Author: Garnik Tadevosian

International Journalist’s Network
Dec 20 2004
Language and Semantics of Editing
Jan 10, 2005 – Jan 21, 2005
Course
In Yerevan. Organized by Internews-Armenia. The seminar on the
language and semantics of editing is intended for directors with
at least five years of professional experience. The training is
primarily practical, hands-on work. For application information,
contact [email protected] or [email protected],
or telephone + 374 1 58-36-20. Internews-Armenia:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERIS TO DRAW NEW MAP TO RESTORE ORIGINAL PLACENAMES IN KARABAKH
Trend news agency
15 Dec 04
BAKU
A total of 2.2bn manats (about 448,000 dollars) have been allocated
from the Azerbaijani state budget for the development of a new
topographic map of Nagornyy Karabakh, Trend has quoted the head of the
executive authorities of the town of Xocali, MP Elman Mammadov, as
saying.
He said the placenames given by the Armenians in the Soviet period not
only on the territory of Karabakh itself, but also in the adjacent
Goranboy District will now correspondent to their historical
equivalents. Mammadov said more than 20 residential settlements had
been Armenianized in Xocali alone, but in the years of independence
the places received their original names.
(Passage omitted: examples of places that were renamed in the years of
independence)
The new map of Nagornyy Karabakh is being prepared jointly by
specialists from the Institute of Cartography under the National
Academy of Sciences and the State Committee on land and cartography.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“TURKISH BORDERS WITH ITS NEIGHBORS SHOULD NOT BE CLOSED”
Armenia Suffers Losses Amounting to $1 Billion
Azg/arm
14 Dec 04
“The Turkish Foreign Policy should keep in line with the policy
conducted by Brussels. This means that the Turkish borders with its
old neighbors shouldn’t be closed,” Vartan Oskanian stated in the
interview to Reuters, emphasizing that in the course of the last 10-15
years Armenia suffered losses amounting to $1 billion, as a result of
the closed borders.
“The membership to the EU should contribute to the formation of a more
open society in Turkey that will open the border-gates with Armenia
and will recognize the Armenian Genocide”, Freedom radio station
quoted Vartan Oskanian as saying.
“Armenia would like the issue of opening the borders be touched upon
at the EU more consequently, loudly, even aggressively, as it is an
important issue for the EU, as well,” Oskanian said, touching upon the
December 17 decisionto begin the negotiations around Turkey’s
membership to the EU.
Oskanian said that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish borders
achieved under the pressure of the EU member countries could
contribute to the development of trade, support the Eastern poor
regions of Turkey and the economic development of Armenia. Reminding
that Armenia together with Georgia and Azerbaijan was included in
“Enlarged Europe. New Neighbors,” program, Oskanian said: “If Turkey
doesn’t want to meet the commitments it undertook and use the created
opportunity, the whole program is not in time, at least for Armenia.”
As for the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Oskanian said that
he is optimistic in the issue of establishing peace with Azerbaijan in
this complicated period, when Ilham Aliyev came to power after the
death of Heydar Aliyev who led Azerbaijan for many years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Nov 18 2004
ARMENIAN GENETIC REGISTRY TO BE CREATED IN 2007
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: Tamara Sarkisian, the director
of a National Academy of Sciences affiliated medical genetics
registry center, told Armenpress that the national genetic registry
will be set up in Armenia in 2007 that will allow to have the overall
genetic picture of Armenians. She said the center was officially
opened in 1999, though researches had been made since 1997.
She said genetic studies allow more precise diagnoses of
illnesses, their origin and to carry out preventive measures. The
center, the sole one in the region, was created with the assistance
of the government and international donor organizations. Tamara
Sarkisian said the center cooperates with counterpart organizations
in Europe, USA and Russia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ACCEPTS SECURITY CHIEF’S RESIGNATION
Mediamax news agency
5 Nov 04
YEREVAN
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today signed a decree dismissing
Karlos Petrosyan from the post of chief of the National Security
Service of the Armenian government.
The Armenian president signed the decree on the basis of Karlos
Petrosyan’s own request, the presidential press service told Mediamax.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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BEAST ON THE MOON
by James L. Seay
When one hears the word, “Genocide,” one almost without fail calls to mind
the Nazi “final solution” to “the Jewish problem” which has become known as
the Holocaust. However, between 1915 and 1923, another Holocaust took place;
one which is today virtually forgotten. On May 16th, 1978, past President
and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Jimmy Carter said, “It is generally not
known in the world that, in the years preceding 1916, there was a concerted
effort made to eliminate all the Armenian people, probably one of the
greatest tragedies that ever befell any group. And there weren’t any
Nuremberg trials.” On May 11, 1918, only two years after the beginning of
the Armenian Holocaust, another past President and Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, Theodore Roosevelt, summed it up, saying, “…the Armenian
massacre was the greatest crime of the war, and the failure to act against
Turkey is to condone it … the failure to deal radically with the Turkish
horror means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is
mischievous nonsense.”
After the able bodied Armenian men were “drafted” and killed by the
so-called “progressive” Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire, villages and
towns, now populated only by women, children and the elderly, were
“relocated for their own good” as Turkish Gendarmes “escorted” them in death
marches across Anatolia to the Syrian Desert, Der Zor. An estimated million
and a half people died. Not only was it an Armenian Holocaust, but, somehow,
I could not help but be reminded of the Trail of Tears. Man’s inhumanity to
man seems to know no boundaries.
I must admit, I knew little of the Young Turks and their efforts to
eradicate the Armenian people, a Christian minority in the Ottoman Empire,
except from reading The 40 Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel in an
undergraduate Modern World Literature class B and that was well over 40
years ago! This was my background when I traveled to Normal, Illinois to
witness a play, Beast on the Moon by Richard Kalinoski, at the tiny
Heartland Theatre, hidden away in northeast Normal in what used to be the
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s School and sponsored by
Armenian-Americans, George, Carol and Peter Churukian.
Set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1920s, the core story deals with Seta, a
sparkling, impulsive young girl, filled with hope and the love of life, who
is brought to America from the “old country” by Aram as a “picture bride.”
Grateful that she has been saved from death, Seta discovers that her life as
Aram’s wife involves a different kind of suffering, as she endures a
soul-chilling servitude to a desperate and wounded man bent on begetting
sons who will replace the empty faces in a faded photograph of his dead
family. The title, we learn, comes from a Nineteenth Century lunar eclipse
during which the Turks ran from their houses and fired guns at “the beast on
the moon,” as the Armenian minority watched. A few years later, the Turks
again ran from their houses with guns, but this time, fired at their
Armenian neighbors.
The aching irony of the play is that both Seta and Aram, who have managed to
escape the atrocities wrought by the Young Turks and their predecessors in
the old country, find a new tyranny in which he attempts to turn his
quicksilver bride into a “proper woman,” obedient, compliant and silent,
while he attempts to become a proper patriarch. The play, in spite of its
historical background, is not so much a story of escape or revenge, but a
graceful fable of transformation, and begs the question, in such a marriage
and in such a world, how can both souls be rescued?
Kalinoski’s play, skillfully directed by Rachel Chaves and featuring
outstanding acting by Dan Irwin, Katy Lacio and Greg McGrath, is overflowing
with a wealth of images and dramatic action. It is funny, poetic,
compassionate and wise. But be warned, it is one of the most emotionally
powerful plays I have seen in a long time. It has all of the terrible impact
of a brick crashing through a plate glass window. And when you look at the
play’s poster of an ancient photograph of a stiffly-posed circa 1900
Armenian family, it will scald your heart. One should remember the words of
Adolph Hitler, who, while persuading his associates that a Jewish holocaust
would be tolerated by the West, stated, “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?”
Beast on the Moon is presented at the Heartland Theatre Company, at One
Normal Plaza, near the corner of Beech and Lincoln in Normal, Illinois. It
was originally produced as part of the 1995 Humana Festival of New American
Plays at the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. In three
weeks, it will open at the Moscow Arts Theatre in Moscow, Russia (made
famous by Constantine Stanislovski) and in March, 2005, it will finally open
in New York. Remaining performances at Heartland Theatre Company are October
28th, 29th & 30th at 7:30 p.m.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian president, Russian Constitutional Court chairman discuss cooperation
A1+ web site
13 Oct 04
13 October: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today received
representatives of the Russian Constitutional Court, led by Chairman
of the Constitutional Court Valeriy Zorkin.
Attaching great significance to the mutual contacts, Kocharyan welcomed
cooperation in the field of exchanging experience and evaluated it
as being beneficial and important.
The major topic discussed at the meeting was constitutional
justice and the activities of the Constitutional Courts of the two
countries. Zorkin familiarized the president with the activity of
the Russian Constitutional Court.
Drawing attention to the recent constitutional reforms in Armenia,
Kocharyan said that they were mainly designed for setting up civil
society and strengthening public and political stability in the
country, including the establishment of balance between different
branches of power.

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]
October 8, 2004
His Holiness Karekin II Receives the Newly Appointed Ambassador of Finland
On September 14, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, received Mrs. Terhi Hakala, newly appointed Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland to the Republic
of Armenia. Mr. Vladimir Karmirshalian, Ambassador of Armenia to the
Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Norway,
accompanied the Ambassador on her visit to the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin.
Wishing the Ambassador success and productive service in her new position,
His Holiness discussed the cooperation between Armenia and Finland in
various spheres. The Pontiff of All Armenians expressed hope that the
cooperation and relations between the two countries would continue to grow
and develop for the benefit of both nations. During the course of the
meeting, His Holiness reflected on his recent visit to Finland and to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which was upon the invitation of the
Most Reverend Dr. Jukka Paarma, Archbishop of Turku and all Finland.
Thanking the Catholicos for the warm reception, Ambassador Hakala remarked
on the implementation of projects which would contribute to the fostering of
relationships and cooperation between Armenia and Finland.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Voice of America, DC
Sept 25 2004
Iodine Deficiency Disorders Plague Europe, Central Asia, says UNICEF
Lisa Schlein
Geneva
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says Iodine Deficiency Disorders,
which cause mental retardation, are a huge problem in Europe and
Central Asia. UNICEF says this disorder can be solved for as little
as five cents per person per year by iodizing salt.
In this video clip, UNICEF’s regional ambassador and 16-time world
chess champion, Anatoly Karpov, tells children they must have iodine
in their diet, if they want to be smart. He repeats this message in a
joking manner to a group of journalists.
“I can answer you like a joke that I believe that, when we solve the
problem, every child will play chess,” said Anatoly Karpov. “I
believe that this is extremely important, and this is a problem we
know how to solve. One of the few problems we know how to solve.”
Mr. Karpov comes from Russia, located in one of the regions of the
world most seriously affected by iodine deficiency. UNICEF statistics
show that more than half of the people in Western and Central Europe
live in iodine-deficient countries. Surprisingly, some of the most
developed countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany
suffer from a lack of iodine. However, the problem is most severe in
countries such as Russia and the Ukraine.
UNICEF says these two countries account for 1.3 million newborn
babies a year, who are not protected from iodine deficiency. This out
of five million iodine deficient babies born in all of the region’s
22 countries.
Mr. Karpov says the babies suffer because their mothers did not
include iodine in their diets when they were pregnant. He says,
unfortunately, the mental retardation that results from iodine
deficiency in the womb is not reversible in later life.
“We believe that the cheapest, simplest and general message, to avoid
iodine deficiency, is to have general iodization of salt,” he said.
“And, it does not cost too much. It is about five cents per year, per
person-very cheap.”
Mr. Karpov says governments should pass legislation to make iodized
salt mandatory. He says, in countries with such laws, iodine
deficiency disorders have decreased. He notes this can be seen even
in poor countries, such as Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Armenia and Georgia.
UNICEF says governments often do not promote iodine in food out of
ignorance or widely-held misconceptions. For example, it says India
rescinded legislation on iodized salt under pressure from consumer
groups. It says these groups claimed that iodine in salt causes a
variety of health problems. Tragically, it says, by eliminating
iodine from the diet, mental retardation among children in India,
once again, is on the rise.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Star Online
Thursday September 23, 2004
Forssell will be out for a month
LONDON: Finland striker Mikael Forssell is to undergo knee surgery
that will keep him out of action for at least a month, his club
Birmingham City said.
`Mikael goes into hospital tomorrow (yesterday) for an exploratory
knee operation which will keep him out for a minimum of four to six
weeks,’ manager Steve Bruce told City’s website.
`We will know by today if there is any damage to his sore knee,’ Bruce
said after City beat fourth division Lincoln 3-1 in the second round
of the League Cup on Tuesday night.
Forssell, in his second season on loan from Chelsea after scoring 17
goals in his first, missed Tuesday’s match and Saturday’s Premier
League game against Charlton Athletic.
The 23-year-old striker, who scored in Finland’s 2-0 win in a World
Cup qualifier away to Armenia on Sept 8, will now miss his country’s
next two qualifiers at home to Armenia and away to Holland next month.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress