Author: Eduard Nalbandian

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 10 2004
US Supports Azerbaijan
Baku Today 10/08/2004 18:48
On August 9, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan received an
American delegation led by Senator Ted Stevens, AzerTag reported on
Tuesday.
The parties discussed bilateral relations in political, economic and
military fields.
`The USA has an important role in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict as a co-chair of OSCE’s Minsk group,’ Aliyev said.
Stevens focused at Azerbaijan’s involvement in anti-terrorist
coalition in Iraq. He stressed the importance of cooperation between
the USA and Azerbaijan to develop the power resources in the region.
While Deputy Spokesperson at the US State Department, Adam Ereli,
stated that the US doesn’t recognize Nagorno Karabakh as an
independent country, Azertag reported on Tuesday.
`The future status of Nagorno-Karabakh depends on the ongoing
negotiations led by the OSCE’s Minsk group,’ said Ereli. `We are
supporting territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and we don’t believe
that the August 8, elections held in Nagorno Karabakh will have an
impact on the negotiations.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Stamford Advocate, CT
July 30 2004
East European orphans hope visit to U.S. yields a family

Pavel `Pasha’ Ptushko, an 8-year-old orphan from Russia, is staying
with a Stamford family for a month while he waits for an adoptive
family to be found. (Paul Desmarais/Staff photo)
Jul 30, 2004

By Katherine Didriksen
Special Correspondent
July 30, 2004
STAMFORD — Pavel “Pasha” Ptushko is fresh-faced, blond and 8 — and
has come far to find a home.
An orphaned child from Russia, Pavel is staying with a Stamford
family for four weeks this summer through World Links Association, a
nonprofit international adoption agency based in Scranton, Pa.
World Links unites orphaned children from Russia, Armenia,
Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine with American families. It has placed
about 450 children in the United States in the past five years.
In its Karing for Kids Host Program for Orphans, the agency brings
children such as Pavel from orphanages in eastern Europe to stay with
American host families for several weeks. The 56 children who visited
this summer will return to Russia on Wednesday.
The program, which began with 25 children in 1999, allows orphans to
learn about American culture and family life while the agency screens
potential adoptive families.
It’s easier to find the children permanent homes if they are in the
country, said Laureen Dempsey, coordinator of the host program.
“If they’re just a picture in eastern Europe, they’re no one,” she
said.
American families begin adoption proceedings for about 98 percent of
the orphaned children who come to the United States through the
program, Dempsey said.
All children must return to Russia after their stay. They go back to
the orphanage or are adopted by an American family in Russian court.
Born July 12, 1996, Pavel is one of the few orphans on this trip who
has not been placed. Left at an orphanage at birth, Pavel, who has a
partial cleft lip, never had a visitor there.
“Russia doesn’t have the social safety net that we have,” Dempsey
said. “When a parent can’t care for a child in Russia, they’re put in
the orphanage system. . . . Some children are in the orphanage a long
time.”
Pavel has seen his friends from the orphanage find families.
“He’s dying for a family,” Dempsey said.
His host parents in Stamford, who did not want to be identified, have
watched Pavel acclimate to life in Fairfield County during the past
three weeks. He particularly enjoys the beach.
“Just getting in the water was thrilling for him,” his host mother
said.
He is quickly picking up English words and phrases, flashing a “hi”
at visitors and easily getting his point across with hand gestures.
“He has a really good disposition,” his host mother said.
This week, Pavel fought a fake sword battle with the couple’s
4-year-old son, one dressed as a knight and the other playing a
pirate.
Some host families eventually adopt, sometimes taking in the child
they hosted, Dempsey said.
Barbara and Nick Rinaldi of Guilford and their 9-year-old daughter,
Alicia, will adopt Christina Nesterenkova, whom they have hosted
since early this month, as soon as possible.
The Rinaldis have talked about adoption for years.
“Ever since she could speak, she has wanted a sister,” Barbara
Rinaldi said of their daughter. “It was always kind of in the back of
our minds.”
