Author: Emil Lazarian

SABANCý: TURKISH ECONOMY MAY BECOME GROWTH ENGINE OF EUROPE
The New Anatolian
Oct 5 2006
Turkish Industrialists & Businessmen Association (TUSÝAD) Chairman
Omer Sabancý has stated that Turkey could not be a member of the
European Union without convincing the European public opinion, and
added “Truths about Turkey should be told. A fair evaluation should
be made. Turkey’s membership in EU is an additional value for all.
Turkish economy may become growth engine of Europe. ” TUSÝAD Chairman
delivered a speech in Paris, France at a panel titled ‘Global
Challenges of Europe and Turkey’ within the scope of Turkish Week.
Reminding that the TUSÝAD demanded the abolition of article 301 of
the Turkish Penal Code within the context of freedom of _expression,
Sabancý went on to say, “When we make steps toward more freedom
of _expression, I cannot comprehend the attitude on freedom of
_expression in France”, referring to recent attempts in France
to legislate a prohibition on any speech against alleged Armenian
Genocide issue. Sabancý added he thinks such an attitude befitted a
country fearing the truths.
Minister Tuzmen’s speech At the same panel State Minister for Foreign
Trade Kurþat Tuzmen also delivered a speech.
Regarding Turkish economy, Tuzmen said, “Turkey made more than half
of its foreign trade (which will exceed 200 billion USD in 2006 in
grand total) with Europe this year, and France is very important in
this regard.”
“Our economic performance is better than many EU countries especially
the new EU members. We are the fastest growing country of Europe in
the last three years. We catch the highest speed in export increase
not only in Europe but also in OECD. Turkey’s EU membership will be
for the interest of both our country and the EU,” Tuzmen noted.
He said that Turkey will have important contributions to increase EU
economy’s competitive power as well as dynamism.
–Boundary_(ID_+wDnQ/bsuUGMgYJkttKsaw)- –
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MATTHEW BRYZA: THE US EQUALLY APPRECIATES ITS STRONG TIES WITH AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
Public Radio of Armenia
Oct 5 2006
The US equally ppreciates its strong ties with Azerbaijan and Armenia,
US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza told ArmInfo,
commenting on the report of the Azerbaijani “AzerTag” state agency,
which ascribes him a biased pro-Azerbaijani position.
Referring to the Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of
Azerbaijan, “AzerTag” agency reported in particular that during
the meeting with Azeri Defense Minister Safar Abiev US Co-Chair
Matthew Bryza had mentioned, “Azerbaijan is an important country
for the United States, which highly appreciates the achievements of
Azerbaijan in political and economic spheres.” Besides, according to
the information of the Azeri agency, in response to the statement
by Minister Safar Abiev that “in case the peaceful talks yield no
results, Azerbaijan will regain the territorial integrity itself,”
Matthew Bryza had said Azerbaijan surpasses Armenia in all spheres,
calling on Azerbaijan to wait a little more.
Commenting on the report of the Azeri agency, the US Co-Chair Matthew
Bryza said in his interview that the information of “AzerTag” it
incorrect and does not express the whole essence of what he said
during the meeting with the Defense Minister of Azerbaijan. The US
appreciates the strong ties with Azerbaijan in a number of spheres,
and this refers also to Armenia, the mediator mentioned.

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO BILATERAL STATE ASSISTANCE TO BUSINESSMEN FOR SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues of the Armenian-Romanian
cooperation were discussed at the October 5 meeting of the Armenian
Prime Minister Andranik Margarian and the Romanian President Tryan
Basesku who is on an official visit to Armenia.
According to the RA Government Information and PR Department,
expressing a high opinion about the Armenian-Romanian relations,
including the current state of the economic cooperation, the Armenian
prime minister stated Armenia’s willingness to strengthen and develop
these relations, with special emphasis being laid on mutual visits
at various levels. He expressed a hope that the Romanian president’s
visit will become a new incentive for the promotion of cooperation
and extension of economic links.
Noting that the relations between the two countries have always been
friendly, Tryan Basesku and Andranik Margarian underlined that the
Romanian Armenian community greatly contributed to the development of
links between Armenia and Romania. A. Margarian expressed his gratitude
to the Romanian people for providing shelter to our compatriots who
survived the genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and
creating favorable conditions for them to live and work.
Welcoming Romania’s efforts to join the EU, the prime minister
expressed a hope that 2007 will be a historical year for the Romanian
people, noting with confidence that the country’s membership of the UE
will have an additional positive influence on the bilateral relations.
According to A. Margarian, it is envisaged to sign the EU-Armenian
Action Plan in the near future. He noted that Armenia is ready to
consider the opportunities of cooperation with Romania within the
framework of implementation of this action plan. In terms of promoting
the Armenian-Romanian relations regarding Eurointegration, the head
of the Armenian government also attached importance to the signing
of the memorandum on cooperation between the MFA of Armenia and the
MFA of Romania in European integration and Euroatlantic structures.
Addressing the issue of cooperation between NATO and Armenia,
A. Margarian said that our country intends to make full use of the
opportunities provided by Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP), which was approved by NATO in December 2005, and is ready to
consider Romania’s assistance and participation in the implementation
of the Armenia IPAP.
As regards the economic cooperation, President Tryan Basesku and Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian noted with satisfaction the existence of
a favorable legal field for efficient cooperation between Armenia and
Romania, with a number of bilateral agreements being signed. In terms
of promoting the economic relations between the two countries, they
pointed out the importance of activities of the Armenian-Romanian
intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and
technical cooperation, anticipating that the most important issues and
development priorities of the bilateral economic cooperation will be
clearly outlined as a result of the second meeting of the commission
held during the visit of the Romanian president to Yerevan. The
prime minister underlined that the high level of relations between
the Armenian and Romanian presidents obliges the two governments to
carry out an adequate cooperation.
President Bryan Basesku also considered the current legal and
contractual base as satisfactory for economic cooperation, noting the
existence of a political will along with it in order to foster economic
cooperation and stressing the necessity for bilateral assistance to
businessmen, which, according to him, is a key for success.
President Basesku assured that Romania as a friendly country will
support Armenia in any situation, providing all possible assistance
for Armenia to establish closer relations with the European Union. In
this connection, he mentioned Romania’s support to Armenia when our
country joined the European Neighborhood Policy. In his words, no
country should become a EU member while having an ethnic problem. He
reminded about the problems that arose between the Romanians and
Hungarians years ago, as a result of which Romania was isolated for
about two years. “Europe should not tolerate such diversities, because
it is a multinational organization,” the Romanain president stated.
During the meeting, the Armenian prime minister presented in detail
the steps taken by our country for Eurointegration since Armenia
became independent.
The Romanian president and the Armenian prime minister also addressed
some regional problems, the current state and prospects of Armenia’s
relations with Turkey, as well as the latest development related to
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. In this connection President
Basesku assured that Romania will continue taking a neutral position
on the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

ELECTIONS PROCEED TENSELY IN TSALKA
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2006
AKHALKALAK, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Local
self-government elections proceed tensely in the Tsalka region.
According to the A-Info agency, open falsification of electoral rolls
happened there. Names of people having left Georgia and not being
Georgian citizens appeared on electoral rolls.
Though empowered persons of the Industry will Save Georgia Party
attentively follow the process of elections and are inclined to
prevent falsifications, nevertheless the power levers continue to act.
To recap, mainly Armenian candidates have been nominated by
proportional system, by the electoral rolls of the Industry will Save
Georgia Party in Tsalka.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA CONSIDERS ISSUE OF TURKEY’S RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AS HISTORIC ARGUMENT
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Romania is always ready to help a
neighbouring state in issues relating to borders and history.
President of Romania Traian Basescu stated about it at the October
5 meeting with the students and professors’ and lecturers’ staff of
the Yerevan State University organized within the two-day official
visit in Armenia.
Responding the question how he relates to Turkey’s membership to
the European Union, if we take into consideration that Turkey does
not recognize the Armenian Genocide and keeps close the border with
Armenia, T.Basescu mentioned that it is necessary to build the future,
and to keep the history in history books and people’s memory.
“And do not put the historic arguments as a condition of future,”
T.Basescu advised. In his words, “speaking about the future, the
only right way is integration to the EU, keeping that main standard
that it is necessary to have good friendly relations with the EU and
NATO.” “The NATO and the EU are not those structures which will allow
discussion of historic arguments inside them,” he emphasized.
Touching upon the possible precedent of adopting the law considering
punishable refusal of the Armenian Genocide in France, the President
of Romania emphasized: “We’ll not do a thing that will influence
on our neutrality in relations with all the countries of the Black
Sea region.”
To recap, at the meeting with the YSU professors’ and lecturers’ staff
and students, T.Basescu was confered the YSU honorary doctor’s title.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF ISTANBUL CONSIDERS BOTH SIDES RESPONSIBLE FOR 1915 GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. French President
Jacques Chirac’s expression “Turkey must recognize the Armenian
Genocide for membership to the European Union,” may be a “political
precept.” Archnishop Mesrob Moutafian, the Armenian Patriarch of
Istanbul expressed this opinion to the Turkish “Hurriet” newspaper.
According to Marmara, the Patriarch said: “If even Chirac’s words are
interpreted as a precondition for Turkey, one must not forget that
Louis Michel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium decisively
said that one must not put new political standards before Turkey for
membership to the European Union. Probably, the President of France
considered proper to address a political precept to Turkey. We, as
Armenians of Turkey, would prefer that the President of France made
such statements that an atmosphere of dialogue was created between
Armenia and Turkey. Untill an atmosphere of dialogue is not created
between the two countries, it is impossible to expect solution of
the existing difficult problems.”
The Istanbul Armenian Patriarch made statements on this theme to the
“Geo” periodical as well, which is published in German and Turkish.
He, particularly, stated that both sides are responsible for events
of the past. “If Armenians did not lead separative, and Turks –
Ittihat policy, at least 10 mln Armenians would live in Turkey today.
Turkey would win a lot with that population. It can’t be helped, both
Turks and Armenians lost this possibility,” Patriarch Moutafian said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GEOLOGISTS IMPLEMENT LARGE-SCALE EXPLORATION WORKS AT METAL DEPOSITS
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
October 5, 2006 Thursday
Director of “RAKE” contractor company, hydro-geologist Rouben Arakelyan
told an ArmInfo correspondent that the first results of geological
exploration of metal deposits in the Getik River basin, Gegharkunik
region of Armenia, will be presented at the end of the current year.
To note, the geologists carry out the order of Global Gold Corporation,
which exploits several gold deposits in Armenia. The members of the
geological expedition are making the map of the area, determining
the content of precious and non-ferrous metals in the Getik deposit
that occupies an area of 2,5 thousand ha. All the samples taken from
the deposit are passed to the GGC company which, in its turn, passes
them to Armenian and foreign laboratories.
According to Arakelyan, one can imagine the approximate reserves
of ore containing gold, silver, copper and other volcanic rocks and
sediments only after the results of the laboratory examinations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU/SOUTH CAUCASUS : EU TO DEVELOP CLOSER RELATIONS WITH SOUTH CAUCASUS
European Report
October 5, 2006
The EU is to formally endorse European Neighbourhood Policy Action
Plans with three South Caucasian countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia, in November. The final agreement on the ENP Action Plan texts
was reached by the Ministerial Troika of the EU (External Commissioner
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Finland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Erkki
Tuomioja and Minister of State Gunter Gloser of Germany) during its
visit to the South Caucasus on 2-3 October. The formal adoption of
agreements (each plan is tailor-made to the individual needs of each
country) will take place at the next EU Cooperation Council with
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, to be held on 14 November in Brussels.
The Commission tabled its proposals for the action plans for the three
South Caucasus countries in March 2005 but formal endorsement of the
plans has been postponed several times. Before doing so, the EU and all
three countries had to tackle particular issues which came up during
negotiations. One of them was the Azerbaijani-Cypriot argument over
northern Cyprus. Azerbaijan was refusing to commit itself unequivocally
to respect the policy of isolation followed by the EU with regard to
Northern Cyprus. In response Cyprus was preventing the action plan
from coming into effect unless Azerbaijan clearly renounced links
to Northern Cyprus. Armenia was trying to secure more financial EU
support for the decommissioning of the Medzamor nuclear plant and
alternative energy supplies. Georgia’s diplomatic energy was in turn
focused on securing greater EU involvement in conflict resolution –
something the “action plans” do not encompass beyond a reference to
the EU’s readiness to assist with post-conflict rehabilitation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN KURDS STAND BY TRUCE IN CONFLICT WITH TURKEY – LEADER
Regnum, Russia
Oct 5 2006
The Union of Organizations of Kurdistan (KKK) [as published: KKK
refers to Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan] takes up a principled
position of proclaiming peace and opposing war, but if necessary it
will not shun an armed struggle for the rights of its people and to
arouse their national hopes. The KKK issued this statement in Yerevan
on 4 October.
The chairman of the Armenian Kurdistan Committee, Charkyaz Mstoyan,
said at a press conference that the Turkish side and certain Turkish
socio-political forces, unlike Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
had reacted in a positive way to the initiative of the leader of the
Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK] on a cease-fire. It will be recalled
that the PKK leader Abdulla Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence in
a prison on Imraly Island, made a statement through his solicitors
in which he urged the members of the PKK to lay down their arms and
try to resolve the conflict with the Turkish authorities by peaceful
means. According to the Turkish prime minister, “such an agreement
with terrorists is impossible they are the ones who should lay down
their arms”.
The Armenian Kurdistan Committee said that because of Turkey’s ongoing
policy of rejection of the Kurds, the unilateral truce declared
by the Kurdish side was terminated on 1 June 2004. During the last
two and a half years the Kurdish-Turkish conflict has been manifest
in various forms. Hostilities have increased with heavy human and
material losses. The international community and Turkish and Kurdish
socio-political circles have expressed serious concern and come out
with a proposal for a further truce. The leader of the Kurdish people,
Abdulla Ocalan, called for a truce on 1 October [2006] on condition
that weapons should never be used.
“However, this is on condition that no attack is made on our side,
otherwise we will use all possible methods to defend ourselves. The
People’s Defence Forces (HPG) organization, apart from necessary
preparations, will not undertake any combat operations. The military
council of the HPG will direct all its efforts and its programme to
comply with the truce. This decision applies to all the forces within
the system of the Union of Organizations of Kurdistan. Nothing must
stand in the way of the implementation of the truce process. Everyone
must contribute towards establishing a stable situation,” the
statement notes.
Charkyaz Mstoyan also said that the trilateral international commission
(consisting of representatives of the USA, Iraq and Turkey), which was
created on the initiative of international political structures, has
not yet come out with any statement on the Kurdish problem. According
to Mstoyan, it was expected that Iraq would present a Kurdish
representative, “but for some reason a Sunni Arabian representative
was proposed”. “The Kurdish leadership said that this was a Kurdish
problem and the talks must take place with the participation of a
Kurdish representative. However, as yet no information regarding
the activity and proposals of the trilateral commission has been
received. Everything is in the process of discussion,” Charkyaz
Mstoyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AN INSTRUMENTAL MAKER; AN L.A. MAN IS THE WORLD’S TOP DUDUK CREATOR, WITH 3,700 SOLD
by Litty Mathew
Los Angeles Times
October 5, 2006 Thursday
Home Edition
THE perfect duduk, some say, is carved not in a remote hillside village
in Armenia, but, like so much of this instrument’s current existence,
here in Los Angeles. Deep in the lap of a working-class North Hollywood
neighborhood, maestro Karlen Matevosyan Smbati, the 78-year-old
immigrant whom many consider to be the world’s foremost duduk maker,
whiles away in a senior center, plotting and planning to create the
perfect instrument when he gets home to his neat garage workshop.
Matevosyan, a self-taught artisan who was once a high school principal,
wears glasses too big for his deeply lined face and harbors a
penchant for plaid flannel and sweatpants. In a raspy, low voice,
he says he’d always played the instrument and had never found one he
liked. The first instrument he made was for himself, and every duduk
he’s since created gets the same treatment. “I always think this is
my instrument. I’m making it for me,” he says through an interpreter.
“I’ve been studying apricot wood all my life and I’ve been making
duduks for more than 50 years,” Matevosyan says. “If I hear a duduk,
I can often tell where the wood came from.”
To succeed as a duduk maker, you may need to know your wood but
you also must be a musician. “That’s why I don’t have a personal
successor,” Matevosyan says. “You can’t teach an artisan to make the
duduk. You must know how to play the instrument first to understand
it.” But the high standards that Matevosyan set have fueled excellence
in duduk-making back in Armenia.
“Recognizing that there are great new duduk makers and the instruments
have increased in quality, maestro Karlen is the godfather of modern
duduk making,” says Pedro Eustache, a professional woodwind player
who plays the instrument for many Hollywood scores.
Matevosyan makes most of the duduk by hand, using a hand drill to form
the cylinder. It takes 42 additional steps to finish the instrument,
from drilling the finger holes to lathing the cylinder.
That’s after a year to 18 months to cure the green apricot wood that
gives it the specific timbre and lasting quality. Over the course
of his career, he has sold more than 3,700 handmade instruments,
which start at around $250.
Matevosyan revolutionized the instrument by changing the spacing of
the finger holes and enlarging the holes to get a full volume. He’s
also credited with improving the mouthpiece by adding tonal control to
the reed to play half notes. “It’s like the black keys on the piano,”
he says. “Now you can play more than full notes on the duduk.”
Matevosyan also pioneered different types and sizes of duduks. In the
past, duduks were created in unpredictable keys. Now they represent
the four tonal ranges: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The latest of
his creations is a Hegoshu, the largest duduk, which sounds like a
cross between a clarinet and a duduk. There are four in existence,
one owned by Eustache.
“People ask me if I get sick and tired of making the same instrument
every day,” Matevosyan says. “I think this is my legacy. After I’m
gone this will remain.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress