Author: Dabaghian Diana

The Aghassi of our times
By Hovhannes Yeranian
Yerki/arm
March 04, 2005
On March 1, in the Writers Union in an atmosphere of concealed
emotions and speechless admiration, the 50th birthday of Samvel
Shahmuradian was celebrated.
Shahmuradian was a member of the Writers Union, a Supreme Council
deputy, writer, journalist and publicist who went to the war and was
martyred. The school on Tsarav Aghbyur street that has been renamed
after Samvel Shahmuradian serves as the house-museum of the
writerâ~@~Ys literary and military biography.
On the same day Shahmuradianâ~@~Ys collection of articles titled Our
Sweet Land was presented to the public. Editor of the collection
Grigor Janikian called the author â~@~a soldier of his
homelandâ~@~]. â~@~What remains is the land and the people who live
on that land,â~@~] Shahmuradian once wrote.
This is why president of the Writers Union Levon Ananian called the
Homeland as the best place for commemoration of the writer. Alice
Hovhannissian called the collection of articles â~@~a book of
soldier ascetismâ~@~]. â~@~We would like to see the
soldier-writerâ~@~Ys frontline chronicles published,â~@~]
Hovhannissian added.
Shahmuradianâ~@~Ys unpublished diaries are currently being edited for
publication. Publicist Margo Ghukassian emphasized the modern
resonance of Samvel Shahmuradianâ~@~Ys articles. â~@~Whatever he
wrote, he wrote it for the modern timesâ~@~].
Academic Vladimir Barkhudarian described the writerâ~@~Ys life as a
brilliant example of healthy attitude towards the dictate of the
homeland. He should have been the hero of our times, and he will be
the hero, and the writerâ~@~Ys colleagues and critics agreed in this.
And this is why the patriot writer was called Aghassi of our times.
Theater critic Khachatur Avagian and writer Hrachya Matevossian
emphasized the importance of naming one of the streets in Yerevan
after Samvel Shahmuradian. Alice Hovhannissian noted that
Shahmuradianâ~@~Ys biography should be included in the literature
textbooks studied at schools as an example of unconditional devotion
to the homeland to be transferred to the next generations.
The commitment to remember the writer and soldier born on the first
day of spring, to tell about him and emphasize the importance of the
heritage he left unified many people that attended the celebration
and all of them wanted to share words of consolation and
glorification with Shahmuradianâ~@~Ys mother, his wife and children.
–Boundary_(ID_SHXEXtBK9WhemfzfzRLtDQ)–

BEHAVE YOURSELF OR WE WILL OPEN ARCHIVES OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Azg/arm
8 March 05
According to Alexan Kirakosian, the US got offended from Turkey
recently. This is explained by profound reasons. In Iraq the Sunnies
were at power, while the majority of the population is Shiites. The
Turks are dissatisfied, as the power of the Sunnies fell down and
the Shiites came to rule the country.
They stated that the US committed a genocide in Iraq. The American
got angry with them for this statement and threatened the Turks that
if they donâ~@~Yt behave themselves they will open the archives
of Wilson and Morgenthau. “These archives arenâ~@~Yt fully open,
today. There is the real picture of the Armenian genocide there,
particularly, all the documents concerning Versailles and the Sevres,”
Alexan Kirakosian said.
By Karine Danielian
–Boundary_(ID_rHE8voLa/Xw3fXhmNgcZYA)–

Top Azeri official labels homeland a “powder-keg” for disasters
Agence France Presse — English
March 7, 2005 Monday 1:33 PM GMT
BAKU, March 7 2005 — Azerbaijan’s deputy prime minister called
the former Soviet republic a “powder-keg” for natural and man-made
disasters at a seminar devoted to emergency issues on Monday.
“Everyone knows Azerbaijan is sitting on a powder-keg,” Deputy Prime
Minister Abid Sharifov told a seminar hosted by the French embassy in
Baku before listing a number of high risk areas in the oil-rich region.
“All parts of Azerbaijan are considered to be seismically active …
there is a risk of landslides in many zones and any moment can turn
into a tragedy,” Sharifov said adding that 50 percent of the nation’s
territory is at high flood risk.
In the oil boom that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union the
Azeri capital has become home to a multitude of high-rise buildings,
raising concerns that shoddy workmanship and poor land survey could
lead to their collapse in an earthquake or a land slide.
Many of the buildings had not been built when a medium level earthquake
struck the city in 2000, causing the destruction of a number of
older buildings.
Earlier this year a neighborhood on a ridge in Baku had to be evacuated
when large cracks in the asphalt showed that it had begun sliding
down a precipice.
Azerbaijan is also in danger of terrorist attacks at the hands of its
neighbor Armenia – with which it is still technically at war over the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave – targeting the US-backed BTC oil pipeline
scheduled to go online later this year, Sharifov said.
“With such a neighbor we are constantly under threat of terrorist
attack,” Sharifov said.
The Caspian nation is unprepared for a chemical disaster too, in case
of an accident or an attack “all we have are gas masks,” Sharifov said.
No single body coordinates disaster emergency efforts in Azerbaijan,
prompting Sharifov to call for the creation of an emergency situations
ministry or agency.

Haykakan Zhamanak (from Internews)
01.03.2005
Kentron TV company changed its director
Yesterday Kentron TV company again changed its director. Petros
Ghazaryan was dismissed form the position of director and Meruzhan
Sarkissian, who was the director of `Lraber’ (News) at H2 TV company,
will be assigned in his place.
In the interview given to our correspondent, Petros Ghazaryan
mentioned that he asked the owner of the TV company to decline from
him all administrative responsibilities and leave only creative ones.
Thus, Ghazaryan will continue his author’s program `Urvagits’ and
will begin also a Sunday analytical program.

WE GO ON THE WAY OF DEVELOPMENT
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
03 March 05
Last year on December 16 at the republic consultation NKR president
Arkady Ghukassian announced that he would visit Artsakh State
University. On February 27 the visit took place. The NKR president was
accompanied by the minister of education, culture and sport A. Ghulian
and other members of the government. Opening the meeting the rector
of the university H. Grigorian thanked the NKR government for
attending to the university. In his turn A. Ghukassian stressed the
importance of getting mutual benefit from similar meetings on the way
of democratization of the country. The main point of meeting with the
people is for the government to clarify their line of activity, feel
the developments in the country and take them into account during
their work. According to the president, the place of the meeting was
not accidental as it is here that the youth is prepared for carrying
on their shoulders the future of Karabakh. According to him, our main
achievement is that we created an international image for our country,
which differs from other unrecognized countries. The president thinks
this is an important circumstance as unrecognized countries are far
more vulnerable than the recognized ones. We managed to lay the
foundations of democracy. The president mentioned that it is early to
say that we have established a democratic state but we have achieved
considerable success. It is the imperative of life to build a
democratic state because only in this way is it possible to adopt the
values accepted in Europe and civilized countries, although there is
no guarantee that this will result in the recognition of NKR. But it
is the only way. It is evident that the world cannot recognize a
totalitarian Nagorni Karabakh. Both the people who are democratic
inherently and those who have nothing to do with democracy must
realize that we have no alternative;we must become a democratic
country and appear to the world as a state which lives in accordance
with international standards. Then the head of state touched upon the
achievements of the country in the sphere of economy. None of the
former members of the USSR is able to develop without the aid of the
international community in the form of loans, subsidies and
investments. We had to solve a very important problem: provide
conditions for investments that would attract both local and foreign
businessmen. A country must have a rich economy and be able to solve
social and economic problems in order to be considered a rich
country. This was much more difficult in the sense that the country
was to overcome the post-war syndrome. A. Ghukassian mentioned that we
have achieved progress in the sphere of investments. Presently
investors from the USA, France, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, Spain,
Russia, Armenia and other countries work in NKR. It was difficult to
come to this because with the present geopolitical developments making
investments in Karabakh is risky. Business based on mere patriotism
cannot be productive. The aim was set to create conditions in which
the investor would be sure that his activity would be protected by
law. According to the NKR president, we managed to prove to foreign
investors that their guarantor is the law and not a person, as it once
used to be the reality in Karabakh. By maintaining 5 per cent
taxation, which is the lowest in the post-Soviet territory, the danger
of tax avoidance was eliminated. Owing tothis budget revenues exceeded
the level when the taxes were higher. A. Ghukassian mentioned that the
present budget of NKR cannot be compared to that of the past five
years and even the previous year. Perhaps this is the reason why
Azerbaijan has become more aggressive. From the point of view of
Azerbaijan Karabakh with decayed economy will one day creep to
Azerbaijan asking for help. However, day by day they become convinced
that the rates of economic growth in Karabakh do not fall back from
Azerbaijan which is far richer in resources. The president mentioned
that we must be able to prove to the world that we have the right for
being an independent and civilized country because we are economically
self-sufficient and are able to live in accordance with the law,
building democracy. These are the standards of the international
community. The NKR president also touched upon the talks for the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Karabakh was left out of the
negotiations though mediators continue visiting Karabakh, because
everybody understands that without regarding the opinion of the people
and authorities of Karabakh it is impossible to achieve the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict. It is Azerbaijan’s fault that the
negotiation process is not going on within the framework of the Minsk
Group, as Azerbaijan refuses to negotiate with Karabakh. And if the
talks are resumed, the president of the country assured that they will
not go on without Karabakh. A. Ghukassian mentioned that we are
interested in the rapid settlement of the problem because innumerable
problems get accumulated in the country which is not recognized. On
the other hand, we understand that the problem cannot be solved at
just any price. We must do everything to prevent another war on this
land. And in this question the international community is on our
side. He denied rumours about returning territories. The people of
Karabakh know the standpoint of the government in reference to the
Karabakh problem. The NKR president stated that it will not change
because they got this mandate from the people. A. Ghukassian ensured
that they will not take steps which may harm the interests of
people. He stated, `We shall not accept unilateral compromise and will
not give up our independence.’ As to the home political life, the head
of the country stressed the importance of pursuing the way of
democracy, which is irrevocable. Opposition and free press is
developing in the country. Fortunately, we do not have the hatred
existing in other countries. In this reference he is hopeful that we
shall not get over the barrier. It is another thing that the
authorities want the opposition to be constructive, and problems to be
solved in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and not hostile
moods. `Home political stability is very important for us,’ said
A. Ghukassian, `and naturally we shall not allow any attempt of
destabilizing the country.’ In the second part of the meeting the head
of the country answered the questions of the professors and students
referring to the foreign and home policies, social and economic state
of the country and the problems of the university.
SVETLANA KHACHATRIAN.
03-03-2005

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Prelacy of Canada
Contact
Name: Dania Ohanian
Phone: (514) 856-1200
3401 Olivar Asselin
Montreal, Qc H4J 1L5
E-mail: [email protected]
Armenian Prelacy of Canada Hosts an Exhibit of Children’s Drawings
Montreal, Qc_ Under the Auspices of His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag
Hagopian, Prelate, and organized by the Prelacy’s Christian Education
Council of Canada, an exhibit of children’s drawings was held in the newly
built Prelacy building on the evening of Saturday February 19, 2005.
The colourful drawings adorning the walls of the Prelacy depicted different
themes from the Holy Bible, as perceived by the seven to 13 year-old
students who participated in the event.
Unbeknownst to the 150 participants, prizes were awarded on the following
day for the six best drawings, chosen by jurors Garo Margossian and Baydsar
Gantheg Avedikian. The winners were selected from two different age groups:
seven to nine year-olds and 10 to 13 year-olds.
The first prize for the younger group went to Maria Matossian, followed by
Aren Babigian and Goruyn Koyounian. Laura Sarimanoukian took the first prize
from the older age group, Ani Andonian came in second and Maral Margossian
third.
The other students were presented with certificates of participation from
the Prelacy and the Prelacy’s Christian Education Council of Canada.
The exhibit remained open until Sunday afternoon, allowing church attendants
to visit the exhibition after mass.
-30-

Baku Today
March 2 2005
Azerbaijan, Armenia FMs to Meet In Paris
Sponsored Links

Trend 02/03/2005 10:28
Elmar Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, left for Prague
on Tuesday, the Foreign ministry announced.
The key objective of the visit is to hold a meeting with the OSCE
Minsk group co-chairs and discuss the results of monitoring of the
illegal settlement of Armenians in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan.
During the meeting the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will present
to the Minister a report in the work done by the member of the
Monitoring group in Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 Azerbaijani districts
attached to it.
Mammadyarov will leave Prague for Paris to meet his Armenian
counterpart Vardan Oskanian, the Ministry announced.

Azeri pundit says no talks after Armenian leader’s annexation remarks
Ayna, Baku
1 Mar 05

Excerpt from X. Safaroglu report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ayna on 1
March headlined “Deadlocked ‘Prague principles'” and subheaded “The
fact that the basis of negotiations has not been formed has made
solution models ineffective”
The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov and
Vardan Oskanyan, were expected to meet in Prague on 2 March for their
sixth meeting within the framework of the “Prague process” [postponed
till 4 March].
The ministers will to discuss a solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict. The two will also discuss the OSCE report on the monitoring
of cases of Armenians settling illegally in the occupied [Azerbaijani]
territories.
Mammadyarov and Oskanyan last met in Prague on 11 January [this year].
Meanwhile, the Armenian president has elaborated on his vision of how
to solve the conflict.
“Nagornyy Karabakh will either be independent or part of Armenia in
the foreseeable future,” Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said in
an interview with Golos Armenii newspaper.
He said that the negotiations process has become active and there is a
slight hope for breakthrough. Kocharyan also said that some views on
Nagornyy Karabakh’s participation in the negotiations need to be
corrected.
[Passage omitted: reported details, importance of healthy approach to
negotiations]
The president of the so-called “Nagornyy Karabakh Republic”, Artur
Gukasyan, said that there is no alternative to a peaceable solution to
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
“Life has proven that the problem cannot be solved through war. The
problem remains although we have won the war,” Gukasyan said. The
parties are not yet ready for solving the problem, he said.
“It is necessary to make a clever compromise,” the head of the
separatist regime said, adding that propaganda should be intensified.
“We understand that the Azerbaijanis are our neighbours. Our main aim
is to have peace. We have to do whatever we can to prevent war
here. It would be possible to ensure the development of the region
after all the conflicting issues are resolved.”
He also noted that it does not matter how positive meetings between
the presidents and the foreign ministers of the two countries are,
they cannot replace the OSCE Minsk Group in the resolution of the
conflict.
Azerbaijani political analysts have convergent views on this.
The former foreign minister, Tofiq Zulfuqarov, said that Kocharyan’s
statement is a repetition of his old position.
“The negotiations are actually suspended following that
statement. It’s no use holding negotiations under the
circumstances. This is not a peace process. The Armenians are hoping
that someone from Azerbaijan may sign a defeatist deal.”
Such a statement in the run-up to the Prague meeting illustrates that
the Armenians stick to their old position and are not interested in
any breakthrough in the talks:
“Such statements show that no talks are possible. By holding the
negotiations, they are just killing time.”
Commenting on Gukasyan’s statement that “the conflict should be
resolved not through the meetings of the presidents, but within the
framework of the Minsk Group”, the former minister said that it is
important to define a principle here.
International organizations have said that the conflict can [only] be
solved by the two countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The meetings between the presidents and the foreign ministers aim to
reach a high-level agreement on some principles, Zulfuqarov said.
“It is impossible to reach agreement on the principles after
Kocharyan’s statement. What is the basis for talks in the Minsk Group
format if there is no agreed basis for the resolution of the
conflict?”
It’s no use conducting negotiations with the principle “Karabakh
should be part of Armenia”, he noted.
Zulfuqarov believes that the proposals of the Minsk Group for
resolving the conflict do not have any basis. Saying that “these 10
years continue to pass in the same way as it has elapsed so far”, the
political analyst said that for the talks to be successful, the
negotiating parties should show desire to achieve peace.
“Armenia does not want to come to agreement and is setting forth such
demands in advance which the other party cannot accept them. So, the
negotiations will not yield any results.”
Zulfuqarov said that Armenia’s policy contributes to increased tension
in the region. “By frequently violating the cease-fire, Yerevan is
aiming to force Baku to respond. They are sort of dragging Azerbaijan
into sabotage.”

ARMENIAN MONASTERIAL COMPLEX NORAVANK TO BE INCLUDED IN UNESCO WORLD LEGACY LIST
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28. ARMINFO. In the next few days the Armenian
monasterial complex Noravank will be included in the UNESCO world
legacy list, says the secretary general of the UNESCO national
commission of Armenia’s foreign ministry Karine Danielyan.
This is the 4th Armenian monument on the list after Hakhpat (II-IV),
Echmiadzin Cathedral and Zvartnots ruins (II-III) and Gegard Monastery.
Noravank is one of the best known monuments of medieval Armenia. It is
located on a gorge of Arpa 122 km of Yerevan. The complex was built
in XII-XIV and was the residence of Sunik bishops. Its most ancient
part St Karapet Monastery dates back to IX-X.

>>From Europe to U.S.: Can Djorkaeff help end stigma?
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
February 27, 2005
By Jeff Rusnak, Soccer Columnist
Youri Djorkaeff is not a name that rolls easily off the tongue, but
in international-soccer circles it’s a name most fans recognize. Many
can even pronounce it.
Upon joining the MetroStars two weeks ago, the former France midfielder
became the biggest name to sign with Major League Soccer in five
seasons, and it’s an addition that has stirred an age-old American
soccer debate.
Djorkaeff is a week shy of 37 and he’s come stateside to finish a
career that began at FC Grenoble in 1984. In the 20 seasons since the
slender Frenchman has scored nearly 200 goals for eight top-flight
clubs in France, Italy, Germany and most recently England, where he
last played for the Blackburn Rovers.
He scored 28 goals in 82 internationals for France, and was a member
of the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship winners. His club
titles include the French Cup with AS Monaco, the UEFA Cup Winners
Cup with Paris Saint-Germain, and the UEFA Cup with Inter Milan.
It’s a resume most players could only hope for. Yet, because of
Djorkaeff’s age, there’s some debate about the merits of bringing him
to MLS. It’s a debate that’s fueled in part by the dismal showing of
the last World Cup winner to sign with the MetroStars, former Germany
captain Lothar Matthaus.
Matthaus joined the underachieving franchise in 2000 and did nothing
to improve matters. He also did nothing to erase the stigma of
thirtysomething European imports that come here for what amounts to
a soccer holiday. It’s a stigma with roots that trace back to all
those pricey imports who played in the North American Soccer League,
and it grows deeper every time someone like Matthaus disappoints.
There hasn’t been a player of Matthaus’s pedigree to sign with
MLS until Djorkaeff, and the league has suffered from the vacuum of
cultured talent. While the average American player has gotten better,
the style of play has become more predictable as teams failed to
replace Carlos Valderrama, Peter Nowak, Marco Etcheverry and the like.
Djorkaeff’s signing is a good first step in replenishing the playmaking
drain. Despite his years, he was fit enough to score nine goals in 28
goals last season for Bolton. He moved to Blackburn on a free transfer
last summer, but played just three games before injuring a hamstring.
He was released in December, but left an impression before
departing. Blackburn coach Mark Hughes described Djorkaeff as
“a fantastic professional” with the ability to play a support role
behind the two forwards. Just want MLS needs more of.
,0,7031915.column?coll=sfla-sports-headlines
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress