Author: Chmshkian Vicken

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
September 23, 2005 Friday
Russian experience may be useful for Armenian pension reform – pres
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Russian experience may be useful for the pension reform in Armenia,
President Robert Kocharyan told Russian Pension Fund head Gennady
Batanov on Friday, the presidential press service said.
Russia is ready for more active cooperation with Armenia, and an
agreement to be signed on Saturday will be a part of it, Batanov
said.

Reporter.gr , Greece
Sept 23 2005
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Turkey: World Bank Estimates Turkey’s Inflation at 7.11%
16:08 – 23 September 2005 – The Central Bank’s latest survey showed
that inflation will reach 7.11% in December below the 8% end-year
target from 7.16% in the previous survey.
An EU member stated that a Turkish court’s decision to postpone a
conference on the Armenian genocide was a provocation two weeks
before accession talks begin.
Turkish government officials pointed out that this year’s primary
surplus would meet or exceed the 6.5% of GNP target.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Chicago Sun-Times, IL
Sept 25 2005
Scholars in Turkey cautiously discuss Armenian massacre
September 25, 2005
BY BENJAMIN HARVEY
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Scholars held the first public discussions in
Turkey on Saturday about the early 20th century massacre of
Armenians, choosing words carefully, avoiding emotional language and
picking apart history year by year at a gathering that nationalists
denounced as traitorous.
The European Union called the academic conference a test of freedom
of expression in Turkey, which hopes to start talks for membership in
the bloc next month.
The academic conference had been canceled twice, once in May after
the justice minister said organizers were “stabbing the people in the
back,” and again Thursday when an Istanbul court ordered the
conference closed and demanded to know the academic qualifications of
the speakers.
“This is a fight of ‘can we discuss this thing, or can we not discuss
this thing?'” Murat Belge, a member of the organizing committee, said
at the conference opening. “This is something that’s directly related
to the question of what kind of country Turkey is going to be.”
Genocide?
The Armenian issue stirs deep passions among Turks, who are being
pushed by many in the international community to say that their
fathers and grandfathers carried out the first genocide of the 20th
century.
Dozens of officers in riot gear kept hundreds of shouting protesters
at bay. Some protesters pelted arriving panelists with eggs and
rotten tomatoes.
Inside, the audience of more than 300 was restrained, as only those
invited by the organizing committee and preapproved members of the
media were allowed past security.
The issue has been a taboo for many years, with those who speak out
against the killings risking prosecution by a Turkish court. But an
increasing number of Turkish academics have called for a review of
the killings in a country where many see the Ottoman Empire as a
symbol of Turkish greatness.
Several governments around the world have said the killings of as
many as 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923, the late Ottoman
Empire, were genocide.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: ARMENIA IS DEFENDED TODAY DUE TO ITS ARMED FORCES
ARMINFO News Agency
September 22, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22. ARMINFO. Armenia is defended today due to
its armed forces, which are result of the independence and the
shield of the country, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said at
a solemn ceremony on the occasion of the Independence Day of RA,
on September 21.
The Republic of Armenia is on a steady foundation today due to the
heroes standing at the outset of the national army, Robert Kocharyan
said.

US AMBASSADOR TO AZERBAIJAN THINKS ISSUE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NEEDS STUDYING
ARMINFO News Agency
September 22, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22. ARMINFO. US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rino
Harnish thinks the issue of Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in
the beginning of the 20th century needs studying, the 525th newspaper
reports.
In response to journalists’ question about the recent discussions
of two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide at the US Congress,
the Ambassador said that the US Congress has not approved any of the
resolutions, and the issue is discussed at the level of committees
only. The Ambassador thinks the Turkish historical may present
historical facts to bring light to that “bloody stage” of the history.
To note, on September 15, the US Congressional Committee for Foreign
Relations adopted two resolutions concerning the Armenian Genocide
in Ottoman Turkey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society
104 N. Belmont St., Suite 200
Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Roger Khadarian
Tel: 213-278-2020
Fax: 818-450-0248
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
ARMENIAN ALPHABET CELEBRATES 1600th ANNIVERSARY
S. Peter Cowe, Stephan Astourian, Manoug Seraydarian and Ani
Hovannisian-Kevorkian to Speak, Armenian Folk Group Element and Lark
Chorus to Perform
Los Angeles, CA – In 405 A.D., Mesrop Mashtots, a cleric of the
Armenian royal court, invented the letters of the Armenian alphabet,
allowing for the creation of a vast literary tradition. In
celebration of the 1600th anniversary of the alphabet, the Hamazkayin
Educational and Cultural Society is organizing a free public cultural
event at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Sunday, October 2, 2005.
S. Peter Cowe, Professor of Armenian Language and Culture at the
University of California, Los Angeles, will be featured as one of the
keynote speakers along with Dr. Stephan Astourian, Director of
Armenian Studies at UC Berkeley. Horizon TV anchor and host of the
weekly program Focal Point, Manoug Seraydarian, is teaming up with TV
producer and director, Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian, to be the evening’s
co-Masters of Ceremony.
The event will feature musical performances by the Lark chorus and the
eclectic Mediterranean sounds of the 7-person Armenian folk group,
Element. Hamazkayin’s Ani Dance Ensemble will perform traditional
Armenian folk dancing and the evening will include an original
theatrical performance, written and directed by Elly Award winning
director Aram Kouyoumdjian, with original music composed by Sebu
Simonian. There will also be poetry recitations by students from
various Armenian schools throughout California.
For more information on the event please visit or
write to [email protected].
About Hamazkayin:
Hamazkayin is a non-profit organization, presently functioning under
the official name of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society. The objective of Hamazkayin is to provide a sound education
to the new generation, and to strive towards the preservation of the
ethnic identity and cultural heritage of the Armenian people living
outside of their homeland. Subsequently, Hamazkayin chapters were
founded throughout the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Canada,
South America, Australia, and an office was recently opened in the
Republic of Armenia. Hamazkayin has been successful in establishing
secondary and higher educational institutions which have prepared
scholars, literary figures and community leaders. It has also played
a major role in the field of publishing, and for over seventy years,
including thirty years in the United States, has contributed to the
advancement of culture in general.

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 21, 2005, Wednesday
PRESIDENT ILKHAM ALIYEV OF AZERBAIJAN HELD A MEETING CONCERNING
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION ISSUES
President Ilkham Aliyev of Azerbaijan held a meeting concerning
military construction issues in the Defense Ministry on September 16.
Aliyev focused on successes in the development of the Armed Forces
and appreciated servicemen’s skills and the quality of logistics
supply. He said that the republic focuses on military construction
issues because part of its territory is invaded by a foreign army.
Azerbaijan allocated $175 million on defense in 2004, $300 million in
2005, and plans to spend $600 million in 2006. This is not the limit.
(…)
Aliyev said, “I have set a task to make the military budget of
Azerbaijan equal to Armenia’s military budget.” He noted that Armenia
and some international organizations are concerned about the increase
of defense spending in Azerbaijan. Aliyev said, “In the meantime, we
are concerned about Russia’s decision to relocate its military
hardware from Georgia to Armenia. We are concerned about military
exercises conducted in Armenia. We have increased our military budget
because Russia illegally shipped military hardware worth $1 billion
to Armenia in the mid-1990s. This is why we will continue making
adequate moves.” (…)

Pan Armenian News
AZERI MOD DENIES INFORMATION ON SHOTS AND OSCE MONITORING
21.09.2005 02:55
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Monitoring was not held at the contact line of the
Karabakh and Azeri forces on September 20, Azeri MOD spokesman Ramiz Melikov
stated. In his words, the information saying that during the monitoring held
by OSCE Special Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk the Azeri side violated the
ceasefire `does not correspond to reality’. `If the monitoring were held an
observer would have taken part in it from the Azeri party. Spreading of such
information is a recurrent provocation by our enemy. The Azeri MOD does not
possess information regarding any monitoring of the contact line’, Ramiz
Melikov said, IA Regnum reports. At the same time Day.az Azeri news agency
with a reference to the Azeri MOD informed that a monitoring was scheduled
near the Karakhanbeily settlement of Fizuli region. As PanARMENIAN.Net came
to know form the NKR MOD press office, September 20 the OSCE mission
launched the planned monitoring. However at the very beginning the Azeri
party fired a shot, directed at the observation mission. This was registered
by the OSCE representatives. By instructions of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk,
the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO), who headed
the mission at the Azeri side, the monitoring was interrupted due to
security considerations.

Richmond Times Dispatch, VA
Sept 21 2005
‘American Dream’
Lebanese immigrant runs shoe-repair shop, says, ‘I have everything I
want’
BY MELODIE N. MARTIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 21, 2005
Holding a bulging plastic sack, a woman walked into Gary’s Shoe
Repair and placed five pairs of high-heel shoes on a scratched
countertop.
“Are you Gary?” she asked a smiling, gray-haired man behind the
counter.
“I’m the only one!” he replied.
As Gary Akseraylian inspected the shoes, the woman had second
thoughts about repairing a pair of strappy blue pumps.
“You know, I don’t care for these,” she began.
“These are good shoes,” Akseraylian said.
Akseraylian offered the woman a discount to repair all five pairs and
went on to explain the value of repairing shoes vs. buying new ones.
She agreed to pick them up the next Saturday.
Since he opened his business in 1989, Akseraylian, 63, a native of
Lebanon, has worked alone in the small shop near Lee-Davis High
School in Mechanicsville, where he repairs leather goods ranging from
shoes to handbags to jackets.
Growth in the area and a loyal clientele from around the state have
helped his business remain steady.
“When I came to the country, I only had $30 in my pocket, two
children and a wife,” he said. “Now I have everything I want. It’s
the American dream. I have a beautiful home, I have a good business,
two brand new cars, a good family.”
A tidy workspace in the back of the shop is lined with shelves of
shoes some wrapped in paper bags stapled to manila claim tickets —
and piles of rich-smelling leather pieces.
A worn path on the floor leads to machines with rotating brushes and
polishing wheels, and a blackened table with vise grips, hand tools
and metal jacks.
Nearly every shoe has a story, Akseraylian said. He points to a
Winchester man’s $400 pair of cowboy boots that have been overhauled
several times.
“When you work on something like this, you have to know exactly what
to do,” he said. “You can’t take someone’s shoe like that and ruin
it.”
For a motorcycle rider, he will replace the leather soles with rubber
ones on an expensive pair of boots. Another pair, belonging to a
ballroom dancer, will have rubber soles replaced with leather because
the owner “wants to slip and slide.”
While growing up in Lebanon, Akseraylian learned to craft shoes at
the urging of his Armenian parents. He immigrated to the United
States in 1973 as fighting in his homeland escalated.
After settling in Richmond, he held a variety of part-time jobs and
worked as a shoe-department salesman at Thalhimers’ Westmoreland
store for 16 years before he opened his own business.
“Hanover County has been so nice and good to me over the years,”
Akseraylian said, noting that sheriff’s deputies and police officers
often bring in shoes for repair.
In front of the store, shoes that go unclaimed after months and even
years are sold along with new shoes and like-colored cans of polish
in black, brown, oxblood, tan and cordovan. A box holds several
hundred other abandoned shoes that will be donated to charity.
While dropping off shoes for repair, Fred Skaggs, a church pastor
from Mechanicsville, removed the dark brown wingtips he was wearing
at Akseraylian’s insistence. Within minutes, the 5-year-old pair of
Allen-Edmonds shoes returned with a like-new shine.
“I’ve been coming to him for years, and he is the best. If you got a
problem, he can heal it,” Skaggs said. “If he can’t fix it, you might
as well throw the shoe away.”
Akseraylian also attributes his success to hard work and honesty.
“It’s a beautiful country we live in. You can make as much as you
want. You can be a millionaire,” he said.
“Just be honest and good to your fellow man, and that’s all it takes.
You can do anything you want.”
Sept 21 2005
Melkonian issue tops Armenian MP by-election
THE small Armenian community goes to the polls in a by-election on
Sunday, October 9, to choose a new Representative for Parliament
after Bedros Kalaydjian, who held the seat for two terms, died on
September 1.
Two candidates have already come forward, both young doctors, who are
already campaigning for the support of the 2,600-member community.
Dr. Vahak Atamyan is a graduate of the Melkonian Educational
Institute and Chairman of the governing board of the Nareg Armenian
elementary schools, and his main rival, Dr. Antranik Ashdjian, chairs
the Armenian National Committee in Cyprus that lobbies for Armenian
issues in Europe and on international fora.
In the eyes of the voters, however, the main issue is the struggle to
save the Melkonian school that was shut in June, depriving the local
community, as well as Armenians of Europe and the Middle East, of the
only boarding high-school with a history of 80 years.
`We need to know if either of the candidates will come clear and
declare their unconditional support for the struggle,’ that is
spearheaded by the local and worldwide alumni, a parent told the
Cyprus Mail.
Community members argue that the survival and subsequent reopening of
the Melkonian is vital for the future of the religious group, as
defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.
The Armenians, Maronites and Latins have a Representative each who
can only vote in the parliamentary committees on education, culture
and religion. They sit as observers in the plenary of the 56-seat
House.
Other issues, such as the Armenian monastery and churches in the
Turkish occupied north, the reconstruction of the 19th century
cemetery near the Ledra Palace, as well as language and culture
issues are seen as insignificant if the community loses the Melkonian
forever.
`We are currently involved in a court battle to wrest control of the
school and its property, while the New York-based AGBU is adamant on
keeping the school shut and disposing of the assets, wiping out a
vital part of our post-Genocide history and identity,’ said an Alumni
spokesman in Nicosia.
`The Armenian Patriarch in Constantinople has intervened and claims
the 125,000 square metre property, the listed historic buildings and
the protected forest are rightly his and not the AGBU’s to dispose of
as they like. He is suing the AGBU in the District Court of Nicosia
and in California,’ the Alumni official added.

WAM – Emirates News Agency, United Arab Emirates
Sept 20 2005
Sharjah Ruler meets Armenian Prime Minister
Sep 20, 2005 – 08:46 –
Yerevan 20 September, 2005 (WAM)–His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin
Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah has
here today met Armenian Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian , who
stated that Sheikh Sultan’s visit to Armenia was a tremendous and
important move towards strengthening bilateral ties between both
their countries. They exchanged views on issues that would
consolidate bilateral relationship in various aspects.
The meeting was attended by Sheikh Eisam bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chief of
Sheikh Sultan’s Office, Rashid Ahmed Al Sheikh, Director of the Emiri
Court, Jamal Salim Al Taraifi, Director of Sharjah Awqaf General
Secretariat and Khalifa Shaheen Al Merri, UAE ambassador to Armenia.
On the Armenian side, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Local
Government, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affaires and Arshak Poladian,
Armenian ambassador to the UAE attended the meeting.