Author: Jagharian Tania

The Arlington Advocate
It’s a first for AHS wrestling
By Doug Hastings
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Teammate Joe Bench called him “The Show” on Saturday.
All Arlington High senior Eric Avakov really wants to be called is a
New England finalist, the first-ever in the history of Arlington’s
relatively young program. But Bench insists, watching Avakov battle his way
to a third-place finish in the 125-pound division at the all-state
championship tournament on Saturday in Salem was a sight to behold.
“He was awesome,” said Bench, who also competed in the 160-pound weight
class on Saturday. “Eric puts a tremendous amount of time into (wrestling)
in the offseason. I think he’s the most technical wrestler to come out of
Arlington.”
“You get out of it what you put into it,” said AHS coach Kevin
Cummings. “This is a testimony to Eric’s offseason work. To represent
Massachusetts (at New Englands) as one of the top three wrestlers in state?
That’s cool. It’s an honor and anything after this is icing on the cake.”
Avakov, who qualified for All-States with a fourth-place finish at the
Div. 2 state finals last weekend, started the all-state event with a loss,
but rebounded to win his next four matches. All four victories came against
opponents he had lost to earlier in the year.
“He had a great day, especially after losing his first match,” said
Cummings. “He certainly impressed the heck out of me.”
“It’s kind of sinking in right now,” said Avakov, who hopes to wrestle
next year at Springfield College or Bridgewater State College. “But now I
have to prepare for (Saturday). You can’t stop now. (New Englands) was my
whole goal this season. Over the summer I decided that I really wanted to go
out with a bang.”
Avakov admits, suffering a loss right at the start of his biggest
tournament ever wasn’t easy to deal with.
“Obviously, it’s a blow to you,” he said. “But you just have to stay
positive. It’s one match… don’t worry about it and that’s just how I
thought. Everything I’ve worked for, I wasn’t going to throw it away on one
match.”
So he regrouped and took to the mat against wrestlers he had seen
before.
“All of those guys I lost to, I lost by only a point or two,” Avakov
said. “I felt comfortable that if I could get them one more time…”
Something like Saturday would happen.
“Against each kid, I knew what I wanted to do,” said Avakov, who was
born in Armenia but has lived in the United States since he was about three
years old. “You just try to take away from how they like to feel
comfortable. I approach every match the same way, but the thought process
was different.”
“I told him that the only difference between him and the others was who
was going to be mentally tougher,” Cummings said. “I knew there wasn’t much
difference between he and the best. Eric’s really peaking at the right
time.”
‘You get out of it what you put into it. This is a testimony to Eric’s
offseason work. To represent Massachusetts (at New Englands) as one of the
top three wrestlers in state? That’s cool. It’s an honor and anything after
this is icing on the cake.’
– Kevin Cummings, AHS wrestling coach
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN COUNCIL OF AMERICA
440 W. Colorado Blvd. Suite 202
Glendale, CA 91203
Tel: 818-502-6580
Fax: 818-502-6543
email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
March 1, 2005
Contact: Peter Darakjian
818-254-7391 ACA Announces Endorsements For Glendale Elections

GLENDALE – For the upcoming Glendale City Municipal elections on April
5th, the Armenian Council of America, a political action committee, on
Tuesday March 1st, 2005, announced its endorsement of current Glendale
City Mayor Bob Yousefian, Council Member Frank Quintero, Glendale
Community College Trustee Ara Najarian and Glendale community activist
Garry Sinanian, for the four city council seats.
For Glendale City Clerk’s office and City treasurer’s office, the ACA
is endorsing city employee Paulette Mardikian and incumbent treasurer
Ronald Borucki respectively.
The ACA also announced its endorsement of Board President Greg
Krikorian and Board Member Chakib `Chuck’ Sambar for two of three open
seats in the Glendale Unified School District Governing Board
elections.
As for the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees elections the
ACA is giving open endorsement without specifying any individual
candidate.
`In the past few months, the election endorsement sub committee,
interviewed and carefully studied the agenda of the candidates,’
stated ACA Executive Director Mr. Peter Darakjian, `we feel these
individuals are best suited to represent the Glendale community, and
that is why it is important that the Armenian-American community
mobilize and vote for these individuals in the April 5th elections.’
ACA board chairman Mr. Vasken Khodanian stated; `with so many
individuals running, we felt it necessary to endorse candidates who we
have worked with before in different capacities and believe that will
better represent the needs of our community.’
Besides endorsing above officials, ACA is also actively engaged in
educating the mass about the importance of voting and urges every
citizen to fulfill his/her civic duty.

The Armenian Council of America is a grassroots organization dedicated
to educating the Armenian-American community in local political
affairs, as well as actively pursuing Armenian-American participation
in their respective local governments.

The Age
Cheap Streets
March 1, 2005
Cheap Eats editor Patrick Witton takes readers on an exotic, gastronomic
city tour – the travel costs are minimal and no passport is required.
You know what it’s like: a pal has just returned from a Christmas break (in
February) and he’s regaling you with tales of leaky boats on the River Phrik
and sunsets over the Cote d’Anchovy. He’s reliving gibbous moon parties and
seven-day bus trips, and he’s gone for the sari-over-ugh-boots look. And
you’re happy for him. Really you are.
“And the food!” he says. “Stalls selling satay and red-bean treats … chic
cafes and tofu temples … banana pancakes by the buggy load.”
But did he have to travel so far for new gastronomic experiences? In
Melbourne’s CBD, beneath the bristling cranes and within new consumer
complexes, is an ever-changing array of splendid cheap eateries.
While researching the 2005 edition of The Age Cheap Eats we found that on a
walk from one corner of the city to the other, with perhaps a little
zig-zagging, you could discover a just-opened tapas bar, noodle house,
crafty cantina and much more. So as a taster to the latest edition, we’ve
plotted a trail to 10 of our new Cheap Eats favourites within the CBD. Some
are just-born enterprises, while others are someone’s secret-no-more. You
won’t need a passport, a fistful of travellers’ cheques, or a course of
anti-malarials, but you will need a stout appetite to complete this
gastrotour.
And what better place to start a Cheap Eats jaunt than at Spencer Street,
where so many backpackers or briefcasers begin their city expeditions. With
your back to the exoskeleton of what will soon be known as Southern Cross
Station, start walking up Collins Street, then vanish from the throng into
the city’s narrowest laneway. Here the tram ding fades, replaced by the hiss
of a hardworking coffee machine. This is first stop: Choix Creperie Cafe, a
little piece of Paris without the raucous American college students, where
you can watch as lime is drizzled on to avocado toasties, lamb and yoghurt
is origamied into crepes, and lattes are balanced on homely porcelain china
saucers.
Backtrack to Collins, cross King, then take the hidden escalator at the back
of the Rialto to Flinders Lane. Just beyond the corrugated back wall of Le
Meridien Hotel is Sataybar, a nifty little lunch spot where skewered beef,
chicken or tofu are set on the grill until smoky, doused in peanut sauce and
racked up with vegie crackers and achar salad – just like your west Javanese
grandma used to make. Lunch plates are top value, but pace yourself if you
intend to complete the tour, and dine by the skewer.
Maybe it’s time for a moment’s repose, a cleansing cuppa and a meditative
moment. So shuffle up to Queen Street and into Fo Guang Yuan Buddhist tea
house, a serene spot where ersatz pork dishes and tofu stews are served,
along with osmanthus tea “to refresh the mind”. There’s also an art gallery
that may feature incense burners, tea culture and other soothing subjects,
and a meditation room if the spirit takes you.
Once refreshed, float up Elizabeth Street (via car-free Hardware Lane) to
Chillipadi, a fresh-faced Malaysian place bedecked with cutie girl motifs.
As well as trad faves such as laksa (spritzed with mint), Chillipadi’s
kitchen folds up artful packages of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf, and
turns out Malaysian street fare such as roti sandwiches with spicy mince.
North Asian flavours feature at the next destination. Head through Melbourne
Central’s subterranean passageways, sneak over Bourke Street, then descend
into QVB’s basement food court. The pick of the bunch here is E C Pot Cafe
Bar, decorated with wood panelling and tiny terracotta tomb soldiers.
There’ll be a small wait before a lidded claypot arrives, plump with rice
(correctly cooked until just-crunchy on the bottom) and topped with spicy
pork and eggplant.
Your appetite might be flagging at this point, so just a sweet snack next.
Cross Lonsdale Street and slip down Heffernan Lane, with its perplexing
council-issue street art: parking signs stating “bigotry is the sacred
disease” and other traffic advice.
Stroll along Little Bourke, buying Hello Kitty trinkets while you’re there.
Then enter Mid-City Arcade, home to Dessert House, where homesick overseas
students find sweet relief in red-bean pancakes, black sesame ice-cream, and
pawpaw with snow fungus.
Waddle down Bourke, onto Swanston and back into Flinders Lane. It’s time for
coffee and a chance to fall asleep with your head on a textbook. Journal
shares a scholarly vibe with the CAE library next door. But here you can
dribble hot coffee (or soup, or antipasto) on your copy of Soviet Crockery
101 without fear of retribution.
Those with a strong constitution can stroll past the art galleries of
Flinders Lane for the final assault of the gastrotour. But there’s always
the beckoning clunk ‘n’ grind of the City Circle tram: bench yourself next
to a map-toting tourist as the W-class rattles its way up to Bourke Street.
Here, at the fur-hemmed, cigar-smoking end of the city are three fine cheap
eateries in which to chew. The Mess Hall attracts pollies and plebs with
Thai fishcakes, Armenian soups, and salads of beetroot, basil, goat’s cheese
and pomegranate. Around the corner on Spring Street, the marble-wood
surrounds of the City Wine Shop lures them with offerings such as duck
rillettes, crackingly good pork belly, and a hard-to-resist wall of vino.
But maybe you want to end at the top: while Parliament isn’t sitting, we the
people can perch on velvet chairs and enjoy scones, smoked salmon and other
spoils of government-issue high tea. You have to book, but there’s no better
end to a tour than with treats plucked straight from Bracksy’s pantry.
The Age Cheap Eats 2005 is available from newsagents and bookshops for
$19.95, or from The Age shop for $17.95 (subscribers $15.95).

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact:
“THE ACADEMIC WAR OVER KARABAGH”
IN BOURNOUTIAN SEMINAR AT NAASR
Historian Dr. George A. Bournoutian will offer a special afternoon
seminar on “The Academic War Over Nagorno-Karabagh” on Saturday,
March 5, at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
(NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA. The seminar will run
from 12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. with a period of question and answer
and discussion to follow.
George Bournoutian is Senior Professor of History at Iona College.
He is the author of numerous books on Armenian history and has taught
Armenian history at Columbia University, Tufts University, New York
University, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, Ramapo
College, and Glendale Community College. He is currently Visiting
Professor of Armenian History at Columbia.
Fighting War Turns Into Academic Battle
This seminar will explore the ongoing academic battle over the disputed
area of Nagorno-Karabagh. Although a cease fire has kept the shooting
war between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces quiet for over a decade,
the scholarly skirmishes continue, with Azeri schol-ars presenting
a version of history that purports to show that the region has
always been Azeri territory. This academic battle has real political
consequences as both sides stake their claim to a territory where
much blood has already been shed.
Bournoutian recently published Two Chronicles on the History of
Karabagh, with a major grant from NAASR and other funders, a revised
and substantially expanded version of Bournoutian’s earlier, out of
print History of Qarabagh (1994). The two chronicles in question,
Mirza Jamal Javanshir’s Tarikh-e Karabagh and Mirza Adigözal Beg’s
Karabagh-name, provide a detailed picture of Karabagh in the 18th and
early 19th centuries. The translation of the Tarikh-e Karabagh formed
the basis of his earlier History of Qarabagh, while the Karabagh-name
makes its first appearance in English in the new volume.
Historical Revisionism with Political Impact
Bournoutian writes that “Partisans of both [the Armenian and Azeri]
sides produced polemical studies affirming their historical claims
to the region.. A number of Azerbaijani his-tories, led by the late
Ziya Buniatov, have gone beyond the bounds of scholarship and have
ma-nipulated the original 19th century Persian texts written by Turkic
Muslims, by expunging most references to Armenia and the Armenians
in the new editions of these works.”
In presenting these unexpurgated translations with substantial
commentary and sup-plemented with material from three other
sources, Bournoutian is providing a necessary corrective to such
pseudo-scholarly behavior. “Statesmen shall ultimately decide the
validity of Armenian and Azeri claims in Karabagh,” he writes.
“In the meantime, the work of these 19th-century local historians
should aid unbiased historians to sort out the facts.”
With Bournoutian serving as an expert guide, those attending the
seminar will reach a greater understanding of the troubled history
of Nagorno-Karabagh and how the writing of that history has an impact
on the shaping of current and future events.
Bournoutian’s book Two Chronicles on the History of Karabagh is
available at the NAASR bookstore and will be on sale the day of the
seminar and available for signing by the author.
The NAASR Center is located near Belmont Center and is directly
opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post Office.
Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent areas.
More information about Bournoutian’s seminar, including purchasing,
or NAASR and its programs for the furtherance of Armenian studies,
research, and publication may be had by calling 617-489-1610, faxing
617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395 Concord
Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
–Boundary_(ID_Hg33hXfO2Z04X4kKwNy0AQ)–

German opposition urges Turks to ponder Armenia
Kathimerini, Greece
Feb 28 2005
BERLIN (AP) – Germany’s conservative opposition has submitted a
parliamentary motion calling for Turkey to examine its role in the
killing of Armenians nearly a century ago, a senior lawmaker said
yesterday, drawing criticism from Ankara’s ambassador in Berlin. The
motion urges the German government to push for Turkey to “look without
reservations at its role towards the Armenian people in the past and
present” and to “champion freedom of opinion in Turkey, particularly
concerning the massacre of Armenians.” No date has been set for
any vote.

ISSUE ON ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS MAY BE DISCUSSED AT REGULAR SITTING
OF TURKISH NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
ANKARA, FEBRUARY 25. ARMINFO. An issue on Armenian-Turkey relations
may be discussed at the regular sitting of the National Security
Council of Turkey.
According to the Turkish mass media, referring to some local
observers, