Author: Emil Lazarian

System of a Down ready to ‘Mezmerize’ fans
By Todd Martens
Reuters
May 6 2005
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Few acts can trot out a Peter Jennings
newsreel before a concert and have a hard-rock audience of 6,000
erupt in cheers. For fans of System of a Down, however, a pre-show
report on genocide is as fitting as a guitar solo.
It is a Sunday night in late April, and System of a Down is staging
its third hometown concert to benefit human rights and genocide
awareness organizations. The group is about to embark on a world tour,
and the L.A. crowd has gathered not to see the band off or hear a
glimpse of its upcoming material. Instead, the atmosphere at the
Gibson Amphitheater (formerly Universal Amphitheater) is that of a
family reunion, where high schoolers and adults stand and cheer a
heavy metal guitar line — or an ABC news clip from 1999 — all in
the name of Armenian heritage.
Fans drape the Armenian flag over the balcony, and the mosh pit near
the front of the stage is a blur of red, blue and orange as fans
brandish flags in the crush. A fan in the back yells “f— Turkey”
— a remark directed at the country that perpetrated the Armenian
genocide of 1915 — and the audience explodes in cheers that rival
anything the band received at Ozzfest in 2002.
“This band didn’t start to change the world,” guitarist/songwriter
Daron Malakian later says from the stage. “This band didn’t start to
change your mind. This band started just to make you ask questions.”
BRINGING ITS OWN OPINION
System of a Down’s ethnic appeal and political directness are not
the typical qualities of today’s megastars, and that says nothing
of the band’s music: a metal-laced mesh of off-the-wall rhythms and
whiplash shifts in direction.
The American/Columbia act has sold nearly 6 million albums in the
United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group’s 2001 effort,
“Toxicity,” is its most successful so far, scanning 3.5 million copies.
On May 17, System of a Down will release the first half of its most
ambitious project, a double-album that will be issued as two separate
discs nearly six months apart.
The first disc, “Mezmerize,” was introduced in March with first
single “B.Y.O.B.,” a thrashy, Black Sabbath-inspired anti-war anthem.
The song is highly critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East. (“And
we don’t live in a fascist nation,” Malakian sings with far from
subtle sarcasm.)
Loaded with four-letter words, it is not the obvious choice for a
radio cut. Singer/songwriter Serj Tankian says the band chose the
song with hesitation.
“It’s such a heavy and aggressive song, and we didn’t want a political
song as our first single,” he says. “But it’s so powerful and so
different from everything else on the radio, we thought we could
get away with it, even though we don’t want to be pigeonholed as a
political band.”
Yet Tankian can’t escape politics. As the co-founder of Axis of
Justice, the activist Web site he runs with Audioslave’s Tom Morello,
Tankian is the most politically active member of System of a Down.
Mild-mannered and articulate, Tankian chooses his words with the
conscientiousness of a scholar. He shows up for an interview in a
suit, while Malakian slouches next to him in jeans and a T-shirt. In
the words of producer Rick Rubin, Malakian is the “darker, more aggro
character, and Serj is the poet.”
“The word ‘politics’ is a funny thing,” Tankian says. “A lot of
people say, ‘Hey, I’m not political,’ and they don’t realize that,
in today’s world, economics, politics, class struggle and social
structure, are all tied together. It affects us directly, whether we
like it or not, or whether we want to pay attention to it or not. Our
lives are political, and System of a Down is a band that talks about
politics and has very strong points of view.”
System of a Down is also the band Columbia Records Group chairman
Will Botwin describes as the company’s “flagship.” He says the label
is counting on “Mezmerize,” and follow-up “Hypnotize” — which is
planned for a November release — to surpass the sales of “Toxicity.”
“We sold more than 5.5 million worldwide, and our expectations are
that this upcoming record is going to exceed that,” he says. “We look
at what happened last time as a barometer for what our goals need to
be for this record.”
Fans first got a taste of “Mezmerize” when the track “Cigaro” was
leaked to the Internet. At the time, the band’s representative claimed
the cut got out against the group’s will.
But that was not the case.
“It was our choice to put it out,” Tankian says. “Everyone made it
sound like it leaked. Marketing efforts get more interesting day
by day.”
The cut — in which Malakian turns a reference to the size of male
anatomy into a statement about the egoism of the ruling class — made
it onto the airwaves. Despite not being officially worked at radio,
“Cigaro” peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.
Like all of its previous work, the act recorded the albums with Rubin,
who signed the band to his American Recordings imprint in 1997. If
there is a noticeable difference between “Cigaro” and past System of
a Down songs, it is that the first voice one hears is that of Malakian
and not Tankian.
Tankian is still the group’s primary vocalist, and Malakian has always
composed essentially all of the band’s music — coming off as hard
rock’s answer to Frank Zappa. Yet “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize” see
Malakian writing more lyrics than he has before. Malakian even splits
vocal duties more evenly with Tankian and sings lead on a few cuts.
Tankian and Malakian run their own record labels, but Tankian’s Axis
of Justice Web site is becoming more visible, and in 2003 he recorded
an album of largely experimental instrumental music with Armenian
musician Arto Tuncboyaciyan. With Malakian taking on a more active
vocal role, one gets the impression that Tankian is taking a step or
two back from band.
“I’m starting to compose music for films,” Tankian says, “and I don’t
like being committed to one thing, whether it’s the singer of a band
or one band in general. System of a Down is part of what I do, but
it’s just part of what I do. I don’t define it, nor does it define me.”
Malakian, however, notes that only those outside of the band’s inner
circle will be surprised to hear him sing more. “I’ve always been
vocally involved with System of a Down, not necessarily as a singer,
but I’ve written a lot of the melody lines and the vocal patterns.
When I wrote something before, I had Serj in my head, but this time
I had both of us in my head.”
In discussing the new albums, Malakian and Tankian always refer to
them as a single project. To the band, “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize”
are one album released in two parts, with both topping off somewhere
between 35 and 40 minutes.
“You don’t have a bunch of kids dropping acid like they used to,”
Malakian says. “You can’t just release double albums and expect
people to sit there and devote their time to it. Our songs are tough
to digest, and I would feel really uncomfortable handing someone a
CD with 25 songs staring them in the face.”
Rubin agrees, saying he recorded about 35 songs with the band and was
unable to get it down to a number that was manageable. “Everything
in today’s culture is short term and disposable,” Rubin says. “We’re
living in a time when people don’t seem to even listen to one full
album, so we felt the only way for it get properly heard was to spoon
feed it.”
The group is in the midst of a 10-city “guerrilla tour” that began
April 25. The band is playing small venues in major markets, with
ticket information and show locations being announced just days before.
It will make its first major national TV appearance May 7, performing
two songs on “Saturday Night Live.” System of a Down has generally
stayed away from the late-night talk-show circuit, and the band will
nix anything too commercial.
“We recently received an e-mail from a documentary filmmaker in
Israel,” Tankian says. “He wants to use ‘Aerials’ for making a film
about hats. He saw these Armenian monks listening to and singing
‘Aerials’ in Jerusalem. He’s not paying anything, but I think that’s
cool. That’s more our cup of tea than a football commercial.”
This month the group will head overseas to perform at European
festivals, and then launch an arena tour of North America with the Mars
Volta in late summer. It will be System of a Down’s first large-scale
U.S. tour since Ozzfest in 2002.
“We could have put out another record really quick and played on the
fact that ‘Toxicity’ did really well,” Malakian says. “But we were
determined to make another record instead. I want to stay a fan of
System of a Down. We can’t become everyone’s favorite band.”
Reuters/Billboard
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UPI Energy Watch
Washington Times, DC
May 6 2005
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan and Iranian Deputy Oil
Minister Asadollah Salehi-Foruz held talks Thursday to discuss the
construction of the Armenia-Iran gas pipeline in Yerevan. Markaryan
and Salehi-Foruz also discussed strengthening energy cooperation
between Iran and Armenia and stressed that the two countries could
deepen the potential for bilateral economic relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CITIZENS OF BOTH ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN ARE AGAINST WAR
A1plus
| 20:01:01 | 06-05-2005 | Politics |
This is the opinion of Ilham Hasanov, head of the Azerbaijani Court
of Appeal Board.
“I do not give interviews even to Azerbaijani journalists. Usually
questions are asked to famous people – Presidents, Prime Minister,
Ministers, delegates, stars. I am not an interesting person”. Thus
during the 3rd International Judge Conference organized in Georgia
Azerbaijani Court of Appeal Criminal Affairs and Administrative
violations Board head Ilham Hasanov tried to avoid our question.
Although Mr. Hasanov’s obstinacy, we manages to convince him that he
is a well-known person in his fatherland at least because of the fact
that many famous people in Azerbaijan – ex-prosecutor Safar Ghazin,
ex-Prime Minister Suret Huseynov and others have been imprisoned as
a result of his decisions.
By the way, at the beginning of the interview Mr. Hasanov announced
that he will answer only the questions referring to his profession.
– Mr. Hasanov, about 120 political prisoners have been finally set free
in Azerbaijan. Does it mean that they had been imprisoned groundlessly?
– No. They are called “political prisoners” but it is not so. Among
those set free there are famous names but it does not mean that they
had been imprisoned groundlessly.
– What changes have there occurred in the Azerbaijani court system
under Ilham Aliev?
– On December 28, 2004 in Azerbaijan within the framework of the
Azerbaijani commitments before the EU a Law has been adopted about
Courts, and we have also created a Security Council, like that
of Armenia.
– Can you say that the Azerbaijani Court system is really independent?
– There is not a single country which can say that its Court system
is fully independent. Not only Azerbaijan but also the CIS countries
cannot say that they have independent court systems. In comparison
with the Soviet times, the court system is taking its first steps,
like a small child.
– Which are the major hinders of an independent court system in
Azerbaijan?
– The reasons are numerous – political, economical, financial. For
example, almost all the judges of the Court of Appeal get a salary
of about 1100 UA dollars.
– Is in enough to make unbiased decisions and not to be bribed?
– If you are not invited to weddings and other events, if you don’t
buy expensive presents and don’t take care of your relatives, then
it is enough.
– Your name is actively used in the political field. Aren’t you going
to be more active in the political field?
– No. I like my profession.
– When the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Azerbaijan
in 1991 August, the authorities announced that from 1920 to 1991
Azerbaijan has been an occupied country and annulled the 1922 treaty
about the creation of the USSR. NGK has been included in Azerbaijan
only n 1923. That is, this way or that, Karabakh has never been part
of Azerbaijan. How do you appreciate this fact?
– It is history, politics, and I’m not engaged in politics. I can
answer the question from the legal point if view, but I am not
acquainted with the documents in detail.
– The international structures and the people connected with the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict announce by fits and starts
that the conflict cannot be settled without compromise. What do they
understand in Azerbaijani saying «compromise»?
– As citizen of Azerbaijan it is a very painful issue for me. I
am sure that there will come a time when the NKG conflict will be
settled, but I cannot say how. My desire is that it be settled by
way of peaceful negotiations.
– In contrast to you, in Azerbaijan threats of starting war sound
from time to time. Is it possible?
– I am sure that the citizens of both Azerbaijan and Armenia are
against war. The authorities announce about war having different aims.
– Up to now the RA authorities have made no announcement on the
restarting of war. According to you, what is the aim of Azerbaijani
authorities?
– I’m not engaged in politics.
– As a lawyer, how do you imagine the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict?
– It must be solved not in the international structures but between
the two nations contacting each other. The conflict must first of all
be settled between the Azerbaijani and Armenian resident of Karabakh,
after which the Azerbaijani and RA authorities can also join.
– There is an opinion that the Karabakh conflict can be solved till
the end of 2005. What do you think about it?
– I think the negotiating parties do not have enough desire to settle
the conflict now.
– During the previous conference the Lachin Judge was also included
in the Azerbaijani delegation whose residence, as he said, was in
Baku. Today the name of the Aghdam Judge is mentioned who is not
present. Who is he and where is his residence?
– Again in Baku. I cannot say why he did not arrive, but like the
Lachin Judge, he too minds the problems of the refugees as the areas
are in control of Armenians.
– Aghdam and Lachin Judges were appointed in 2000. If it does not
have purely political aims, why wasn’t Azerbaijan interested in the
judicial cases of its refugees before that?
– We restore all the structures of our occupied areas.
– Have you ever been to RA?
– Yes, at the beginning of 1980s before the movement I was in charge
of a civic case and I could not summon to court an Azerbaijani man
who was in Armenia. I came and examined him.
– And have you been to NKR?
– Yes, when I was at school. I took part in a sport competition
in Stepanakert.
– Doesn’t the NKR conflict bother you while contacting with the
Armenian colleagues?
No. By means of contacts any conflict can be settled. I had Armenian
friends in Baku who although have left Baku but we still keep contact
with each other.
Viktoria Abrahamyan
–Boundary_(ID_nu/qCg8AUDsbmAvnu1wjoA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE supports Armenia’s efforts to fight money laundering and terrorism financing
Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

May 6 2005
YEREVAN, 5 May 2005 – The establishment of a financial intelligence
unit to help fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism
was the focus of a conference organized by the OSCE in Yerevan today.
Representatives of the National Assembly, the Government, the
President’s Office and the Central Bank, as well as international
organizations and NGOs, discussed international standards and good
practices existing in the field and the work of the national Financial
Monitoring Unit, established within the Central Bank of Armenia under
a recent law.
“The OSCE stands ready to further support the Armenian Government
in implementation of the recently adopted legislation in line with
international standards in order to fight money laundering and the
financing of terrorism,” said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of
the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Armenian Central Bank, added: “Money
laundering is a crime that hinders the country’s economic development
and negatively influences the investment climate. Armenia is prepared
to strengthen mechanisms to fight it.”
The conference follows a series of workshops organized with the support
of the OSCE in 2003 and 2004. They offered recommendations that were
used in adopting laws and amendments to provide a legal framework to
effectively fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The participants also discussed the need for better information
exchange and the role of international organizations, including the
OSCE, the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Egmont Group
of financial intelligence units.
The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and
the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental
Activities, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Armenian
General Prosecutor’s Office and the Central Bank of Armenia.
At the Maastricht Ministerial Council in December 2003 OSCE
participating States once again underscored that money laundering is
a threat to security and reaffirmed their commitment to combat it.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
May 6 2005
Getting Acquainted with an Armenian…
NIHAL B. KARACA
05.06.2005 Friday – ISTANBUL 17:51
Debates on the Armenian issue have now been attached to the show of a
Swiss attorney, who sued Yusuf Halacoglu, because he said there was
no genocide. This incident has such a nauseating effect similar to
spooning a soup of flies, even for those who really want to question
history. We can’t see the soup because of the flies.
However, it depends on how well the Armenians and Turks share this
soup in order to solve their problems. Whether it tastes good or bad;
this should be “our” problem, “our” meaning the Armenians and Turks.
The issue now rests on whether we did it or didn’t do it; however,
reading history is largely a political activity. Even opening the
archives is important from a “political” stance; otherwise, while one
of two historians looking at the same document would say that the
document does not prove the existence of genocide, the other might
see evidence of genocide in it. I do not also think that there is an
ontological difference between historians defending the official
perspective and the “independent” historians. As a matter of fact,
how can an “independent” category exist? No one, whose perception of
an event is matured enough, one way or the other, is independent
enough. Such a sinister history can only be objectively read by a
“robot” and this is not possible. While history is such a notion
intermingled with reading thorough an idea, how come asserting an
idea becomes a crime? Really, I would like to ask what kind of a
Europe we are trying to accede to: Expressing a negative opinion
about homosexuality causes a scandal, bringing some “excessivenesses”
of colored people to the agenda is a taboo, uttering a word about the
number of people killed in Auschwitz is a reason for excommunication,
saying “we did not commit genocide” is a crime. If the scope of the
freedom of thought and freedom of opinion is not limited to a space
as narrow as diet lists or the dentist rates, then what a
contradiction to label a nation’s “opinion” about itself, whether
right or wrong, as a crime!
Those, who act “as if nothing happened” from the Turkish side and
defend the state’s official theses as a priori truths, need to be
addressed as well. Even reminding those, who believe that the state
can kill people only if it is facing hardship, of the executions by
the Independence Courts, events that occurred in our recent history,
would be enough, I suppose. The cost of creating a “Turkish nation,”
deadlocked on the same goal, affected a lot of “Turkish” “medresa
hodjas” (religious scholars), who were hanged because they did not
wear modern “hats”. All the defense indicating that all that was done
was “necessary,” might perhaps be used for what was done to the
Armenians. The system always exceeds its bounds to protect itself.
The history of today’s noble nations is full of such “massacres.”
Everyone knows what Catholics did to Protestants in France and the
French Catholics have not apologized to Protestants yet. Similarly,
Europeans have not apologized to local Mexicans and Indians in the
name of what their grandfathers did. This list can go on and on.
The issue is deadlocked over the margin the world attributes to a
mentality, on which it stands, that “power belongs to its holder.” If
you are a powerful country, it is in fact easy for you to produce
fascism and present yourself as something other than what you are. If
you are a weak society with an “identity problem”- we are sorry -,
you should have been a “collector” soul, become as obsessive as
noting how many times you have been beaten since the Treaty of
Karlofca (26th January 1699), make them memorized by pre-school
children, organize campaigns for each separately and include your
name into “Rules of Hatred.” Thank God; however, Turkey has a
consciousness of existence condemned to losing a race by deducing
prestige from unjust treatment. The same Turkey; however, is
unfortunately a country, whose relations with history is atrophied
and has become a victim of a pre-republican “amnesia.” Many people
are hearing about the Teskilat-i Mahsusa (the Ottoman secret service)
because of the Armenain issue today.
It appears as if Turkey and Armenia can only surmount this problem
only making “politics.” The way to stop the Armenian issue from
becoming an ammunition for the European Union (EU) countries, is by
establishing “relations” between the peoples of both countries. Not
getting stuck on legal advantages or disadvantages, but opening the
border gates slowly and slowl… Because getting acquainted with a
Turk will change an Armenian’s perspective. Similarly, getting
acquainted with an Armenian might also affect a Turk. It is only then
the climate will change.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
May 6 2005
Gul: Alleged Genocide Used Against Turkey by the West
By Foreign News Desk
Published: Friday 06, 2005
zaman.com
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul has claimed that
some countries are using the Armenian genocide allegations as an
excuse to exclude Turkey from the European Union.
Gul said, “It is not only Armenians that do this. In some countries
opposition parties use the this against the government. by
misrepresenting the relations between the government and Turkey in
the light of these allegations. There are 34,000 Armenian
Germans, and 600,000 Turkish German citizens in Germany. It is beyond
comprehension when you look from the political side also. They use it
to attack the government. Some of them want Turkey to isolate itself
and do not want to say ‘no’ directly to Turkey. There are countries
including many in the European Union (EU) that want to make Turkey
accept this.” Calling all the layers of society to work together, Gul
warned: “Everybody should ask himself ‘What can I do in this
situation? Because this case is a big trap before us.” He went on
that all the achieves have been opened, and nearly 30 foreign
scientists including one Armenian citizen have been doing studying
these archives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT DECLARE TERMS OF SIGNING
AGREEMENT WITH RA GOVERNMENT
Pan Armenian News
06.05.2005 06:34
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representative of the Millennium Challenge Account in
Armenia Alex Rosin expressed satisfaction with the program presented
by the Armenian government. In his words, mission of the corporation
is to find out Armeni’s degree of correspondence to the standards for
the further financing.”We are at the initial stage presently and are
making preliminary assessments, then we will proceed to purposeful
implementatio”, he stated during a press conference in Yerevan. He
also informed that in the near future the Armenian working group will
be introduced to the corporation after what an analogous group from
the American part will be formed. However he did not rule out that
some difficulties may emerge resulting in delay of financing. At
the same time expressed hope that cooperation with Armenia will
be”as efficient and rapid as with other states” In his turn Armenian
Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatrian informed that the
Millennium Challenge Account Corporation insisted that the members
of the working group should not be engaged in any other activities
besides the tasks to be fulfilled within the program. To note, when
presenting the Millennium Challenge Account in 2002 President Bush
stated that it will “reward nations that root out corruption, respect
human rights, and adhere to the rule of law, invest in better health
care, better schools and broader immunization and have more open
markets and sustainable budget policies, nations where people can
start and operate a small business without running the gauntlets of
bureaucracy and bribery” The total fund of the program for the first
year will make $1 billion, for the second $2.5 billion. 17 states in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America as well as two former USSR republics-
Armenia and Georgia. The amount of the funds provided depends on
the programs presented by the countries. Armenian expects to receive
about $700-900 million during three years, IA Regnum reported.

Gul says Turkish-Armenian summit possible
Friday, May 6, 2005
DIPLOMACY
FM concerned about European attempts to criminalize genocide
counterclaims
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan might meet with Armenian
President Robert Kocharian later this month, Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul said yesterday.
Gul said, however, that there were no specific plans being
drawn up at the moment for a meeting between the two leaders.
The heads of state of Council of Europe countries will meet in
Warsaw on May 16, with Erdogan and Kocharian expected to be in
attendance. Erdogan and Kocharian are also planning to visit Moscow
next week to attend May 9 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of
Soviet victory over Nazi forces.
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia have already held a
number of meetings, but there is no official diplomatic relationship
between the two countries and their common border is closed.
Turkey says the normalization of ties depends on Armenia’s
withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, part of Azerbaijani territory that
Armenia occupied in the last decade, as well as on a resolution of
bilateral issues including Armenian charges that 1.5 million
Armenians were killed as part of a genocide campaign in the last days
of the Ottoman Empire.
Erdogan recently sent a letter to Kocharian proposing the
establishment of a joint commission of historians to study the
allegations. Kocharian responded by suggesting an inter-governmental
commission that would look into ways to normalize bilateral
relations.
Gul, speaking to reporters before heading to Kyrgyzstan on a
state visit, complained that there were efforts in some European
countries to criminalize rejection of Armenian genocide allegations.
Professor Yusuf Halacoglu, who heads the Turkish Historical
Society, is facing trial in Switzerland for his public speeches
denying the allegations. Gul said there were “dangerous”
developments in Belgium and that he has discussed the issue with
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht.
The Belgian Parliament recently proposed a bill penalizing
statements denying genocide allegations. The bill, which envisages up
to one year in prison, is now awaiting passage.
“Such initiatives are against the basic principles of
Europe,” Gul said. “You are preventing a person from
expressing his or her opinion and exposing truths about
history.”
–Boundary_(ID_Gp+wayqk1fHObhMoNr7mZg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH AGENCY LOCATES ARMENIAN PM’s GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE IN MUSH
Armenpress
ISTANBUL, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS: Turkish daily Milliyet said a Dogan
information news agency has found a house that belonged to Armenian
prime minister Andranik Margarian’s grandfather. Margarian’s
grandfather, Sedrak Margarian, had moved from Mush to Yerevan in
1916. Now this house is occupied by the family of Sulgun, who moved
here from a neighboring village of Ucer.
According to the daily, Armenian prime minister’s wife and his
daughter visited Mush in 2004 summer together with a group of 50
Armenian tourists and stayed at Dap hotel. Walking to Dere quarter
of the town they found the prime minister’s grandfather’s house,
which is located near Gulu church. Margarian’s wife called from the
sport his husband to say they found his grandfather’s house.
Residents of the quarter say the house was first bought by Mustafa
Subas, later it was resold several times. Sulgun family members say
they did not know the house belonged to Armenian prime minister’s
grandfather. Gulizar Sulgun says the ground floor of the house has
five rooms and the second floor three rooms. “Twenty-two members of
our family live in this house,” she says, adding that last year a woman
and a girl visited them saying the house used to belong to them. After
examining the house the woman called his husband to tell about it. The
woman said only the roof and the exterior of the house changed.
In response to Turkish correspondents’ question Margarian said”
My grandfathers were from Mush, like the grandfathers of half of
Armenian Cabinet ministers. My grandfather was a well-known man in
Mush. In 1997 when I was parliament member I went to Turkey, but I
was not allowed to enter Mush because of security reasons, but my
wife and my daughter traveled to Turkey in 2004 summer and located
my grandfather’s house that was dilapidated, but not empty. As far
as I know the house is occupied now by a Kurdish family and there
are still people who remember my grandfather.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MARGARIAN MET WITH MILLENIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Pan Armenian News
05.05.2005 09:08
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian today
met with Millenium Challenges Account Regional Director Alex Russin,
reported the Press Service of the Armenian Government. On behalf of
the Millenium Challenge Account President Paul Applegarth thanked
the Armenian party for the quick and precise working out of the
Armenian Program. In his turn the Armenian Premier again noted that
the Millenium Challenge Account is in harmony with the principles
and tasks of the poverty reduction strategic program adopted by
Armenia. A. Russian acquainted A. Margarian with corporation mechanisms
of evaluation and acceptance of a program, as well as further steps to
be undertaken after the signing of the agreement. Thereupon he noted
the importance of forming new bilateral working groups to implement
projects and if necessary to supplement the Armenian Program and
to make it comply the Corporation tasks. As noted by A. Margarian,
the Armenian Government will present the composition of its working
group and if Armenia is included in the first group of countries that
will get financial assistance, the country is also ready to work out
a clear schedule for quick and efficient realization of those programs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress