursuit
of Turkey’s reconciliation with its own past, and with Armenia," said
Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian
affairs. "Our fear is that passage of any such resolution would close
minds and harden hearts."

The public backlash in Turkey could be so strong that the Turkish
government would be forced to act, perhaps by closing or restricting
US access to Incirlik Air Base, a key transportation hub for US
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, restricting use of the
Turkey-Iraq land border, or allowing fewer over-flight rights, Fried
said.

A genocide resolution would surely hamper US military operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan, asserted Daniel Fata, deputy assistant
secretary of defense for Europe and NATO. "Passage of the resolution
would inflame nationalist and anti-American sentiment [in Turkey] at
a time when the Turkish public already has a very low opinion of the
United States," he said. "Turkey’s contribution to the global war on
terrorism and US strategic objectives in the region is significant –
it would all be at risk. More broadly, relations with a crucial NATO
ally would suffer a serious and lasting blow, [undermining] our
ability to achieve our near- and longer-term goals in the Middle
East."

Fried and Fata’s comments before the Europe Subcommittee of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs came shortly after Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates sent identical
letters to members of Congress opposing the resolution. The letters
noted that Turkey retaliated against France after the French
parliament passed a resolution in October recognizing the Armenian
killings as genocide, cutting all military contacts and withdrawing
from negotiations on defense contracts. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive].

In Fata’s written testimony to the subcommittee, he listed various
contracts that US defense-related companies are pursuing with Turkey,
totaling several billions of dollars.

US officials stated that, although Armenia and the large Armenian
diaspora in the United States steadfastly support the adoption of a
resolution, Armenians in Turkey oppose it. "We hear from members of
the 60,000-70,000 strong Armenian-Turkish community that any such
resolution would raise popular emotions so dramatically as to
threaten their personal security," Fried said in his testimony.

The Turkish government, lobbying against the resolution, is making
the same point. Public relations officials for the Turkish Embassy
have circulated newspaper editorials quoting Dink as being against
such resolutions. "The winning of the empathy and compassion of the
Turkish population is far more important than the adoption of
Armenian resolutions in hundreds of parliaments elsewhere," said
Dink, quoted in an editorial in the Baltimore Sun.

Editor’s Note: Joshua Kucera is a Washington, DC,-based freelance
writer who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the
Caucasus and the Middle East.