Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Turkey: EU Enlargement Commissioner Says Talks Must Not Be Delayed
By Ahto Lobjakas

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Tuesday, 13 September 2005

(AFP)
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told the European Parliament’s
Foreign Relations Committee today that Turkey has cleared all hurdles
necessary to start accession talks on 3 October, as planned. However,
he said EU member states, which must make the final decision on
Turkey’s eventual EU membership, are still hotly debating the issue. A
key point in this debate is when and if Turkey should recognize the
Greek government of divided Cyprus, an EU member.

Brussels, 13 September 2005 (RFE/RL) — Commissioner Rehn repeated his
long-held view that the EU has no grounds to delay launching accession
talks with Turkey.

He said EU member states gave Turkey two conditions at a summit last
December, both of which Ankara has now fulfilled.

`There was a unanimous decision by the European Council that they
expected Turkey to fulfill two conditions: the entry into force of the
six pieces of legislation that were essential for the legal and
political [accession] criteria, and the signature by Turkey of the
adaptation protocol of the Ankara agreement [creating a customs union
with the EU] knowing that this would not amount to an explicit, formal
recognition [of Cyprus]. These two conditions are now met,’ Rehn said.

However, Rehn conceded that EU member states are still locked in what
he described as `heated’ debates. These are expected to culminate in
an unscheduled meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on 26
September.

Before negotiations can start with Turkey, the EU must adopt two key
documents.

One is the so-called `negotiating mandate’ allowing the European
Commission to start talks. The other is a `counter-declaration’ to a
statement last July in which Turkey said its extension of the existing
customs union with the EU — the so-called Ankara Protocol — to the
10 new EU members does not amount to a recognition of Greek Cyprus.

A previous draft of the counter-declaration urged Turkey to normalize
its relations with Nicosia. Turkey is the only country to formally
acknowledge the Turkish side of Cyprus as an independent state.

The wording of these two EU documents will be crucial. Diplomats in
Brussels say the EU’s British presidency has struck a deal with France
effectively removing the threat of a formal EU stipulation that the
talks could lead to a `privileged partnership’ rather than full
membership.

Rehn today sought to allay the latent anxiety many member states feel
about the long-term consequences of Turkish membership. He noted that
as all member states need to unanimously approve all of the 35
chapters into which accession talks have been divided, opportunities
to put a brake on the process abound.

`The member states will have to approve unanimously all the documents
[concerning] the negotiations on each and every chapter. That means
that there will be 35 decisions to be taken concerning the opening of
chapters and 35 decisions concerning the closing of chapters, and
perhaps in 10 or 15 years’ [time] a decision concerning the possible
closing of negotiations. This means that after the opening of the
negotiations has been decided there will be all together 71
`veto-points’ for each member state,’ Rehn said.

Rehn said some EU policy areas would remain closed for Turkey, while
permanent safeguard measures would be put in place to block
immigration from the country. Also, he said, Turkey would be subject
to rigorous monitoring by the European Commission. The commission is
issuing annual `progress reports,’ the next of which is due on 9
November.

However, Cyprus remains a stumbling block. Turkey’s overt repetition
of the fact it does not recognize Cyprus continues to raise hackles in
the EU. To add insult to injury, Turkey also refuses to implement the
extended customs union with the EU when it comes to Cyprus. Its ports
and airports remain closed to Cypriot boats and planes.

The Cypriot government today warned it is ready to veto the start of
accession talks with Turkey.

Rehn sought to steer a cautious course. He said the issues with Cyprus
do not have to be resolved before 3 October. He said Turkey would be
forced to accept Cypriot transport or find itself unable to end talks
on some chapters.

Rehn said it is `evident’ Turkey must recognize Cyprus by the time it
accedes to the EU.

But Rehn also sought to pressure Cyprus. He noted that it was the
Greek part of Cyprus that voted down a UN compromise last year in a
referendum. Had they not done so, Rehn noted, the problem of
recognition would not exist today.

He obliquely criticized Cyprus for single-handedly blocking an EU aid
package to the Turkish part of Cyprus worth hundreds of millions of
euros.

`It is regrettable that those who have in fact suffered from the
current situation are in the first place the Turkish Cypriot
community, because regardless of our decisions more than a year ago,
we have not been able to provide the package on financial assistance
and direct trade, which would help in ending the economic isolation of
the northern part of Cyprus and enhancing economic development and
trade relations in that part of the island — which is also necessary
to facilitate a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus,’ Rehn said.

Currently, the EU views northern Cyprus as EU territory where EU laws
are suspended.

Responding to criticism voiced by some European Parliament deputies
today, Rehn said the recent indictment in Turkey of the celebrated
author Orhan Pamuk is `clearly in breach of the principles of the
European Convention on Human Rights.’

Pamuk was indicted earlier this month after he spoke of the `genocide’
of Turkey’s Armenian population during World War I. A prosecutor in
Istanbul said his remarks amounted to a “public denigration” of
Turkish identity.

Rehn said the decision by an Istanbul district judge to set 16
December as the trial date is a `provocation’ — as it was on that day
last year that the EU summit decided to authorize accession talks with
Turkey.

PARTIAL BOYCOTT, OR THE OPPOSITION RETURNED PARTIALLY

A1+
| 20:42:17 | 12-09-2005 | Politics |

The RA authorities or the coalition has not met the demand of the
opposition to settle law in the country. In answer to this the
opposition had announced total boycott. Now the National Unity has
decided to cease the boycott and return to the session.

“~SNational Unity” will remain faithful to the policy it adopted,
but it has found necessary to introduce some strategic changes. In
the special session where the Constitutional reforms were discussed
we made sure that the actions of the opposition put the authorities
into a dead block and prove to the people that there is a united
political power in the person of the Parliamentary opposition which
will lead the movement of the wide population. Saying No to the draft
Constitution it will prove to the people and to the international
organization that the authorities are not legitimate and do not enjoy
the trust of the people”, said Artashes Geghamyan.

And the Justice bloc convened a session today during which they
decided to partially go on with the boycott. They will participate
in those discussions which are most important for the society. Viktor
Dallakyan reminded that they are boycotting the work of the Parliament
as their draft of the confidence referendum was left out of agenda.

INJURED JANKULOVSKI NOT TO PLAY QUALIFIER AGAINST ARMENIA

Czech News Agency
September 5, 2005

PRAGUE, Sept 5 (CTK) – National soccer team-member Marek Jankulovski
will not play qualification match against Armenia in Olomouc, north
Moravia, on Wednesday, Czech national team spokesman Lukas Tucek
announced today.

The AC Milan defender who did not finish Saturday’s game against
Romania due to ankle pains has already left for Italy to receive
medical treatment, Tucek said, adding that doctors agreed Jankolovski’s
ankle needs to rest.

Jankulovski is the second player to leave national soccer team coach
Karel Brueckner’s starting lineup. Goalie Petr Cech already left for
London on Sunday.

Jankulovski broke his ankle in May but felt 100 percent fit at a
national team rendezvous. But when he kicked a ball with the tip of
his foot on Saturday the screws in his leg began to ache him and he
had himself replaced.

Though a medical check-up on Sunday proved the ankle did not break
again, national soccer team doctor Petr Krejci said Jankulovski’s
start in Wednesday’s match was not assured.

Health problems have also concerned Tomas Rosicky, who’s thigh muscle
insertion has been troubling him. On the other hand, national soccer
team captain Tomas Galasek should train again fully today. Coach
Brueckner did not decided yet whether to call up a substitute player.

LESSONS FOR A MOLOKAN
by Onnik Krikorian

Transitions Online, Czech Republic
5 September 2005

How can one educate Armenia’s equivalent of the Amish? From UNICEF
Armenia.

FIOLETOVO, Armenia | It’s not often that you encounter a village
that makes you feel like an “outsider” in Armenia but this is one of
the few that do, and in every sense of the word. It’s not that the
residents of this ethnically homogenous village made up of Russian
Molokans don’t like visitors. It’s simply that their presence is not
considered essential for Fioletovo to survive and prosper.

The Molokans are Russians that split from the Russian Orthodox Church
in the 17th Century. Fioletovo, a village inhabited by less than
1,500 people, is the largest community outside of Yerevan. Their
total population in Armenia stands at just 5,000 although 14 years
earlier, when independence was declared, there were approximately
12,000 Molokans living in the republic. Since then, most have left.

To call the community “closed” is not too far from the truth. Apart
from venturing out of Fioletovo and nearby Lermontovo to sell their
famous sauerkraut at market, the village resembles a traditional
Russian enclave cut off from the rest of Armenia. You might even be
forgiven for thinking you had entered a settlement somewhere deep in
the heart of Russia.

Many consider the Molokans as something akin to the Amish in the
United States.

True, the Molokans use motorized vehicles but otherwise, alcohol
is forbidden as is marriage outside the community. And, for the more
strict adherents to the faith, so is television. Streets are impeccably
clean with every other house sporting a fresh coat of paint. The men
wear long beards that haven’t been cut in years while most of the
women cover their heads.

Their fiercely blonde and blue-eyed children are unable to communicate
in any language other than Russian.

And herein lies the problem. As idyllic and refreshing as the scene
might be, the situation in terms of education is just the opposite.
In fact, according to a recent survey of education in national minority
communities by the Hazarashen Armenian Centre of Ethnological Studies,
“Molokans continue retaining [their] virtues over education and thus,
the inertia of perceiving education as secondary continues.”

The report, conducted for Armenia’s education ministry and the
National Statistics Service was made possible through the financial
and technical support of UNICEF. It follows a generic survey on
education in Armenia held during 2001. Then, UNICEF discovered that
school drop-out rates for national minority communities, in addition
to those made up of refugees, were twice the national average.

As a result, one of the recommendations from that 2001 report was to
conduct a new assessment but specifically focusing on national minority
communities. Although Armenia is considered a largely mono-ethnic
country, 2.2 percent of the population comprises ethnic groups such
as Yezidis, Assyrians, Russians and Jews. The report chose to focus
on the three largest in the republic – the Yezidis and Kurds, the
Assyrians, and the Russian Molokans.

“We discovered that there were no problems whatsoever in the Assyrian
community,” says Marine Soukhudyan, UNICEF’s Education Project
Officer. “Historically, as well as culturally, the Assyrian community
values education highly and does everything it can to ensure that
their children receive a normal education. Of course, there is still
a problem with the availability of textbooks and this is a serious
issue for every minority community in Armenia.”

Like the Molokans, the Assyrians receive much of their own education
in Russian but the textbooks that exist are mainly left over from
the Soviet era and do not comply with the requirements of the
new curriculum. There is also an insufficient quantity of teaching
materials in minority languages, but Soukhudyan says that the National
Institute of Education in Armenia is currently contacting intellectuals
within each community to address this problem.

However, she says that there are more serious concerns. “For example,
during the last 15 years, only a handful of children from minority
communities entered higher education,” she explains. “We also
discovered that in Yezidi communities, children attend school for
two to five months on average per year. At first, we thought this was
connected to poverty but later, we discovered that this reflected an
attitude within the community towards education.”

“With the exception of the Assyrians, the Molokan and Yezidi
communities prioritize labor,” continues Soukhudyan. “There is also
a great difference between attitudes towards education for girls
compared to boys. In many communities, grade 8 is considered the end
of the education cycle. This is mandatory under Armenian law but the
real picture is hidden away by many other factors.”

Children from national minority communities are instead expected to
tend the fields and shepherd livestock rather than attend school. The
UNICEF-funded report also noted that some Molokan families have even
been known to pull their children out of school as early as the second
or third grade.

“Parents think that 3 years of education is enough for a child to
know how to sell milk, cabbage and count 10 eggs, which means that
the child will be able to earn money,” says the report, summarizing
the attitude of Molokans in Lermontovo towards education. “Having a
full stomach is better than having an education.”

Education in minority communities is therefore seasonal and governed
by the agricultural calendar. At the same time, because teachers in
rural communities are also engaged in farming, they have no interest
in recording low attendance figures because they too are absent.
Soukhudyan calls it a “mutually beneficial situation for both teachers
and the families of schoolchildren.”

Indeed, when the survey team for the report visited Lermontovo
in August during harvest time, there was not a single child in the
village. Even pre-school children had been sent to help their parents
in the fields. Every year, they work there until mid-October and
sometimes, the beginning of November.

Even so, school work is still marked as “satisfactory” although
children have learned little or next to nothing. In some cases,
especially in Yezidi communities, pupils and teachers cannot even
communicate with each other. In these communities, while the teachers
are Armenian, each new intake of children from Yezidi families can
hardly understand anything other than their mother tongue.

“Textbooks are also in Armenian but it takes two or three years
before Yezidi children can understand the language,” says Soukhudyan.
“Until then, the child’s development is frustrated and, actually,
prevented. There are some Yezidi teachers, of course, but as they
generally come from other villages, there is also the problem of
transportation, especially during the winter months.”

Armenian teachers sometimes use body language instead of words to
“explain and impart knowledge to students.”

And while adverse socio-economic conditions faced by rural settlements,
as well as the poor upkeep of village schools, are detrimental to
education, the main problem is cultural. This is especially true for
females. “There are those who even consider education dangerous for a
girl,” says the report. “They reason that an educated woman may have
ideas and not be as obedient to men.”

However, despite these obstacles, there are children in minority
communities that would like to enter higher education. In the Yezidi
village of Zovuni, for example, one girl cries as she tells of her
inability to study French when she finishes school. Another Yezidi
girl says that if given the opportunity, she would like to study,
and later teach, Armenian language and literature.

Key to effectively addressing this issue, however, will be to launch
a public awareness campaign highlighting the importance of education
among national minority communities. The governor of the Aragatsotn
region in Armenia has already committed himself to supporting UNICEF
in this endeavor. In particular, there will be a specific focus on
teaching Yezidi and Molokan children the Armenian language from an
early age, especially in pre-schools.

UNICEF will also supply 100 schools in five regions of Armenia with
“school in a box” kits that contain essential supplies to meet
the needs of 8,000 schoolchildren. The kits will also be supplied
to vulnerable Armenian communities, especially those situated in
depressed border regions.

“It is my dream to become a doctor,” says one girl in Lermontovo,
“but how can a Molokan enter university? We can’t receive a higher
education because we don’t know Armenian. Nobody here does.”

Onnik Krikorian is a journalist and photographer based in Yerevan.
This article first appeared on the website of UNICEF Armenia.

;IdPublication=4&NrIssue=131&NrSection=3&NrArticle=14430&tpid=36

AREXIMBANK (ARMENIA) ANNOUNCES ABOUT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS RELATED TO SEASONAL DEPOSIT “AUTUMN”

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 5 2005

YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. The Areximbank (Armenia) announced
about changes in conditions related to the seasonal deposit “Autumn”,
press-service of the Areximbank reported ARKA News Agency. From
September 15 to October 15, 2005 the bank accepts USD deposits for
1-12 months at 8% interest rate (previously for 6-12 months at 9%
interest rate). According to press-release, the interests are paid
immediately after the registration of the deposit. All depositors,
if they wish, are given Visa Electron plastic cards for free if the
deposits amount to USD 10,000-USD 50,000; Visa Classic if the deposits
are up to USD 50,000, and Visa Gold if the deposits exceed USD 50,000.
Areximbank CJSC was registered on June 3, 1998 to support business
and servicing of the financial flows between Armenia and Russia.
Total assets of the Areximbank made AMD 10.8bln by June 30, 2005, the
bank’s credit portfolio made about AMD 4.7bln. Total capital of the
bank made AMD 2.8bln by June 30, 2005 and the profit in January-June,
2005 made AMD 95.3mln. ($1 = AMD 463.27). A.A. –0-

CYPRUS ARMENIAN MP, BEDROS KALAYDJIAN DIES

01/09/2005

Bedros Kalaydjian, the Representative of the Armenian minority in
the Cyprus parliament, died Thursday after a long illness.

Kalaydjian, who turned 71 a week ago, served in the House of
Representatives for two terms. He was first elected in the by-election
of October 22, 1995 and at the parliamentary elections of May 26,
1996 and May 27, 2001.

Through his parliamentary duties, he often support for Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, while like all his predecessors often raised the
issue of Turkey’s denial of the 1915 Genocide. At home, Kalaydjian’s
main priorities were educational reform and improvement of the Nareg
elementary schools in Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol.

He played a decisive role in the ratification and adoption by Cyprus
in 2002 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages,
one of the first European countries to do so. The Charter anticipated
the continuation of the Melkonian Educational Institute school in
Nicosia, which the AGBU Central Board in New York decided to close
citing financial reasons.

Kalaydjian fervently opposed the decision to close the school and sell
off the land, but was unable to persuade the organisation’s leadership
of the importance of maintaining the only Armenian secondary school
in the European Union, with its unique boarding facility attracting
students from around the world. He assisted in securing a preservation
order and declaring most of the school grounds a ‘national historic
site.’

He was a founding member of the Cyprus – Armenia Friendship Association
and convinced the Cyprus government to sponsor dance, orchestral and
art groups from Armenia to visit the island.

Kalaydjian supported government decisions to maintain Armenian
monuments, including the 19th century historic cemetery near
Paphos Gate that was recently destroyed but was expected to
be restored. However, he did not live to see his dream project
materialise, the establishment of a ‘monument of gratitude’ that is
expected to be built on the Larnaca seafront to mark the arrival of
Armenian refugees and survivors of the massacres in Turkey and the
subsequent welcome offered by the people of Cyprus.

For many years he was president of the Larnaca AGBU club, on the
board of the Armenian Church Committee, chairman of the board of the
American Academy in Larnaca and Limassol and president of the Larnaca
Rotary Club.

Bedros Kalaydjian studied Business Administration at Fallowfield
College, Manchester, and headed the family business that included a
group of trading, real estate and hotel companies. After his brother’s
death ten years ago, Bedros worked hard to extend and upgrade the
Kalaydjian Rest Home they had established in Nicosia for elderly
people, adding a new floor and chapel in recent years.

He was married to Lisa Jackson and is succeeded by his son, Dickran,
and daughter, Julia, and three grandchildren.

The funeral will take place at the Sourp Stepanos (St. Stephen’s)
Armenian Church in Larnaca on Saturday, September 3, at 4pm.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/29/2005
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1) No Karabagh Accord Announced after Kocharian, Aliyev Summit
2) Demonstrators Rally in Baku to Demand Free Elections, Exiled Guliyev on
Ballot
3) Final Debates on Constitution Reforms Begin Pre November Vote in Armenia
4) Wisman Names Armenia Squad for World Cup
5) SKEPTIK SINIKIAN/ LIBRARIANS AT THE GATES: THE BLUE PILL BLUES

1) No Karabagh Accord Announced after Kocharian, Aliyev Summit

(RFE/RL)Armenia and Azerbaijan have made contradictory statements on the
meeting between their presidents that took place in Russia over the weekend.
International mediators had hoped the talks would mark a turning point in
their
protracted search for a solution to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict.
Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev did not speak to journalists
after their talks in the Russian city of Kazan on Saturday, and it is unclear
whether or not they reached any formal or informal agreements on Karabagh.
Reports from Kazan said the two leaders conferred in a tête-à-tête format for
an hour before being joined by French, Russian and US diplomats spearheading
the peace process.
Kocharian, according to his spokesman Victor Soghomonian, came away satisfied
from the meeting held on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of
Independent States. “The Armenian side assesses the meeting in Kazan
positively
and considers it a positive development in the negotiating process,” the
Itar-Tass news agency quoted Soghomonian as saying.
The official added that Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and
Vartan Oskanian of Armenia will continue that process “based on the agreements
reached in Kazan.” He did not say what those agreements are.
“In general, I cannot say that there has been any major progress or
breakthrough,” Mammadyarov said for his part, according to the Azeri ANS
television. “We did not reach any agreement.”
“I think that we, both Armenia and Azerbaijan, need a couple of weeks to
analyze the thoughts voiced by the two sides and think what the results may be
and whether we are prepared for any progress or not,” he added.
Mammadyarov and Oskanian held talks in Moscow earlier in the week to prepare
for the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit and appeared satisfied with their results.
Highlighting the importance of the Kazan meeting, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice telephoned Aliyev and Kocharian August 25 to urge them to
make
mutual concessions that will pave the way for a Karabagh peace deal.
Regional observers believe that Aliyev and Kocharian will not announce any
compromise deals until November, which will see parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan and a constitutional referendum in Armenia. It is widely assumed
that opposition groups in both countries would exploit unpopular
concessions on
Karabagh in their struggle against the ruling regimes.

2) Demonstrators Rally in Baku to Demand Free Elections, Exiled Guliyev on
Ballot

MOSCOW (Combined Sources)A large number of demonstrators rallied in
Azerbaijan’s capital Baku Saturday to demand free and democratic parliamentary
elections while an opposition leader was registered to run in the November
poll.
About 15,000 protesters paraded through the center of Baku to demand changes
to the country’s election laws to guarantee a fair parliamentary poll on
November 6, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The rally, organized by the opposition electoral alliance grouping the
Musavat
party, the People’s Front and the Democratic Party, proceeded without
incidents.
Protesters requested equal conditions for all candidates and permission for
opposition leaders, including former president Ayaz Mutalibov and former
parliament speaker Rasul Guliyev, to return to Azerbaijan without being
arrested.
Mutalibov, who served as president in 1991-92, has been living in exile in
Russia since his resignation.
Guliyev, who was the subject of a fraud investigation and has lived in exile
in the United States since 1996, faces criminal charges on his return to
Azerbaijan.
However, Guliyev, who heads the Democratic Party, was registered Saturday to
run in the elections.
Mekhriban Aliyeva, wife of President Ilham Aliyev, is one of 109 candidates
from the ruling New Azerbaijan party vying for the 125 seats in the Milli
Majlis, the parliament.

3) Final Debates on Constitution Reforms Begin Pre November Vote in Armenia

YEREVAN(RFE/RL)–Opposition leaders suspended their 18-month boycott of
parliament on Monday as it began final debates on draft amendments to
Armenia’s
constitution that are due to be put to a referendum in November. Their
approval
by the majority of lawmakers is almost certain.
The debates were broadcast live on national television on Monday, featuring
only two of the 39 deputies registered to address the parliament, suggesting
the proceedings could take at least two more days.
The session began with an angry dispute between the parliament leadership and
some opposition lawmakers over procedural matters. Speaker Artur Baghdasarian
told them they were hampering discussions by raising insignificant issues, and
emphasized the proposed reforms enjoy the backing of the Council of Europe and
in particular its advisory body on constitutional law, the Venice
Commission.
The commission’s Italian secretary, Gianni Buquicchio, did not make it to
Yerevan to address the parliament and urge Armenians to vote for the proposed
amendments. According to the head of the Council of Europe office in Armenia,
Bojana Urumova, he simply missed a connecting flight to Yerevan at the
weekend.

“The Venice Commission believes in this text and supports it fully,” Urumova
told the parliament, speaking on behalf of Buquicchio.
The constitutional reform is also supported by the European Union and the
United States. “The United States supports the efforts of all those who have
been involved in the process of attempting to amend the current Armenian
Constitution, and encourages all parties to engage in responsible and
constructive debate on this issue,” US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans
said in
a statement published by Yerevan newspapers on Saturday.
“In our view the current package represents a notable step forward, but its
approval is of course a matter for the voters of the Republic of Armenia to
decide,” Evans added.

4) Wisman Names Armenia Squad for World Cup

(uefa.com)–Armenia coach Henk Wisman has named a 21-man squad for the
September FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Czech
Republic. Captain Harutyun Vardanyan returns after a year on the sidelines
with
a knee injury, while FC Banants’s Samvel Melkonyan and FC Pyunik’s Armen
Tigranyan hope to make their debuts.

ARMENIA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Roman Berezovski (FC Dinamo Moskva), Gevorg Kasparov (FC
Pyunik).

Defenders: Valery Aleksanyan (FC Pyunik), Sargis Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik),
Robert
Arzumanyan (FC Pyunik), Alexander Tadevosyan (FC Pyunik), Harutyun Vardanyan
(FC Aarau), Karen Dokhoyan (FC Krylya Sovetov Samara), Yegishe Melikyan (FC
Metalurh Donetsk).

Midfielders: Agvan Lazarian (FC Pyunik), Romik Khachatryan (OFI Crete FC),
David Grigoryan (FC Yesil Bogatyr Petropavlovsk), Karen Aleksanyan (CSF Zimbru
Chisinau), Hamlet Mkhitaryan (FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk), Armen Tigranyan (FC Pyunik),
Samvel Melkonyan (FC Banants).

Forwards: Edgar Manucharyan (AFC Ajax), Ara Hakobyan (FC Stal Alchevsk), Aram
Hakobyan (FC Banants), Aram Voskanyan (FC Yesil Bogatyr Petropavlovsk),Galust
Petrosyan (CSF Zimbru Chisinau).

5) LIBRARIANS AT THE GATES: THE BLUE PILL BLUES

Before we get to the meat of this week’s column, I just want to point out to
all my readers that if you search “Turkish drug money” on Google.com today, my
last article is in the top five results.
Thank you. Thank you. No really, I couldn’t have done it without you, my
loyal
readers.
Anyway, time to get the Sinikian show on the road. If you thought last week’s
column was the stuff Hollywood summer blockbusters are made of–drug money
bribing politicians, international espionage, intrigue, attractive FBI agents,
and the mean bosses who double cross them–then you’ll love this week. The
plot? A one armed man of such prestige and power is revealed to everyone.
Never have heroes.
They’ll only let you down. Remember that because it will save you a whole lot
of grief in life. It’s a lesson I was reminded of last week when I read about
the most recent scandal to rock the world of Armenian academia. I know that
most of my readers spend as much time reading Armenian news as they spend
probably debating various interpretations of the evolution of the market
economy in the early American colonies prior to the Revolutionary War. Did I
lose you? I thought so. I promise not to do that again. Fine. I’ll cut to the
chase. But first, a little background. Remember Bob Dole? You might remember
him as the famous Senator from that state named after the legendary seventies
rock ‘n’ roll band Kansas. He was a great war hero, having been wounded in the
Second World War. He ran for President a few times. But his real claim to fame
amongst Armenians was that he was their bestest friend in the whooole WIDE
world.
It was the perfect relationship. It was a love story worthy of a Hollywood
movie. A young war hero comes back home with a horrible injury that will cause
him to lose his arm. A young doctor tells the boy that he can save his arm
from
amputation, and through multiple surgeries and therapy sessions helps the kid
keep his arm, but not fully useable. The kid and his hometown rally to scrap
and save pennies to pay the doctor who refuses to accept a dime. The only
thing
this guy asks of the young soldier is to be a kind human being and remember
the
stories he’d heard during the long therapy sessions about the doctor’s
homeland
and his people–Armenia. The young soldier gets involved in politics attaining
the highest position in the Senate and running for President–not just once
but
twice. He’s a national figure and a well respected politician and leader. He
keeps the promise to the Armenian doctor and fights for the rights of
Armenians
while in the Senate ’til the day he retires. He leaves office with a heavy
heart because as hard as he tries, he’s unable to achieve the one thing he had
wanted to do so badly: to pass a bill setting the historical record straight
about the Armenian Genocide.
Now flash forward to 2005. A young Turkish-Kurd scholar by the name of Yektan
Turkyilmaz is arrested in Armenia on suspicion of smuggling rare books out of
the country. This incident gets more complicated by the fact that
Turkyilmaz is
a “pro-Genocide” scholar. WOW! Can you imagine someone who actually accepts
the
historical facts as they actually happened? Someone give this guy a medal…
not! Anyway, what really gets my blood boiling is the fact that Senator Bob
Dole, the same young man who rose to national prominence and defended the
Armenian Cause in Senate, writes a scathing letter to the Armenian Government
lambasting them over a number of issues related to human rights violations.
The
distinguished gentleman from Kansas has sunk even lower than when he was
hawking the little blue pill (Viagra) in magazine, newspaper and television
advertisements. I’m going to refrain at this point from making any jokes
related to erectile dysfunction, partly because it’s a serious issue not to be
joked about (snickering) and partly out of a fear that if I did make any jokes
about it, then karma would come back to bite me in the voreeg.
Here’s a quote from the Senator’s letter which can be viewed at

“Yekten’s detention seems to highlight problems sighted in numerous human
rights reports about Armenia, including those of Freedom House and the US
State
Department. Your detention of Yektan for seven weeks on any grounds would draw
attention to failings in Armenia’s democratic evolution.”
If you’re still confused, this is what happened: Yekten tried to smuggle some
books out of the country and was arrested. Sen. Dole, whose wife is now the
Senator from North Carolina and a graduate of Duke University, wrote a letter
to Armenia calling the government a bunch of idiots for enforcing such
ridiculous laws like not allowing books out of Armenia.
Let’s just say that those were the kindest of words in Senator Dole’s letter.
The rest of it sounded like an angry diatribe that a controlling ex-boyfriend
would write to their former girlfriend-almost-fiancee. This is just the tip of
the iceberg. In addition to dragging Dr. Vartan Gregorian into this mess,
somehow Raffi Hovanissian has gotten involved as well, going so far as to
appear in front of the court to criticize the government for arresting
Yekten.
The average person, after reading all of this and the A-list of people lining
up in support of Yekten, may quickly assume that not only is Yekten an
innocent
Turkish scholar who is being railroaded by corrupt Armenian officials, but
that
the Armenian government is on rung above a dictatorship run by the Three
Stooges on the ladder of fair and democratic governments.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Does Armenia have problems? Yes. Is
it a prefect country? No. Is Yekten being railroaded by corrupt Armenian
officials? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! This Skeptik has, from very reliable sources who
wish to remain unnamed, learned that our friend Yekten is involved in the
smuggling of rare and antique books for personal profit. The Armenian
government has known this and has been keeping an eye on this man who uses his
credentials as a well-known scholar to travel into Armenia, purchase books
illegally and some legally from unsuspecting desperate salespeople trying to
make a living, and turns around to sell them to private collectors abroad. And
I’m not just talking about 1987 copies of Brezhnev’s memoirs translated to
Armenian but really rare volumes of which only few copies remain around the
world. In fact, this is a growing problem in Armenia. While Armenia’s economy
continues to struggle, many crooks have resorted to selling off national
treasures for a fist full of dollars–they don’t even have the dignity to deal
in Drams. It’s very similar to Egyptians selling off rare artifacts to
tourists
just to make a few bucks. For anyone wondering, this is absolutely illegal and
tourists are usually informed of these rules before they enter into a country.
Armenia, with its rich literary history, is no exception. Our books are as
precious as the churches and castles we’ve built.
I doubt Senator Bob Dole knows about any of this. He’s too busy to get
involved in the nitty-gritty details of such a case. I doubt Dr. Vartan
Grigorian or Raffi Hovanissian knew either. But that is all the more reason
for
them to have given the benefit of doubt to the folks in Armenia who are trying
to do their job instead of jumping on the bandwagon to kiss up to a Turkish
scholar who has finally “seen the light” and come around to acknowledging the
validity of the Armenian Genocide.
This is becoming an epidemic in our community, where Armenian scholars who
have been doing legitimate research on the Genocide are treated with less
respect than a placemat at Denny’s, while Turkish scholars who accept the
Genocide are hailed as the greatest thing since pocket pita bread.
I’m not picking sides here. I, personally, am guilty of checking out a few
books from my own public library and never returning them. (The difference is
that I didn’t turn around and sell those books at the used bookstore). But
what
I am saying is that everyone should just chill out. Put the bottle of blue
pills down and chill out!

Skeptik Sinikian’s library card was revoked due to excessive late fees. He is
currently working off his penalties by reading his past columns to children at
the local library as part of his community service. If you would like to email
him or read his past articles, contact him at [email protected] or visit

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Air Force (Monthly), UK
August 2005, Issue 209

Postcard from Armenia

Elio Viroli and Stenio Bacciocchi visit the Armenian Air Force, which
has either been at war or on a heightened state of alert for much of
its 13-year existence.

Rugged and landlocked, the former Soviet republic of Armenia has some
three million inhabitants and occupies some 312,200 sq. miles
(502,330 sq. km) of territory. Its declaration of independence from
the USSR on September 21, 1991, brought challenges to the sovereignty
of Armenia’s Nagorno Karabak province, a mountainous area of some 81
sq. miles (130 sq. km) inside neighbouring Azerbaijan, mostly
inhabited by Christian Armenians and surrounded by Muslim Azeris.
During the fighting over Nagorno Karabak between 1991 and 1994, both
the Armenians and the Azeris used USSR aircraft still based in their
territories. Azerbaijan had some important air bases: Gandzha and
Sital Tchay were home of MiG-21s, MiG-25s, Su-22s and Su-24s, while
at Sanchagaly, some 70 L-39s were armed with unguided rockets.
Armenia had helicopters as well as aircraft from the DOSAAF (Russian
civilian training) air bases. As a result, this particular air war
was fought between a well-equipped Azerbaijan Air Force and a small
Armenian Air Force. Although the latter comprised mainly helicopters,
it also operated a good number of anti-aircraft weapons such as SA-7
MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems), 9K32 Strela and Zsu 23-2,
plus – during the last phases of the conflict – some of the more
sophisticated SA-14s. The fight for the Lachin Corridor, linking
Armenia and Nagorno Karabak, led to the loss of almost 30 Azerbaijani
aircraft to MANPADS and other anti-aircraft ground fire: Armenia lost
ten helicopters and two fast jets. When the fighting ended, the
Armenian Air Force had some 13 Mi-24 Hind helicopters left, plus
seven Mi-8/17s and five Su-25Ks. The Armenian Air Force was
officially established in October 1992, though it suffered for many
years from lack of funds, acquiring no further aircraft or
helicopters. Last year it took delivery of Su-25Ks from the Slovak
3rd Flight at Malacky air base, including aircraft 5036, 6017, 8073,
8074, 8075, 1006, 1007, 1008, 1027 and the Su-25UKB 3237; two L-39s
were acquired recently from Ukraine.

Armenia’s Minister of Defense, Dr. Serge Sargsyan, invited the
authors to visit all the Armenian Air Force bases. At Yerevan we met
Col. Daniel Balayan, commander of the Military Aviation Institute,
created in 1993 to train pilots and technical personnel for careers
in the air force and in civil aviation. The college has been
completely rebuilt, and now has comfortable air-conditioned
classrooms. Currently, 80 cadets from the technical branch are
studying there, and a new pilot course is due to start soon. A pilot
can only attend the institute by being officially accepted – 100
students are selected from 700-800 candidates. The course includes
flying the Yak-52 for 80 hours and the L-39 for 60 hours.

The first period of training is carried out at Arzni air base, some
18 miles (30km) northeast of Yerevan. A former DOSAAF base, it now
flies aircraft and helicopters of the former Russian Air Force. At
the moment the composite air wing has no numerical definition,
although one is expected to be created in the near future. The Arzni
airfield is not used for training as at present there are no courses
there for pilots. However, ten Yak-52s are kept in perfect condition,
alongside one Yak-55 for acrobatic training and a four-seater Yak-18T
for liaison work. Three An-2s are still used for paratroop dropping,
and a half-dozen Mi-2s are available for training, though only two or
three are kept in flyable condition.

At Yust, in the Yerevan area, stands Erebuni air base, still a
Russian base where some dozen `Red Star’ MiG-29s stand ready for air
defense of the capital, Yerevan. There are still over 5,000 Russian
military in Armenia as a consequence of a treaty between the two
nations. Erebuni is a helicopter station housing the former Soviet
7th GvVP and its Mi-24P/K, Mi-17 and Mi-8MTK. The area is very
beautiful – the landscape is dominated by the snow-capped Mount
Ararat.

The Armenian Air Force’s most important base is at Gyumri, a town 80
miles (130km) north of Yerevan, destroyed by a terrible earthquake in
1988 which claimed thousands of lives. The airbase has a 10,450 ft
(3,185m) runway and is the home of a former Russian Air Force
Regiment, which flies Su-25Ks and Su-25UTKs, and houses some L-39s.
Commander-in-chief of the Armenian Air Force is Colonel Stepan
Galstyan (42) who met us at Gyumri. A former MiG-23 fighter pilot
based in the north of the Soviet Union at the time of its collapse,
he returned to his native country and became the first Armenian Su-25
pilot. Unusually, the recently acquired Slovak Su-25Ks have retained
the colour scheme and the national insignia of the Slovak Air Force.
The old Armenian Su-25s, those in service since 1993, carry an
Armenian roundel. Of the four L-39s we could see in Gyumri, two had
Armenian roundels, while the two newly-acquired from Ukraine are
completely anonymous. No precise details are known as to the future
of the Armenian Air Force, but we are able to say that the Armenians
are intending to build up a small, but well-organized, air force.

Photo 1: An Armenian Air Force Mi-24P on the ramp at Erebuni, wearing
a sand-style camouflage. There would appear to be no standard
camouflage markings for the Hind fleet.

Photo 2: The Armenian Air Force Insignia

Photo 3: Aircrew and engineers talk over the day’s proceedings in
front of an Su-25K – which appears not to have moved for a while if
the bird-droppings on the top of the tail are anything to go by!

Photo 4: With its chute trailing behind, an Armenian Air Force
two-seat Su-25UBK Frogfoot prepares to turn off the runway at
Armenia’s premier air base at Gyumri.

Photo 5: A Mi-24K equipped with a 7.62mm rocket pod and wearing a
two-tone green camouflage, ideal for operating low in the Armenian
and Azerbaijani countryside during the winter.

Photo 6: Devoid of any markings, or even its construction number
(usually worn on the tail), this ex-Ukraine Air Force L-39 moves
along the taxiway in Gyumri.

Photo 7: An Armenian pilot taxies his Su-25K back to the apron after
a flight.

Photo 8: This Yak-55 is used for training students in the art of
flying acrobatics.

Photo 9: Map of Armenian Air Force Bases.

Photo 10: The Four seats of this smart Yak-18T make it ideal for
liaison.

Photo 11: One of the ten Yak-52s on the inventory of the Armenian Air
Force is pictured at its home base in Arzni. Note how the colours of
the roundels differ between aircraft.

Photo 12: A Mi-8 Hip on the ramp at Erebuni, armed with a rocket pod.

Photo 13: This Mi-2 Hoplite is one of at least two known to be flown
from Arzni, probably used for helicopter pilot training.

Photo 14: As can be seen from this picture, the Su-25 Frogfoots still
wear Slovakian Air Force titles and numbers, while the two other
Frogfoots sport contrasting Armenian roundels.

YURI MERZLYAKOV: AS MEDIATOR RUSSIA PROVIDES ACTIVE ASSISTANCE IN
SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24. ARMINFO. As a mediator Russia provides active
assistance in the settlement of the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh. As
Golos Rossii reports, Russian Cochairman of OSCE Minsk Group for
settlement of the Karabakh conflict Yuri Merzlyakov stated after the
Moscow negotiations of the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan.

According to him, if the conflicting parties reach mutual acceptable
agreement then Moscow is ready to become a guarantor of its
fulfillment. But Armenia and Azerbaijan must reach such an agreement
independently, without any interference from outside, Merzlyakov
stressed.

CSTO antiaircraft manoeuvres held in Astrakhan region

Kazakhstan today

The third phase of the joint exercise “Military Commonwealth-2005”
held as a part of the CIS Common Antiaircraft System commenced
yesterday, August 22, at Ashuluk testing ground, Astrakhan region,
Russia, CSTO secretariat has advised KZ-today.

Aircraft and antiaircraft forces of Armenia, Belarus, Russia, and
Tajikistan will participate in the most active concluding phase.

The CSTO secretariat reminded that the CSTO Antiaircraft System had
been created by the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan in 2004 who had adopted “General
lines of CTSO military construction until 2010 and in further
perspective.” The joint activities are based on the integration of
CSTO antiaircraft forces in the CIS Common Antiaircraft System with
further improvement on the basis of common military and technical
policies.

“The most important step in this direction was a decision on further
improvement of the antiaircraft forces adopted by the CSTO heads of
state in June, 2005,” – Valery Semerikov, CSTO deputy secretary
general said. In accordance with this document the CSTO carries out
antiaircraft defence on the territory of collective security by joint
usage of troops, forces, and means in the airspace of regions per
common plans. Also centralised command of troops, forces, and means
of the CSTO antiaircraft forces is provided.