Author: Garnik Tadevosian

ARMECONOMBANK PLANS TO ISSUE FIRST-EVER MORTGAGE OR CORPORATE BONDS IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JUNE 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Executive Director of Armeconombank Ashot
Osipian stated at the June 3 press conference the bank plans to issue
mortgage or corporate bonds for the first time in Armenia. Acording
to him, the bank is now conducting negotiations with a number of
investment companies, and the final terms of the bonds issue will be
specified by the autumn. The maturity of the bonds is expected to be
2 years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WAS TV INDEPENDENT IN YESTERDAY?
A1plus
| 20:01:04 | 31-05-2005 | Politics |
Today I can say that there are no independent TV companies in Armenia”
RA Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan stated at a press conference. When one
of the journalists asked, “Couldn’t you testify it earlier?” Larisa
Alaverdyan said, “I have mentioned it in my annual report and noted
that it depends on the President.
Such statement was caused by the fact that since last December the
Public Television of Armenia has not invited the human rights defender
to take part in the programs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijan leaves Karabakh out of antiterror convention
Turan news agency, Baku
16 May 05
Warsaw, 16 May: Within the framework of the Council of Europe summit
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov signed the convention
on preventing terrorism in Warsaw today. However, the proviso was
made that Azerbaijan’s commitments do not apply either to Nagornyy
Karabakh or other occupied territories.
We should note that another three conventions can also be signed at
the summit.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Paper condemns Azeri officials for failure to attend NATO forum in Georgia
Zerkalo, Baku
5 May 05

The Azerbaijani independent newspaper Zerkalo has expressed its regret
that the country’s officials ignore some international events while
Armenians are demonstrating more activity. As an example, the
newspaper cited a recent NATO conference in Georgia, which Azerbaijani
officials failed to attend. Failure to attend such events is seen as
the weakness of the Azerbaijani propaganda machinery, Zerkalo
said. The newspaper also interviewed political experts and campaigners
who said that Azerbaijan should be represented in a broader format at
international meetings. The following is the text of C. Bayramova’s
report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 5 May headlined “Is
flag-waving on the rise?” and subheaded “We are losing the
‘information war’ again”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:
Propaganda mechanism still “on the skids”
You should agree that we have started boasting too often about our
success in the field of propaganda. Of course, there is a grain of
truth here. If the Azerbaijani propaganda machinery looked like a
Zaporozhets [small budget car] compared to a Rolls-Royce car before,
there is no sharp difference now. Nevertheless, our propaganda
mechanism is still “on the skids” unlike the well-established
propaganda machinery of our unkind neighbours.
It is surprising why the Azerbaijani side wishes to put itself in the
situation of an offended party and is not trying to notice elementary
things of which the Armenians are unfortunately making use. Are there
examples? Yes. We do not turn up at general events held in Armenia and
organized by international structures. The only exception is that some
Azerbaijani NGOs attend them and then have a cold welcome at home and
are included on the list of “traitors”. Then the ears and eyes of the
Azerbaijani population are shut without ceremony by cutting off the
Armenian president’s televised speech, as if it was unacceptable and
in general, humiliating for us to watch and listen to the enemy.
Azeri officials ignore NATO conference
In any case, only our readers can judge how correct it is. We bring to
your attention only a recent event that substantiates the aforesaid. A
big authoritative international conference concerning NATO’s role in
the Black Sea and Caspian region was held in Tbilisi between 25 and 28
April. The conference discussed the integration of former socialist
countries into Euro-Atlantic structures, and actively debated NATO’s
military budget and civil oversight of the army.
The event was attended by a great number of people from the NATO
secretariat and representative offices. It was attended by Georgian
Speaker Nino Burjanadze and the Georgian foreign and defence
ministers. Delegations from many countries of the world arrived in the
Georgian capital. Countries of Eastern Europe, which have already
joined NATO, for example Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, were very
well-represented. Among CIS countries, the conference was attended by
representative delegations from Moldova, Ukraine and
Armenia. Incidentally, Armenia’s presence is especially notable since
Armenia, although it has not yet expressed its opinion on accession to
NATO, received an invitation (both officials and NGOs) and was
represented by a broad delegation at the conference. There were eight
Armenians there, including MPs, representatives of the presidential
administration and of various NGOs.
