Author: Emil Lazarian

ABOUT 60% OF PLANNED AREA SOWN WITH CROPS BY LATE MAY
YEREVAN, MAY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the recent reports, as of
May 20, 89,890 ha or about 60% of the planned area was sown with crops
in Armenia. According to the Plant Growing Department of the RA
Ministry of Agriculture, 56.7 thousand ha (64% of the planned area)
was sown with grain crops, 23,280 ha (65.7%) with potato, and 9,910 ha
(44%) with vegetables.

Agence France Presse
27 mai 2005 vendredi 8:13 PM GMT
Question arménienne: Erdogan n’approuve pas les critiques de son ministre
ISTANBUL
Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a affirmé vendredi soir
à Istanbul que les déclarations du ministre de la Justice Cemil
Cicek, qui avait accusé les participants d’une conférence sur la
question arménienne de “trahison”, ne reflétaient pas la position
gouvernementale.
“Cemil Cicek est le porte-parole de notre gouvernement. Il a fait une
déclaration, mais celle-ci n’est pas une déclaration du gouvernement,
c’est une déclaration personnelle”, a affirmé aux journalistes M.
Erdogan, cité par l’agence de presse Anatolie, à son retour d’une
visite officielle au Kazakhstan.
Les organisateurs de la conférence auraient du poursuivre leurs
travaux en dépit de la déclaration de M. Cicek, a-t-il ajouté, selon
Anatolie.
M. Cicek a qualifié mardi de “coup de couteau dans le dos de la
nation turque” un projet, inédit en Turquie, de conférence qui doit
examiner d’un oeil critique la position officielle du pays sur les
massacres d’Arméniens commis entre 1915 et 1917 dans l’empire
ottoman.
Accusant ses participants de “trahison”, le ministre a menacé les
organisateurs de poursuites judiciaires.
La réunion d’académiciens et d’intellectuels turcs “critiques”, qui
devait initialement débuter mercredi dans la prestigieuse université
stambouliote de Bogazici, a été reportée par ses organisateurs après
les déclarations de M. Cicek.
La diatribe du ministre a soulevé une vague de protestation aussi
bien dans la presse turque, qui y a vu une atteinte à la liberté
d’expression, que dans les milieux diplomatiques et politiques
européens -les Verts allemands notamment la qualifiant de “grave
erreur politique”.
Plusieurs pays ont reconnu le caractère génocidaire des massacres de
1915-17, une approche catégoriquement rejetée par Ankara. L’Union
européenne, avec laquelle la Turquie doit entamer des négociations
d’adhésion le 3 octobre, a pour sa part recommandé à ce pays de faire
face à son passé.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER VISIT TO BENELUX STATES COMPLETED
28.05.2005 04:48
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdasarian met with
Chairman of the Committee for Foreign and European Affairs, for Defense, for
Cooperation and for Immigration Ben Fayot. During the meeting the parties
discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, Karabakh settlement
and Armenia’s participation in Wider Europe: New Neighborhood EU Program.
The interlocutors also touched upon the cooperation between regions and
towns and pointed out to the fact that the cooperation established between
the towns of Dilijan (Armenia) and Petange (Luxembourg) is actively
developing. To note, a conference on cooperation under the aegis of the EU
will be held this October. Upon completing the visit to Luxembourg the
Armenian delegation returned to Yerevan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PETER BALAKIAN DELIVERS LECTURES DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN LIBYA
BEIRUT, MAY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide and the 50th foundation anniversary of the
Libya Haykazian University, lectures about the Armenian Genocide of
Peter Balakian, an American Armenian writer and researcher, took place
on May 23 and 24 by the joint organization of the Haykazian University
and the US Embassy in Libya. Areg Hovhannisian, the RA Ambassador to
Libya and the US Acting Charge d’Affaires were present at the lecture
which took place in the hall of the first Evangelic Church of Beirut
on May 24. As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Press Center of the
State Commision on organizing events dedicated to the 90th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide, the next day, on May 25, Peter Balakian
visited the Embassy of Armenia in Libya accompanied by representatives
of the Haykazian University’s lecturers’ and professors’ staff. At the
end of the meeting, Ambassador Areg Hovhannisian presented Peter
Balakian a souvenir.

Pan Armenian News
TURKEY INTRODUCES SANCTIONS FOR MENTIONING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
27.05.2005 05:51
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey has initiated a number of serious changes to its
Criminal Code that in fact limit the freedom of speech, reported the Yerkir
newspaper referring to Noticias Info Spanish agency. According to the
report, the matter specifically concerns banning and introducing criminal
responsibility for mentioning the Armenian Genocide.

FEAJD.org (Communiqués de presse), Belgium
May 27 2005
CANCELLED CONFERENCE : THE JOINT DECLARATION OF THE CONFERENCE
ORGANIZERS AND PARTICIPANTS’
The three day conference entitled ‘The Otoman Armenians during the
Era of Otoman Decline’ that we, as academics and public intellectuals
of Turkey, had planned with Bosphorus University as host was
unfortunately forced to be deferred as a consequence of pressures,
threats and slander.
We protest that two deputies serving under the roof of the Turkish
National Assembly, which is presumed to be the guarantor of
scientific activities, academic freedom and security of life and
property, have engaged in provocations that are totally in opposition
to these fundamental principles, and that the spokesperson of the
government incriminated all the conference participants by serious
claims such as ‘thrusting a knife into the nation’s back.’
We are additionally ashamed that this spokesperson also carries the
title of ‘Minister of Justice.’ We think that it would be more
appropriate for him to be utilized with a duty outside of that of law
and justice.
We herewith notify the public that this conference will be convened
in the near future.
We organize this conference to seek answers to the question ‘what
happened before, during and after 1915?’ We attempt to understand and
recount a historical issue that during the last years has become
trapped and increasingly politicized between the radical Armenian
national and official Turkish theses.
Scientific meetings are not necessarily covered like television
debates conducted on certain issues. Scientific meetings also do not
have the prerogative to bring together all sides who are in
opposition to one another and who are also convinced of their own
‘truths.’
Furthermore, the decision to determine who should comprise the
participants of a scientific conference is the most natural right of
the hosts and the most fundamental application of the freedom of
thought that is supposed to exist at universities.
No one individual, organization and institution has the right to
intervene in a scientific conference organized outside of its own
body.
In addition, we find the unjust and prejudiced accusations made
against the not yet presented papers of a not yet actualized
conference totally unlawful.
Had the actualization of this conference been tolerated, the rich,
varied and not at all monotonous approaches to the issue of what
happened before, during and after 1915 would have emerged.
We, the participants of this conference whose signatures are enclosed
below, want to especially point out, as we also noted on our press
release dated 17 May 2005, that ”The emergence of different,
critical and alternative voices, the demonstration of how Turkey
actually contains such a rich multiplicity of thoughts would be, once
again, to the utmost benefit of Turkey.’
We believe that the actualization of our conference in the very near
future would be one of the most significant steps taken in our
country on the path to academic freedom, to the independence of
universities, and in general toward democracy.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESENTATION OF BOOK BY CHARLES AZNAVOUR IN YEREVAN FAILED BECAUSE OF
ACTION ORGANIZERS
YEREVAN, MAY 27. ARMINFO. The presentation of a book by a great singer
Charles Aznavour in Yerevan failed because of the action’s organizers
– the young wing of Armenia’s Republican party and the Fund after
Aznavour.
Thousands of admirers of works of Aznavour gathered in a small foyer
of “Moscow” movie-theatre. On action’s organizers idea, they had to be
taken Aznavour’s autograph on his “Past Days” book bought
beforehand. However, as a result of crush Aznavour could put his
autograph only on some copies and then moved away from the hall.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

startribune.com
[Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA]
World/nation briefs
Published May 27, 2005
Turkey: Genocide conference postponed
Three Turkish universities have postponed a conference to discuss last
century’s mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks after the justice
minister accused organizers of treachery. The three-day conference was
scheduled to start Wednesday at Istanbul’s Bosporus University. A
University of Minnesota visiting associate professor of history, Taner
Akçam, was one of the conference organizers. Armenians say Ottoman Turks
killed 1.5 million of their people in a campaign of genocide between
1915 and 1923. Turkey says the death count is inflated and insists
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest.
© Copyright 2005 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN AND FINNISH FMs DISCUSSED EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION
27.05.2005 03:07
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ May 26 Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who is
on a two-day formal visit to Finland, met with his Finnish colleague Erkki
Tuomioja to discuss the bilateral relations, the Karabakh conflict
settlement, the Armenian-Turkish relations as well as EU-Armenia cooperation
within EU New Neighborhood Policy. On the same day Vartan Oskanian paid a
call to the Finnish parliament, where he met with members of the commission
for foreign relations and the Finland-Armenia friendship group. Tomorrow the
Armenian FM is scheduled to meet with Finnish Defense Minister Seppo
Kaariainen. May 27 Vartan Oskanian will return to Yerevan, IA Regnum
reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenpress
CHARLES AZNAVOUR VISITS FRENCH UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS: The famous French Armenian singer Charles
Aznavour was welcomed today by students and professors of the French
University of Armenia together with France’s ambassador in Yerevan Henry
Cuny, the University Rector Paul Russe and other dignitaries.
Aznavour took a stroll in the University and then joined students and
journalists for a group photo. Aznavour arrived in Yerevan yesterday
evening. Today he traveled to the village of Hartavan in Aragatsotn province
to attend the inauguration of a reconstructed drinking water pipeline and
later in the day he will attend the presentation of the Armenian edition of
his latest book, called The Past Days.
The drinking water pipeline reconstruction was implemented within the
frameworks of the Second Credit Program of the World Bank, the Armenian
Social Investments Fund in cooperation with Aznavour pour l’Armenie charity
organization (funding was provided by the World Bank and the French Ministry
of Foreign Affairs).
In the past Hartavan was supplied with drinking water from a spring
called Ambarlu near the village of Kuchak. The pipeline was built in 1960.
With the growing population of Kuchak, the amount of water flowing to
Hartavan had reduced and water to Hartavan was supplied from springs on the
slopes of Tsakhkunyats Mountain. However, the amount of the supplied water
was far from sufficient to meet the villagers’ needs.
A project of the Armenian Social Investments Fund rehabilitated the
deteriorated water catchment basin and built another one. The Fund has also
built a 2-km long new water pipeline, internal networks pipes and hatches.
Under the Second Credit Program funded by the World Bank, the Armenian
Social Investment Fund has already accomplished 224 community programs;
another 86 programs are in the process of construction.
The 81-year-old singer is also expected to join thousands of Armenians
for a May 28 circle dance around Mount Aragats and the next day he will make
a trip to Georgian Akhaltsikhe, the native town of his parents. Also
President Kocharian decorated today the outstanding French-Armenian singer
Charles Aznavour with Armenia’s highest medal-the Medal of Homeland, saying
it was another assurance of Armenians’ love and gratitude.
Aznavour in turn handed to Kocharian an old Armenian manuscript which he
had bought at an auction.
Then Kocharian and Aznavour spoke about Armenia’s economic achievements,
ties between Armenia and its vast Diaspora and cultural issues. Aznavour was
quoted by Kocharian’s press office as saying that he was greatly impressed
by extensive improvements he saw in Yerevan.