Author: Emil Lazarian

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 18 2005
Powell states support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a reciprocal letter to
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, stated US support for
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
`The United States supports Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and
believes the Upper Garabagh conflict must be fully resolved through
peace talks being held by the two sides, considering their
positions.’
Powell expressed his gratitude for the letter sent by Azerbaijan,
which lays out the country’s initiative to discuss the situation in
the occupied Azeri land at the UN General Assembly. Powell said
Washington remains committed to a peace conflict resolution and
welcomed the talks between Azeri and Armenian foreign ministers in
the Prague format and those held by the two countries’ Presidents in
Warsaw and Astana.
With regard to the draft resolution submitted by Baku to the UN
General Assembly, Powell said the OSCE Minsk Group, while keeping the
talks in the same format, will outline actual ways of eliminating the
concerns indicated by Azerbaijan.
Powell also said he was satisfied with the fact that the fact-finding
mission to visit occupied Azerbaijani territories will include
experts and is looking forward to getting the results.*

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 18 2005
The Armenian contingent of peacekeepers to leave for Iraq today
Armenia takes 5th place on inflation level among CIS countries in
Jan-Nov 2004
Sitting of the commission on celebration of 1600th anniversary of
creation of Armenian written language takes place today
Appointed new Ambassador of Armenia to Bulgaria
Activity dedicated to 15th anniversary of Armenian massacre in Baku
takes place in Yerevan
An exhibition `Discover Armenia’ of the Armenian art is opened in the
art center of Ganshoren Brussels community
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THE ARMENIAN CONTINGENT OF PEACEKEEPERS TO LEAVE FOR IRAQ TODAY
YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. The Armenian contingent of peacekeepers
consisting of 46 people will leave for Iraq. Hercules C130 American
military airplane landed in Armenia to take Armenian servicemen to
Iraq. According to the commander of the group Garush Avetisyan, the
Armenian contingent will leave for Kuwait first and then for Iraq.
The contingent as a part of the Polish division will participate in
the process of maintaining stability in Iraq. Armenian peacekeepers
include a commander, signal officer adjunct to the headquarter of the
Polish division, a commander of the platoon, 3 doctors (a
cardiologist, a therapeutist and a psychiatrist), 10 combat engineers
and 30 drivers. The Division will be divided into two parts – drivers
and combat engineers will be located in the city of El-Hilla in the
South of Baghdad, and doctors will be located in the South-West of
the capital of Iraq. According to Avetisyan, two-week training will
be organized before the peacekeeping mission begins.
As RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan stated before, since the
authorities approved of the contingent’s staying in Iraq for a year,
6 months later the staff will be replaced.
On December 24, 2004, RA NA ratified the memorandum about sending
Armenians to Iraq, where they will be under the command of Polish
division. 91 deputies voted for sending the contingent to Iraq, 23
deputies-against, and 1 abstained. The decision was taken after the
discussions lasting for 7 hours behind the closed doors. Two
opposition factions boycotting the parliament, namely Justice bloc
and National Unity, participated in the discussions. Dashnaktrsutyun
party, which is a part of the ruling coalition, and Justice
opposition bloc were against sending Armenian servicemen to Iraq.
A.H.-0 –
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ARMENIA TAKES 5TH PLACE ON INFLATION LEVEL AMONG CIS COUNTRIES IN
JAN-NOV 2004
YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. Armenia takes 5th place on inflation
level among CIS countries in Jan-Nov 2004, with inflation level of
7.4%, CIS Statistic Committee reports. At this maximal growth of
prices was registered in Belarus – 18.4% and minimal – in Kyrgystan –
4.2%. In the rest countries it goes as follows Azerbaijan – 6.4%,
Georgia – 5.5%, Kazakhstan – 6.9%, Moldova – 12.4%, Russia – 10.8%,
Tajikistan – 6.8%.
At the same time the biggest growth of consumer prices was registered
in Azerbaijan – 2.3% and deflation in Tajikistan made 0.3%. In
Armenia the prices grew by 0.8%, in Russia – 1.1%. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
SITTING OF THE COMMISSION ON CELEBRATION OF 1600TH ANNIVERSARY OF
CREATION OF ARMENIAN WRITTEN LANGUAGE TAKES PLACE TODAY
YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. Sitting of the commission on celebration
of 1600th anniversary of creation of Armenian written language took
place today in Yerevan under the chair of RA PM Andranik Margarian.
The Commission specified places and terms of conduction of more than
two dozens of activities envisaged by the program and determining the
figures responsible for their realization. The activities will start
in May-June 2005 with republican festival of declamation, the
activities will also be conducted in Nagorno Karabakh and Armenian
regions. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
APPOINTED NEW AMBASSADOR OF ARMENIA TO BULGARIA
YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. The decree of RA President Robert
Kocharian appointed Sergey Manaserian Armenian Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bulgaria, President’s press
service told ARKA. L.D. –0 –
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ACTIVITY DEDICATED TO 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN MASSACRE IN BAKU
TAKES PLACE IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. Activity dedicated to 15th anniversary
of Armenian massacre in Baku took place in Yerevan. According to the
organizer of the activity, the Chairman of Public Organization Center
of Civil Society Svetlana Aslanian `similar crime should not be
forgotten’.
RA Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdian refugees from Baku and representatives
of public organizations took part in the activity.
Aggression against Armenians of Baku in the form of murders, violence
and robbery became more frequent in December 1989. By January 12-13,
1990, massacres of Armenians in Baku acquired an organized and
ubiquitous character. On January 13, 1990, 60 thou activists lead by
the National Azeri Front in a mass meeting, started the methodical
`cleanup’ of the city from Armenians. There are numerous facts of
brutal carnages of the peaceful Armenian population in the Azeri
capital. The exact number of killed is still unknown. Only when the
Soviet forces entered Baku on January 20, the survived Armenians
managed to leave the country. L.D. -0 –
*********************************************************************
AN EXHIBITION `DISCOVER ARMENIA’ OF THE ARMENIAN ART IS OPENED IN THE
ART CENTER OF GANSHOREN BRUSSELS COMMUNITY
YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. An exhibition `Discover Armenia’ of the
Armenian art is opened in the art center of Ganshoren Brussels
community. According to RA MFA Press Service Department, work by
artists Levon Aghayan, Avetis Balayan, Samo, and sculptors Mariam
Grigoryan and Suren Oganyan are exhibited. The exhibition will last
till January 23. A.H. –0–

