Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Armenpress
US EMBASSY GRANT TO HELP COMMUNITIES REPAIR THEIR FACILITIES
YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS: Communities in Yerevan, Ararat, Gegharkunik,
Lori, Shirak and Kotayk provinces will make their input to a generous
$190,000 grant of the US embassy in Armenia for repair of schools,
kindergartens, bridges and irrigations systems.
US deputy ambassador Anthony Godfrey said the program is important as the
US government investments are adapted to communities’ potential and efforts.
Around 185 companies and firms applied to participate in a tender for
implementation of overall 13 projects announced in 2004. Godfrey said the
selection of the communities was made based on their urgent needs. The
program will be implemented by Save the Children charity organization and
supervised by USAID. The program is the third stage of a wider program
called Community Self-Assistance Fund, which was incepted in 2003 November.
During the two previous stages some 20 projects worth $250,000 were carried
out

MHER SHAHGELDIAN: THERE IS NO OFFICIAL AGREEMENT ABOUT EXTENSION OF
RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. There is no official arrangement or
agreement between RA and RF about moving Russian military bases from
Georgia to Armenia, there in no official agreement about the extension
of Russian military base in Armenia, either. Mher Shahgeldian,
Chairman of NA Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and
Internal Affairs, reported this at the June 8 press conference.
According to him, the Russian military base dislocated in Armenia is
replenished from time to time, including replenishment with military
equipment and ammunition. “As I know, in this case the replenishment
was carried out not from Russia but from bases dislocated in Georgia,”
the MP mentioned.
Answering a journalist’s question, Shahgeldian said that he has no
information about moving of 15 wagons of Russian ammunition to
Armenia.

PRESS RELEASE
Global Exchange Human Rights Program
Contact: Ted Lewis, Director
Tel: 415.575.5533
Email: [email protected]
2017 Mission Street, Suite 303
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel: 415.575.5553
Fax: 415.255.7498
Email: [email protected]
Web:
June 7, 2005

Global Exchange, a San Francisco based human rights organization, is sending
a delegation of independent human rights observers to Nagorno-Karabagh (NKR)
this month during its upcoming parliamentary election. Tom Miller, Human
Rights Attorney and General Counsel of Global Exchange, and Chris Michael,
Coordinator of the Global Exchange Democracy Program, will lead the
delegation. They will be joined by Dan Shartin and Leontina Hormel, both of
Worcester State College (WSC), and its Center for the Study of Human Rights.
The delegation will arrive in Nagorno-Karabagh the week prior to the June
19th parliamentary elections.
Global Exchange is an international human rights organization with a long
history of promoting democracy and social and environmental justice around
the world. Founded in 1988, Global Exchange has worked to increase global
awareness among the U.S. public while building partnerships around the
world. Its Political and Civil Rights Campaigns include the monitoring and
reporting on human rights as well as elections observation. Global Exchange
has supported civil society and democracy movements in Mexico, Haiti,
Guatemala, South Africa, Indonesia, and numerous other countries. In 2004
Global Exchange invited observers from around the world to observe the
November Presidential election in the United States (see:
).
³We look forward to this opportunity to observe human rights conditions and
political processes in an area of the world most Americans know very little
about. Peace and democracy in the Caucuses region is of vital international
importance. We view the deepening involvement of international civil and
non-governmental organizations in the region as critical both to better
understanding and hopes for just resolution of ongoing conflicts there,²
said Ted Lewis, Global Exchange¹s Human Rights Director.
The Massachusetts-based Center for the Study of Human Rights at Worcester
State College was recently cited by the Massachusetts State Senate for
³contributing to the advancement of human rights through community and
academic education². Dr. Henry Theriault, The Center¹s coordinator, said,
“Professors Shartin and Hormel bring much to the table in terms of expertise
and a deep commitment to human rights and democracy.²
###
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
CONGRESSMEN URGED BUSH TO RAISE ARMENIAN BLOCKADE ISSUE
08.06.2005 05:34
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the days leading up to Wednesday’s meeting between
Pres. Bush and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, members of the
US House of Representatives raised serious concerns about Turkey’s 12-year
blockade of Armenia, reported the Armenian National Committee o America
(ANCA). In a June 3rd letter, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) were joined by Reps. Adam Schiff
(D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA) in urging Pres. Bush and Secretary of
State Rice to “again call upon Turkey to comply with your Administration’s
long-standing position that in order to restore economic, political, and
cultural links with Armenia, Turkey should immediately lift its ongoing
blockade with Armenia.” The House members detailed the high cost of Turkey’s
blockade on Armenia’s struggling economy. “A recent State Department report
estimated that the blockade is inflating Armenia’s transportation costs by
30-35%, thereby stifling its trade and economy,” noted the letter. “This
report also stated that opening the border would catalyze commercial
opportunities for Turkey and Armenia in the fields of energy, trade and
tourism, valued at $1 billion per year.”

AZG Armenian Daily #103, 07/06/2005
Diaspora
ARMENIAN COMMUNITY AFTER ROSE REVOLUTION IN GEORGIA
Journalists accompanying Prime Minister Andranik Margarian’s delegation at
the CIS summit of prime ministers in Tbilisi got in touch with the
representatives of the Armenian community of Georgia. I managed to find time
to meet my relatives whom I hadn’t seen for 10 years as well. They had a new
member in their family — a grandchildren whom they named Dato. The last
name of the family was also georgianized: Armenian Hasratian turned into
Hasratashvili.
Ill attitude towards Armenians has become more evident after the rose
revolution. Belief that Armenians still remain Russia’s closest ally
somewhat stands for that. Post-Soviet Georgia is feverously rubbing off all
remnants of Kremlin’s influence. There are even no signboards in Russian
language.
The forces of Georgia’s special police beat recently 6 Armenians in Khuschi
village of Tsalka region. They even beat deputy Hayk Meltonian who tried to
intervene. The deputy who told us about those events noted that the
villagers had done nothing illegal. None of the Georgian televisions covered
the events in Khuschi village. Meltonian though held back to paint the
thrashing into the colors of ethnic hostility. “There is no national
discrimination in what happened. The reason is that the special police is
out of control; everybody feels as though a chief”.
The withdrawal of Russian military bases will put Armenians of Javakhk
before a new reality. The 62d base in Akhalkalak was the only place to
secure population with jobs; there are no factories or plants in the region.
Armenian deputy from the region, Hamlet Movsisian, is optimistic
nevertheless. People are also hopeful that they will be employed in new
would-be Georgian bases. Former servicemen that were provided with
apartments fear that they will lose their flats once Russians leave.
There were 80.000 Armenians in Akhalkalak 10-15 years back. Today their has
decreased to 60.000. The total number of Armenians in Georgia is 0.5
million. Unemployment is the most painful issue for most of Georgians and
Armenians in post-revolutionary country.
Only in Tbilisi there are around 100.000 Armenians. The Armenian occupying
the highest position in Georgia’s government is deputy economy minister Gena
Muradian. The deputy representative of Samtskhe-Javakhk region is also
Armenian. In order to occupy such high positions one should be fluent in
Georgian. The authorities are trying to include Georgian language as a
compulsory subject in the school curriculum. There are 145 Armenian schools
in Georgia, 9 of them are in Tbilisi.
Hamlet Movsisian tells that the rose revolution brought many changes in the
lives of Armenians as well. In the past the merchants not only traveling
from Georgia to Armenia but also those trading within the country’s
boundaries had to overcome dozens of obstacles. Traffic officers used to
openly take bribes. For the Armenians, as well as for Georgians, the reforms
in this system are one of the brightest turns that the rose revolution
granted.
The number of religious sects in Georgia is very scant. The lawmaker says
that they, particularly Jehovah’s Witnesses, are active in Akhalkalak. But
active involvement of Armenian clergy in the region has considerably revived
the Armenian community. The number of churchgoers increased, and people
restored national and religious ceremonies.
Hamlet Movsisian sees the reason of appropriation of Armenian churches by
Georgians in the fact that Armenians have left them desolated. “We ourselves
do not care for our historic values, our churches, most of them lie idle,
even the 2 Armenian churches of Tbilisi, Surp Gevorg and Surp Etchmiadzin,
are in a very bad condition, panting for repair”, he says.
The next meeting of Armenian and Georgian prime ministers will be entirely
devoted to practical issues. As we have already informed, they will meet in
Javakhk in July-August. The Georgians will present their project, and the
Armenian government will inform how much money it will assign for the
project. The prime ministers will travel into the southern regions of
Georgia to see for themselves how serious the issues of road network,
irrigation and drinking water are.
By Karine Danielian

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN PILOTS TO BE DELIVERED TO ARMENIAN OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE IN
MALABO TODAY
07.06.2005 04:58
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Gevorg Petrosyan, the official representative of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry, left for the Equatorial Guinean capital last
evening, reported Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Hamlet Gasparyan. Today
Mr. Petrosyan met with Prosecutor General of Equatorial Guinea, as well as
held meetings with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice. During
these meetings agreements over delivery of Armenian pilots were made with
the Guinean authorities. At the moment the Armenian pilots are still in the
prison. The Guinean party has promised to convey them to Armenia’s official
representative today. The specific terms of the return of the pilots to
Armenia are not known yet.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 6, 2005, Monday
FRADKOV: WITHDRAWAL OF THE RUSSIAN BASES FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA
DOESN’T POSE A THREAT TO AZERBAIJAN
Movement of some Russian military bases from Georgia to Armenia
doesn’t pose a threat to Azerbaijan, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail
Fradkov told the journalists in Tbilisi after his meeting with
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili; Fradkov noted that Russia is
withdrawing the bases under the specified schedule and all problems
would gradually be solved. (…) With regard to a note of protest
lodged by Azerbaijan, which displayed its anxiety for movement of
extra armaments to Armenia, the Armenian Defense Ministry came out
with a statement which reads that movement of some military hardware
from Russian military bases in Georgia to Armenia is regulated by the
bilateral Treaty on military cooperation and location of Russian
military bases to Armenia and commitments on the quotas envisaged in
the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. (…)

CEPF MANAGEMENT SURPRISED AT RA GOVERNMENT’S POSITION ON CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAY THROUGH SHIKAHOGH RESERVE
YEREVAN, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The management of the Critical
Ecosystems Partnership Foundation (CEPF) is surprised at the position
of RA government in the issue of construction of the Meghri-Kapan
highway through the territory of Shikahogh reserve. CEPF started to
implement its first projects in Armenia. Dan Martin, Foundation’s
Chief Executive Director, informed at the June 1 press conference that
2 out of 6 projects on Armenia concern strengthening of regimes of
Khosrov and Shikahogh reserves. Dan Martin, in particular, mentioned
that he doesn’t understand the position of the state structures,
which, on the one hand, approve a strategic program on creation of
new protected territories and, on the other hand, discuss a project
quite opposite to it. In any case, according to him, the Foundation
is a non-state and non-political organization and can’t exert any
pressure upon the government. “We will continue implementing projects
contributing to nature conservation,” he said. Karen Manvelian, CEPF
project Coordinator in Armenia, emphasized that there is an alternative
project of a strategic highway passing over the reserve. According
to him, RA Ministry of Transport and Communication groundlessly
exaggerates the costs on laying of the alternative highway and doesn’t
take into account the ecological and economic damage expected in case
of implementation of the road construction project through Shikahogh.

VARTAN OSKANIAN RECEIVED GRECO MONITORING COMMISSION
Pan Armenian News
03.06.2005 09:25
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 3 June, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received
the GRECO monitoring commission headed by Mr. Carlo Chiaramonte,
a member of the GRECO Secretariat. Minister highly valued the work
of the commission and noted that Armenia seriously understands the
need to take necessary steps to make the fight against corruption
more effective. During the last five days, the GRECO delegation had
met with officials and specialists responsible for the fight against
corruption, through legislative reforms and other steps. During the
next six months, the commission will draft a report with conclusions
and recommendations for steps to be taken in Armenia to overcome this
obstacle to democratic and economic development.

The Messenger, Georgia
June 3 2005
CIS leaders in Tbilisi but not optimistic
Ukrainian PM thanks Georgia for paving the way for Orange Revolution
By Keti Sikharulidze
On the eve of the CIS conference in Tbilisi on Friday, leaders from
organization’s member states have mixed feeling about the future of
the alliance.
Political leaders from throughout the former Soviet Union arrived in
Tbilisi on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the June 3 CIS
Summit. Nine countries reportedly will send representatives to the
meeting and 34 documents are on the agenda, although Georgia will
participate in just nine of those discussions.
On Thursday the Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko arrived and
was met personally by President Mikheil Saakashvili. At the airport,
she thanked the Georgian people, the president and the media for their
support during the revolution. “I cannot imagine the Orange Revolution
without Georgia,” she said before leaving with the president for a
trip to the Tsinandali Wine Factory in Kakheti.
Timoshenko is the only summit guest the president has met at the
airport personally, and he said the attention was protocol and also
a tribute to their countries’ friendship.
“She promised to visit Georgia first as the PM, then I though she
was joking, but as I see she kept her word and visited Georgia,”
said Saakashvili. The Ukrainian prime minister postponed her maiden
trip to Moscow on April 15-16 for unclear reasons though it was
speculated the Russian prosecutor had threatened the prime minister,
who is wanted by Russian law enforcement.
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Moldova and Uzbekistan all sent representatives
as well.
The Prime Minister of Tajikistan Akil Akilov expressed optimism about
the upcoming meeting. According to him, countries should live with
the hope that everything will be all right, something that included
the cooperation of states. “We should cooperate with each other for
the welfare of our people,” he said.
Other representatives were more pessimistic. “It is too hard to
speak about big results in economical cooperation [when] in a number
of countries there are different positions,” the Prime Minister of
Moldova Vasile Tarlev told journalists. “But to just criticize or
not to meet is not the best decision. [Since] there is no progress
in CIS space, such summits are necessary.”
Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze agreed with Tarlev. “I have never
expressed optimism regarding the CIS Summits, as the best decisions
were too often left on paper,” she said. “Or there were cases, when
issues that needed to be discussed were not discussed or were simply
ignored, which caused the weakening of this organization.” She added
that while there might be some economic agreements during the meetings,
she believes the organization’s days are numbered.
Burjanadze also met with another participant of the CIS Summit,
the Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Markarian. The two reportedly
discussed important issues for both countries.
The main issue of the negotiations were the living conditions of
residents of Armenians living in Akhalkalaki, the majority of whom rely
on a Russian military base for jobs and work. According to Burjanadze,
the government intends to introduce social and economic projects in
the region.
“We had very constructive negotiations with Markarian regarding this
issue. I explained to him that the situation in Samtkhe-Javakheti
region was much different from the situation in other regions in the
rest of Georgia, but I told him about the plans we intend to develop
in the region,” Burjanadze told journalists after the meeting.
Commenting on the bases Markarian clearly noted that he saw no problem
concerning them. “All issues regarding bases were already solved by
the Georgian side,” he said.
According to Burjanadze, they also discussed the building of a new
high-voltage line between Georgia and Armenia.
“We agree and now the working groups will begin implementing the
project,” Armenian PM Andranik Markarian said. “The line is to be
built later this year and will allow Georgia to regularly receive
additional electricity from Armenia,” he added.
The speaker raised the issue regarding the demilitarization of
Russian-Georgian boarder, which Burjanadze said affects both Georgia
and Armenia. “This issue can be used by other forces to [create]
a tense situation between our two countries,” said Burjanadze.
They also discussed the issue of building a railway linking Russia,
Georgia and Armenia via Abkhazia. Burjanadze thinks it possible to
rehabilitate this line, under a guarantee to simultaneously implement
the repatriation of IDPs to Abkhazia.
Markarian raised the problem of protecting Armenian churches in
Georgia. It is has been widely reported that there is controversy
over churches which are currently Georgian Orthodox but Armenia
claims were originally Armenian Apostolic. According to Burjanadze,
the issue will be difficult to resolve without the help of historians.