Author: Hakobian Adrine

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DISCUSSES ARMENIAN NEW PRIMARY HEALTH MODEL
Armenpress
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS: A three-day international conference
started today in Yerevan to discuss a new Armenian primary health
maintenance model that was introduced with the help of the USAID and
Armenian Social Reforms Program.
Health minister Norayr Davidian described the new model as
“established” with 81 operating family medicine out-patient clinics,
235 trained family doctors and another 150 set to be trained this
year. US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, said his government will
continue to cooperate with Armenian health ministry to help it move
forward with health reforms.
He said the new model, which is a smaller system than the previously
operating one, is based largely on family doctors, which he said
gives a good opportunity to provide Armenians with a better and more
accessible medical services.
The model has been tested in Yerevan and 13 settlements in Lori
province.
Evans said the feedback indicates that the population is getting
increasingly satisfied with the quality and the range of provided
services.
The new model was developed by the health ministry in cooperation
with the USAID. Anna Grigorian from USAID said a new demographic and
health study will be conducted this year (the last was in 2000) to
have a clear idea of the current health system and to allow effective
decision-making.

MOST PART OF PRETENDERS TO GOLD MEDAL IN THIS SCHOOL YEAR ARE FROM
SYUNIK MARZ
YEREVAN, MAY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of pretenders to a gold medal
for 2004-2005 school year in comprehensive shools of Armenia is 241 at
present. As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Secondary Education
Department of the RA Ministry of Education and Science, the number of
pretenders from the Shirak marz in not included in this list: it is
not defined yet for technical reasons. 71 pupils, the most part of
pretenders to a gold medal are from the Syunik marz, the least part, 2
pupils, from Vayots Dzor. 23 claims are got from Yerevan, no claims
from Artsakh.

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
May 14 2005
Armenia Hopeful for Opening of Turkish Border, but Gives No Sign
Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Margaryan on Friday expressed his
hope that the Turkish-Armenian border will be opened by the end of
the year.
Speaking at a press conference in Yerevan, Margaryan described the
current situation between Turkey and Armenia as `the most suitable
period to open the border between the two countries.’ `Everything
should be done to establish diplomatic relations and open the border
between Turkey and Armenia by the end of the year,’ he said.
EU is more pessimistic
The European Union, on the other hand, doesn’t share the Armenian
prime minister’s optimism over the potential opening of their border
with Turkey.
EU special representative for the SouthCaucasus Heikki Talvitie said
he doesn’t expect the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border unless
progress is first made to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. 20
percent of Azerbaijan is under Armenian occupation. Armenia does not
recognise Turkey’s, georgia’s and Azerbaijan’s borders.
Talvitie said that he’s seen some progress in the Armenian
government’s policies, during a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan
on Friday.
On a recent statement by Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian
about the need `to give some concessions on the Armenian side,’
Talvitie said, `The Armenian defense minister’s statement means that
Armenia may return some of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan. I
think that this is the first reference made by the Armenians about
giving back some territories,’ Talvitie said.
He went on to say that the EU welcomes the upcoming meeting of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Warsaw next week at a summit
meeting of the Council of Europe.
The Armenian authorities have sent the first signals to Ankara
regarding a withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, which is one of the
precondition for the start of talks and normal diplomatic relations
between Armenia and Turkey.
The latest information on the Armenian move was conveyed to Ankara
earlier this week by Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov
during a short visit to Turkey. Speaking of his meeting with the
Armenian authorities, Azimov explained the formula under which the
Armenian withdrawal from seven regions of Nagorno-Karabakh would take
place.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President
Robert Kocharian also are expected to meet in Warsaw. Turkish PM had
called the Armenian side to establish a joint commission to discuss
historical disputes, yet Armenia rejected the offer. Armenia supports
a great international campaign to force Turkey to accept Armenian
allegations. Ankara says Yerevan’s anti-Turkish efforts undermine a
possible friendship in the region.

Australia: Turkish Speaker discusses Armenian, EU, cooperation issues
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
13 May 05
Canberra, 13 May: Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc who is
currently in Australia on a formal visit, met Australian Prime
Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Friday
[13 May].
After his meeting with Howard, Arinc told the Anatolia correspondent
that relations with Australia should not be limited solely with Anzac
ceremonies but they should be improved in every area.
Expressing concern over the attempts of foreign countries to recognize
the so-called Armenian genocide allegations, Arinc said, “Turkey has
never committed genocide, and we should leave historical matters to
historians. Parliaments should not make decisions on these matters.”
On the other hand, Arinc also met Australian Minister for Small
Business and Tourism Fran Bailey.
Bailey underlined importance of bilateral relations and expressed wish
to see more Turkish tourists in her country.
Arinc also met Senator Alan Ferguson, head of the Australian
Parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee.
In this meeting, Arinc stressed that Turkey was undertaking important
roles in preserving world peace.
Stressing that some circles were against Turkey’s EU membership for
two reasons, Arinc listed these reasons as those who were against
enlargement of EU’s borders and those who were against Turkey’s Muslim
identity.
“Negotiations will be launched on 3 October and we think that this
process will be hard and won’t end in a short time. It is not right to
mention any exact date, but we can say that our full membership can
become real in 2010-2012,” added Arinc.
Arinc will proceed to Sydney tomorrow (Saturday) and return to Turkey
after completing his talks in this city.

“Genocide” removed from Turkish Penal Code before adoption on 1 Jun
Anatolia news agency
12 May 05
ANKARA
Turkish Parliamentary Justice Commission adopted on Thursday [12 May]
some articles of a bill amending the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) to
be enacted on 1 June.
During the debates at the parliament, ruling Justice and Development
Party (AK Party) parliamentarians Recep Ozel and Hasan Kara jointly
submitted a motion envisaging imprisonment up to three years for
people who claim that Turkish nation commits genocide or crimes
against humanity.
The Justice Minister Cemil Cicek stated that the motion was in fact
the outcome of reactions (to the recent attempts in foreign countries
to recognize the so-called Armenian genocide allegations). It was
ultimately withdrawn.
The bill changes 37 articles of the TCK.

Civil Georgia
May 12 2005
Norway Grants USD 10 mln to UNDP South Caucasus Projects
Norway will contribute USD 10 million in the period 2005-2007 for
UNDP development projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia,
according to the memorandum signed by Jan Petersen, the Foreign
Minister of Norway and Zéphirin Diabré, the acting head of UNDP on
May 10 in New York, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry reported.
The projects will be in the fields of good governance and energy and
environment. The agreement provides for close co-operation between
Norway and UNDP, whereby the Norwegian authorities will be directly
involved in the selection and implementation of the projects.

Pan Armenian News
ABDULLAH GUL: KOCHARIAN AND ERDOGAN TO MEET IN WARSAW MAY 16-17
11.05.2005 05:18
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the meeting with the EU Ambassadors in Ankara
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that Armenian President Robert
Kocharian and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are likely to meet
within the frames of the CE Summit in Warsaw May 16-17, RFE/FL reported.
`Turkey is often called to open border with Armenia without taking into
account the fact that Turkey cannot do that’, he said. `Pursuing the wrong
policy of interference the Armenian Diaspora does not wish the
Turkish-Armenian relations to develop. Despite this Turkey positively
estimates Robert Kocharian’s reply letter’, Mr. Gul added. To note,
yesterday Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that `the meeting with Robert
Kocharian in Moscow was not scheduled.’ `If Armenia meets its commitments
Turkey will exert every effort for securing just and lasting settlement of
the regional problems’, Erdogan said. As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know, the
Administration of the Armenian President does not possess any information on
the possible meeting of the RA President and Turkish Prime Minister.

Northern District Times (Australia)
May 11, 2005 Wednesday
Racial row flares
RACIAL tensions have flared between Sydney’s Turkish and Armenian
communities after a plaque commemorating the Armenian genocide was
stolen from Meadowbank.
Last month, Ryde Council unanimously condemned the Turkish Ottoman
Empire’s extermination of Christian Armenians living in Eastern
Anatolia between 1915 and 1922.
The plaque was dedicated at Memorial Park on April 24, marking the
90th anniversary of the genocide, which claimed 1.5 million lives.
Ryde resident Carol Aghajanian was “terribly disappointed” to find it
had disappeared.
“It serves as a clear reminder they’re (the Turkish community) still
denying it, even in Sydney, Ryde, Australia,” she said.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia labelled the missing
memorial as the “ugly side of genocide denial”, which “strikes at the
very heart of our democratic society”.
But the Turkish community strongly denied the 1915 events.
Turkish News Weekly editor Arzu Agacakyak ran an article questioning
Ryde Council’s knowledge and research on the issue before condemning
it last month.
Ryde Mayor Terry Perram stood by the council’s decision to condemn
the genocide and provide a plaque, which it will replace.
“We relied upon the fact that the State Parliament had passed a
similar resolution in 1997 and it had erected a plaque.”
Mrs Agacakyak said the Ottoman Empire was not responsible for a
genocide.
“Because Turkey was at war at the time and there was a short supply
of food, there was a lot of deaths but not 1.5 million.
“The Turkish Government . . . did not have an agenda to kill the
Armenians.”
Mrs Agacakyak denounced Ryde Council’s decision to unveil the plaque.
“It’s really not the place of a council to approve things like this,”
she said.
But despite denials of genocide, Mrs Agacakyak said Turkish people
were upset the plaque was stolen and wanted to forge strong
relationships with Armenians.
“We’re living in peace here (in Australia),” she said.
“We don’t want our problems brought to this country.”

AZG Armenian Daily #084, 11/05/2005
Region
BUSH TO HAIL GEORGIA ‘BEACON OF LIBERTY’ FOR THE REGION AND THE WORLD
Saakashvili Ready to ‘Spread and Advance Democracy’ in Post-Soviet States
and Middle East
In his speech to estimated 150.000 people at the Freedom Square in Tbilisi,
US President George W. Bush called Georgia “beacon of liberty” in the region
and the whole world. “Gamar djoba”, the US President greeted the crowd in
Georgian. “As you build freedom in this country, you must know that the
seeds of liberty you are planting in Georgian soil are flowering across the
globe…. You are building a democratic society where the rights of
minorities are respected, where a free press flourishes, a vigorous
opposition is welcome… Before there was a Purple Revolution in Iraq, or an
Orange Revolution in Ukraine, or a Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, there was
the Rose Revolution in Georgia”, Bush said in his speech.
This is the first time in history that a US president visits South Caucasus.
President Bush arrived in Georgia in the evening of May 9 and headed for the
Old Town of Tbilisi accompanied by Georgia’s President. The presidents took
part in a dance performed for the US President. Afterwards together with
their spouses, the presidents had a dinner in one of restaurants on Meydan.
Bush appreciated Georgian cousin. He said that khachapuri is very tasty.
President Bush’s visit has clearly changed the imagery of Tbilisi. The
buildings downtown the capital are painted in bright colors, the streets are
paved with asphalt. The whole of Georgia got ready for Bush’s visit.
The US President met yesterday President Mikheil Saakashvili, parliament
speaker Nino Burjanadze and the representatives of Georgia’s national
minorities. A press conference followed the presidents’ closed-door meeting.
Bush said that they the two presidents had an honest discussion over
democracy and reforms, Georgia’s membership to Nato and over the need to
find peaceful solution for confrontation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The US president underscored that essentially only that society is
democratic where the rights of minorities are respected. “This is a very
diverse country”, Bush said.
Together with President Saakashvili, George Bush met with 10 representatives
of Georgia’s minorities, including 2 Armenians. Head of the Tbilisi offshoot
of Armenians’ Union of Georgia and president of “Multinational Georgia” NGO,
Arnold Stepanian, opt in the meeting.
In an interview to daily Azg, Stepanian said that they talked about the
issues of minorities, about the need of integrating them into Georgian
society.
“We will peacefully resolve our disputes with our long-suffering South
Ossetian and Abkhaz citizens”, Saakashvili said during the press conference.
“Georgia will become the main partner of the United States in spreading
democracy and freedom in the post-Soviet space. This is our proposal. We
will always be with you in protecting freedom and democracy”, Saakashvili
said looking at Bush.
US President was more than reserved in his statements about the withdrawal
of Russian military bases from Batumi and Akhalkalak. Answering a Georgian
journalist’s question, Bush said that Moscow is ready to work with Tbilisi
and that he had discussed that Issue with President Putin.
“He [Putin] reminded me that there is an agreement in place – a 1999
agreement [signed in Istanbul],” Bush said.
Yesterday noon, the US President and his delegation counting 700 members
left for Washington. Bush’s visit to Georgia is generally estimated $1
million for the state budget. This is not a great price Georgia paid if the
visit’s importance for Georgia is considered. Besides, Georgia receives
millions of dollars as aid from America. Saakashvili as well as other
high-ranking Georgian officials are getting their salary from the Soros
Foundation.
By Tatoul Hakobian in Tbilisi

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/09/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Liberation of Shushi, End of WWII Cause for Celebrations in Armenia 2) Catholicos Aram I Calls on Germany Church to Back Genocide Recognition Efforts 3) Army Head Warns Azerbaijan 4) Armenian-Azeri Summit 'Could Break Karabagh Impasse' 5) Bush Arrives in Georgia to Support Pro-West Drive 1. Liberation of Shushi, End of WWII Cause for Celebrations in Armenia YEREVAN (RFE/RL, Armenpress)--Armenia officially marked on Monday the 60th anniversary of the end of the World War II, honoring and remembering hundreds of thousands of its citizens that contributed to the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. In two-day official celebrations, Armenia also marked the 13th anniversary of Mountainous Karabagh's ancient city of Shushi from Azerbaijan. `I think that if the Shushi operations had failed the Azerbaijanis would have easily occupied Karabagh,' Defense Minister Serj Sarkisian said on Monday, after visiting Yerevan's Yerablur military cemetery with other senior government officials and the top brass of Armenia's Armed Forces. The fall of Shushi was one of Azerbaijan's most serious military setbacks and proved vital for Armenian victory in the 1991-94 war. The anniversary was marked as a day of mourning in Baku. President Robert Kocharian issued a written address to the nation in connection to both victories: `In 1992, the Armenian people achieved a new victory after liberating the town of Shushi in Karabagh. In the war imposed on us we again proved that we are always ready to protect our people's right for peaceful life. Again congratulating all of us on the great date I wish all us peace. Our devotion to the fatherland should be displayed in the raising of the new generation and the building of a new state.' For Victory Day celebration, hundreds of gray-haired war veterans wearing wartime medals were joined by senior government officials as they paid tribute to their fallen comrades at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Yerevan's Victory Park. Thousands of younger Armenians laid flowers by its eternal fire throughout the day. The nationwide celebrations began with a military parade and ended with a concert and fireworks show at the WWII memorial in Yerevan. Separate wreath-laying ceremonies were also held by the statutes of the two most prominent and high-level Armenian participants of the war: Marshal Ivan Baghramian and Admiral Ivan Isakov. Praising the bravery of Armenian soldiers during WWII, President Kocharian told the nation, `Armenia's revival was made possible by that victory and [ensued] peace,' he said. `Armenians showed unique examples of bravery and sacrifice within the ranks of the Soviet army.' Kocharian issued the statement ahead of his departure to Moscow at the weekend. He was among nearly 60 heads of state and government and other international dignitaries who arrived in Russia to take part in the anniversary celebrations. Some 600,000 citizens of Soviet Armenia took part in what many people in the former USSR call the Great Patriotic War. Nearly half of them lost their lives--a catastrophic death toll for what was then a republic of less than two million inhabitants. Just over 19,000 war veterans remained alive as of May 2000. 2. Catholicos Aram I Calls on Germany Church to Back Genocide Recognition Efforts ANTELIAS--In letter to the Chairman of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I asked Germany's churches to support Armenian genocide recognition efforts, so as to `restore the rights of the Armenian people, which have been held captive.' `We are deeply satisfied that in German political and academic circles, there is renewed interest and vigor in advancing the issue of the Armenian genocide,' His Holiness Aram I writes to Bishop Wolfgang Huber. The Catholicos praises all parties in the German parliament, which recently agreed to a resolution telling Turkey to "take historic responsibility" for the 1915 Armenian genocide. He also praised German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for reminding the leadership of Turkey, during a recent visit there, that it must come to terms with the issue of the Armenian genocide in order to join the European Union. Bishop Huber and Catholicos Aram I enjoy a lengthy professional relationship and personal friendship, including their work together on the World Council of Churches. Meanwhile the Conference of European Churches (CEC) on April 23 called on Turkey to recognize that it committed genocide against Armenians and urged reconciliation between Ankara and Yerevan. The CEC Presidium urged the Turkish government to initiate a process of reconciliation between the Turkish and the Armenian peoples, including as integral elements, `the recognition of guilt and the proclamation of the truth.' 3. Army Head Warns Azerbaijan YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--The chief of the Armenian army staff, Colonel-General Mikael Harutiunian, said on Monday that there exist no tensions on the contact line established by the 1994 ceasefire agreement in the Mountainous Karabagh war, saying that hostilities have come only in the form of announcements by Azerbaijan's president, head of parliament, as well as defense minister. He stressed, however, that if Azerbaijan is bent on resuming the war, then they will pay dearly, and risk losing vast territories. Speaking during Victory Day celebrations and ceremonies marking the 13th anniversary of the liberation of the Shushi from Azerbaijan, Harutiunian said, `I would advise Azerbaijan's leadership to be reserved with their aggressive militaristic announcements, which adversely and mechanically affect servicemen and the military leadership, and heighten tensions. He also denied Azeri claims that dozens of Armenian soldiers have been killed there in recent weeks. `They wish we had lost many soldiers,' Harutiunian told RFE/RL. `There have indeed been a few cases of our soldiers dying or getting wounded. `But the figures cited by them are mere propaganda and blackmail.' Harutiunian also reiterated Armenian claims that Azerbaijani troops have been moving closer to Karabagh Armenian positions. `We see no point in moving our positions because we already control the main heights which we took ten years ago,' he said. `They probably need to do that because they had left their weapons behind and run away [during the war]. They probably felt that they need to improve their positions. In any case, we are taking adequate measures in response.' Meanwhile, three Azerbaijani soldiers that were captured the Armenians in northeastern Karabagh last February, after crossing the frontline, were handed back to the Azerbaijani military on Saturday. Azerbaijani media quoted officials in Baku as saying that they were not harmed during their detention. 4. Armenian-Azeri Summit 'Could Break Karabagh Impasse' YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The upcoming meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan could prove decisive for the success of the latest international push to resolve the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, Defense Minister Serj Sarkisian said on Monday. `I look forward to that meeting just as you do, because a lot depends on it,' Sarkisian told reporters. `We can probably say after that meeting whether the peace process is continuing or has entered a deadlock.' President Robert Kocharian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of a Council of Europe summit in Warsaw next week. The two leaders will try to build on progress reportedly made by their foreign ministers during a series of internationally mediated talks over the past year. French, Russian and U.S. diplomats spearheading the peace process announced last month that the conflicting parties are close to making a `first step towards an agreement.' Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said last week that further progress in the long and painful peace talks depends on the results of the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit. `The foreign ministers have done all they could possibly do and that the next step has to be taken by the presidents,' Oskanian said. He again insisted that no formal peace agreements will be signed at Warsaw. Aliyev and Kocharian could have come face to face in Moscow at the weekend on the fringes of a summit of former Soviet republics. However, Aliyev chose to boycott the summit on the grounds that it coincided with the 13th anniversary of the capture by Karabagh Armenian forces of the strategically important town of Shushi. 5. Bush Arrives in Georgia to Support Pro-West Drive TBILISI (Reuters)--President Bush flew to the small ex-Soviet republic of Georgia on Monday for a visit being hailed as a pointed show of Washington's support for democratic freedoms in Russia's backyard. Bush, making the first visit to Georgia by a U.S. president, arrived aboard Air Force One from Moscow, where he took part in celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. At Tbilisi airport, decorated with Stars and Stripes flags, he was greeted by President Mikhail Saakashvili, the pro-Western leader catapulted to power 18 months ago in a "Rose Revolution" who has since been trying to shake off the Kremlin's influence. Saakashvili boycotted the Moscow festivities because the Kremlin refused to bow to his demands for the immediate withdrawal of two Russian military bases on Georgian soil. Moscow has about 3,000 troops in the Soviet-era bases, which Saakashvili has likened to an "occupation" of his country. The United States has dozens of military trainers in Georgia. Georgia is in the turbulent Caucasus region, scene of a clutch of local conflicts that grew from the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is also on the route for a U.S.-backed pipeline linking the oilfields of the Caspian Sea to world markets. "This visit means a lot," Giga Bokeria, a Georgian parliamentarian and close Saakashvili associate, told Reuters. "It is a message that we are not alone in our struggle to become a decent democracy ... a sovereign country on which no one can impose their will. I am talking about Russia here," he said. SPEECH IN SQUARE The highlight of the 24-hour visit will be on Tuesday, when Bush addresses the Georgian people on Tbilisi's Liberty Square beneath a massive banner that reads: "Celebrating Democracy and Freedom." It was from that square in November 2003 that crowds of people marched on Georgia's parliament, forcing the resignation of veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze. Georgia's peaceful revolution created the template for fellow ex-Soviet republics Ukraine and Moldova to turn their backs on Moscow and pursue integration with the West. The Bush administration has indicated it would be happy to see power change hands elsewhere in the former Soviet Union with Belarus--described by Washington as central Europe's last dictatorship--at the top of its list. In Georgia, a state of 5 million that saw its economy implode after independence in 1991, most people were eagerly awaiting the Bush visit. The new leadership is tackling corruption but economic reforms are proving painful. Tbilisi was soaked by rain on Monday but officials say if the weather improves more than 50,000 people will come to hear Bush speak on Tuesday. Lamp-posts along the city's main streets were decorated with Georgian and U.S. flags while crews have worked round the clock to repair the potholed roads. Policemen in fluorescent rain capes lined the streets in what locals said was the biggest security operation they could remember. "We are very pleased that such an important person is visiting us. The United States is Georgia's main partner and we hope America will help us solve our problems with Russia," said Lali Khestsuriani, a 42-year-old doctor. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.