Author: Emil Lazarian

World postal body declares separatist Karabakh stamps “void” – Azeri TV
ANS TV, Baku
28 Feb 05
The Universal Postal Union has ruled that forged postage stamps with
the depiction of a Karabakh horse produced by the Nagornyy Karabakh
separatists are void.
Azartac news agency quoted the head of the Azarmarka [Azerbaijani
stamp] company, Intiqam Bagirli, as saying that Azerbaijan had produced
postage stamps with the picture of the horse in 1993 and those stamps
were currently being used.

AZG Armenian Daily #036, 01/03/2005
Exhibition
PHOTO-JOURNALISM 2004 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION IN ARMENIA
On March 4-27 the Amsterdam Annual Exhibition of Photo-Journalism 2004 will
be brought to Armenia by the invitation the Caucasian Mass Media
Institution. The exhibition will be held in “Moscow” cinema.
The 47th annual exhibition was held in Amsterdam, on February 13. According
to the principle of the exhibition 2003 photos were submitted for it in
2004.
4176 photographers from 124 countries submitted 63093 photos for the
international competition of photojournalism. There have been 10 nominations
set up for 62 photographers from 23 countries, including Australia, Belgium,
Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, etc.
Jean Mark Bojoune, French journalist–photographer from the Associated Press,
won the competition. His photo depicts an Iraqi prisoner that tries to
comfort his 4 years old son.
>>From April 26 to June 20 the exhibition was held in Netherlands, then it
began its world tour in over 80 countries of the world.
By Gohar Gevorgian
–Boundary_(ID_fj8A48E+g9ZJnA9At1KkaQ)–

Glendale News Press
28 Feb2005
Helping the disabled in Armenia
Nearly $10,000 was raised during event for Pyunic, an organization that
promotes rights of disabled in Armenia.
By Robert Chacon, News-Press and Leader
GLENDALE — The Armenian earthquake of 1988 destroyed the use of
Greta Khndzrtsyan’s legs, but it did not destroy her desire to achieve.
The double amputee was two years old when the earthquake struck —
rescue workers found her in the arms of her deceased mother under
piles of rubble — and is one of the disabled athletes from Armenia
competing in the upcoming Los Angeles Marathon wheelchair race that
was honored Sunday at a luncheon fundraiser by Pyunic, an association
that promotes the rights of the disabled in Armenia.
Close to $10,000 was raised during the event at Brandview Collection
through ticket sales, donations and a silent auction. The money will
fund a variety of programs to help disabled people in Armenia.
“In Armenia, it’s not like in the U.S.,” Pyunic board member Lori
Sivazlian said. “The country does not have critical ways of assisting
them. Disabled babies in Armenia are usually placed in orphanages.”
Disabled-person access to things such as public transportation,
high-rise buildings, homes and sidewalks is virtually nonexistent,
she said, though her group is working to change that.
Pyunic was formed after the earthquake that killed 25,000 people,
and left hundreds of thousands homeless, injured or disabled. It
helps raise funds for equipments and advocacy work.
“Every time I see a person in a wheelchair enter a bus here in the
U.S., it reminds me of what we want to achieve,” Pyunic President
Sarkis Ghazarian said.
There are 130,000 disabled people in Armenia, Ghazarian said, adding
that the country is years behind in assistance for disabled people.
For Khndzrtsyan, representing Armenia in the Los Angeles Marathon on
March 6 is a source of pride, she said. This is the second time she
has traveled from Armenia to compete in the marathon.
“The last time, my arms and hands were all bloody from the competition,
but I still completed the race,” she said about the race two years ago.
Marine Hakobyan also made the trip from Armenia and is competing for
the first time in the wheelchair race. She was left paralyzed from
the waste down after the earthquake.
“I have never done this, but I have trained enough and feel good,”
she said.
Some of the roughly 200 people who attended the luncheon walked away
with paintings, jewelry, rugs and arts and crafts made in Armenia.
“I came her to support Pyunic in their efforts,” said Glendale
resident Angele Eskandari, who acquired a silver necklace during the
auction. “People are not as aware in Armenia about disabled issues
as they are here in the U.S.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
Feb 28 2005
CIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HEAD VLADIMIR RUSHAYLO TO VISIT ARMENIA MARCH
2-4
28.02.2005 18:31
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the CIS Executive Committee Vladimir
Rushaylo will visit Armenia on March 2-4. In the course of the visit
Vladimir Rushaylo is to meet with Armenian President Robert
Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, Defense Minister Serge
Sargsian and Foreign Minister Deputy Gegham Gharibjanian to discuss
the issues regarding CIS reforming as well as the events dedicated to
the 60-th anniversary of the victory in the World War II. He is also
expected to meet with the veterans of the World War II.

The Times of India
Govt promises to back ‘good’ films
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2005 02:09:28 AM ]
BANGALORE: Amid squeaky seats, not-so-good lighting and poor screen
quality, an international children’s film festival started on
Friday. While the fare of films being presented is of international
standard, the festival per se, with no government support, smacks of
apathy.
However, chief minister Dharam Singh, who inaugurated the three-day
festival at Bal Bhavan, said the government was ready to give all its
support to producers and directors of good films.
When the organisers, Children’s India, pressed for funds, deputy chief
minister Siddaramaiah assured that if quality films were produced, the
government would announce Rs 25 lakh for children’s cinema.
Some 35 films from across the world – Finland, Korea, China, Iran,
Armenia – and films from Indian languages will be screened during the
course of the festival.
Says the president of Children’s India, N.R. Nanjunde Gowda, `The
purpose is to expose children to films from other countries. They
should see other cultures instead of seeing only Tamil, Kannada,
Telugu movies.”
Actor Vishnuvardhan, who greeted the idea of films from across
boundaries and cultures, said films should be education-oriented and
children shouldn’t forget their identity. Organisers said seating is
on first-come-first serve basis. Call 51324898, 51224477.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US envoy describes 1915 massacre of Armenian as “genocide”
Mediamax news agency
25 Feb 05
YEREVAN
The US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, has described as “genocide”
the mass extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire 90 years
ago, Mediamax news agency has quoted the Armenian National Committee
of San Francisco as saying.
Speaking at a meeting on 19 February with representatives of the
Armenian community of San Francisco, John Evans stated: “Today I shall
call this Armenian genocide,” the organization told Mediamax news
agency.
The US ambassador told the participants in the meeting that he had
read many books on the Armenian genocide.
“I think that we, the US government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a
more straightforward and honest discussion of this problem. I can tell
you as a person who has studied this problem – I have no doubts about
what happened,” John Evans said. The diplomat noted that he had
consulted a lawyer from the US State Department who confirmed that the
1915 events were “genocide by definition”.
John Evans noted that although representatives of the US
administration have avoided using the term “genocide”, “none of them
has denied it”.
At the same time, the ambassador said ,”I think that it is
inappropriate for us, the Americans, to play with words in this
case”. “I believe that we must call a spade a spade,” John Evans
said. He also pointed out that the USA’s official position has not
changed.
“The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century,”
John Evans said, noting that “we made a lot of mistakes after the
First World War”.

AssA-Irada 26/02/2005 12:40
Ceasefire breach reported in Agdam
Armenian military units fired from their positions in the occupied Shikhlar
village of Aghdam District at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces
located in the Orta Gishlag village of the same district with submachine and
machine guns on Friday afternoon, the ATV reported.
The ceasefire has been breached by Armenia in Aghdam District seven times
this month.
Another local TV channel, Lider, reported that ceasefire was also breached
in the Tovuz District.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ECONOMIC POTENTIALS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN IS
ONE OF BAKU’S PROPAGANDA ARGUMENTS
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26. ARMINFO. The difference between the economic
potentials of Armenia and Azerbaijan has been one of the propaganda
arguments of Baku since 1989, Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan
says in an interview to the readers of Golos Armenii.
It was this conviction that pushed Azerbaijan to start war against
Nagorny Karabakh in 1992. It’s enough to see the Azeri press and to
listen to what their officials say to understand this. The result is
known. Today economic potential is not just how much oil one produces
but how effective his economy is. In this aspect Armenia is certainly
ahead of Azerbaijan, says Kocharyan.

70TH JUBILEE OF WELL-KNOWN PUBLICIST AND PUBLIC WORKER ZORY BALAYAN
CEREMONIALLY MARKED IN NAGORNY KARABAKH REPUBLIC
STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 25. ARMINFO. The 70th Jubilee of the well-known
publicist and public worker Zory Balayan was ceremonially marked in
Nagorny Karabakh Republic.
According to ARMINFO’s correspondent to Stepanakert, NKR President
Arkady Ghoukassyan and other officials and public representatives
attending the jubilee evening party. The congratulation message of
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan was read out. In his speech, Zory
Balayan touched upon the problems of the world; globalization and its
possible influence on the region as well as the role of oil factor in
the process of Karabakh conflict’s settlement. Speaking of the
Karabakh National Liberation Movement, Balayan said: “God forbid! If
someone thinks that the sacrifices were in vain, if we doubt that we
have achieved our goal, there will be no forgiveness for us.”

Catholic World News
Feb 26 2005
Cardinal Sodano, substituting for Pope, meets Azeri leader
Vatican, Feb. 26 (CWNews.com) – Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio – news)
met with visiting President Ilham Aliev of Azerbaidjan on Saturday,
substituting for Pope John Paul II (bio – news).
With Pope John Paul remaining in Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican
Secretary of State welcomed Aliev to the Vatican. An official Vatican
announcement after the visit reported that the visiting Azeri leader
had sent his best wishes to the Pope, and assured him that the people
of the former Soviet republic were praying for his recovery.
As Secretary of State, Cardinal Sodano ordinarily meets privately
with visiting government leaders after they have been received by the
Pope. His discussions with Aliev reportedly centered on questions of
religious freedom in Azerbaidjan and the border conflict between that
country and neighboring Armenia over the region of Nagorni-Karabakh.
Pope John Paul II visited Azerbaidjan in May 2002, as the country
celebrated the 10th anniversary of its independence. An
overwhelmingly Muslim country, Azerbaidjan has a tiny Catholic
community– composed primarily of people of Polish or Armenian ethnic
origin– that survived decades of persecution. The underground
Catholic community returned to public life in 1997 when the new
regime recognized freedom of religion.