Author: Ekmekjian Janet

ArmenPress
June 25 2004
ALEXANDER TREGER TO PERFORM IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS: Alexander Treger – a noted US
violinist, accomplished conductor and gifted educator, has arrived in
Armenia at the invitation of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra to
perform a concert here on June 25. He will play the works by
Bernstein, Dvorak, Beethoven. His visit to Yerevan and the concert
are also sponsored by the US embassy in Yerevan, Alexander Treger was
appointed Music Director of the acclaimed American Youth Symphony in
1998. He succeeded Mali Math and is only the second conductor to lead
the ensemble since it was founded in 1964. One of the nation’s top
pre-professional orchestras, the American Youth Symphony provides
hands-on training in orchestral performance.
Prior to being named Music Director of the American Youth
Symphony, Treger guest conducted the orchestra in 1994 and 1996. An
inspiring teacher, who enjoys working with promising young musicians,
he has given numerous master classes around the world and held the
position of Professor of Violin at the UCLA Music Department for two
decades from 1977 to 1997.
A musician with many interests and talents, Treger has served as
Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1985, although he
continually devotes more of his time to conducting. During the past
two seasons, he guest conducted the Turk Philharmonic in Finland and
will return during the 2002-2003 season to once again guest conduct
the esteemed orchestra. Several years ago, he stepped in at the last
minute to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic, successfully
replacing the indisposed Franz Welse-Most.
He has also appeared as a guest conductor with the Santa Barbara
Chamber Orchestra, California’s Music in the Mountains Festival
Orchestra, the New World Symphony and the Santa Monica Symphony. In
addition, he served as the interim conductor of the UCLA Symphony in
1992 and was appointed the Music Director/Conductor of the Crossroads
Chamber Orchestra in 1993, where he has developed a youth orchestra
of the highest caliber.
Treger began his musical training at the age of five in his native
Russia, where he studied violin and piano. By the age of thirteen, he
had won numerous music competitions in his country, and was later
chosen by the renowned violinist David Oistrakh to study at the
prestigious Moscow Conservatory. He describes the six years he spent
at the Conservatory being mentored by Mr. Oistrakh “among the most
influential on my development as a musician.” While a student there,
he also took a great interest in conducting.
After graduating, Treger became a member of the Moscow Radio
Symphony and, subsequently, left Russia to become the
Concertmaster/Soloist of the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
Treger arrived in the United States in 1973 and joined the Los
Angeles Philharmonic in 1974. He was appointed Assistant
Concertmaster in 1978, promoted to Second Concertmaster two years
later, and appointed Concertmaster in 1985, a position he still
holds. Treger has won high praise for his numerous solo performances
with the orchestra at the Music Center and the Hollywood Bowl, which
have included concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok,
Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Shostakovich, and Prokofieff under the
direction of Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, Simon Rattle, Pierre
Boulez, Vladimir Ashkenazi, Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, and
Esa-Pekka Salonen.
He has also appeared as soloist with a number of major U.S.
orchestras including the San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, and Houston
Symphonies. An avid chamber performer, he has collaborated in
concerts with such well-known artists as Radu Lupu, Yefim Bronfman,
Andre Previn, Bernard Greenhouse and Emmanuel Ax.

Germany to help Armenia improve water supplies
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
22 Jun 04
[Presenter] Armenian and German businessmen are preparing cooperation
plans. The Armenian side is presenting in Berlin proposals to
increase the volume of commodity turnover. Armenian legislation is
more liberal on protecting investment and ensuring economic
competition.
[Correspondent Hermine Bagdasaryan from Berlin] An additional 8m euros
to improve water supplies to Armenia’s distant districts – Armenian
Prime Minister Andranik has reached this agreement with German
Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie
Wieczorek-Zeul. This is not the beginning of German support, but a
continuation of several years of a programme of improvement for the
republic’s water supply, assisting small and medium-sized businesses
and developing alternative sources of energy.
Minister Zeul asked Andranik Markaryan about the Caucasus Initiative
programme, expressing concern that only Armenia and Georgia are
involved in it. Our neighbours [Azerbaijan] politicize our joint
cooperation in the ecological and economic sectors although Armenia
has declared its readiness for cooperation without any conditions,
Andranik Markaryan said.
Markaryan and Zeul also discussed a peaceful settlement to the
Karabakh problem.
The agenda of the Armenian delegation also included economic
events. More than 200 businessmen have arrived in Berlin to take part
in the Armenian-German economic cooperation forum and industrial
exhibition.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 22 2004
SPEECH BY ILHAM ALIYEV, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN
[June 22, 2004, 18:14:47]
Esteemed Mr. President,
Dear guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I do extend my cordial greeting to you once again and wish you
welcomed here.
Today, a new page is being opened in the relations between the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the Hellenic Republic. Useful political
dialogue is being held. Relations are developing fast. We want these
relations would cover all areas.
Dear Mr. President, I highly appreciate your official visit to
Azerbaijan and I am confident that this visit will pave ground for a
new level of relationship between our countries. It goes without
saying that the conducted discussions and meetings will define new
areas for mutual activities and contribute to the further expansion
of the relation in future.
Expansion and the development of relations between our countries in
political, economic, humanitarian, cultural and tourism fields are of
paramount importance. I wish to express my hope that the ties to be
established between Greek businessmen and Azerbaijani entrepreneurs
during the Greek-Azerbaijani business Forum will give an impetus to
our cooperation. Relationship will strengthen after your visit.
Today, Azerbaijani State continues the foreign and home policy
founded by the national leader Heydar Aliyev. From this points of
view the integration of Azerbaijan into the Europe and Euro-Atlantic
structures, to the international organizations has an important
place.
Thanks to the wise policy of Heydar Aliyev, today Azerbaijan takes
its well-deserved place in the world. Our country is the member of
Council of Europe and successfully cooperates with the NATO in the
framework of “Partnership for Peace” program and with the European
and Euro-Atlantic structures. Azerbaijan has been included into the
EU ” Wider Europe and neighbors” policy.
Today, the biggest energy projects of the world are being implemented
in Azerbaijan. The transportation of the energy resources from the
Caspian basin to the West, implementation of TRACECA Program, the
restoration of the Great Silk Road, the projects like the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline
are wonderful examples to this. After the implementation of these
projects a new stage of integration into Europe and the development
in Azerbaijan, as well as the countries of the region will start. The
operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline will significantly
expand Azerbaijan-Greek relations. This pipeline will not only make
our countries to prosper, but it will also have a positive impact on
their relationship.
Azerbaijan is closely co-operating with all the countries of the
region. Only Armenia has isolated itself from such co-operation. As a
result of military aggression of this country, 20% of our lands has
been occupied, more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced
people were ousted from their native places. Four UN Security Council
Resolutions and OSCE decisions regarding the conflict remain
unfulfilled. The Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict must
be solved soon based upon the international law norms and the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored.
It is with pleasure I wish to note that the Olympic games in the
current year will be held in its historic Motherland-Greece.
Azerbaijani sportsmen, as well as people form cultural and artistic
communities are having special preparation for this noble event.
Esteemed Mr. President, once again I want to express that I do attach
a high importance to your official visit to the Republic of
Azerbaijani and wish you good health and permanent development and
prosperity to your country. I raise my glass, Mr. President to You,
to the development of sincere friendship and mutually beneficial
relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Hellenic
Republic.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Grids seeks $38 Mln from JBIC
Interfax
June 21 2004
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenian Grids expects to sign an agreement with
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) later this month for
a loan worth $38 million to finance energy projects, company General
Director Yevgeny Gladunchik said Friday.
He said $30 million would be used to reconstruct low-voltage power
plants acquired during privatization and $8 million would be used to
buy and install 150,000 electric meters.
JBIC representatives will visit Yerevan June 21 – 28. Gladunchik said
the loan would be used by the end of 2006.
The Armenian government and JBIC signed a loan agreement in 1999 to
finance the reconstruction of 33 power substations. The money was
never received because Armenia began privatizing its power grids.
The loan will be used to modernize just 30 substations since prices
for energy equipment have risen substantially in the past five years,
he said.
Armenian Grids must pay $2 million on the loan each year. The loan
will be provided for 30 years at 1.8% annually. Britain’s Midland
Resources Holding Ltd bought 100% of Armenian Grids for $12.15 million
in November 2002.

AEROFLOT SET TO SPREAD ITS WINGS INTO GEORGIA
by Tracey Boles Transport Editor
The Business
June 20, 2004
Empire building is alive and well in Russia – at least in its aviation
sector. Aeroflot Russian Airlines has opened tentative talks with
Georgian flag carrier Air Zena with a view to purchasing it outright
or taking at least majority control of the airline.
As well as developing its presence outside Russia, Aeroflot is looking
to enhance its domestic services and is courting various Russian
airlines as potential purchases. The national carrier is understood to
be interested in Samara Airlines and Kuban Airlines, with the aim of
establishing new regional bases at Samara and Kransnador. In addition
it has not ruled out an investment in Siberia’s Arkhangelsk Airlines.
Air Zena was formed as a charter airline in 1994 and has established
a strong network into Europe from its base at Tbilisi. Acquiring flag
carrier status in 1999 following the demise of Georgian Airlines,
it has played an important role in developing the country’s economy
and its links with the west. A private airline, it operates three
Boeing 737-500 and two Antonov 2 aircraft on routes connecting Tbilisi
with Moscow, Prague, Paris, Athens, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, Amsterdam,
Vienna and Kiev.
Aeroflot believes an equity investment in the Georgian carrier will
help expand its activities in the Commonwealth of Independent states
(CIS) and prove a boon to the SkyTeam alliance, which the Russian
airline will join within the next two years.
“We confirm that we are in talks for Air Zena , but this is a
preliminary stage and it is too early to talk about results,” Lev
Koshlyakov, deputy general director of Aeroflot, said. “We have
an interest in the CIS market and we are building up contacts and
relations as this could be our trump card in the SkyTeam alliance.”
If Aeroflot buys up Air Zena, it will be following the example of
Russia’s number two carrier Sibir, which acquired Armenia’s Armavia
airline in 2002. Sibir has used Armavia not only to expand its network,
but also to import Airbus 320 planes duty-free and to gain experience
operating them on the CIS market.
Sibir has already imported four such aircraft and is only required to
pay a small registration fee in Armenia. But the aircraft cannot be
used on the routes of Sibir proper due to government restrictions on
using imported planes; Aeroflot is allowed to operate only 27 foreign
jets in its fleet of 78.
Last month Aeroflot signed a preliminary agreement to join the Air
France-led SkyTeam airline alliance, a deal that could take a year
to be finalised.
Aeroflot intends to increase market share on Russian-US routes
with what it bills as an improved service – supposedly gone is the
unfriendly and unreliable image of Soviet times, to be replaced with
new uniforms and an la carte menu. The first North American office
for frequent fliers opened recently.
But Aeroflot’s ability to revamp its much-maligned fleet is limited
by the measures designed to protect Russia’s aircraft industry;
value-added-tax and import duties that increase the price of
foreign-made jets by up to 40%. As a result, Boeing, which has 500
engineers in Russia and has invested $ 1.3bn (715m, E1bn) into joint
ventures with the country since the early 1990s, sells more planes
to Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
The good news for both manufacturers is that the Russian airline
plans to double its fleet to 150 jets by the end of the decade;
the lack of sufficient Russian aircraft may play straight into their
hands. Of 110 foreign-made jets flown by CIS airlines, 88 are Boeings.

Azeri, Armenian foreign ministers see Prague talks on Karabakh as “positive”
MPA news agency
22 Jun 04
Baku, 22 June: Different aspects of and prospects for resolving
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict have been discussed in Prague by the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers.
Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanyan expressed concern about the
recent cease-fire violations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,
MPA reports. The sides pointed out that the situation was being dealt
with in an atmosphere of mutual understanding.
The ministers said that the meeting was useful and positive. It was
attended also by the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group from the USA,
Russia and France, and the special representative of the OSCE chairman,
Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Be very afraid: There’s a term for every fear
By PAULA LaROCQUE / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Morning News , TX
June 19 2004
The horror genre has a concept that seems far more laughable than
horrifying – the concept of the “Invisible Man.” I mean: An empty
suit – how scary is that? Yet terrified folks flee, shrieking:
Aiieee! There’s nothing there! Literally, running from nothing.
Only those afraid of everything would run from nothing, if you follow
me. And there is in fact such a fear – pantophobia, which means fear
of everything. Fear of nothing – unless it’s the kind of “nothing”
presented by the Invisible Man – also has a name. It’s hypophobia,
or the absence of fear.
Fear of everything and fear of nothing are equally irrational,
of course. And there’s a difference between a simple fear and
a full-blown phobia. But judging from the huge number of “phobia”
words, there’s much to fear.
A few better-known terrors are claustrophobia, agoraphobia,
ochlophobia, ophidiophobia, musophobia and brontophobia – more
commonly known as fear of closed spaces, open spaces, crowds, snakes,
mice and thunder.
Certain fears are so prevalent that popular culture capitalizes on
them. The 1990 film Arachnophobia took fear of spiders to a comic
extreme, for example. Acrophobia, or fear of heights, was a central
theme in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 movie Vertigo. Fear of heights
also afflicted British TV’s beloved Inspector Morse. Aviatophobia
lent novelist Erica Jong the richly symbolic title of her 1973 book,
Fear of Flying.
The Oxford English Dictionary lists many odd, even outlandish phobia
words. Such words also can be found in the Insomniac’s Dictionary of
the Outrageous, Odd, and Unusual by Paul Hellweg; Crazy English by
Richard Lederer; and Words at Play by O.V. Michaelsen.
For some, apparently, hell really is other people. Anthropophobia
is fear of people; androphobia is fear of men; gynephobia, fear of
women; pediophobia, children; parthenophobia; young girls; xenophobia,
strangers or foreigners.
But do we really need a word such as armenophobia? Is fear of Armenians
a viable category?
Some fears are understandable even if you don’t share them
– dentophobia, for example, fear of going to the dentist. Or
agrizoophobia (fear of wild animals), algophobia (pain), poinephobia
(punishment), pyrophobia (fire) and hematophobia (blood).
And a biggie, thanatophobia – fear of death.
One can understand policophobia (fear of the police) in certain
circumstances, and even more readily politicophobia (fear of
politicians). But blennophobia, alliumphobia and arachibutyrophobia ?
Fear of slime, of garlic, of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof
of the mouth?
There’s no shortage of curious phobias. Tridecaphobia, fear of the
number 13, is well-known. I was surprised to find we need such a word
as porphyrophobia – fear of the color purple – until I discovered
chromophobia, fear of color in general. There’s a word for those who
can’t stand prosperity – chrematophobia, fear of wealth – and another
for those afraid of getting good news – euphobia.
One group of phobias makes you wonder if folks have been reading too
much DaVinci Code. Paterophobia, for example – fear of the Fathers of
the early Church. Ecclesiophobia means fear of church; hagiophobia,
fear of holy things; and homilophobia, fear of sermons.
Hard on the heels of those phobias may be hadephobia, fear of hell.
Could Franklin D. Roosevelt have had phobophobia in mind when he said,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”? Phobophobia is fear
of fearing.
Wordsmiths have fears, too. Metrophobia, for example, is fear of
poetry. And don’t mention “Madam I’m Adam” to sufferers of aibohphobia,
fear of palindromes. (A palindrome is something that reads the same
backward as forward. Notice that the cleverly named aibohphobia is
a palindrome).
There’s even phobologophobia – a malady that could make reading this
column a nightmare. It means fear of phobia words.
Paula LaRocque, former Dallas Morning News writing coach, is author
of “The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well” and
“Championship Writing.” Send e-mail to plarocque @sbcglobal.net.

Yo-yo Ma, Silk Road make stop in Seoul
By Warren Lee
THE KOREA HERALD
June 17, 2004, Thursday
A program featuring Armenian folk songs, Romany melodies and a Korean
12-stringed zither or “gayageum” thrown in for good measure may appear
chaotic, but there is a common thread that unites these sounds. All
were heard along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that connected
the people and traditions of Asia and Europe.
For the past six years acclaimed cellist Yo-yo Ma has led the Silk
Road Project on a nomadic concert series devoted to music from lands
along the historic route. Ma has helped unearth and introduce a
diverse range of isolated musical traditions that remain as exotic
to contemporary ears as they were to European travelers like Marco
Polo several hundred years ago.
The Silk Road Project will make its first appearance in Korea at the
Seoul Arts Center on June 24, with Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
performing music stretching from Azerbaijan to Korea with stops
in between.
Ma originally created the Silk Road Project, which has gone on to
successfully capitalize on the exoticism shrouding the Silk Road’s
historical legacy, as an earnest study of how musical ideas travel
through various geographic and cultural terrains. It has become
more than a mere travelogue in sound and aims to underscore more
similarities than differences among traditions, while integrating
Western classical works with ties to those traditions.
The concert will begin with a pair of Korean artists. Kim Ji-hyun’s
performance of “gayageum byeongchang,” traditional Korean singing
with accompaniment on the gayageum, will contrast with a newly
commissioned work by composer Jacqueline Kim. “Tryst,” written for
the gayageum, oboe and cello, is a love song sung between the famed
scholar and poet Jung Chul and the beautiful courtesan Chin Ok. The
vocal cries are brought to life by the gayageum, with the cello and
oboe mirroring the traditional ensemble functions carried out by the
“piri,” a Korean wind instrument.
The second half of the program features the music of Azerbaijan,
Armenia and Roma arranged for string quartet, performed by Ma, violist
Nicholas Cords and violinists Jonathan Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen.
In “Mugham-Sajay for String Quartet,” composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
mimics the sounds of traditional Azerbaijani and Middle Eastern
instruments, transforming a Western string quartet into a small
Azerbaijani folk band. Her piece evokes the spirit of her native
mugham, a collection of suites that form the backbone of Azerbaijani
classical music. Ali-Zadeh, who received a doctorate in musicology
from Baku Conservatory, exemplifies the Western-trained composer who
straddles two musical worlds. Chinese virtuoso Wu Tong will perform a
traditional work on the sheng, a Chinese mouth organ made of bamboo or
bronze pipes. In “The Prospect of Colored Desert” written for Chinese
lute, violin, cello and sheng, Chinese composer Jia Daquan, a painter
who turned to music when his vision became impaired, imagines a black
ink brush painting a desert.
The Silk Road Project represents another step in Ma’s musical journey
that extends well beyond performance of the classic cello repertory.
Fascinated by how ideas evolve when they travel over geographic and
cultural distances, Ma founded the organization to study the flow of
ideas along the Silk Road. The Silk Road Project is now an umbrella
organization and common resource to a variety of artistic, cultural
and educational projects.
Yo-yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will perform June 24 at 7:30 at
the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, located near Nambu Bus Terminal
Station, Subway Line No. 3, Exit 5. Tickets start at 30,000 won. For
more information, contact (02) 720-6633 or visit
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee Reviews Nomination of
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
Washington, DC -The Armenian Assembly welcomed the Senate Subcommittee on
European Affairs’ consideration Wednesday of John Marshall Evans’ nomination
as the next United States Ambassador to Armenia. Evans is set to replace
Ambassador John Ordway, who has completed his tour of duty. Ordway’s next
assignment will be Ambassador to Kazakhstan.
“We congratulate John Evans on completing the first phase of his nomination
process and look forward to working closely with him in strengthening
relations between our two countries,” said Assembly Board of Directors
Chairman Anthony Barsamian. “It is our strong hope that the incoming
Ambassador will continue community consultations initiated by America’s
first Ambassador Harry Gilmore, and expanded by outgoing Ambassador Ordway.”
Evans’ nomination will next be considered by the full Senate.
During the hearing, subcommittee Chairman Sen. George Allen (R-Va) indicated
that the United States should remain engaged in the South Caucasus and,
should retain “strict parity” with respect to military assistance to Armenia
and Azerbaijan. He also indicated that the US government should do more to
end the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockade of Armenia. Evans, in his prepared
remarks, said he would work to help Armenia continue to build up its
democracy and economy.
In that framework, Evans said, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)
presents a unique opportunity for Armenia.
Chairman Allen also asked Evans to comment on the effects of the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia. Evans responded by saying that opening the
border between Armenia and Turkey would increase Armenia’s trade by an
estimated 50 percent, and also help reduce Armenia’s energy costs.
He said he planned to have frequent discussions with Turkey to encourage
Ankara to open its borders with Armenia.
Chairman Allen also reiterated his wholehearted support of efforts aimed at
opening the Turkish border with Armenia without preconditions.
Since 2002, Evans has served as Russian Affairs Director in the Bureau of
European and Eurasian Affairs. Prior to that post, Evans handled Russian
and Eurasian affairs for four years in the State Department’s Bureau of
Intelligence and Research. From 1997 through 1999, he was head of the OSCE
Mission to Moldova and in the mid-1990s, Evans was principal officer in the
U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Evans joined the U.S. Foreign Service as a political officer in 1971. He
served in diplomatic missions in Iran, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, at
NATO headquarters and the Czech Republic.
Born in 1948 in Newport News, Virginia, Evans earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Yale College and attended Columbia University Graduate
Facilities. He is fluent in Russian, Czech, French and Farsi. He is married
to Donna Chamberlain who is executive director of the World Affairs Council
of Washington.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-056

Azerbaijan’s “Black Colonel” Killed
Baku Today
June 14 2004
Fatulla Huseynov, first vice-president of the Azerbaijan Football
Federations Association (AFFA), who also was known by the appellation
“Black Colonel,” was shot to death early Monday.
According to ANS, Huseynov got seven bullets from the Russian-made
Makarov pistol while getting into his car in front of his house at
around 7 a.m. Motives of the killing was not clear yet.
The murdered had been working for law enforcement bodies for long
years. He had gained the appellation “Black Colonel” during the
1991-94 war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.