The World Links hosting program “was a perfect test drive,” Barbara
Rinaldi said. “They’re truly sisters, sisters of the heart.”
A victim of parental neglect, Christina was removed from her home and
placed in an orphanage near Smolensk. She has a foot deformity, which
the Rinaldis hope to have corrected. They also hope her condition
will speed up the adoption process which can take several months.
When she arrived in the United States, Christina was wearing pink
jean shorts that were two sizes too small and oversize shoes. She had
no suitcase and carried only a plastic bag with an incomplete change
of clothes.
Her ordeal has taught Christina to take care of herself, Barbara
Rinaldi said.
“She is an independent, fiery spirit. . . . She’s amazingly happy,
given what she’s been through in her short life,” she said.
Like Pavel, Christina will board a plan for Russia next week. Her
host family is sad to see her go, even as they plan for her return.
“We’re dreading Wednesday, but we’re looking forward to the best
Christmas present our family has ever had,” Barbara Rinaldi said.
— Families interested in adoption may call World Links at (570)
344-8890 and ask for Laureen Dempsey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJANIS RALLY AGAINST ARMENIA IN MOSCOW
YEREVAN, JULY 24. ARMINFO-TURAN. Representatives of the Azerbaijani
Diaspora in Moscow held a rally yesterday in “Teatralnaya” square on
the occasion of “the 11th anniversary of Azerbaijani Aghdam region’s
occupation by Armenia.”
According to TURAN, the action was initiated by the Movement for
Azerbaijan. The rally participants demanded that OSCE Minsk Group
refuses from double standards as well as fulfillment of the four
relations of the UN Security Council on release of the occupied
territories of Azerbaijani. They also urged for Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan’s “transfer to the international court for
organization of ethnic purge in Karabakh.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Federal News Service, Inc.
FNS DAYBOOK
July 23, 2004 Friday
EVENT: DISCUSSION – CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
(CSIS)
SUBJECT: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) holds
a discussion, “Armenia’s Opposition: The Next Steps.”
LOCATION: CSIS, B-1 Conference Level, 1800 K Street NW, Washington,
D.C. — July 23, 2004
PARTICIPANTS: Stepan Demirchian, Armenian People’s Party
CONTACT: Mark Schoeff Jr., 202-775-3242; e-mail, [email protected];
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Tehran Times
July 19 2004
Iranian-Armenian Experts Discuss Commonalities in Architecture
Tehran Times Art Desk
TEHRAN (MNA) — Iran and Armenia discussed their commonalities in
town planning and architecture at the Iranian Academy of Arts with
the participation of Armenian and Iranian experts on Sunday.
At this roundtable discussion Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti, Mohsen
Habibi, Ayatollahzadeh Shirazi, and Mehdad Qaumi from Iran and
Armenian experts Belgarian, Giujian, Kermenjian, Hayakian along with
several other Iranian and Armenian experts expressed their views. *
Japan to Premiere Iranian Film “He”
TEHRAN July 18 (MNA) — “He”, the only Iranian film to participate in
the Asia-Pacific competition will be screened in Japan’s cinemas when
the festival finishes.
The producers of the film are currently busy subtitling the film into
Japanese for screening in Japanese cinemas.
The films “Duel” and “The Marsh” are being screened in the
non-competition section of the festival. `Spring Poets” Special Issue
Published in Turkmenistan
TEHRAN July 18 (MNA) — A special issue of the “Spring Poets” was
published in Ashkhabad by the cultural consulate of the Islamic
Republic.
Published in the Russian language, the special issue has been printed
in four colors with interesting subjects and eye-catching pictures
from Iranian and Turkmenistan cultural figures.
Some of the subjects of the special issue are Attar Neyshaburi,
Abulqasem Ferdowsi, Makhtumquli, Sa’di, Omar Khayyam, Makhtumquli in
search of love, and Imam Khomeini (R) poems.
This special issue in 33 pages was published by the Center for the
Promotion of Persian Literature affiliated to the Organization of
Culture and Islamic Relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN EXPLAINS WHY ARMENIA SIGNED OSCE CRITICIZING
STATEMENT
YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS: In response to an Armenpress question
why Armenia decided to join Russia and eight other ex-Soviet states in
accusingthe Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
of unjustly meddling in their internal affairs and why Azerbaijan
refused to sign it and whether it will not impede the OSCE’s efforts
to regulate the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, Hamlet Gasparian, a
spokesman for the Armenian foreign affairs ministry, said Armenia like
other signatories has its own reservations regarding the activity of
the OSCE in general and some of its bodies, in particular. He said
these reservations did not result in one day and came as the public
manifestation of unresolved problems that have been piled up over the
years and therefore they should not be given a special attention, and
neither a novelty should be sought in the statement.
He said that the nine CIS member countries, which signed the
statement and which are also full members of the OSCE, listed their
positions on such issues as, for example, the explicit violation of
the balance between the so-called “three dimensions” of the OSCE , not
objective and frequently unconstructive assessments of the OSCE
monitoring missions, use of double standards, selected criticism of
some countries and ignoring issues in some others. “These concerns
were at the bottom of the statement,” he said.
The spokesman said the issues raised in the statement were not new.
According to him, they are of conceptual character and concern largely
the reform inside the OSCE. He said part of these issues were raised
by Armenian and other CIS member countries delegations before the OSCE
during discussions on improvement of its work and in other
bodies. “The signatories of the statement are full members of the OSCE
and have the right to express their opinions with regard to this or
that aspect of the OSCE’s activity for the sake of its improvement,”
he said.
The spokesman said that Armenia’s decision to sign the statement
does not mean that Armenia is not committed to responsibilities it
assumed within the frameworks of the OSCE. “Armenia remains committed
to all its obligations and is dedicated to this organization’s values,
and defends the principle of solidarity among all its members,” he
said.
According to the spokesman, there is a necessity that all members
of the OSCE try to join efforts for seeking ways to correct the
violation of the balance within it and the best way is to reform it
that should be the result of an impartial analysis of its work and a
frank dialogue.
“As to speculations that it can have a negative impact on the
Nagorno Karabagh conflict regulation process, it should be noted that
the issues raised in it have no relations at all to the regulation
process, neither to the work of the OSCE Minsk group and its
co-chairmen,” he said.
He said also that according to Azerbaijani mass media, Azerbaijan’s
decision not to join other ex-Soviet states was not because of its
approvalof the OSCE work, as it often criticized harshly the Minsk
group, but because other CIS countries refused to incorporate into its
text some wordings, proposed by Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Arms exhibition to open in Nizhny Tagil
MOSCOW. July 5 (Interfax) – An international arms exhibition will be
held in Nizhny Tagil from July 6-10 to display, among other exhibits,
the latest developments of the Russian defense sector, the
Rosoboronexport press service told Interfax. “The Nizhny Tagil
exhibition will feature advanced weapons and upgraded military
hardware from more than two dozen countries,” the press service
said. Alexander Orlov, spokesman for the Collective Security Treaty
Organization’s secretariat, told Interfax on Monday that the
exhibition will also include military hardware and arms the Collective
Security Treaty Organization plans to sell at lower prices. The
hardware includes 80 armored personnel carriers, modernized artillery
launchers and munitions, Orlov said. The Collective Security Treaty
Organization comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, and Tajikistan. The organization’s collective rapid deployment
forces, which were created on May 25, 2003, involve nine battalions of
more than 5,500 people. Russia opened its air base on the premises of
Bishkek’s Kant airport in October 2003 to support the collective rapid
deployment forces’ operations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 17:24:59 | 22-06-2004 | Social |
CHILDREN FALLEN INTO NEGLECT IN ARMENIA
On Tuesday, Christian Ferrin, the head of Armenian mission of Doctors
without Borders organization, speaking at a news conference in Yerevan,
voiced dissatisfaction at cooperation with Armenian authorities for
last seven year.
Ferrin said a program launched to improve child treatment in
special schools was already completed but no changes had been made
in Nubarashen and Vardashen special schools so far. Children are
being mistreated and undergone violence as before, he said. The
organization and Armenian Education Ministry was in charge of the
project implementation.
In his words, Armenian authorities said these schools were intended
for military training. It means children under age of12 years pass
military training in a clear breach of International Convention on
the Rights of the Child.
Key aim of the organization is children protection. The organization
focuses its attention also on rendering help to those families in
extreme need to prevent them from collapsing.
“Many abandoned children in orphanages have parents who are unable to
take care of them. Time has come the authorities to take responsibility
for every child not only to help them”, Ferrin said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

USA does not fund Armenian opposition – envoy
Mediamax news agency
17 Jun 04
Yerevan, 17 June: Neither the US administration, nor the embassy or
any US financial institution fund the opposition or the authorities
in Armenia, the US ambassador to Armenia, John Ordway, told a news
conference in Yerevan today, answering a question about possible US
funding for the Armenian opposition’s actions.
“We are interested in democratic development in Armenia, but
assistance either to the opposition or to the authorities is beyond
our jurisdiction,” the ambassador said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA REMAINS ON TIER 2 WATCH LIST
ArmenPress
June 16 2004
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS: Armenia found itself in its last
year’s company in this year’s U.S. State Department report on human
trafficking. In the department’s fourth annual Trafficking in Persons
Report, released Monday, Armenia was among 42 nations listed on the
Tier 2 Watch List. Nations are classified into three categories,
with Tier 3 being the least favorable. Armenia moved from Tier 3 to
Tier 2 last year after it took steps to clean up its act. Nations on
the Tier 2 Watch List are considered in danger of falling into Tier 3.
Armenian foreign affairs ministry said Armenian ambassador to the
USA was invited, together with representatives of other diplomatic
missions to the report presentation. John Miller, head of the office
for fighting against trafficking in persons, spoke with Armenian
ambassador, saying that Armenia may move to Tier 1 in the event of
launching a large-scale crackdown on corruption and tracking down and
punishing people involved in trafficking in persons. An arrangement
was reached to convene a special meeting to that end.
The report says that Armenia is primarily a source and transit country
for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation mainly to the
United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Turkey, as well as Russia, Greece,
and other European countries. Trafficking to Russia, Turkey and the
U.A.E. for the purposes of labor exploitation was an increasingly
significant problem. There were a few cases of trafficking in women
from Uzbekistan to Armenia for sexual exploitation. Advocates expressed
concerns about internal trafficking and trafficking of orphans,
but no confirmed cases were uncovered.
The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so. Cooperation between police and NGOs
increased the number of investigations, and provided police a greater
understanding of international and domestic sources of trafficking.
The government should improve legal instruments to create more
effective tools for law enforcement and should improve the transparency
of its anti-corruption programs.
The Report also says that law enforcement improved its record of
victim identification and referrals to a service-providing NGO. In one
operation, police identified eight foreign prostitutes, suspected
they were victims and referred them to an NGO for assistance.
Armenian NGOs provided most victim assistance, but cooperated well
with police. In order to alleviate vulnerabilities of an at-risk group,
the government adopted a program to provide apartments to children who
graduated from orphanages, and provided assistance to poor families
with needy children.
Prevention activities increased during the reporting period, especially
through the use of mass media. The National Police were featured in
several training films and TV shows on trafficking, and the Ministry
of Education approved anti-trafficking educational lectures for
secondary and university students. In January of 2004, the government
approved an anti-trafficking national action plan for 2004-2006. The
government contributed the equivalent of $11,000 of its own funds
to support the work of the National Anti-Trafficking Commission,
and foreign donors provided the remaining funds. The government’s
Department for Migration and Refugees conducted extensive outreach on
migration issues, which prevented a significant number of individuals
from succumbing to trafficking, according to an independent survey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress