Author: Chatinian Lara

PRES RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
April 13, 2005

POST-PROGRAM SURVEY REFLECTS SUCCESSFUL COURSE OF BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA’S PILOT
SUMMER

As Birthright Armenia looks forward to a second summer in Armenia, its
post-program survey indicates success during its 2004 pilot run.

The organization posted the online questionnaire four months after 2004
participants’ return from Armenia and assessed the lasting effects of
Birthright Armenia’s 8-week travel fellowship. “We felt that a lot of the
volunteers were still on an emotional high at the end of their programs and
really wouldn’t come to understand how the experience changed their lives
until after they got back home and re-entered their routine,” explains
executive director Linda Yepoyan. The survey addressed linguistic,
professional, charitable and personal matters as well as the progress of the
ongoing commitment proposals submitted by participants at the conclusion of
their service.

Roughly 2/3 of the 40 participants completed the survey, recording increases
in some of the most fundamental links to Armenia-involvement with the
diasporan community, use of the language, understanding of personal identity
and sense of responsibility for Armenia. 96% described their experience as
very educational, fun and personally meaningful. Half have stayed in touch
with host families and nearly 80% with other local Armenians.

Birthright Armenia alumni returned to their homes stirred to increase their
knowledge of Armenia. From those just learning the language came reports of
continued study, and over half of all responses rated improved Armenian
literacy as a top priority. 54% reported that they speak Armenian more often
now than prior to their summer’s volunteer work. Even more (71%) place
similar emphasis on deepening their knowledge about the current situation in
Armenia, despite the fact that 92% feel at least somewhat confident in
explaining its present condition.

75% of Birthright alumni have done something to help Armenia since returning
to their homes. “After gaining the firsthand experience I did over the
summer.,” wrote one, “after interacting with people and hearing their
stories and problems, it would be very difficult not to try and help.”
Besides personal homeland-oriented projects, 46% have become more active in
their local Armenian communities.

Hope of going back to Armenia is a recurring theme. Over 60% of the
volunteers consider a return within the next two years extremely likely and
over 50% rate the possibility of professional development in Armenia as
somewhat likely. Numerous alumni describe an increased sense of
responsibility for the development of today’s Armenia, and there is a
significant demand for support in finding employment there. “I feel like our
homeland has a magnetism that holds our feet to the ground while we are
there, holds our hearts to the land when we are away,” wrote another
volunteer. “It’s a strong pull emanating from the very core of my
existence.”

64% of alumni assert that they learned a lot about themselves and 54% that
they gained a sense of where they’re going with their Armenian identity.
Roughly half identify Armenia as their homeland; a sizeable minority, while
less unequivocal, acknowledge it as a significant part of their heritage.
71% assent to feeling a connection with the Armenian people, history and
land.

“Birthright Armenia will continually evaluate our services in an effort to
maintain a high level of quality to everything we do, and surveying our
primary beneficiaries is the key to learning if we are doing our jobs and
serving our mission as best as possible, ” says Yepoyan. “From the onset,
when we were developing the Birthright Armenia concept, we truly believed
that immersion programs of at least eight weeks duration foster a greater
sense of commitment and result in a deeper spiritual, cultural and
intellectual understanding of Armenian identity, people and issues, and
according to what our pilot group beneficiaries have to say about their
homeland experiences, it looks like we got that right.”

Open to diasporan Armenians 18-32 years old, Birthright Armenia is a
nonprofit organization which serves as a bridge between Diaspora and
Homeland youth by providing travel fellowships to volunteers participating
in numerous Armenian volunteer programs. In addition, Birthright offers
language instruction, weekly forums, volunteer gatherings and free
excursions around today’s Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

Organizations represented by the volunteers in the pilot summer of 2004 were
the New York Armenian Students’ Association, Armenian Youth Federation,
Armenian Church Youth Organization of America, Armenian Medical Association,
Armenian Volunteer Corps, Land and Culture Organization and Armenian
Assembly of America. The list of organizations participating in 2005 has
grown more than three-fold and can be found on the Birthright Armenia Web
site at

For more information, call Birthright Armenia at (610) 642-6633 or email
[email protected].

“ARMENIAN CAUSE” BOOK PUBLISHED IN ESTONIA ON OCASSION OF 90TH
ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

TALLINN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Professor Lembo Tanning’s “Armenian
Cause” 365-pages work dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Great Genocide was published in Estonia. As Noyan Tapan was
informed from the Press Office of the Committe on organizing events of
the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the book was presented
at the National Library of Estonia. Cultural workers, MPs of Estonia,
members of the Estonian Churches’ Council, members of the Council of
Europe and representatives of the Armenian community were present at
the presentation of the book.

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIAN ISSUE BOOK ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90-TH ANNIVERSARY PUBLISHED IN
ESTONIA

12.04.2005 03:02

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Professor Lembo Tanning the Armenian Issue book, devoted
to the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is published in Estonia,
reported the commission for organizing measures devoted to the 90-th
anniversary of the Genocide. The book presentation was held at the National
Library of Estonia. Art figures, deputies, members of the Council of
Estonian Churches, representatives of the European Parliament and the
Armenian community of Estonia were present at the event.

Armenpress

ARMENIAN AND BULGARIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTERS EXCHANGE CONGRATULATION
MESSAGES

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan
Oskanian and Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Solomon Passy exchanged
congratulation messages on the occasion of 10th anniversary of the agreement
on good relations and cooperation signed between Armenia and Bulgaria April
10, 1995.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry press services, Oskanian
underscored the importance of the agreement which became the basis of the
cooperation with Bulgaria in different spheres and expressed assurance that
Armenian-Bulgarian cooperation will continue to beef up and will include new
spheres of cooperation which is becoming more important from the point of
view of European neighborhood policy.
On his part, Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Solomon Passy expressed
hope that the cooperation between Armenian and Bulgarian Foreign Affairs
Ministries which is promoted by Armenia’s strive to enter the European
family will continue to develop dynamically.
The letter to the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister was handed by
Armenian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Armen Baiburtian and from the
Bulgarian side it was handed by Bulgarian ambassador to Armenia Stefan
Dimitrov.

Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 11 2005

U.S. Officials Visit Abkhazia

U.S. Senior Advisor for Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy Ambassador
Steven Mann, who is also the Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh
and Eurasian Conflicts, and U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles
arrived in the Abkhaz capital Sokhumi on April 11, according to the
U.S. Embassy in Georgia.

The U.S. diplomats will hold talks with the leadership of
unrecognized republic, but no details of the purpose of this visit
have been reported yet.

Incirlik preparing for new era

The Anatolian Times
4/9/2005

Turkey has yet to convey its official response for the request of its
close ally, the U.S., to use Incirlik Airbase for logistical purposes
during its operations against Afghanistan and Iraq, but preparations
for the airbase’s new era are already in progress. Sources told The New
Anatolian that although the General Staff office has some reservations,
it has submitted a positive response to the government.

It’s known that in the wake of a series of talks, the government
adopted the idea of allowing the U.S. to use Incirlik as a logistical
base. But this view has yet to be officially voiced.

Despite all, the U.S. has already started preparations for Incirlik’s
new future.

Maintenance of the main runway, ruined due to the base’s heavy
schedule, is to be carried out between April 29 and May 13.

Meanwhile, the barracks, built instead of a tent city, is also
undergoing maintenance. In addition to all this, an aircraft hangar
is being kept on alert for a possible troop transfer. The hangar
can hold around 1,000 soldiers. There’s also international call and
Internet access from the hangar.

Debate is on

The government is reportedly waiting for April 24 to make its final
decision on the Incirlik Airbase. Although this was denied by the
government sources, it’s been claimed that the government is holding
this card against the possibility official recognition of the so-called
Armenian genocide.

On the other side of the coin, uncertainty about the details continues.

It’s claimed that government will allow the U.S. to use Incirlik
as a logistical base through a secret resolution dated June 23,
2003, while others insist that the Defense and Economic Cooperation
Agreement, dated 1980, allows the government to give permission to
the United States.

Legal experts had been saying that the agreement was signed as part
of a NATO agreement and does not allow the government to let foreign
troops on Turkish soil.

Ammunition depot

If the government allows Incirlik to be used as a logistical base,
the Adana Airbase will turn into a ammunition depot.

In addition to food, supplies, etc. there would be various kinds of
ammunition in the base. Bombs, tank shells, and different kinds of
rockets would be brought to Incirlik for their transfer to Afghanistan
and Iraq.

Source: TNA

Azeri Defence Ministry reports more Karabakh truce violations

Turan news agency
8 Apr 05

Baku, 8 April: Armenian troops fired at Azerbaijani positions near
the village of Sixlar in Agdam District from 0005 to 0045 on 8 April
[1905-1945 gmt on 7 April].

The fire was opened from positions located at a distance of 1.5 km
from the village.

Azerbaijani positions near the village of Mahrizli in Agdam District
came under fire from 0110 to 0120 [2010-2020 gmt]. The fire was opened
by Armenians from the village of Saricali in the same district.

The enemy used assault rifles and machine guns in both cases. The
Azerbaijani side opened retaliatory fire, no casualties are reported,
the Defence Ministry press service reported.

KARS -AKHALQALAK-BAKU RAILWAY ESTIMATED $400 MILLION

AZG Armenian Daily #063, 09/04/2005

Region

Georgian Civil online newspaper informed that in Baku Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a treaty on construction of
Kars-Akhalqalak-Tbilisi-Baku Railway. The newspaper said that
a Georgian-Azeri-Turkish united company will be established in
Istanbul. It will carry out the construction of the railway. According
to preliminary indicators, the program will cost $400 million.

Kars-Akhalqalak newly built section of the railway stretches for 98kms,
30kms pass through Armenian-populated Javakhk. Though there used to
work Akhalqalak-Tbilisi railway it still needs to be renovated.

It’s worth reminding that there is a railway connecting Turkey with
Azerbaijan (Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi-Baku). It doesn’t function since 1993
when the Turkish government decided to impose a blockade on Armenia.

ARMENIAN DRAM’S RISE IS RESULT OF STRENGTHENED ECONOMY

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 5 press conference, the
European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) representatives
expressed an opinion that the growth of the Armenian dram’s exchange
rate against the US dollar and the euro is the result of the
strengthened economy. According to the bank’s regional director Mike
Davey, the exchange rates of currencies in Armenia are also influenced
by substantial amounts of remittances coming into the country from
abroad. In his view, the RA Central Bank’s policy should be cautious
in this regard, which, however, is not the case.

SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN DOES NOT EXCLUDE ARMENIA TO BE INVOLVED IN PROCESS OF CREATION OF “SANITARY CORDON”

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Shavarsh Kocharian, an RA National
Assembly MP from “Ardarutiun” (Justice) fraction, a member of the
Parliamentary Delegation of Armenia at the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe, does not exclud that “Armenia can be involved in
a really implemented plan of creation of so called “sanitary cordon”
aroud Russia.” In an interview with the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
Mr. Kocharian mentioned that after the break-up of the USSR, fear of
the West of potential nuclear threat from the USSR automaticly passed
to Russia. At first, the main reason of aspiration of the West to
include in its orbit as many countries bordering Russia, as possible,
was its concern caused by the nuclear factor. Today, in his opinion,
the West also sees a threat “coming from agressive Russia which
is the centre of assistance to authoritarian regimes.” According
to Kocharian, in order to keep influence on Post-Soviet countries
“Russia, unfortunately, doesn’t see any other way, except for assisting
in keeping in power this or that authoritarian leader, whom society
does not accept and who exists on account of the Russians.” “Russia
has a sad experience: those countries, which went in the democratic
way of development, unequivocally left its bosom. Russia must treat
it more flexibly. Unfortunately, it did not happen in the case of the
Ukraine. Such a perception still exists in Russia and it can relate
to Armenia, too,” Shavarsh Kocharian stated.