Author: Emil Lazarian

NEW TIMES VERSUS NATIONAL UNITY
A1 Plus | 17:51:11 | 04-06-2004 | Politics |
Suit filed by New Times party chair Aram Karapetyan against National
Unity party leaders was heard Friday at the first instance court. The
suit has been filed over the allegation saying he is “the authorities’
agent”.
The plaintiff’s lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan demanded the defendant to
answer for their allegation.
The defense attorneys Gagik Kostandyan and Agassi Arshakyan said
their clients hadn’t intended to insult Karapetyan and hurt his
dignity. They only noted he had turned off the road of the opposition.
The defense side submitted their arguments, and the court gave the
plaintiff time to look through them. The second session is scheduled
for June 14. Azg newspaper correspondent Tatul Hakobyan will be
subpoenaed to court as witness.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE can contribute to Karabakh solution – European envoy
Mediamax news agency
4 Jun 04
Yerevan, 4 June: The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, along with
other European organizations, is capable of creating a favourable
environment around the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
The press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry has told Mediamax
that this was stated by Goran Lennmarker, special representative of the
chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly [for Nagornyy Karabakh],
during a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan today.
Goran Lennmarker told the Armenian minister that he would pay a
factfinding visit to Nagornyy Karabakh on 5 June.
The special representative of the chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly and the Armenian foreign minister also discussed ways of
improving Armenian-Turkish relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MP urges US envoy to respect Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
Ekspress, Baku
4 Jun 04
Text of Farid report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekspress on 4 June
headlined “A message from Gular Ahmadova to the US ambassador” and
subheaded “We can present you with articles by Armenian journalists
expressing their thanks to America for economic revival in Nagornyy
Karabakh”
The contradictory statements made by the US ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Reno Harnish, on the activities of US companies in Nagornyy Karabakh
have caused discontent among MPs from the NAP [ruling New Azerbaijan
Party]. Remarks and speeches full of displeasure are already being
voiced in the parliament. A speech by Gular Ahmadova made at the last
session of parliament is one of this kind.
“Mr Harnish, if you do not have any information about this, then we
can provide you with it. We can present you with articles by Armenian
journalists expressing their thanks to America for economic revival
in Nagornyy Karabakh.”
MP Gular Ahmadova addressed these words to the US ambassador. According
to her, each of these thanks is a blow to Azerbaijan. For this
reason, the MP asked the ambassador to clarify his opinion about
these issues. Ahmadova thinks that giving contradictory information
about such a serious issue does not do an envoy credit.
We wondered which documents the MP had. Ahmadova said that she had
a list of US companies working in Nagornyy Karabakh, which she was
speaking about. She said she could present the ambassador with the
list if he wished.
“If the ambassador does not know about this, I can hand it over to
him if he wishes,” she said.
Ahmadova denied that such remarks by MPs from the NAP might create
anti-American sentiments.
“There is absolutely no anti-American sentiment. We are in the
same alliance as the USA on many issues and are members of the
anti-terrorist coalition.”
Despite all this, the MP thinks that the Nagornyy Karabakh issue
is very sensitive for all the forces in Azerbaijan – both for the
opposition and for the government. Ahmadova thinks that since Nagornyy
Karabakh is presented as Azerbaijan’s territory in international
documents, the US ambassador to Azerbaijan and the US State Department
should respect this. The MP thinks that the issue should be approached
attentively in terms of territorial integrity.
“Such an approach is at least disrespect for Azerbaijan,” the MP said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Oskanian Says Council Of Europe Sanctions Unlikely
By Gevorg Stamboltsian 04/06/2004 00:38
Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
June 4 2004
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said on Thursday that the Council
of Europe is unlikely to impose embarrassing political sanctions on
Armenia despite its strong criticism of his government’s crackdown
on the opposition.
In a resolution adopted on April 28, the pan-European organization’s
Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) threatened not to recognize the
credentials of four Armenian members in September unless the
authorities stop arresting opposition supporters and release all
political prisoners. “I can dare say that there is no danger of
that. I don’t think that our deputies will be stripped of their
voting rights,” Oskanian said during a meeting with students at
Yerevan State University. “I think that everything will be alright
and we will continue our normal work there.”
“But in any case, a lot will depend on what kind of developments
will take place by September. If, God forbid, such a thing happens
it will definitely have a negative impact on our foreign policy and
reputation in general,” he added.
The PACE resolution says that the Armenian authorities have until
late June to “inform the Assembly of their findings and possible
legal actions against people responsible” for human rights abuses
reported during the crackdown. They were also told to lift “unjustified
restrictions” on peaceful anti-government demonstrations and release
all individuals arrested in connection with them.
Two PACE rapporteurs are due to visit Armenia later this month ahead of
the 45-nation assembly’s next session in Strasbourg to assess progress
in the implementation of its recommendations. The authorities say they
have already taken meaningful steps to comply with the resolution. The
Armenian opposition denies the claims, pointing to the continuing
“administrative detentions” and imprisonment on criminal charges of
its activists.
The opposition has sought to portray the Council of Europe criticism as
a major success in its campaign to oust President Robert Kocharian. The
government, for its part, counters that the resolution did not endorse
the opposition calls for a referendum of confidence in Kocharian and
said that serious irregularities did not affect the official outcome
of last year’s presidential election.
The opposition efforts to provoke international pressure on Yerevan
was denounced by Kocharian this week as something “close to treason” of
Armenian national interests. Oskanian echoed the charges on Thursday,
saying that the continuing anti-Kocharian rallies hurt the country’s
international standing.
“When I’m in Strasbourg, Brussels, New York, London or Paris and
several thousand people gather in Freedom Square on the same day to
call for regime change, believe me that our foreign policy becomes
very inefficient,” he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Sail away in an armenian ark
By Adam Federman
SPECIAL TO THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
St Petersburg Times, Russia, Russia
June 4 2004
The final page of the menu at Noyan Tapan (Noah’s Ark) is a list
of prices for broken dishware. One-hundred and fifty rubles for a
ceramic mug, 300 rubles ($5-$10) for an earthenware plate, and so on.
Perhaps it’s a gentle warning designed to limit the amount of Armenian
cognac consumed or just a pragmatic response to previous mishaps.
Anyway, the oversized oil painting of Noah descending with his flock
from Mount Ararat, seemingly into the dining room itself, will put
you on guard before you even get to the menu. Mount Ararat – a dormant
volcano nearly 17,000 feet high in northeastern Turkey and ten miles
from the Armenian border -is believed by many to be the final resting
place of Noah’s Ark. Whether you’re taken by such myths or not it’s
a good reason to raise a glass in honor of the biblical story and
in honor of God’s destruction of the earth. Or just in honor of
Mount Ararat.
Finding something to fill your glass with isn’t difficult given that
Armenia is home to over 200 varieties of grapes, most of them native
to the region. One of the most well-known grapes is the areni from
the Vayats Dzor region. A bottle bearing the name of the grape is
390 rubles ($13.44) and is a good dry table wine.
Noyan Tapan also has close to fifteen varieties of Armenian cognac,
though not all were available. The otbornoi select is 85 rubles ($2.93)
for 50 grams or 850 rubles ($29.31) for a bottle. The three-star
Ararat is 55 rubles ($1.89) for the same amount and the seven-star
80 rubles ($2.75) . The number of stars denotes the number of years
the cognac has been fermented. Armenian cognac has long been highly
regarded and won its first Grand-Prix gold medal in France in 1904.
It’s best to start with the wine and save the cognac for the end of
the meal, even if by that point there’s a greater risk of dropping
a glass or throwing a plate at your partner. Cognac, especially good
cognac, is best sipped without the distracting flavors of food.
The menu at Noyan Tapan is a mix of Russian and Armenian cuisine.
They have everything from kholodets, meat in aspic jelly (39 rubles,
$1.34), to hot and cold borshch (50 and 60 rubles, $1.72, $2.06),
and anumber of Russian salads.
The tolma (92 rubles, $3.17) – rice and meat wrapped in vine leaves
served warm with a light sour cream – were as good as any in the
city. The shorba (65 rubles, $2.24) – a beef soup with garbanzo
beans and potatoes – is good rainy day fare. Its garlicky broth goes
well with matsun, a sour yogurt (15 rubles, 51 cents), and the thin
Armenian lavash bread (5 rubles, 17 cents). The only complaint is
that the meat is a bit tough.
The same can be said for the house specialty, the razdan, a filet of
pork rolled with cheese, red and green peppers, and dill (149 rubles,
$5.13). The meat was overcooked and under-seasoned.
The home-style pork ribs (129 rubles, $4.44) were better. They were
meaty with plenty of fat and not dried out. The vegetable side dish
for 30 rubles ($1.03) however was a disappointing pile of green beans,
cauliflower, and carrots evidently from a bag. The peasant-style
potatoes were markedly better, browned nicely and served with chopped
dill and garlic.
The assorted kebab (110 rubles, $3.79) with lamb and chicken was
served, to our surprise, with a fried egg on top. It was good but
not much different from the ambiguous Russian cutlet found on menus
throughout the city. All entrees are served with pickled cabbage and
enough raw onion to last a few days.
Noyan Tapan’s dining room is small, with just seven tables and a
piano in the corner with a television sitting idly on top. They don’t
have live music but apparently whoever can play the piano is welcome
to. And this would certainly be welcome as Love Radio plays nonstop,
oozing from the speakers mounted on the wall.
The restaurant has been around for eleven years and even on the far
end of Sadovaya, a good half-hour from Nevsky, has kept its doors
open. It’s a friendly spot and if nothing else a good place to drink
some cognac away from all the traffic and noise of the city.
Noyan Tapan (Noah’s Ark), 81 Sadovaya Ulitsa. Cash only, open daily
until 11 p.m. Menu in Russian only. Dinner for two with cognac and
one bottle of wine 1,116 rubles ($38.48).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AsiaNews.it, Italy
June 3 2004
Rome and Moscow: a willing separation?
by Vladimir Rozanskij
Proselytism is a trivial problem compared to necessity of
evangelising the world. A Russian expert analyses the results
obtained by the Orthodox-Catholic Group.
Moscow (AsiaNews) – Cardinal Walter Kasper’s recent visit to Russia
is beginning to be show its first fruits. Probably, the most important
result of the trip is the organisation of the Joint (Orthodox-Catholic)
Working Group. The Joint Group, which started its activity in May,
is established to analyse the various existing controversies between
the two Churches, and to suggest possible solutions.
Members of the group unofficially reported that the relationship
between the Catholic and Orthodox participants was welcoming
and friendly, despite the difficult issues that the Group had to
discuss: the legitimacy of the “acts of proselytism” on the part of
the catholic Church in the 15 years since the borders to the former
Soviet countries opened.
The peaceful atmosphere that pervaded the Group’s meetings does
not spring from any great achievement, but from the spirit of
diversity that animates the protagonists of this new season of
ecumenical dialogue. Almost with a sense of freedom, in fact, the
representatives of the two sister-Churches were asked neither to work
for a re-unification, nor to organise improbable meetings between
their highest ecclesial authorities. The task is not so difficult,
and corresponds to the present reality: The Churches will take an
inventory of the rights and wrongs of the relationship between the
two ecclesiastical communities with a view to avoid ‘stepping on each
other’s toes’ in the future.
More than to ‘reunite the family’, as it were, this step is more
like asking lawyers to divide assets and define the terms of
the mutual, willing separation between two parties. Despite the
doctrine of marriage (which in the Orthodox Church is not as strict
as in Catholicism), nowadays even Catholics seem to appreciate the
advantages of a peaceful “separation”. Before Vatican II the Catholic
Church referred to Christians of other denominations as “dissidents”.
After the Council they became “brothers” (even if affected by some
minor imperfections), to be welcomed back home. Now, it looks like
they are turning into “willing divorcees”.
“Microscopic” proselytism
Therefore, the Group discussed ‘concrete things’, listing the names
and surnames of those who have offended and betrayed the mission
of the Churches. In truth, it would have been better if the Group
had considered some important statistics as well, to give the true
dimensions of the problem of ‘Catholic proselytism’. In Russia there
are officially 500,000 Catholics, but only 50,000 of them actually go
to church. Most important, there are only 5,000 Russians who turned
to the Church of Rome without having any kind of Catholic tradition
in their families (ie. A German or Polish grandmother). Among them,
only 2,000 had some link with the Orthodox Church in their past. In
Russia live 150 million people.
Truthfully, the Group considered some statistics. An orthodox
representative quoted the “offensive” words spoken by Verbist Fr.
Jerzy Jagodzinski, who questioned the Orthodox nature of the Russian
population observing that, “only 1.2% of people in Moscow participated
to the Easter celebrations”, 120,000 out of 10 million. Actually,
Jagodzinski was being generous with the Orthodox church: Moscow’s
authorities confirmed that “for Easter less than 1% of the population
attended any kind of religious service”. In the last ten years, there
are twenty times more churches than there was under communism, with
building being built or re-opened. Yet in relation to the immediate
post-communism years, only one third of people now attend the services.
Ultimately, it seems that the practical things discussed by the
Group concern only “those provincial reports of strategic activities
to convert people of Orthodox roots to another faith and another
culture.” According to Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the Orthodox
delegation.. These kind of ‘provincial reports’ is a constant in
Russian history, which prefers ‘informing’ and secret accusations to
flagrant crimes. The Group was informed of supposed grave violations
that happened in remote locations, above all in the Siberian city of
Novosibirsk. Here Catholics are believed to be have been incited in
various sectors, especially within schools, hospitals, universities
and through TV programs. It is important to notice that Novosibirsk,
which is 4.000 km away from Moscow, was the place of deportation of
those considered dangerous by the Communist regime- free-thinkers and
undesirable ethnicities. German Catholics built their church there in
Soviet times. The Catholic activities, therefore, must be explained
in context of the Catholic roots of many living there.
In truth, the real reason behind the reports is something else.
Novosibirsk in fact is a city were Jesuits have concentrated their
efforts, the “Catholic devils” of Russian literature, an expression
of the inferiority complex of the Orthodox towards Western culture.
The local bishop, Mons. Jozif Werth, (a Russian German) is a Jesuit
himself and has called many in his Community to collaborate with him,
excluding the invitation, however, to Jesuits of the eastern rites, in
order not to provoke the distrust of Orthodox authorities. It is as if
the Orthodox Church would say, ‘They have tried again to convert us,
this time starting from the extreme peripheries. But again, we have
unmasked them!’
Targeting children’s activities
Another point of attack of the Orthodox Inquisition are “activities for
children”. Here and there, (in fact, always in the most inaccessible
places: Murmansk, Angarsk, Sakhalin) Catholics have been accused
of using schools and orphanages “for profit”, to take the souls of
those who would be the future sons of Orthodoxy. The fathers of the
Work Don Calabria would be the worst ones. According to Orthodox
authorities, these priests used to meet in a secret place not far
from Moscow airport, in order to organise their plots against the
local church. Actually, the fathers (from Verona) invested a large
amount of money, more than all the money from their Brazilian and
African missions combined, to buy and restore a completely abandoned
tourist center. They wanted to transform it into a modern school,
with independent heating. After 10 years, they have not still not
obtained the permission to open the school. They wanted was to
show the Russian people that Christians can propose an educational
method which is absolutely “secular” in its nature and appreciated
in the world. Paradoxically, they ended up in becoming the symbol of
Catholic proselytism, without even having begun their work. Today
the Rodnichock Center, run by the Fathers, is used only by groups
of children who are always escorted by their lay tutors. The Fathers
entirely pay for their vacations, but not even a single one of these
children has become Catholic.
Fr. Igor Kovalevskij (head of the Catholic delegation of the Group)
has held the role of the peacemaker. He acknowledged that “there are
some cases that have generated misunderstandings, as they could be
interpreted as acts of proselytism”. Patriarch Aleksij II has taken
advantage of Fr. Kovalevskij’s words by declaring, in the presence of
Pierferdinando Casini (the President of the Italian Congress) that
“for the first time their was official recognition of the existence
of the problem of proselytism in the territory of the Patriarchy of
Moscow, above all on the part of religious orders”. We don’t know how
much MP Casini has appreciated these updates of the Joint Working
Group. What is certain is that Orthodox authorities have always
been suspicious about religious orders. Probably, they cannot fully
understand either the independence of the orders from the dioceses
(such thing does not exist in the East), or their missionary nature
(and almost all the Orders have the word ‘missionary’ in their name).
It is not a coincidence that in the past someone accused even the
Indian nuns of Mother Theresa- who were called to Armenia by the
government after the earthquake of 1998- or proselytising.
Evangelisation
In truth, Kovalevskij emphasised that the Catholic Church rejects
proselytism at every level. He added that the Catholic Church has
no intention to proselytise in Russia, as this is a country where
it is not necessary to spread the Gospel. After all, Russia has a
long Christian tradition. It is not the situation of New Guinea or
an African country where it is necessary to preach the Gospel. These
affirmations seem to be not in line with the real situation of the
country. Kovalevskij concluded by saying that “our relationships
with the Orthodox church are cold, but it is not winter yet”, echoing
Patriarch Aleksij who declared that “there are some clouds” over our
relationship. In this way, with the use of these weather metaphors,
the ecumenical dialogue has taken a new direction, to divide itself
peacefully rather than to unite. Perhaps one can see also the design
of Divine Providence, useful, not only to define new connections
between Christians, but also into affect conflicts on an international
level. Psychological and spiritual confines, more than geographical
and political ones, show the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel of
unity and peace in a world upset by conflicts and accusations for
so long. Only in this Gospel will we be able to find our proper
“ecclesial territories”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 3 2004
PARLIAMENT NEWS
[June 03, 2004, 17:08:31]
As was informed by AzerTAj, the delegation led by the deputy of
parliament of Israel Amnion Cohen on June 2 has met Samad Seyidov,
the chairman of standing committee of Milli Majlis on the international
links and inter-parliamentary relations.
Having welcomed the visitors, Mr. Seyidov has told about development
of relations between our countries in political, economic and cultural
areas. He has noted that today Azerbaijan develops both in economic and
political relations and is interested in expansion of the international
links and cooperation.
Then chairman of the Committee has in detail informed on the reasons
of occurrence of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict,
the fair position of official Baku in connection with settlement of
the problem.
Mr. Amnion Cohen has noted that the purpose of arrival to Azerbaijan
consists in participation in the 11th International Exhibition –
Conference “Caspian Oil-Gas – 2004 ” in Baku Alongside with it,
they are going to carry out a number of bilateral meetings and have
exchange of opinions concerning development of our communications.
The purpose of the said meeting consists of discussion of prospects
of expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation.
The visitor also has emphasized, that Israel supports the fair position
of Azerbaijan on settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
Then, the parties had comprehensive exchange of opinions on other
questions representing mutual interest.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 3 2004
DELEGATION OF AZERBAIJAN MADE PROPOSALS IN THE FINAL DOCUMENT ON
TOPIC “REFUGEES, MIGRATION AND PROTECTION” IN MINSK
[June 03, 2004, 20:24:35]
As was informed by AzerTAj, the UN High Commissioner on Refugees,
the International Organization of migration, the Council of Europe
and OSCE held a meeting in Minsk on the topic “Refugees, migration
and protection”.
Our country on this action was presented by the head of delegation
Gurban Sadygov, the head of department of migration of the Ministry
of Labor and Social Security of population Rauf Tagiyev, the head
of department of the Frontier Service Akif Shafiyev, the inspector
of Management of passport registration of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs Vugar Zeynalov who spoke of refugee problems, the IDPs and
migration of the Cabinet of the Azerbaijan Republic, and also as
the observer – the head of the department of the State Committee on
refugees and IDPs Telman Mammadov and others.
The head of delegation of Azerbaijan G. Sadygov in his statement has in
detail told about the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict,
about the refugees and IDPs who became refugees in result of the
ethnic purge pursued by Armenia, the measures which are carried out by
our state in connection with their social protection, the situation
developed in the field of migration, scales of the conflict, support
of the international organizations in settlement of the problem.
Under the offer of delegation of Azerbaijan, to the project of the
final document adopted at the meeting has been amended with a new
paragraph under the name “Safety of the person and the IDPs” and some
items, responding to interests of our country.
Within the framework of action, were held meetings with representatives
of high rank representatives of the international organizations,
and discussed were questions and opportunities of development of
cooperation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Office of Sarkis Assadourian M.P.
120 Confederation
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
Contact: Daniel Kennedy
Tel: 613 995 4843
Communiqué
For Immediate Release Ottawa June 3, 2004
On June 2, 2004, Mr. Sarkis Assadourian M.P. (Brampton Centre,
Lib.): Chair Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group convened
a consultative meeting of fourteen prominent Canadian Armenians on
Parliament Hill. As a result of discussions held, the following needs
of the Canadian Armenian Community were identified.
* An effective means to present Armenian issues to the
Canadian public through educational seminars.
* The presentation of appropriate projects in Armenia
to C.I.D.A. for funding.
* Reflecting on Motion M-380, promoting the recognition
and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide by the
Government of Canada through education.
* The establishment of a Canadian Embassy in Armenia.
* The enhancement of trade cultural and educational
relations between Canada and Armenia.
* Continue to support the Parliamentary Exchange Program
to enhance Parliamentary Relations between Canada
and Armenia.
Mr. Assadourian was asked by those present at the meeting to consult
with the Canadian Armenian Community across the country, to identify
and further define realizable ways to address these needs. It is
expected that these consultations will take place over the coming
two or three months.
Commenting on the meeting Assadourian said. “I would like to thank
all of the participants for their input and I assure you that I will
continue to apply my firm dedication to the freedom of expression
and the principles of democracy and that I will continue to work
with any individuals or organizations that dedicate themselves to
these principles to enhance Canadian Armenian relations and enrich
Canadian Armenian Life.”
-30-

Armenian minister says progress in Karabakh talks to be achieved soon
Mediamax news agency
3 Jun 04
Yerevan, 3 June: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan did not
rule out today that “certain progress” can be achieved in the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict settlement within the next two months.
Vardan Oskanyan said that he did not expect the mediators to exert
pressure on the parties to the conflict and make them sign a peace
treaty.
Commenting on the possibility of the resumption of hostilities in
the Karabakh conflict zone, the Armenian foreign minister said that
after the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was put into operation,
chances of starting a new war would be “quite slim”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress