Author: Chmshkian Vicken

BRITAIN’S AZERI EMBASSY SAYS TRAVEL WARNING CONCERNS KARABAKH
Turan news agency
31 Jan 05
BAKU
The British embassy in Azerbaijan has issued an explanation in
connection with a report by ANS TV concerning the information
allegedly posted on the web site of the British Foreign Office and
suggesting that British citizens should refrain from travelling to
Azerbaijan.
A statement by the British embassy says that it does not recommend
that British citizens visit “Nagornyy Karabakh and the military
occupied area surrounding it”.
“The British government provides information about security, local
laws and customs, traffic safety and information about health and
visas,” the embassy said in the statement. The press release also says
that thousands of British citizens visit Azerbaijan every year and
that Baku is home “to a British community”, the statement says.

RUSSIA’S FM’S FEB 1 VISIT TO BAKU CAUSES CONTROVERSIAL RESPONSE IN
AZERBAIJAN
MOSCOW, JANUARY 31. ARMINFO. Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov is being
suspected of planning to involve Azerbaijan in some political and
economic jobbery.
According to Sohbet Mamedov and Elhan Shahinoglu, the Azeri analysts
of Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Moscow), Lavrov’s Feb 1 visit to Baku has
caused much clamor in Azerbaijan. The local media are reporting that
Lavrov will insist on Azerbaijan’s accession into Collective Security
Treaty Organization. In response the Azeri national patriots are
accusing their authorities of treason and are claiming that
Azerbaijan’s sovereignty is at risk. But many doubt this.
Particularly politologist Zardust Alizade says that Lavrov is
experienced enough to touch on a ticklish subject like CSTO membership
especially as CSTO member is Armenia.
Meanwhile the Azeri FM says that the key goal of Lavrov’s visit is to
prepare for the mid Feb Moscow meeting of Ilham Aliev and Vladimir
Putin. With his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov Lavrov is to
discuss economic, Caspian status and Caspian Summit issues with a
special emphasis on joint anti-terror activities.
Of course the Karabakh problem is still a serious obstacle to the
successful development of Azeri-Russian relations. In Moscow Russia
will be asked to stop being a neutral mediator and to actively
influence its strategical ally Armenia. Lavrov may face complaints
concerning the recent pro-Armenian statements by OSCE Minsk Group
Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov who said that Nagorny Karabakh is
also a party to the conflict.
One more reason for the public concern in Azerbaijan might be Lavrov’s
Armenian roots.
Some Azeri experts say that unless Lavrov succeeds to agree with the
Azeri authorities on the key issues Russia may lose its influence on
Azerbaijan leaving the key roles in the region to the US and the
EU. But if Moscow makes certain concessions Baku will continue
respecting its interests in Azerbaijan and may intensify economic
relations including between Russian and Azeri regions.
It was for this reason probably that Russia has proclaimed 2005 the
year of Azerbaijan in Russia and invited Pres.Aliev to Moscow.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MOST LIKELY EUROPEAN COURT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO BEGIN EXAMINATION OF
SUIT OF LAND FUND SHAHUMIAN-GETASHEN
YEREVAN, JANUARY 28. ARMINFO. Most likely, this year the European
Court for human rights will start consideration of the suit of the
land charitable fund Shahumian-Getashen on invalidating a number of
clauses of the European convention on defence of main freedoms and
human rights. ARMINFO was informed in the press office of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.
According to the resource, the claim of the fund was registered in the
secretariat of the European Court. The land charitable fund
Shahumian-Getashen, speaking on behalf of the residents of the
Armenians villages of Shahumian and Getashen districts, displaced as a
result of the policy of the authorities of Azerbaijan on expulsion of
Armenians during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from 1991-1992, at the
end of 2004 appealed to the European Court for human rights to receive
a material and moral satisfaction for the violated rights for easy use
and protection of property of the displaced population. Now the
aforementioned territories are under the control of Azerbaijani armed
forces, where Armenian populated areas, the property of the Armenians
are destroyed, and the program of resettlement of Azerbaijan is being
implemented. The fund expects from the court to recognize violated the
1st clause of the 1st protocol of the European Convention for defence
of main freedoms and human rights.
The clause says that every natural person or legal entity has the
right easily to use his property. Besides, the fund expects that the
court will recognize violated the 8th clause of the convention,
according to the first point of which “everybody has the right for
respect of his personal and family life, apartment and
correspondence”. Besides the fund demands to oblige Azerbaijan for
material and moral compensation for infringement of the rights.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Campaign for Recognition of the
Armenian Genocide (CRAG)
w3.crag.org.uk / w3.accc.org.uk
[email protected]
28 January 2005
** London Mayor Ken Livingstone on the Armenian Genocide **
Yesterday, as part of the weekly BBC1 television programme ‘Question
Time’ (10:35 pm-11:35 pm), David Dimbleby as Chair of the programme
invited a studio audience in Croydon to put their questions to a panel
that also comprised the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.
During a discussion of the Jewish Holocaust, Mayor Ken Livingston
addressed the issue of the importance of history and declared how
Hitler, embarking upon the Holocaust, had stated, “Who now remembers
the Armenians”. The Mayor also added that Armenians were victims of
the 20th Century’s first genocide.
CRAG will make the necessary contacts, but for those who watched the
programme, you can also respond to the Audience question of the
programme: ‘What are the lessons for us when we remember Auschwitz?’
by writing to the BBC. Simply log on the BBC web-link and take it from
there:

Agence France Presse
25 janvier 2005 mardi 9:02 PM GMT
Polémique sur la disparition du génocide arménien d’un programme
d’histoire
POTSDAM (Allemagne) 25 jan
Le génocide arménien ne figure plus au programme scolaire d’histoire
de l’Etat régional allemand du Brandebourg (est), ce qui a déclenché
une polémique dans laquelle le gouvernement régional se défend
d’avoir cédé à des pressions de la Turquie.
“Malheureusement il y a eu toute une série de génocides”, a déclaré
mardi à Potsdam le chef du gouvernement régional, le social-démocrate
Matthias Platzeck, regrettant que seul l’exemple arménien soit évoqué
dans cette partie du programme d’histoire, rédigée il y a deux ans.
Il a annoncé que des directives d’instruction sur la question des
génocides allait être reformulées cette année. En Allemagne,
l’éducation est du ressort des Etats régionaux.
Le quotidien berlinois Tagesspiegel avait accusé le gouvernement de
M. Platzeck d’avoir cédé à des pressions d’Ankara, ce que ce dernier
a nié.
Le Tagesspiegel a rapporté que le consul général de Turquie Aydin
Durusay s’était plaint auprès du gouvernement régional que le
génocide arménien soit évoqué dans le programme des classes des
élèves de 15 et 16 ans.
Toujours selon le journal, M. Durusay a reçu il y a deux semaines
l’assurance lors d’un déjeuner avec M. Platzeck que le sujet
disparaîtrait du programme scolaire.
Depuis, selon le journal, “le génocide de la population arménienne”
ne figure plus comme exemple illustrant le sujet du génocide.
Des députés régionaux, l’Union chrétienne-démocrate (CDU,
conservateurs) et le PDS (néo-communistes), ont demandé que le thème
du génocide arménien figure à nouveau au programme.
Les massacres et déportations d’Arméniens sous l’empire Ottoman, de
1915 à 1917, ont fait 1,5 million de morts, selon les Arméniens,
entre 300.000 et 500.000, selon les Turcs.
Le génocide arménien, nié par la Turquie, est officiellement reconnu
par le Parlement européen, la France, la Belgique et la Grèce.

International Journalist’s Network
Jan 26 2005
Diversity group focuses attention on Caucasus for 2005
A group that encourages conflict resolution and minority rights is
planning several events this spring for journalists in Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia.
In February, the London-based Media Diversity Institute (MDI) will
monitor 15 leading newspapers in the three countries. The institute
will examine the media’s coverage of topics such as refugees, the
disabled, and religious, sexual and ethnic minorities. MDI will
release a cross-regional comparison of the results after the study is
completed.
MDI also is organizing several team reporting projects for
journalists in the region. The first is scheduled for February 8 to
18 for eight Armenian and Georgian newspaper reporters. They will
travel throughout the two countries for two weeks, investigating a
diversity-related topic. One international and one local editor will
coordinate the team.
Similar team projects are scheduled for March 14 to 25 for
Azerbaijani and Georgian journalists; April 14 to 24 for Armenia,
Georgian and Azerbaijani journalists; and May 10 to 20 for Armenian
and Georgian journalists.
Journalists and NGO representatives can participate in one of several
media-relations workshops planned for the first half of 2005. Each
workshop will teach journalists the value of NGOs and how best to use
information provided by these groups. NGO participants will learn how
to gauge news value, and how to prepare news releases and news
conferences.
Media relations workshops are scheduled for February 25 to 27 in
Nagorno-Karabakh; March 1 to 3 for Armenians in Yerevan; April 5 to 7
for Azerbaijanis in Baku; April 5 to 7 for Georgians in Tbilisi; and
April 9 to 11 for Azerbaijanis in Ganja.
Three media management workshops – one each in Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia – are planned for March. This two-day program teaches
editors and managers of minority media outlets about research,
targeting content to consumers, marketing, distribution, revenue and
budgeting. MDI says the goal is to help minority media be more
financially viable while maintaining professional journalism
standards.
The workshops are scheduled for March 1 to 3 in Yerevan, Armenia;
March 3 to 4 in Baku, Azerbaijan; and March 7 to 8 in Tbilisi,
Georgia.
MDI also plans to release a new version of its `Reporting Diversity’
handbook this February in Armenian, Azeri and Georgian languages. The
manual includes sections on ethnicity, religion, gender, the
disabled, elderly people, refugees, sexual orientation and political
dissidents. Each section offers reporting tips and detailed analysis
of actual articles taken from newspapers from the Caucasus, Western
Europe and the United States.
For information on any of these upcoming events, visit
or contact
MDI at [email protected], telephone +44 20 73800 200, or fax
+44 20 73800 050.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 26 2005
World Azerbaijanis urge PACE to deprive Armenians of deputy mandates

The World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) has urged the Council of Europe
(CE) to impose sanctions on Armenia and deprive the Armenian
parliamentarians attending the sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the CE of their deputy mandates.
The WAC stated in its appeal to the PACE leadership and the member
states’ parliaments that `if the CE wants to achieve sustainable
peace in the region, it must take unbiased position on the Upper
Garabagh issue and urge Armenia to implement the UN resolutions and
PACE decisions’.*

SCIENTIFIC-RESEARCH CENTER OF CULTURAL HERITAGE TO COMPILE LISTS OF
ARMENIAN MONUMENTS SITUATED ABROAD
YEREVAN, January 19 (Noyan Tapan). The Scientific-Research Center of
Historical-Cultural Heritage compiled the state list of the historical
and cultural monuments of the Shirak and Tavush regions, which was
approved by the RA government. Hakob Simonian, the Director of the
Center, told NT’s correspondent that this year the government will
also present the list of the historical and cultural monuments of the
Syunik region. According to Hakob Simonian, 2,334 monuments will be
included into the list of the monuments of the Tavush region,
meanwhile their number made 700-800 in the state lists compiled in
1983 and 1986. The residential, public and monumental constructions
built in Gyumri at the close of the 19th century and in the beginning
of the 20th centuries are included into the state register of
2004. 1,996 monuments are registered in the Tavush region. The
archeological monuments, sepulchers, ancient castles, the settlements
of the Bronze Age, the monuments of the early Middle Ages have been
exposed as a result of the researches. The monumental sculptures of
the town of Ijevan, which were created by famous foreign sculptors,
are also included into the state list. The Director of the
Scientific-Research Center of Historical-Cultural Heritage mentions
the importance of the compiling of the state lists of the monuments,
as they may be destroyed as a result of the privatization of
lands. Hakob Simonian mentioned that completing the work on the
compiling of the state lists of historical and cultural monuments, the
center will start the work on the compiling of the lists of the
historical and cultural monuments situated abroad, in Russia, the
European countries and the United States.

EVENTS TIMED TO THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTOMAN
TURKEY WILL START IN THE SECOND HALF OF FEBRUARY, 2005
YEREVAN, JANUARY 19. ARMINFO. Events timed to the 90th anniversary of
Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey will start in the second half of
February, 2005. The state commission for organization of events timed
to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide headed by Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan made such a decision, Wednesday.
The Governmental Press Service told ARMINFO that in conformity with
the above decision, a Commemoration Evening Meeting will be held on
April 23, 2005 at the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after
Alexander Spendiarov. Under the programs, an international forum
devoted to Armenian Genocide and protection of Human rights will be
held. Publication of books on genocide is planned. Solemn liturgies
are expected at all the churches in the country.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Winter tales in warm halls
By Hovhannes Yeranian
Yerkir/arm
January 14, 2005
Due to the shaped tradition, the year ends and starts with theatrical
performances for children. Of course, the year actually ends for
theaters in summer so that a new season of performances start in
September.
New Year-related performances really boost theaters, since at these
occasions halls are usually full of children. Sometimes, New Year
tales are performed twice a day.
Today, the theaters are well-repaired and heated due to the Lincy
foundation. So the children no longer have to wear jackets, coats and
hats during the performances.
However, the Paronian theater, which did not experience a repair, this
year has not performed for children, sparing their health, since it
has no heating system. The Sundukian theater had a great success with
children, performing` The Magic Night’ play.
Different cultural centers have been trying to create mood for
children at the New Year> If we also add the performances and relevant
events organizedat schools, as well as the major event on the Republic
square, we shall get a picture of a New Year start full of fun for
children.