The Azerbaijani delegation was represented only by two delegates –
Arif Yunus, head of the Conflicts Department of the Institute for
Peace and Democracy, and another NGO representative, although
invitations to this event had been sent to the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry and Milli Maclis [parliament]. As a result, the Azerbaijani
delegation turned out to be the smallest one at this authoritative
event.
Poor excuse
We tried to contact the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry and to our surprise, they said that they had decided not to
send their employees to the conference because the event was not so
important both by its scale and nature. You should agree that the
Foreign Ministry’s “excuse” does not really sound very well-founded.
Arif Yunus, who took part in the event, told Zerkalo that except for
Azerbaijan, all the other states were represented by their ministers
or deputy ministers. “I was almost the only person from Baku, if we do
not count the representative of a half Azerbaijani and half
international NGO. When I asked the NATO leaders that were there how
they could explain the absence of Azerbaijani officials, they gave a
short and clear answer: We invited them, first they accepted it, but
then refused to turn up, Azerbaijan probably has more important things
to do than NATO.”
Yunus maintains that NATO representatives often say that Azerbaijan’s
position is not understandable against the background of the
Armenians’ activity.
In turn, political expert Rasim Musabayov expressed his astonishment
and regret that the Azerbaijani delegation had failed to attend the
event. He pointed out that although he is unaware of the reason for
such “negligence”, Azerbaijani representatives should definitely have
attended it at the official level: “It is surprising that when events
organized by international structures are held far away from
Azerbaijan, somewhere in Brussels or Strasbourg, a large delegation
immediately goes there from Azerbaijan and there is enough funding for
that. It is to be regretted that our state ignored the Tbilisi
conference where, to all appearance, discussions touched on regional
problems of the South Caucasus. On the contrary, it seems to me that
our delegation should have been represented there in a broader
format.”
For our part, we should add that the country’s image is formed exactly
at these events. Disregard for such meetings is perceived as nothing
other than the weakness of the Azerbaijani propaganda
machinery. Because even the well-known American expert, Paul Goble,
once said that Azerbaijan is losing the propaganda war to Armenia, as
a result of which the Armenian position on the Nagornyy Karabakh issue
is dominant in the USA. As for the NATO conference, it would be
relevant to quote a statement by the NATO leadership itself: “NATO is
not just a military structure, it is a mechanism of implementing the
process of democratization.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
RESULTS OF PAN-ARMENIAN E-CONTENT CONTEST TO BE SUMMED UP IN YEREVAN IN JUNE
11.05.2005 07:52
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 11 the results of the Pan-Armenian E-Content
contest-exhibition dedicated to the 1600-th anniversary of the creation of
the Armenian written language will be summed up. `The contest is targeted to
perfect the creation and spreading of E-content’, chairman of the Foundation
for Information Technologies, initiator of the contest Garegin Ghukasian
told .am PanARMENIAN.Net staff. The contest includes the following
nominations: E-Education, E-Culture, E-Science, E-Management, E-Health
Protection, E-Business, E-Entertainment, E-Involvement, Variety of Armenian
Fonts, E-Armenolgy as well as E-Native Tongue. To date over 100 aspirants
filed applications for the participation in the contest. The winners of the
contest will take part in the World Summit on UN Information Society in
Tunis this year. To remind, during the World Summit on Information Society
held in Geneva in 2003 the Center Investigation of Cosmic Rays of the
Yerevan Institute of Physics received the award in E-Science nomination.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

3000 CIGARS HAVE BEEN SMOKED BY NA ONLY
A1plus
| 20:21:00 | 02-05-2005 | Politics |
The NA has decided to adopt the amendments to the law on Confirmed
taxes of tobacco products as quickly as possible. «Who is responsible
for the loss of the budget? » announced Arthur Baghdasaryan. Le us
remind you that as a result of the currency unstable rate the budget
has lost about 700 million drams.
