Author: Frangulian Shushan

UN Regional Information Asia, Asia
May 6 2004
TURKMENISTAN: Focus on Armenian migrants
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
ASHGABAT, 6 May 2004 (IRIN) – Thousands of Armenians from Armenia and
Azerbaijan fled to Turkmenistan in the 1990s, following the war in
the Caucasus and the economic crisis in Armenia. After the
authorities in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat introduced a visa regime
with all the former Soviet republics in 1999, many of these Armenians
found themselves in Turkmenistan with no legal status, many have
sought to return home.
ARMENIANS IN TURKMENISTAN
Armenians living in Turkmenistan fall into three groups: ethnic
Armenians who are Turkmen citizens, Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan
and the enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, and Armenian citizens from
Armenia itself.
According to Aram Grigoryan, the Armenian ambassador to Turkmenistan,
those in the first category constitute the majority of Armenians in
the country. According to some estimates, they number more than
30,000. The total population of Turkmenistan is some 6.5 million.
As for the second and third categories, Grigoryan explained to IRIN
that a well-established Armenian diaspora in the country dating back
to Soviet times prompted their relatives in Armenia and Azerbaijan to
come to Turkmenistan more recently.
Given their illegal status, there are no official statistics on the
number of Armenian irregular migrants in Turkmenistan. According to
the Armenian embassy, they could number between 2,000 and 4,000.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE VISA REGIME INTRODUCED IN 1999
Although the embassy is dealing with these irregular Armenian
migrants, and had sent several hundred Armenians back to Armenia
before Ashgabat’s June 1999 announcement of a visa regime with all
former Soviet republics, the situation became more complicated after
that.
“This [visa regime] made these people victims of the situation. Most
of them never knew what a visa regime meant… They thought they
would continue to live as they had been doing and that it [the
trouble] would pass,” Grigoryan said.
It turned out that thousands of Armenian nationals were living in
Turkmenistan without an entry visa, thus staying illegally and
breaking the visa regime. “These people are formally speaking without
proper documents at this point, but many of them told us they were
actually afraid to register. They were afraid that they wouldn’t get
the [required] status and as foreigners would be obliged to leave the
country. So this is a very specific migration issue,” Zoran Milovic,
head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in
Ashgabat, told IRIN.
Upon the establishment of the visa regime, these migrants had a
chance to leave the country without a visa. This was done for those
who were not ready to pay for a visa to stay. Such visas cost US $41
for each month of stay in the country.
“And you can imagine what a huge burden $41 would be for anybody here
in Turkmenistan, except for Westerners who come on business,” Milovic
said. The average monthly salary in the energy rich country is no
more than $65.
Some migrants left, but most remained. “From a technical point of
view, everyone who didn’t have a place of residence and Turkmen
citizenship and failed to register after 1999 became an irregular
migrant,” Milovic explained.
According to the IOM, in some cases Armenian migrants had documents
issued by the old Soviet government or issued by the Armenian
government, while others had lost their papers. But it proved
virtually impossible for them to get new documents, because in order
to get a new passport they had to have the original papers from
Armenia. “You cannot get them unless you travel there and you cannot
travel because you don’t have travel documents. It was a catch-22
situation,” the IOM official noted.
In an effort to organise the voluntary return of those willing to go
home, the IOM has assisted the return of more than 200 Armenian
nationals over the past two years, supported by the Norwegian, Dutch
and British governments, coupled with the cooperation of Turkmen
authorities.
“When it came to the issue of logistics, of organising their
transport, we indeed had excellent cooperation from both the
Ministries of Interior and of Foreign Affairs, and with the customs
and border guard service.” Milovic said.
MIXED MARRIAGES
One of the most problematic aspects related to the issue of Armenian
irregular migrants is that of mixed marriages between them and local
ethnic Armenians who are Turkmen nationals.
Turkmenistan adopted a law defining the conditions for the
registration of marriages between Turkmen nationals and foreigners in
2001. According to the law, every foreigner who wants to marry a
Turkmen national is supposed to pay US $50,000 to a state fund, which
is supposed to take care of abandoned wives and orphans.
But very few people from the former Soviet Union have $50,000 to pay
for registering the marriage. “Then you have the situation when the
marriage exists in reality, children exist in reality. But in terms
of formally recognising this marriage union and then registering the
place of residence and approving certain rights that come with that,
it is not possible and this becomes a huge problem,” Milovic
stressed.
“We had many cases in which one of the spouses was an Armenian
national while the other was a Turkmen national. They usually
encounter problems with visas, registration, residency permits and so
on,” Ambassador Grigoryan said.
Although they cannot register their marriage officially, they usually
marry in church. “But when they have children, they cannot register
them, they can’t be issued with IDs, which creates big problems for
their education,” a local analyst told IRIN in Ashgabat.
The issue of mixed marriages was quite problematic for the recent
group of repatriates who flew to Armenia in late January. Many of the
repatriates left behind children or wives in Turkmenistan, the
Armenian media outlet ArmeniaNow.com reported, quoting some
returnees.
Nune came to Armenia with her daughter, leaving behind in
Turkmenistan her husband and son – both Turkmen nationals. “Since I
have a Soviet passport I hope to get myself a new Armenian passport
here and then to return to my family by invitation,” she said.
Gagik, who worked in Ashgabat, said his wife and his child were still
in the country. “My wife has Turkmen citizenship, so if I bring her
to Armenia she will have the same status here as I do there,” he
said, adding that he didn’t know what to do.
No statistics or estimates are available on the number of mixed
marriages. “People are afraid to contact either the Armenian embassy
or anybody else, including Turkmen government institutions. So, it is
very hard to estimate their number,” Milovic said.
The IOM official urged the Turkmen and Armenian governments to
address this very specific issue. “Although we can say that they are
irregular migrants, this is an example of a very specific migration
issue that I hope the Turkmen and Armenian governments might be able
to resolve in a different way so that we do not have the cases of
divided families,” he said.
Turkmen law stipulates that those foreign nationals who violated
migration and registration requirements are banned from entering the
country for five years, making it very hard if not impossible for the
Armenian spouses to return to Turkmenistan legally.
MANY REMAINING ARMENIANS SEEKING RETURN
Although some Armenians left the country with assistance from IOM,
the Armenian embassy in Ashgabat or on their own account, the
majority remain in the country, most of whom are said to be seeking
repatriation as they have no jobs, social protection or other rights.
According to some analysts, given their illegal status, most of the
Armenian migrants live in constant fear of being discovered,
questioned by the police, detained and possibly deported. There have
been unconfirmed reports of migrants being harassed by the police,
suffering extortion for money or evicted from their homes.
“Many people are detained and kept at detention facilities for
violating the visa regime. Unfortunately, in Turkmenistan the law on
deportation hasn’t been worked out and we’ve developed a middle-way
solution in cooperation with the Turkmen authorities. We send these
detained people back home. It means that the Turkmen side stamps
visas, we find money for an air ticket, and we look for relatives or
sponsor money. Dozens of people have been sent back home in such a
way,” Ambassador Grigoryan said.
Between 1996 and 1999 when the visa regime was introduced the
Armenian embassy repatriated some 700 Armenians.
“I am sure there are still people who want to go home and many of
them have heard about [such repatriation efforts] it, but we cannot
announce them via radio or television. Should that happen there
wouldn’t be a spare space on this street as many will come,” the
Armenian envoy explained.
ETHNIC ARMENIAN REFUGEES FROM AZERBAIJAN
Another group of ethnic Armenians living in Turkmenistan, namely
refugees from Azerbaijan, is in a more difficult situation. “As for
the [Azerbaijani] refugees, the situation is more complicated.
Unfortunately the office of the UNHCR provides little helps to them
although it is their direct responsibility,” Grigoryan complained to
IRIN.
We spoke to the UNHCR mission in Turkmenistan, and they said that
donor countries that fund humanitarian assistance to refugees put
some conditions, namely that in a given country, for example
Turkmenistan, only those people who directly came from their former
homeland, that is Azerbaijan, could be considered refugees, he
explained.
“These people are deprived of many rights. But it is not the fault of
Turkmenistan, which accepted all of them. It is the fault of
circumstances that made them leave their countries and homelands. But
they cannot return there because there are now big problems between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nobody will accept them there,” Grigoryan
said.
According to the Armenian embassy, the estimated number of
Azerbaijani refugees of Armenian origin living in Turkmenistan is
between 1,000 and 3,000.
Those refugees who came from Azerbaijan directly and can prove that
with documentary evidence are receiving assistance from the UNHCR.
They get a special document which gives them the opportunity to work
and some other rights.
“But those who before coming to Turkmenistan were in other countries
– for example in Armenia and got their refugee status there, but got
into that difficult situation of the early 90s and came here – they
are deprived of assistance. I think it’s nonsense,” Grigoryan said
firmly.
As of April 2004, there were 100 Azerbaijani refugees registered with
the UNHCR office in Ashgabat who are receiving assistance from the UN
refugee agency. “But there are probably others who didn’t register.
We don’t know about them,” Narasimha Rao, a protection officer for
UNHCR, told IRIN in the capital.
“We believe that the majority of them who have refugee claims, which
means those who fled because of the conflict have already approached
us and registered with us. Those who came for migratory reasons don’t
fall under our mandate and as a result we cannot assist them,” Rao
explained.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
When looking at possible solutions for the Armenian migrants,
officials talk about getting Turkmen citizenship for those who
qualify and assisted voluntary repatriation for others.
“I do hope we will have the chance to discuss with the Turkmen
government the situation of those who are still here. Especially
those who are indeed cases of mixed marriages or those who have been
in the country for more than seven years and thus, according to
Turkmen legislation, would have the right to apply for Turkmen
citizenship. I hope that the Turkmen government might be willing to
consider some of these cases, some of these issues in a way that
might enable people to have a choice,” Milovic said.
Meanwhile, those who are happy to return but do not have necessary
resources are awaiting further organised repatriation efforts by the
IOM, provided that donors release the funds needed for a more
comprehensive repatriation programme. The programme is expected to
include some elements necessary for sustainable return as many of the
people in the first group of returnees who were repatriated in late
2002 later went abroad, either to Russia or the US, as they couldn’t
support themselves in Armenia.
The Armenian ambassador urged donors to continue their help in
repatriating Armenians. “There is nothing more noble than to help
people to return home,” he said.
;SelectRegion=Central_Asia

ArmenPress
April 29 2004
TURKEY NOT READY TO JOIN EU, FRANCES’ PRESIDENT SAYS
PARIS, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS: French President Jacques Chirac said
Thursday that Turkey’s entry into the European Union, which is set to
expand to 25 members this week, is not “desirable” now but could be
in the future.
Chirac, speaking at his first full-fledged news conference in six
years, said Turkey had not yet met the conditions for entry into the
EU. He pointed to concern about issues ranging from human rights to
judicial reform. “The destiny of Turkey has always been deeply linked
to Europe,” Chirac said. “Turkey has made considerable efforts,” but
has a way to go, he said.
In response to a question whether Turkey’s formal recognition of
the Armenian genocide of 1915 would eliminate some of these
obstacles, Chirac said the question lies within Turkish-Armenian
relations. “I am deeply satisfied with ongoing positive changes in
Turkish-Armenian relations. It would be incorrect to judge about
future prospects of these relations in the light of the past,” he
said.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution in 1987 linking
Turkey’s membership with the EU to its official acknowledgment of the
1915 genocide.

A1 Plus | 14:34:56 | 30-04-2004 | Politics |
APRIL 13 WILL INFLUENCE NEGATIVELY ON ALL OF US
“It was very bad”, Movses Shahverdyan, Chair of Labor Socialistic
Party of Armenia, labeled the events of April 13 on Baghramyan Avenue
this way at a press conference.
According to him, any attempt of violence towards people has
pernicious impact on everybody. “I don’t think the situation was too
objectionable to resort to that action”.
Mr. Shahverdyan didn’t want to say whether Authorities or Opposition
are mostly to blame for it.
LSPA Chair thinks that meetings must be held not only for power change
but also for solution to nationwide problems like social, ecological
etc. “Minority of people believes that something will change if the
President changes. Besides, power must be changed through elections”.
Shahverdyan says a new power is needed and moral people must be
engaged in politics.
He assures his party has its ideas and purposes.

Margaryan Killing: Preliminary inquiry nears its end
30 April 2004
By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow.com reporter
The lawyer for the family of Gurgen Margaryan has been in Budapest for
consultations on the case against the Azerbaijani officer accused of
murdering him.
Nazeli Vardanyan, a member of the Armenian International Lawyers Union, met
with her Hungarian colleague Gabriela Gaspar to familiarize herself with
details of the preliminary investigation.
Vardanyan is representing the interests of the legal successors of
Margaryan, the Armenian officer violently murdered on February 19 while
attending a NATO Partnership for Peace training program in Budapest. She
also represents a second Armenian officer, Hayk Makuchyan, who is recognized
as a victim in the case.
The preliminary inquiry is expected to be completed within two to three
weeks. Senior Lieutenant Ramil Sarafov, one of two Azerbaijani officers
attending the same NATO program, is accused of hacking Margaryan to death
with an axe while he slept and of attempting to murder Makuchyan. The
soldiers were attending NATO’s “Partners for Peace” conference.
Vardanyan received her legal education in Yerevan and completed postgraduate
study at the Institute of State and Law Studies of the Russian Academy of
Sciences in Moscow . She is also a graduate of the American University of
Armenia. An international law specialist, Vardanyan speaks English and
German.
Tigran Janoyan, head of the union, which is providing legal support to
Vardanyan, states that Sarafov allegedly murdered Margaryan then tried to
break into Makuchyan’s room. The preliminary investigation has recorded that
marks from a sharp-edged instrument were found around the door latch and
that the Azeri officer called to Makuchyan to come out of his room.
“Both of them were recognized as victims and the most important is that the
crime was directed only against Armenian citizens. The national factor, the
fact of being Armenian, was the motive for the crime,” says Janoyan.
Immediately after the incident, Azerbaijani authorities sought to classify
it as a simple dispute. Janoyan says: “So far, the investigation hasn’t
managed to collect any information showing there to have been a conflict
between the Azeri and Armenian officers or demonstration of antipathy.”
The attorney believes that the Azeri side is seeking to cloak a criminal act
in the imagery of national heroism by developing a hypothesis of revenge for
deaths in Khojalu during the war in Nagorno Karabakh.
“This contradiction is also clear to Hungarian authorities, particularly to
the body in charge of the preliminary investigation. If they try to turn the
trial into a political show, I think we will also be ready to present the
reality of the Khojalu events,” says Janoyan, underlining that at present
the Armenian side has no desire to leave the legal field.
He says the investigation found that “the axe recognized as the weapon was
purchased in advance, about two weeks before the incident in Budapest”.
According to a statement from the second Azeri officer who attended the NATO
meeting, Safarov “purchased the axe as a souvenir for his father”. Janoyan
questions whether the huge instrument – 65 centimeters long, with a blade
measuring 17 by 12 – was really “the best souvenir to bring from Hungary to
the Southern Caucasus”.
He argues: “Safarov planned cruel crimes against Armenian officers. He
purchased the crime instrument, chose a residential section of the
educational building and step by step committed the crime. The murder of the
second Armenian officer didn’t take place as a result of circumstances over
which the criminal couldn’t establish control.”
The scene of the crime has been thoroughly examined. Traces of blood
allegedly left by the criminal while searching for Makuchyan’s room were
registered.
Hungarian law provides 10 to 15 years or life imprisonment for murder. The
court has yet to decide whether the trial will be public. If he is
convicted, the possibility of Sarafov being transferred to his homeland to
serve his sentence is not excluded.
“Azerbaijan and Hungary have signed a convention on extradition of convicted
persons, although it doesn’t require mandatory extradition. The Hungarian
side must decide whether to extradite him or not,” says Vardanyan. ” Hungary
is preparing to join the European Union on May 1 and I don’t think there
will be any pressure on the court because they want to prove to the world
that they are ready to be a member of this structure. We are not passive, in
our turn, to allow pressure to be exerted.”

Civil.ge
May 1, 2004
Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili participated in the
summit of the Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) member countries in Azerbaijani capital Baku on April 30.
11-member organization (Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria,
Romania, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey)
discussed regional cooperation.
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, Salome Zurabishvili will
hold talks during the visit with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and
with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediarov, as well as with
other officials.

CENN – APRIL 30, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. NGOs Remains Final Opposition to Water Take-over
2. First case of human anthrax reported in Armenia
3. Design and Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Power Station
4. World Bank to Decide on Oil Investing by July
1. NGOS REMAINS FINAL OPPOSITION TO WATER TAKE-OVER
Source: The Messenger, April 29, 2004
After reassuring detractors by inviting a delegation from Tbilisi to its
headquarters in France, the French Compagnie Generale des Eaux (CGE) is
all but finally at the helm of the Tbilisi Water Supply Company
(Tbiltskal- kanali). Only a few non-governmental organizations and
analysts are fighting the company’s takeover of Tbilisi water’s
management. As they maintain, Tbiltskalkanali’s problems will remain
unsolved and the people of Tbilisi will be deceived.
The Tbilisi water supply system has long been in need of extensive
repairs. For this purpose, the World Bank allotted a EURO 25 million
credit, though it stipulated that the right to manage this sum be
granted to a company with experience in serving a city with over one
million residents and with assets worth over USD 50 million. The
tender’s results became known shortly after the Fall 2002 tender- the
French CGE prevailed.
The events that developed in Georgia at the end of last year stalled the
French company’s entrance into Tbiltskalkanali as did objections
launched by the Labor Party who claimed the company would jack up water
prices. But a recent visit of Tbilisi Sakrebulo (City Hall)
representatives to the company’s head office in Paris in April put an
end to the reservations of the city’s government.
According to Sakrebulo Head Zaza Begashvili, who was a member of the
delegation, the “French company does not plan to raise the tariff on
water consumption.” He also claims that if the French company receives
the management rights, the Tbilisi budget has the potential to save the
GEL 15 million annually that it spends on Tbiltskalkanali.
Begashvili said the government demands that the French company meet a
number of conditions after assuming management. Specifically it should
supply the capital’s population with 24-hour water and maintain the
minimal tariff on water consumption. If the Sakrebulo approves the
tender awarded to CGE in Georgia, the company will be obligated to
repair the capital’s water infrastructure, including, first of all,
changing the water pipes.
Now, the only voice protesting CGE’s takeover of Tbilisi water is the
NGO “Mental Development of Vake District” which claims that the
conditions of the tender will prove damaging to the Tbilisi population.
They recall when the American company AES came to town and managed the
local electricity distribution company Telasi. Such a comparison causes
concern among the population, as under AES electricity rates increased
quickly and electricity supply problems remained unresolved.
Opponents of CGE claim that the company’s plan will not improve the
quality of water, will not ensure 24-hour water supply and will not
repair the city’s water pipe network. Supporters of the French company,
however, disagree and point out that the total rehabilitation of the
Tbilisi water supply system will require a total of USD 300 million. The
company, meanwhile, will do the best it can with the funds allotted to
it by the World Bank.
In accordance with the terms of the tender, CGE will manage
Tbiltskalkanali for ten years. Of the WB’s EURO 25 million, 22 million
is foreseen for the rehabilitation of, the city’s water system. CGE
itself has said it will invest another USD 8 million of its own money in
the system. During the fIrst three years, the water rate will not change
and water consumption meters will be installed throughout the city,
though in apartment buildings a single common consumption meter will be
installed. Later on the rate will be gradually increased and reach GEL 2
per person per month (approximately 20 tetri per cubic meter of water
consumed) by the tenth year of CGE’s contract.
CGE management explains that they have proposed an operator tariff to
the Tbilisi government to compensate the water company for the new
operation, the investments, and improvements forecasted The Tbilisi
government should decide on the consumer’s tariff and then pay m receive
the difference As of now, the rate on water consumption is 90 tetri and
12 lari per person per month Furthermore, collection is less than 40
percent Not only individuals, but also businesses and organizations fail
to pay for their water. Total debts to the Tbilisi Water Supply Company
exceed GEL 40 million When the French company Generale des Eaux assumes
the management contract for the company, it will be responsible for
registration and fee collection This no easy task.
The issue of signing a contract with CGE is practically settled A draft
of the contract has been prepared and will be discussed by the NGO
sector, society at large and Sakrebulo commissions If their verdict is
positive, the contract will be signed by the city government,
Tbiltskalkanali and Generale des Eaux representatives.
2. DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER STATION
The American University of Armenia commenced implementation of the
project entitled Design and Installation of the Solar Photovoltaic Power
Station in Spring 2003. This project was brought into being due to close
cooperation of two leading entities in this field, namely the
Heliotechnics Laboratory of the State Engineering University of Armenia
(SEUA) and Viasphere Technopark -Transistor Plus.
The project was realized through generous funding by Mr. James
Turpanjian, Armenian benefactor living in USA. He is known in Armenia
for a number of financed projects.
This station has the highest capacity among similar systems functioning
in Armenia and the only one that is integrated into a solar driven
heating and cooling system. Since Spring 2002 the American University of
Armenia has been using solar water-heating panels for heating,
ventilation and cooling purposes of one of its large auditoriums through
the operation of special equipment. However, the electric portion of the
power supply of this equipment was taken from the electric grid. The new
solar electric power station will allow extracting the necessary power
for the above mentioned equipment also from solar radiation, thus making
the whole system independent of the external power supply.
The system is comprised of solar photovoltaic panels field, a solar
battery bank, and a three-phase DC/AC inverter.
The 72 solar photovoltaic panels are installed on a special seismic
isolated structure on the roof of the University. Each panel has
approximately 0.7 square meters of surface and has been produced at
Heliotechnics Laboratory of SEUA. Total surface of the panels is around
50 square meters with total peak power of 5 kilowatt. The photovoltaic
converter cells used in the solar panels were made by Krasnoye Znamye,
Russia.
The three phases DC/AC inverter has been designed and manufactured
specifically for this project by Transistor Plus thata is a part of
ViaSphere Technopark.
This project aims at demonstrating the feasibility of using the solar
energy as an alternative power source in Armenia.
Dr. Artak Hambarian,
Associate Director
Engineering Research Center
College of Engineering
American University of Armenia (AUA)
40 Marshall Bagramian Av., Yerevan, 375019, Armenia
fax: +(3741) 512 512
phone: +(3741) 512 631, 512 638 (AUA), 395 477 (home)
Internet:
3. FIRST CASE OF HUMAN ANTHRAX REPORTED IN ARMENIA
Source: Moscow Time, Apr 29, 2004
The first case of human anthrax has been registered in a village in the
Shirakskaya region of Armenia. As reported to a Rosbalt correspondent by
the Armenian Health Ministry, the infection originated in cattle, and
health workers do not exclude the possibility that the case will not be
the only one.
As of April 17, tens of cases of anthrax in cattle have been reported in
the region. The cause of the epidemic has been attributed to substandard
vaccine. The area has been quarantined, and health workers have reported
that the epicenter of the contamination has been localized.
4. WORLD BANK TO DECIDE ON OIL INVESTING BY JULY
Source: planetar, April 29, 2004
The World Bank will decide by July whether to keep investing in oil, gas
and mining projects, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said this
week, a subject of concern to environmental groups.
Wolfensohn commissioned an independent report in July 2001 to review the
bank’s role in so-called extractive industries.
Questions have been raised by environmental and global nongovernmental
groups whether the bank’s backing of such projects contributes to
development and lowering poverty in poor countries.
The Extractive Industries Review, led by former Indonesian environment
minister Emil Salim, recommended the bank cease funding oil and coal
projects because of environmental concerns.
In a draft response to the report in February, the bank said its absence
from these projects could result in lower quality projects and weaker
governance.
The bank’s most controversial oil projects, the Chad-Cameroon and
Caspian oil pipelines, were approved by the lender’s shareholders amid
fierce opposition by development groups, which said the projects would
do more harm than good.
But Wolfensohn said this week the bank first wanted to complete
consultations with industry and governments on the matter before it made
a final decision.
“I would guess you’re looking at a June or July date for something
definitive,” Wolfensohn told a Washington conference on energy sponsored
by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“In the meantime, dialogue is going along constructively,” he added.
Wolfensohn also said the oil and gas industry should pay attention to
the needs of the developing world, where demand for energy is set to
increase as populations grow.
In China energy demand is expected to triple in the next 20 years,
Wolfensohn said, adding: “And my guess is that’s a conservative
estimate.”
Magda Stoczkiewicz
Policy coordinator
CEE Bankwatch Network
c/o Friends of the Earth International
PO Box 19199
1000 GD Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone: +31 20 622 13 69, fax: +31 20 639 21 81
email: [email protected]
—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
May 3, 2004
His Holiness Karekin II Receives Armenian Ambassadors
On May 2, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, received the heads of the diplomatic corps and consulates of the
Republic of Armenia accredited in foreign states. Their delegation was led
by Mr. Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of
Armenia.
His Holiness welcomed the delegation of nearly 40 ambassadors and consuls to
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and noted with happiness their presence
and participation during the Divine Liturgy.
The Catholicos of All Armenians addressed the group of Armenian diplomats,
stating in part, “It is worthy of appreciation that as part of your annual
gathering, you have come to Holy Etchmiadzin to receive the blessing of the
Armenian Pontiff and our 1700 year-old Church. The ambassadors and the
consuls of our state accredited in foreign countries honorably represent our
state, but through their zealous activity, also greatly contribute to the
development of international relationships, and bring their benefit to the
solutions of various important problems facing our people.”
His Holiness noted with much satisfaction and happiness, that the
relationships which exist in foreign countries between the Armenian state
diplomats and the spiritual diplomats – Armenian Church Diocesan Primates
and clergymen, were very close and based upon a true spirit of cooperation
and love. The Catholicos stressed that due to combined efforts, they try to
fulfill all demands that are placed upon them, both from the state and the
Church.
On behalf of all the guests, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian expressed his
gratitude to the Pontiff of All Armenians for the audience, and noted, “Your
Holiness, I am confident that the visit to the Mother See was important for
all of us, as it will revive our sacred national feelings and emotions.
Filled with hope, we will continue on the realization of our mission with
more zeal, spiritually renewed and having received the blessing of Holy
Etchmiadzin.”
##

Reporters without borders, France
May 3 2004
Armenia – 2004 Annual report
Armenia
Area : 29,800 sq.km.
Population : 3,072,000.
Language : Armenian, Russian
Type of state : republic
Head of state : Robert Kocharian.
Armenia – 2004 Annual report
Many violations of press freedom occurred during the reelection of
President Robert Kocharian. A new law on freedom of information was
enacted but a new press law drew strong protests from the media.
President Robert Kocharian was reelected president in 2003 after a vote
(the first since the country joined the Council of Europe in 2001) that
was marred by irregularities and sharply criticised by observers from
the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). For the
first time in the history of independent Armenia, a TV debate between
two of the candidates was shown live. But coverage of the two-stage
voting on 19 February and 5 March was obstructed in many places and
independent media journalists were harassed, set upon and physically
attacked.
State-run media did not give balanced coverage to all candidates and
openly backed Kocharian, while most independent media supported other
candidates. The two independent TV stations, A1+ and Noyan Tapan, whose
operating licences were cancelled in 2002 by the National Broadcasting
Commission, were unable to broadcast. The commission is not independent
and does not meet Council of Europe standards because all its members
are appointed by the president.
Conflicting measures were passed by parliament. A freedom of
information law was adopted on 23 September after two years of work
with Council of Europe experts and national and international NGOs. It
spelled out the rights of journalists and citizens to information and
required public bodies to supply it. But a few days later, parliament
approved on first reading a controversial press law that provoked sharp
reaction from the media, who said they would suggest detailed
improvements to it. The new criminal code that came into force on 1
August, included prison terms of up to three years for defamation.
New information on a journalist killed in 2002
The trial of 13 people accused of killing Tigran Naghdalian, head of
the council of public TV and radio, in Yerevan on 28 December 2002,
opened on 29 July 2003. They included businessman Armen Sarkisian, who
is the brother of two former prime ministers (opposed to Kocharian) –
Aram Sarkisian and Vazgen Sarkisian, who was killed in a commando
attack on the parliament building in October 1999. The public
prosecutor suspected Armen, who had been held since 15 March, of
ordering the murder because he believed the journalist was involved in
the attack that killed his brother. The other brother, Aram, charged
that Armen’s trial was a bid to discredit the opposition in the run-up
to the parliamentary and presidential elections. Naghdalian, a major
supporter of the president and a key figure at the TV station since
1998, was shot dead in front of his parents’ home by a mystery gunman.
The authorities immediately called the murder political because the
journalist had often criticised the opposition in a current affairs
programme he presented.
Five journalists physically attacked
During the first round of the presidential election on 19 February
2003, an official at the Nar-Dos School polling station 356/16 in
Yerevan seized the camera and injured the hand of freelance journalist
Susanna Pogosian, who was there with reporter Gideon Lichfield of the
British weekly The Economist.
The same day, Goar Verziryan, of the opposition National Democratic
Union’s weekly paper Aizhm, was thrown against a wall at the
Shirvanzade School polling station in Yerevan by people who seized a
tape recording she was making about defects in the voting procedure.
Others hit two journalists from the TV station Shant and took away
their videotapes as they were filming a man putting several voting
slips into a ballot box.
Mher Galechian, of the twice-weekly opposition paper Chorrord
Ishxanutiun, was beaten up on 29 April by two men who came to the
paper’s offices in Yerevan. He was hospitalised with head injuries and
an investigation was launched. The men had come to the offices three
days earlier to complain about a 25 April article that accused Karlos
Petrosian, head of the state security service, of building himself a
villa in shady circumstances. The day of the attack, the paper had
printed an article reporting the earlier visit.
Gayaneh Mukoyan (editor) and Rafael Hovakimyan (managing editor) of the
weekly Or, were attacked in front of Mukoyan’s home by four thugs who
boxed in their car, said they were police, ordered them to get out and
then hit them. Ms Mukoyan said the attack was probably linked to
articles the previous month about organised crime.
New information about a journalist attacked in 2002
Investigative journalist Mark Grigorian, former correspondent in
Armenia for Reporters Without Borders and deputy head of the Caucasus
Media Institute, received a letter from the prosecutor-general’s office
in late February 2003 saying the case file on a grenade attack that
seriously wounded him in a street of the capital on 22 October 2002 had
been closed since no suspect had been found four months after the
attack. Grigorian had blamed the attempt to kill him on people opposed
to his enquiry into the 27 October 1999 commando attack on parliament,
in which eight people were killed.
A journalist threatened
Freelance journalist Vahagn Ghukasian announced on 24 January 2003 he
was leaving the country because of police harassment after he found
“definitive proof” that top officials were involved in the October 1999
commando attack on parliament. He later left the country.
Harassment and obstruction
The central elections board refused to accredit any online media during
the two-stage presidential and parliamentary elections in February,
March and May 2003. It had ruled on 22 August 2002 that only media
registered with the justice ministry could be recognised. But since
websites are not legally considered media, online newspapers are not
obliged to register.
Lilit Vardanian, an official of polling station 073/26 in Eshmiadzin
(20 km from Yerevan), refused to allow Karina Asatrian, of the
independent TV station A1+, and her cameraman Robert Kharazian to film
the first round of voting in the presidential election on 19 February.
The journalists were then attacked by people who damaged their camera
and chased them out of the polling station.
Diana Markosian, also of A1+, was stopped the same day by the head of
polling station 0391/17 in Yerevan, Ararat Rshtubi. Police helped him
remove the journalist.
Relay transmission of the Russian station NTV by the firm Paradise was
suspended between 26 February and 17 March, officially for technical
reasons. But opposition activists suspected it was cut off because the
station had shown opposition demonstrations against election
irregularities.
Nane Adjemyan, of the TV station Kentron TV, was victimised in late
February because President Kocharian’s campaign officials did not like
her impartial coverage of the campaign. After she reported on a press
conference by opposition candidate Stepan Dermichian, who highlighted
violations of election rules, the station’s news editor, Nikolaï
Grigorian, asked the journalist to take some time off. When she found
out that one of Kocharian’s election team had earlier called the
station management to complain about her coverage, she resigned on 26
February.
Only two state-run TV cameramen were allowed to film live Kocharian’s
swearing-in for another term as president on 9 April. All other
journalists, pro-government or independent, were forced to cover it
from a TV screen elsewhere in the building.
Parliament amended the criminal code on 18 April to further restrict
press freedom. Articles 135 (defamation) and 136 (insults) now provide
up to three years imprisonment and fines equivalent to between 100 and
200 times a person’s minimum monthly salary (between 750 and 1,500
euros). Article 318 calls for two years in prison and a fine equal to
between 200 and 400 minimum salaries (between 1,500 and 3,000 euros).
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), along
with diplomats, human rights organisations and journalists, sent an
open letter of concern on 19 June to the new spokesman for parliament,
Arthur Baghdasarian, who said on 25 June the code should be amended
because it was unfair that penalties for defaming government officials
and ordinary citizens were different. But no action had been taken by
the end of the year.
Officials of the state telecommunications authority in Alarverdi (Lori
region) cut off broadcasts of the local TV station Ankyun+3 on 20 May
officially because it had not complied with technical requirements and
not broadcast government programmes. The station’s editor, Hrachya
Papinyan, said the cut-off came five days before parliamentary
elections and was for political reasons, since the station had not
supported candidate Hovhannes Qochinyan, brother of the regional
administrator. A week earlier, tax officials began inspecting the
station’s accounts. It was able to resume broadcasting on 21 May.
The National Broadcasting Commission refused once again, on 18 July, to
grant operating licences to the country’s two main independent TV
stations, A1+ and Noyan Tapan, after bids had been received for
frequencies to serve the Yerevan region, on grounds that their
programme proposals were not good enough. The two general-interest
stations, which provide a balanced alternative to pro-government and
state-run stations, have not been able to broadcast since 2 April 2002,
when the commission refused to renew their licences. They had also been
unsuccessful in an earlier round of bidding for seven-year licences.
Police seized a videotape on 30 July from ALM TV cameraman Narek
Martirosyan, who had just filmed them roughing up a woman who had been
demonstrating in front of the presidential palace in Yerevan.
Parliament approved on first reading on 24 September a controversial
new press law, which obliges media to declare their funding sources
(article 13) and limits the shareholding in them of commercial
companies and foreigners and restricts the distribution of foreign
newspapers in the country (article 9).
These clauses were seen by journalists as weapons for the government to
use against media it did not like. The law also curbs press freedom in
time of war, if there is a threat to national security and if a state
of emergency is declared. The new law drew strong reactions from
several journalists’ organisations, which decided to suggest amendments
to the measure.
Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press
freedom throughout the world, as well as the right to inform the public
and to be informed, in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Reporters Without Borders has nine
national sections (in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), representatives in
Abidjan, Bangkok, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and
Washington and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian
Telephone: 818.500.1918
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER PROCLAIMS APRIL 24 DAY OF
REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Sacramento, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America Western
Region (ANCA-WR) reported today that newly elected California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an Executive Proclamation designating
Saturday, April 24, 2004, as a “Day of Remembrance for the Armenian
Genocide.” The language of the proclamation addressed the historical
facts of the Genocide and commended Armenian Americans for retaining
their `distinct heritage,language and religion, and bringing rich
cultural diversity to the Golden State.’
`We are very pleased to have Governor Schwarzenegger proclaim April
24th as a California Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide,’
commented ANCA-WR Government Relations Director, Armen Carapetian,
`Designating April 24th as a special day means a great deal to the
children and grandchildren of survivors of the Armenian Genocide and
even the survivors who were able to make it to California and called
this great state their home.’
On Saturday, April 24th, 2004, California State Senator Charles
Poochigian, the legislature’s highest ranking Armenian, will present
the proclamation to the ANCA-WR and the Armenian community at a
special ceremony to be held at the Armenian Martyrs Monument in
Montebello, California. The event will begin at 1 P.M. and will
include special messages from Senator John Kerry, Governor
Schwarzenegger in addition to speeches from various other California
State and federal public officials.
——————–EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT——————————
STATE OF CALIFORNIA P R O C L A M A T I O N
by the
Governor of the State of California
On April 24, 1915, in Constantinople, the Ottoman Turkish government
arrested and murdered several hundred Armenian religious, political
and intellectual leaders, beginning a campaign of terror known as the
Armenian Genocide.
From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire executed a systematic
destruction of Armenian culture through the forced exile, imprisonment
and annihilation ofmen, women and children of Armenian descent. More
than 1.5 million Armenians perished, and 500,000 survivors were forced
to leave their ancestral homeland in Turkey. Whole villages were
massacred and many people died of exposure and starvation during
forced death marches in the desert.
Despite this great tragedy, the Armenian people have persevered and
today are striving to build a free and proud nation, based on the
principles of democracy and a free-market economy. California is home
to 700,000 Armenians – the largest Armenian community outside the
Republic of Armenia. Throughout the decades, the Armenian-American
community has contributed to California agriculture, business,
education, public service and the arts. They have retained their
distinct heritage, language and religion, bringing rich cultural
diversity to the Golden State.
On this 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we join with
Armenians around the world to mourn the loss of so many innocent
lives. In remembering this great human tragedy, we rededicate
ourselves to combat injustice, and we honor the triumphant spirit of
the Armenian people.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of
California, do hereby proclaim Saturday, April 24, 2004, as a “Day of
Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have here unto set my hand and caused the Great
Seal of the State of California to be affixed this the twenty-second
day of April 2004.
/s/ Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
#####

Armenian rights champion describes attack on himself as “state terror”
Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
23 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association, Mikael Danielyan,
said in Yerevan today that he regarded the recent attack on himself as
a manifestation of “state terror directed against the activities of
our organization”.
On the morning of 30 March, unknown people beat Danielyan up outside
his house. On 31 March Armenian President Robert Kocharyan instructed
Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan to examine all circumstances
regarding the attack on Danielyan and hunt down the perpetrators.
Danielyan told a briefing in Yerevan that Kocharyan’s directive “was
still in the air”. According to Danielyan, “it is no coincidence that
the Prosecutor-General’s Office is taking this case superficially
because the incident was a state directive”.
Danielyan said that “the Armenian authorities do not want to change
their approach to the protection of human rights and do not honour
their international commitments”.