Armenian peacekeepers leave for Iraq
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
18 Jan 05
[Presenter] A 46-strong group of specialists of the Armenian armed
forces today left for Iraq on a six-month humanitarian and
peacekeeping mission.
As it was planned, a commander, a representative under the Polish
command [as heard], a platoon commander, 30 drivers, 10 sappers and
three doctors – a therapist, a cardiologist and a psychiatrist left
for Iraq.
The Armenian peacekeepers will serve in Iraq as part of a
multinational division under the US and Polish commands. The Armenian
side will pay them a monthly salary worth 1,000 dollars.
The Armenian peacekeepers will stay in Kuwait for two weeks and then
leave for Iraq’s town of Karbala.
Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan and US ambassador to Armenia
John Evans attended a solemn ceremony of dispatching the peacekeepers.
[Sarkisyan, captioned, shown addressing the ceremony] The Republic of
Armenia is taking part in a humanitarian mission in Iraq. The
international community has repeatedly rendered assistance to Armenia,
and today is Armenia’s turn to take part in the international
peacekeeping mission.
This is not only a routine mission, but a mission of high
responsibility helping Armenia’s integration into the international
community. We cannot be outside the international efforts for
establishing peace and stability in our region and mostly in Iraq.
[Video showed the ceremony at airport]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SONS OF THE ARMENIAN NATION WHO “TURNED INTO” KURDS AND TURKS
Azg/arm
18 Jan 05
It was a taboo till recently to write of the Armenians who were
forcibly turned into Turks and Kurds during the Ottoman reign. Most of
them, living today in Western Europe, Western Armenia and Cilicia
(modern-day Turkey), are going through a revival of national
identification. After the Armenians of Hamshen, those from Sassoon,
Mush and Taron, who were forcibly converted into Islam,are especially
easy to talk with about their past and present. They try to return to
the bosom of their nation by overcoming their “guise”, the names and
surnames, and to fight for their rights and to recover the historic
legacy of their forefathers massacred by the Turks.
One can meet those Armenians returning to their roots in Germany as
well as in Armenia especially after the war in Iraq and the vents at
the Turkish border. Some “Kurdish” Armenians fought in the ranks of
the PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party) and got disappointed after Ojalan’s
capture and left for Germany where they could find a wide field for
political and national activity. They settled in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden,
Stuttgart, Mainz and elsewhere.
“I was born in Karmir Khach (Kzl Akhach) village of Taron. We shunned
the Armenian Genocide as we accepted Islam feigningly and were
Kurdish-speaking. My father and brother enrolled in the PKK to fight
against Turkish fascism, they were imprisoned and tortured numerous
times. I’ve been studying andworking here in Germany for a long time
and am in touch with the Armenian communityand the progressive
forces. But in Western Armenia, especially in originally Armenian
Vardo town, which was stricken by an earthquake in 60s and where my
relatives live, human rights violations are rampant”, Simon Kostanian
(Sardet Kosdun), who regained his Armenian identity today, tells.
Razmik Hakobian (Nureddin Yagub) from one of Cilicia villages was a
PKK warrior but was arrested and jailed in one of Ankara’s horrific
prisons. He is a writer and a film director who is planning to shoot a
film about the life of Diaspora Armenians.
“My parents concealed our identity particularly because being an
Armenian was an unforgettable affront in Adiamani where I am coming
from. Despite this, many “Kurdish” and “Turkish” Armenians were called
“gyavur”. The film I am trying to shoot is about an Armenian outcast
and also is an odyssey of a Western Armenians who survived the
Genocide. I shall realize my plans if I find necessary support in
Armenia and by the help of our confederates in WesternEurope”, Razmik
tells.
The number of Armenians, who only now discover their identity, above
all in Sassoon and Mush, amounts to thousands.
“There are around 1000 Armenians in Mush. The Turkish government has
forgotten us for a while, as there are the Kurds to deal with. The
sons of the Kurdish people say sorry for their fathers’ deeds who were
killing Armenians together with the Turks”, Armen from Mush says.
By Hamo Moskofian in Wiesbaden-Marseilles

January 12, 2005
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACTS: Darren leaver
GCC Study Abroad Program Director
818 240-1000 ext. 5718
[email protected]
Levon Marashlian
Armenia Program Faculty Director
818 240-1000 ext. 5463
[email protected]
Glendale College Schedules Study Abroad Program in Armenia for Summer 2005
Glendale–Glendale Community College has scheduled a Study Abroad
Program in Armenia for summer 2005. The program runs from June 21 to
July 21. It includes three courses covering Armenian history, art,
architecture, language, literature, music and other aspects of
Armenian culture. The trip also features trips to Karabakh, Ghapan,
and numerous excursions to educational and recreational sites.
Dr. Levon Marashlian, professor of history at GCC, will teach the
Armenian History course while Ms. Lilit Galstian, Ph.D. candidate in
Armenian literature, and Dr. Levon Chookaszian, Director of the
UNESCO Chair in Armenian Art at Yerevan State University, will teach
the Conversational Armenian and International Field Studies
courses. Guest lecturers with special expertise in specific areas will
also participate. Lectures will be at the Yerevan State University
Foreign Guest House, where students will be housed, as well as on-site
at various locations.
GCC students as well as applicants from off campus can register for
the program. For the brochure and application forms that provide
information on deadlines, fees and other details, please visit the GCC
Study Abroad webpage at or
contact Study Abroad Program Director Darren Leaver at 818 240-1000
ext. 5718 and [email protected], or Armenia Program Faculty
Director Levon Marashlian at 818 240-1000 ext. 5463 and
[email protected].
This message powered by EMUmail.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian president signs bill to combat money laundering
.c The Associated Press
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Armenian President Robert Kocharian has signed
into law a parliamentary bill on combating money-laundering, his
office said Sunday.
The new law, which is also intended to help block funding of
terrorism, requires banks to report money transfers by individual
clients exceeding the equivalent of US10,000 (about euro7,600) and
obliges business structures to report all real-estate deals worth the
equivalent of more than US$100,000 (about euro76,000).
The law establishes a special structure under the ex-Soviet republic’s
Central Bank to track down money-laundering.
01/16/05 13:41 EST

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 17 2005
Positions of Baku, Yerevan getting closer – Russian Foreign Ministry

Russian Foreign Ministry says that certain progress is observed in
the positions of Baku and Yerevan getting closer and their approaches
to the Upper Garabagh conflict, the Ministry said in a statement.
On January 10-11 Prague hosted another meeting of Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian,
attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, United States and
France).
`Moscow welcomes the fact that the meetings of the two sides on
different levels, including those between Presidents and in the
`Prague format’, have become regular’, the Russian Ministry said.
Representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia are considering literally
all aspects of the situation with the Garabagh conflict in their
internationally mediated talks, the same source said.
`These include such thorny issues as withdrawal of armed forces,
demilitarization of the territory, international guarantees and the
status of Upper Garabagh.’*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 17 2005
Armenia faces energy crisis

Armenia is facing energy and fuel crisis, as prices for automobile
gasoline have doubled, diesel fuel increased 1.5 times, while those
on stove heating oil and liquid gas 1.6 times.
Today, AI-95 brand gasoline sells in Armenia for $1.6, while AI-93
and AI-72 brands for $1.2 and $1 respectively.
Experts explain Armenia’s energy crises with the detention of trains
with transit cargoes which are transported to Armenia through
Azerbaijan and Georgia, on the Azeri-Georgian border and a relevant
investigation being carried out by the Azerbaijan State Customs
Committee.
An official from Armenian Energy Ministry Bagam Terbekian told the
local press that the country’s fuel reserves are getting exhausted.
Whereas 20,000 tons of gasoline was daily imported from Georgia, the
figure is currently 3,000 tons, he said.
Amidst the crisis, Iran has reduced the export of fuel to Armenia.
Terbekian said the reasons for the move are uncertain and that the
government will seriously examine the situation.
A new agreement on cargo transportation will be signed by the
Azerbaijani and Georgian customs agencies shortly. The agreement
includes a special provision which bans transporting cargoes going
through Azerbaijan to Armenia through Georgia.*

Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA)
January 14, 2005 Friday
Idaho Edition
?Healthy skeptics? find spirituality by following Ancient Traditions
by Virginia de Leon Staff writer
Kamori Cattadoris is a skeptic.
“The healthy kind,” explained the founder of Ancient Traditions
Community Church, a new congregation in Hillyard. “The kind that
wants to know truth. Not the cynic who rejects everything.”
Although she spent years questioning religious doctrine, Cattadoris
was still open to finding a path to God.
Spirituality eventually became possible for her, she said, through
ancient teachings found in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Sufism,
Tibetan Buddhism and other traditions.
After starting a study group four years ago for “healthy skeptics” in
search of faith, Cattadoris and her husband, Bob, bought an old
church building in north Spokane and established Ancient Traditions.
On Saturday, the new church will open its doors to the community by
offering several activities that emphasize traditional ethnic music
and dance, as well as Middle Eastern foods that members have spent
the past few days preparing.
Ancient Traditions is not a new religion, members say. While its
teachings are based on early Christian principles, it is an
interfaith congregation that doesn?t force anyone to believe in
anything, Cattadoris said. Their goal is to work together in pursuit
of personal transformation ? to “drop our inflated self-importance,”
she said, and to “seek God within the human heart.”
At the altar of the church sanctuary is a large wooden cross, left
behind by the previous congregation. “We?ve made it our own,” said
Cattadoris, emphasizing that the group is not exclusively Christian.
To the right of the altar is a Tibetan gong; to the left in another
corner hang half a dozen handmade bells from India. The white walls
will eventually be decorated with Egyptian papyrus and Tibetan art
painted on rice paper. The church?s library includes books like the
Quran, the Dalai Lama?s “Training the Mind” and Jon Kabat-Zinn?s
“Wherever You Go, There You Are.”
Many who joined this group have been influenced by the teachings of
George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, an Armenian mystic, author and composer
who established a religious movement in the 1920s through the
Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man.
Born in 1872 in Alexandropol near the Russo-Turkish frontier,
Gurdjieff spent years in Central Asia, North Africa and other areas,
where he came into contact with esoteric teachings. As a result, he
developed his own teaching: that ordinary people could attain a
higher state of awareness. After his death in 1949, Gurdjieff?s
followers started spiritual centers all over the world.
While Gurdjieff study groups exist throughout the United States, the
Spokane crowd is one of only two in the country that has evolved into
a church, Cattadoris said.
“We are an experiential group,” said Lyn Lamb, who joined Ancient
Traditions last year when it was still a study group. Through her
interaction with other members, she has focused on certain tasks each
week that include refraining from negative thinking and an emphasis
on self-observation ? actions, she said, that have given her more
awareness.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Daily News
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Towards political partnership with Russia
Turkish-Russian cooperation in the political sphere has the potential
of not only helping both countries realize foreign policy goals but
also of generating consequences that could go well beyond the borders
of the two countries
ANKARA –
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s three-day visit to Russia
last week not only gave a new boost to growing trade and economic
ties but also produced significant political developments, with
Russian President Vladimir Putin describing Turkish Cypriot isolation
as unfair and pledging help to resolve the disputes between Turkey,
and Armenia and Erdoðan announcing a surprise decision to consider
cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The two leaders said they look to boost the trade volume between
the two countries from the current annual level of $10 billion to $15
billion and, in the next few years, to $25 billion. The two also
agreed to address new areas for cooperation in the energy sector,
such as electricity purchases from Russia, already the main natural
gas supplier of Turkey.
In the political sphere, Turkish-Russian cooperation has the
potential of not only helping both countries attain foreign policy
goals such as advancing Turkey’s EU membership and Cyprus bids but
also of generating consequences that could go well beyond the borders
of the two countries and transform the regional political setting.