According to Arthur Baghdasaryan, «the process of fooling» must
be put an end to, and specialist explanation about this must be
represented to the NA. Gourgen Arsenyan too called them to punish
those responsible for the losses. According to the delegate, since
2001 they have been raising the question of paying fees without
connecting them to the dollar.
Gourgen Arsenyan who is shareholder of the largest company importing
cigarettes «Arsoil», confesses that he has had great profit because
of the deflation of the dram but as a RA citizen he is not pleased. He
invited attention on the fact that last year 10 000 dollars of tax
has been gathered in connection with cigars. This means that last
year only 3000 cigars have imported into Armenia.
«In 2004 I have bought 100-200 cigars», said the NA President. He
agreed with Gourgen Arsenyan that the other cigars are in the
«black market». It was decided that Arsenyan would work with the
representative of the Government till tomorrow to amend the law on
Confirmed taxes of tobacco products.
–Boundary_(ID_zEoKqjWcaTz7M2iiZITHHw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
April 24 2005
Edelman: President Bush will not Say ‘Genocide’
By Omer Sahin
Published: Sunday 24, 2005
zaman.com
US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman announced that contrary to
Armenians’ expectations, US President George W. Bush would not use
the word “genocide” for what happened in 1915 in today’s annual April
24th speech on the Armenian issue.
Attending the Turkish Parliament’s 85th anniversary reception,
Edelman said: “The speech will be similar to the one last year.”
Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Bulent Arinc, meeting with Edelman,
said that he would make his first official visit to the US on May
28th and 29th.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 12:38:02 | 11-04-2005 | Culture |
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Yesterday the representatives of 3 generations stood side by side and
listened to the music which was mostly listened to while the oldest of them
was young. In the frames of the program `Jazz days in Armenia’ in the Aram
Khachatryan music hall the Armenian Jazz band, the National TV Company Jazz
band and the Jazz veterans played.
`I don’t like the word `veterans’. 35 years is not the age of a veteran.
It’s better to say ‘people who have had their investment in the development
of jazz in Armenia’ ‘, said composer and conductor Martin Vardazaryan who
had taken up the business of introducing the jazz veterans. The concert was
devoted to the 35th anniversary of the activity of the Jazz veterans.
The jazz quarter created by Levon Malkhasyan became a laureate in the 1970
Kuybishev festival, and Levon Malkhasyan himself won the prizes of `best
piano player’ and `Best national composition’. Martin Vardazaryan introduced
him as a piano player who never learnt the notes.
As in Kuybishev 35 years ago pianist Levon Malkhasyan, saxophonist Alexander
Zaqaryan, Contrabass player Yervand Yerznkyan and drummer Armen Tutunjyan
played together. After several songs Yervand Yerznkyan was replaced by Aksel
Bakunts who a year before the historic festival – in 0969 – in the third
competition of the Transcaucasian musicians had become a laureate.
At the end of the concert the jazz veterans promised that 35 years later
they will play in the same hall with the same group. The audience did not
really believe it by greeted them with applause.
Let us also add that the 4th festival «Jazz days in Armenia» was organized
by the American Embassy in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

California Courier Online, March 31, 2005
1 – Commentary
Turks Are Biggest Boosters of
90th Anniversary Commemoration
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
2 – Jews in Armenia Asks Worldwide
Jewry to Recognize 1915 Genocide
3 – Amirian is Among
30 Semi-Finalists
In L.A. County
4 – Dr. Kalayjian’s Team Returns
From Treating Tsunami Victims
5 – Sacramento Ceremony Honors
AFI Chair Maria Mehranian
6 – UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program,
AGBU Co-host April 9 Genocide Symposium
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary

Turks Are Biggest Boosters of
90th Anniversary Commemoration
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Several months ago, when Armenians started planning commemorative
activities for the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, little did
they know that the biggest boost for their efforts would come from the
Turks themselves!
Long before the upcoming observances on April 24, Turkish journalists
started publishing articles with ominous headlines such as, “The
Approaching Armenian Tsunami” or “The Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
Would Be a Big Nightmare for Turkey.” Knowing full well the extent of their
guilt and the fact that no amount of denial had succeeded in covering up
the crimes committed in 1915, the Turkish leaders thought it wise to make a
pre-emptive strike in order to undermine the planned Armenian commemorative
activities.
The Turks did not realize that their actions were effectively helping to
publicize the Armenian Genocide to millions of their own citizens, many of
whom know little or nothing about these crimes, and to millions of other
people around the world.
The Turkish government enthusiastically embarked on forming so-called
“expert committees” and allocated huge sums of money for their revisionist
activities. As a result, before the Armenians organized a single
commemorative event, the Turks had already made the entire world aware that
this year was the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Here are a few examples of recent Turkish contributions to the
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide:
* Prof. Justin McCarthy of the University of Louisville was invited
toTurkey last week to deliver a series of lectures on the Armenian Genocide
and meet with the local media. Zaman newspaper reported that he spoke about
“The Reality of the Armenian Genocide,” at a conference held in the Turkish
Parliament. Prof. McCarthy, a revisionist historian who is well known to
his Turkish masters and unknown to everyone else, told the Turks that his
recent book on this issue “should be thrown from the air by plane.” When
the Turks
realize that they have been wasting their money on this charlatan, they may
decide to dump him along with his book.
* The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), with the assistance
of the handsomely compensated Livingston Group lobbying firm, organized a
“Capitol Forum” on the Armenian Genocide, at the Rayburn Building of the
House of Representatives, on March 22. The guest speaker was Prof. Turkkaya
Ataov, another charlatan whom I confronted at the United Nations in Geneva
some 20 years ago. The Turkish Forum was trying to imitate the Armenian
Genocide commemorations organized by Armenians in April of every year in
the same congressional building. The logical outcome of this Turkish event
was the propagation of the Armenian Genocide in Washington without any
effort or expense from Armenians.
* Prof. Yusuf Halajoglu, the President of the Turkish Historical Society,
suggested during a university lecture that Turkey demand the re-trial of
Soghomon Tehlirian who was set free by a German court in 1921, after
assassinating Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the Armenian Genocide.
General Kilinc Tuncer, the Secretary of Turkey’s powerful National Security
Council, who was present at the lecture, put an immediate stop to this
counter-productive idea by pointing out that during the original trial, the
Ottoman government’s crimes came under scrutiny, rather than Tehlirian’s
act. He cautioned that re-opening the court case would end up putting
Turkey
on trial!
* After the world-renowned Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk told a foreign
journalist that Turks had killed one million Armenians in 1915, scenes
reminiscent of the Nazi era were repeated on Turkish streets last Sunday.
Pamuk’s books were collected and burned in a public ceremony, attended by
Turkish parliamentarians. No wonder Hitler’s book is a best-seller in
Turkey these days. Such Nazi tactics, reported by the Turkish Daily News,
helped further publicize the fact that a prominent Turkish writer had
acknowledged
the Armenian Genocide. It is ironic that while the Turks are trying to
convince the Europeans that they are ready to join the EU, they are
shooting themselves in the foot, by threatening a prominent writer and
burning his
books!
It is expected that in the coming weeks, the Turks would continue doing
their share in publicizing the Armenian Genocide. Hurriyet reported about
Turkish plans to hold a protest in front of the White House on April 24.
Armenians should not only welcome such an initiative, but also do
everything possible to assist the Turks to ensure such a gathering takes
place. Just imagine the worldwide media coverage generated by the
confrontation between Turks and Armenians in front of the White House on
April 24.
Armenians should be grateful for all the Turkish endeavors in the
globalization of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
**************************************************************************
2 – Jews in Armenia Asks Worldwide
Jewry to Recognize 1915 Genocide
YEREVAN (Armenpress) – The Jewish community of Armenia called Tuesday on
all Jewish organizations worldwide urging them to recognize the Armenian
genocide.
A statement by the community says the government of the Ottoman Turkey
committed a horrible crime by exterminating 1.5 million of Armenians who
were its citizens. It says this fact was silenced for decades and was not
condemned by the international community.
The Holocaust would have never taken place had the peoples of the world
condemned the Armenian genocide at that time, as they have now risen to
fight the terrorism,” the statement says.
It also says governments should put aside their political or economic
interests and condemn the Armenian genocide. It says the recognition of the
Armenian genocide will not be aimed against the Turkish people and quite
the contrary, it will do it a credit in the eyes of the civilized humanity,
as was the case with Germany, when its government recognized the fact of
elimination of 6 million Jews during World War II.
“On the eve of the 90th anniversary of this horrible crime we call on those
who emphasize the acknowledgment of the historical truth and ask them to
pay tribute to the memory of the innocent
victims,” the statement says.
*****************************************************************
3 – Amirian is Among
30 Semi-Finalists
In L.A. County
LOS ANGELES – Dro Amirian, 17, of La Crescenta, Calif., was named one of
the 30 semi-finalists in the 2005 Spotlight Awards Visual Arts Competition
of the Music Center of Los Angeles County. The 30 semi-finalists were
selected from nearly 5,000 high school student artists in photography and
two-dimensional design.
Amirian is a student at Clark Magnet High School in the Glendale Unified
School District. He participated in the 2-Dimensional Design category.
All the semifinalists will have their works of art displayed at the Bobbie
Greefield Gallery in Bergamot Station in Santa Monia.
As part of the Spotlight Award program, semifinalists attend master classes
with nationally and internationally recognized artists and attend private
museum tours in the Southland.
The submissions were reviewed by leading artists and arts professionals. In
making their selections, the judges considered the technical expertise
involved in each work including its craft and visual quality.
The winners will receive their trophies during a sold-out evening at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on April 16.
**************************************************************************
4 – Dr. Kalayjian’s Team Returns
From Treating Tsunami Victims
BATTICALOA, SRI LANKA – Mental Health Outreach Project (MHOP), a disaster
relief organization of Association for Disaster & Mass Trauma Studies,
headed by Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, Dr. Anie
Kalayjian, organized teams of professional volunteers to go to Sri Lanka to
deliver psychological first aid, training, and counseling to the thousands
impacted by the tsunami.
The first team has just returned from its mission after working with
hundreds of survivors in camps, refugee settlements, schools, and colleges.
Hosted by the UNITED SIKHS, a worldwide humanitarian organization, MHOP has
collaborated with the local Sri Lankan authorities and psychosocial workers
to provide ongoing psychological support to the thousands of people
affected by the disaster.
Members of the clinical team were Dr. Kalayjian, team coordinator &
Director, Dr. Kuriansky of Columbia University, Nancy Moore, Fordham
University, and Hishara Godanka, University of Texas. Other team members
were Drs. Christina Hoven and Donald Mendall, Columbia University and
Lousine Shamamian, a documentarian.
The second team of the MHOP met with the first team in Colombo, before
their departure to Batticaloa. They received training, orientation, and
assignment from Dr. Kalayjian. Team three left on March 8.
Those interested in sending funding or getting involved as a volunteer may
contact Dr. Kalayjian at [email protected], WWWMeaningfulworld.com, or
(201)941-2266.
**************************************************************************
5 – Sacramento Ceremony Honors
AFI Chair Maria Mehranian
GLENDALE – Maria Mehranian, Chair of Armenia Fund Inc., was named the Woman
of the Year for the 44th California State District by Assemblymember Carol
Liu (D-Pasadena) during a special ceremony at the State Assembly chambers
in Sacramento.
Chosen by the Legislative Women’s Caucus, Mehranian was one of 80 women
honored for making significant contributions to their respective
communities. “Maria is a role-model for all women, both for her business
leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the Armenian and La
Cañada Flintridge communities,” Liu said in a prepared statement.
Partnering with the California Museum for History, Women and Arts,
California’s First Lady, Maria Shriver, and the State Assembly unveiled an
exhibit entitled Serving California: 2005 Woman of the Year Honorees.
“Every one of these women and everything they do makes our state a better
place to live,” said Shriver in a prepared statement. The exhibit, on
display through April 30, features pictures and biographies of the women
honored by the Legislature.
Mehranian is managing partner at Cordoba Corporation, an international
planning and development company based in Los Angeles. In addition to
Armenia Fund, Mehranian’s community involvement includes chairing the La
Cañada Flintridge Planning Commission. In 2004 Armenia Fund, Inc., with its
affiliates around the world, raised over $11.5 million for infrastructure
development and humanitarian aid projects in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
For more information on Armenia Fund, Inc., visit or
call 818.243.6222.
**************************************************************************
6 – UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program,
AGBU Co-host April 9 Genocide Symposium
SAN FRANCISCO – On April 9, from 2 pm to 6 p.m., five renowned scholars
from around the United States will participate in a panel on the Armenian
Genocide at the UC Berkeley at 125 Dwinelle
Hall. Co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program and AGBU
Silicon Valley, the Symposium will focus on “The Past as Present:
Representations and Consequences of the Armenian Genocide” and will feature
Professor Margaret Anderson (UC Berkeley), Professor Stephan Astourian (UC
Berkeley), Professor Levon Marashlian (Glendale Community College),
Professor Marc Nichanian (Wesleyan University), and Jack Weinstein
(Director, Facing History and Ourselves).
The workshop will focus on the contemporary issues stemming from the
genocide rather than the genocide itself, as summed up by its title,
“Representations and Consequences of the Armenian Genocide.” The speakers
will discuss the memoirs dealing with the catastrophe and provide an
assessment of the historiography of that event. They will talk about what
can be learned from Holocaust studies and the denial of the genocide, and
how the Armenian diaspora has formed and evolved as a result of its
occurrence. Finally, the workshop will talk about the necessity of genocide
education in modern-day societies.
Established in 1995 by the William Saroyan and Krouzian Endowments, the
Armenian Studies Program initially supported a visiting professorship in
Contemporary Armenian Studies. In 2002, Dr. Astourian was appointed as
Executive Director of the ASP and Assistant Adjunct Professor in History at
UC Berkeley. Currently, a $2M fundraising campaign is underway to raise the
endowment to $3M, enabling Dr. Astourian to increase the number of courses
offered and expand the scope of the ASP within the Slavic-Eurasian
institute at UC Berkeley.
At the completion of the campaign, the Armenian Studies Program at Berkeley
will offer three-level language courses, one one-semester course with
visiting professor in such fields as anthropology and art history, and
conferences and lectures throughout the year. In reaching this $3-million
goal, the ASP aims to become the leading Contemporary Armenian Studies
Program in the United States, producing strong professional and academic
leaders in the community and bringing to the forefront the significance of
modern Armenian history and politics.
***************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
The California Courier On-Line is a service provided by the California
Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted
through this service. Information in that regard should be telephoned
to (818) 409-0949; faxed to: (818) 409-9207, or e-mailed to:
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Sydney Morning Herald , Australia
March 18 2005
‘Australian’ charged over bomb threat on Russian jet
March 19, 2005

Russian police have charged an Australian with making a hoax bomb
threat after he threatened to blow up a plane on a flight from Tokyo
to Moscow, reports said.
The man was charged with knowingly making false claims about a
terrorist act, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in
jail, Interfax news agency said, citing police.
The 29-year-old man, who police sources said was of Armenian
extraction, had told crew on board the Aeroflot flight late yesterday
he would carry out his threat unless he was flown to the breakaway
Russian region of Chechnya, the agency said.
He tried to break into the cockpit of the Boeing 777 as it approached
Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport but was stopped, the agency said,
without giving any more details.
The plane landed normally.
In Canberra, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade said the man would be provided consular help.
“The Australian embassy in Moscow has verified the man’s detention
and will provide normal consular assistance,” she said.
“He’s been detained by Russian authorities, he’s been questioned as
to his identity and his motives.”
An official at the airport told foreign news agencies: “The
Australian-based passenger, born in 1976 and travelling from Sydney
to Yerevan, Armenia via Tokyo and Moscow, tried to enter the pilot’s
cabin but was prevented from doing so by the crew.”
Reports by ITAR-Tass suggested the man did not have explosives and
that he would undergo psychiatric tests.
The Australian embassy in Moscow will help the detained man obtain a
lawyer, the spokeswoman said.
Moscow airport police spokeswoman Tatyana Bondareva said If
convicted, the man could face up to three years in prison.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified police official as
saying the Australian was drunk.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress