Author: Emil Lazarian

Pope may mediate Karabakh settlement – Vatican envoy
Ekspress, Baku
12 Jun 04
Ekspress on 12 June headlined “The Pope wants to be a mediator as well”
“Pope John Paul II may be a mediator in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict,” the Vatican’s ambassador to the South Caucasus, Apostolic
Nuncio Claudio Gugerotti, told journalists yesterday. He recalled
that the Pope has been playing a major role in the settlement of
conflicts in “the whole world”.
“This is the second time that John Paul II has offered his mediation to
Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Gugerotti said. He called on the conflicting
sides “to express a decisive position on the issue before it is too
late”. Gugerotti added that the Vatican could make its positive
contribution to the just settlement of the conflict “without any
religious, racial and ethnic segregation”.
“One should appreciate this proposal. We are against shedding innocent
blood in any part of the world. We are ready to mobilize our all
goodwill efforts to prevent this,” he added.
Asked by our Ekspress correspondent whether “the Vatican recognizes
Armenia as an aggressor”, Gugerotti said that in issues of this kind,
he prioritizes “only general interests”: “And the interest here must
be a settlement to the Karabakh conflict.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Human rights development very slow in Armenia – ombudsman
A1+ web site
12 Jun 04
11 June: Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan held a news conference today to
mark the 100 days of the establishment of the human rights institution
in Armenia.
Alaverdyan said that the process of restoring violated human rights
in Armenia is very slowly. The institution has only recently started
to operate and the ombudsman hopes that it will be really successful
in Armenia since people are now taking their work more seriously.
Passage omitted: Minor details
The ombudsman said that she was more interested in the problems of
defenceless people rather than in sensations.
As for the trial of the skinheads who committed disturbances on 5
April attacked journalists , she said: “We should be glad about the
very fact that those who beat up journalists have been brought to
book in our country.”

Russian NTV channel off the Armenian air for good
A1+ web site
14 Jun 04
14 June: Russian NTV channel will no longer be broadcast in
Armenia. Today the National Commission for Radio and Television
[NCRT] unanimously decided to hand over the 23rd decimetre channel,
which previously relayed NTV channel programmes, to the Armenian
government for the transmission of Kultura [Culture] TV programmes.
The frequency was not put out to tender as it was given to the
government within the framework of an intergovernmental agreement on
the transmission of TV programmes concluded between Armenia and Russia.
The frequency was transferred to the Transport and Communications
Ministry. It is not yet clear who will rebroadcast. “The company
Paradiz [Paradise], which rebroadcast NTV, has no claims on it,”
the head of the NCRT, Grigor Amalyan, said. “The government has the
right to use it at its own discretion.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 11, 2004
___________________
DIOCESE TO HOST EXPERT ON PRESERVATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
The efforts by the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library to digital preserve
Armenian manuscripts will be the focus of an illustrated presentation
by Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, executive director of the library at
the Eastern Diocesan Center in New York on Tuesday, June 15, 2004.
The presentation, organized by the Diocese’s Zohrab Information Center,
is open to the public will begin at 7 p.m. in the Guild Hall of the
Diocesan Center, 630 Second Ave. in New York City.
The Hill Monastic Manuscript Library holds the world’s largest
collection of microfilm and digital images of handwritten books.
The most recent estimate shows the library’s holdings at 90,000
manuscripts, about 30,000,000 pages.
Begun in 1965 by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey as a
response to the destruction of European monastic libraries during the
two World Wars, the library has photographed resources from libraries
throughout Europe and Ethiopia. Currently the library is photographing
manuscripts in Sweden and at four sites in Lebanon.
The library’s most recent efforts have been to provide increased access
to its digital images via the Internet and to focus on preserving the
manuscript traditions of the Christian East, with a special emphasis
on collections of Armenian manuscripts.
The strong Armenian literary and artistic heritage created many
wonderful manuscripts, which are today universally regarded as
masterpieces of the book arts. In April 2004, the library began
photographing the manuscripts of the Armenian Catholicate of Cilicia
in Antelias, Lebanon. They are in conversation with other Armenian
libraries, and will soon meet with the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul
about preserving the Patriarchate’s collection
The June 15 program will begin at 7 p.m., and will conclude with
a reception. The Diocese is located at 630 Second Ave. (at 34th
St.), in New York City. The event is free and open to the public.
For further information, call (212) 686-0710 ext. 26 or e-mail
[email protected].
-6/11/04
# # #

Armenian premier, outgoing Iranian envoy upbeat on bilateral ties
Noyan Tapan news agency
11 Jun 04
Yerevan, 11 June: Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan today
received the Iranian ambassador plenipotentiary and extraordinary to
Armenia, Mohammad [Farhad] Koleini, who is completing his diplomatic
mission.
Highly rating the activities of the diplomat over the past four years,
the prime minister said that remarkable achievements had been made in
the ties of the two states and nations, both in political and economic
spheres. An atmosphere of confidence in bolstering cooperation between
business circles of the two countries has been created, further steps
for the development of traditional cultural, educational and other
relations have been undertaken, the Armenian government’s department
for information and public relations told Noyan Tapan news agency.
Ambassador Mohammad Koleini took satisfaction in the assistance
provided by the government, the authorities and other bodies of
Armenia, as he carried out his mission, and added that he would further
contribute to the consolidation of friendship between the peoples of
Armenia and Iran, who shared a great historic past.

Turkish Speaker condemns Canadian parliament’s ruling on Armenian genocide
   
TRT 2 television, Ankara
11 Jun 04
   
The Turkish Grand National Assembly reacted against the Canadian
House of Commons decision which recognized the so-called Armenian
genocide. In a letter to the Canadian House of Commons, National
Assembly Speaker Bulent Arinc said: This decision runs counter to
the efforts to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations in a sensitive
place in the world.
In his letter, Arinc said that describing the 1915 events on the
basis of distorted historical data as genocide is an inexcusable
mistake. Harshly condemning the one-sided and erroneous decision of
the Canadian House of Commons, Arinc demanded that this mistake be
corrected as soon as possible.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
“ROOTS OF AN ARMENIAN AMERICAN”
IN ILLUSTRATED TALK AT NAASR
Most Armenian Americans feel a bond to their ancestral lands, be
they in Eastern Turkey or the Republic of Armenia, and many will
visit those lands. But only a few form a deep involvement with the
areas from which their ancestors were either forcibly uprooted or
voluntarily departed.
Harry Parsekian, a life-long resident of Watertown, Massachusetts,
will speak about his extensive experience traveling in and working
for the betterment of Armenia in an illustrated talk at the Center of
the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR),
395 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass., on Thursday, June 24, at 8 p.m.
Extensive Travels and Humanitarian Work in Armenia
Parsekian first visited Armenia in 1968, but his real ties began in
1987 when the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association was founded.
Since then he has been to Armenia on many occasions – volunteering
to deliver supplies for the United Armenia Fund, monitoring the
distribution of food in the earthquake-stricken Shirak region,
or simply traveling for pleasure and recreation such as climbing
Mt. Ararat. One of his most memorable experiences was in 1986 when
he visited his parents’ villages of Nirze and Efkere, as well as
other historic cities and towns in Historic Armenia.
Parsekian has been and continues to be deeply involved in Armenian
life in the diaspora as well as in the homeland. He has documented
his far-flung travels in photographs, and he will share images and
emotional anecdotes about his extraordinary journeys, with particular
attention to the issue of Armenian identity in diaspora.
Final NAASR Talk Until Fall
Parsekian, a well-known figure in the Boston-area Armenian community
and active in numerous Armenian organizations, will provide the final
talk in NAASR’s Spring 2004 Lecture Series. Plans are underway for
a busy fall schedule of lectures and seminars.
Admission to the lecture is free (donations are appreciated).
A question-and-answer period and reception will follow the lecture.
The NAASR Bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m.
The NAASR Center and Headquarters is located at 395 Concord Avenue
near Belmont Center and is directly opposite the First Armenian Church
and next to the U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around
the building and in adjacent areas.
More information on Mr. Parsekian’s lecture or about NAASR and
its programs for the furtherance of Armenian studies, research, and
publication may be had by calling 617-489-1610, by fax at 617-484-1759,
by e-mail at [email protected], or by writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave.,
Belmont, MA 02478.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijan, Armenia Work On New Peace Plan
Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
June 11 2004
Baku/Prague, 11 June 2004 (RFE/RL) — Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov says Azerbaijani and Armenian negotiators are
taking a new approach to settling their dispute over the territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In an interview today with RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service, Mammadyarov
said Baku and Yerevan are working on a plan that will include elements
from each side’s previous proposals.
“Azerbaijan stands for a step-by-step approach, and the Armenian side
stands for a package approach. What we are right now working on is
to try to pick up from each approach ideas that would be acceptable
to both sides and put them into one basket,” Mammadyarov said.
Mammadyarov was referring to Baku’s insistence that ethnic Armenian
troops withdraw from all Azerbaijani lands they have been occupying
since the 1994 cease-fire agreement before negotiating the status of
Karabakh. Yerevan wants both issues to be resolved simultaneously.
Mammadyarov did not elaborate on the negotiations, saying
confidentiality is needed to ensure the good continuation of peace
talks.
The Azerbaijani envoy is due to meet his Armenian counterpart Vardan
Oskanian later this month in the Czech capital Prague.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anand to lead rest of the World team against Armenia
Deepika, India
June 10 2004
New Delhi, June 9 (UNI) World number two Viswanathan Anand will lead
the Rest of the World side against an Armenian team in a chess series
to mark the 75th birth anniversary of the late Armenian world champion
Tigran Petrosian.
The matches are to be held in Moscow from the June 10 to 15.
The special event will be a six-player team tournament where each
player faces all the members of the opposing team.
Besides Anand, the World team is expected to include Michael Adams,
Peter Svidler, Loek Van Wely, Etienne Bacrot and Paco Vallejo.
A couple of years ago, Anand had led a World team to a win over Russia
in an epic match in Moscow.
The Armenian team includes World No 1 Garry Kasparov and will have
members who are either Armenian or have an Armenian connection.
The three Armenians in the six-man team are Vladimir Akopian, Smbat
Lputian and Rafael Vaganian while others are Kasparov, whose mother
is an Armenian, Hungarian Peter Leko whose wife is from Armenia
and Israeli Boris Gelfand, who was the most famous pupil of Tigran
Petrosian and learnt the game from the master between 1980-83.
Anand, who has arrived in Moscow, said,”It is a very interesting
event. I enjoyed the match between Russia and Rest of the World
and I hope this will be a similar pleasant experience. Playing in
Moscow is always a treat. I remember playing in the Kremlin in 2001
against Tkachiev and the crowd start clapping when I played Qb3. To
be recognised in the Russian heartland for your chess is a matter of
pride.” Anand, a gourmet, added, “I like Moscow as a city. Moreover,
I think Moscow has the best Sushi places.” Talking about Petrosyan,
Anand said, “Petrosyan had excellent defensive resources and was an
unique talent.” Born on June 17, 1929, Petrosyan died in 1984.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 10 2004
AATA SUPPORT POSITION OF AZERBAIJAN IN SOLUTION OF NAGORNY KARABAKH CONFLICT
[June 10, 2004, 19:26:11]
As was informed, on 9 June at the International Press Center was held
a news conference of president of the American Assembly of Turkish
Associations (AATA), Mr. Ercument Kilic and his delegation.
Mr. Ercument Kilic said it is his second visit to the Republic. In the
passed period, there happened numerous democratic alterations in the
life of country. The goal of the visit was directly to familiarize
with the Country, development of links between Azerbaijan and the
Association, as well as play the role of bridge between Azerbaijan
and America. The president updated the audience on activity of the
Organization, stating that AATA was founded in 1979 and has done
a lot in expansion of links between America and Turkey. There are
over 300 thousand people of Turkish origin in the United States, he
stressed. AATA undertook significant steps to unite them and solve
their problems. Mr. Ercument Kilic, highly appreciating activity
of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev in development
of Diaspora organizations, unification of Azerbaijanis residing in
numerous world countries, and expressed satisfaction with successful
continuation of the said political line by President Ilham Aliyev. He,
in particular, stressed the activity of State Committee eon Work with
Azerbaijanis Living Abroad, aimed at joint activity of the Turkish
and Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations.
We are making numerous steps to fully unite the Turks and Azerbaijanis
residing in America, Europe and Asia, as well as in other world
counties, President of AATA stressed.
The problems the Turks and Azerbaijanis face do not remain out of
AATA focus. The Association is ready to bring to the notice of the
world community full information on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorny
Karabakh problem. On this purpose, we need visual aids, and also
appropriate literature, he said. Ercument Kilic expressed confidence
that the Azerbaijani side would present them this means.
Then, the guest answered questions of media representatives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress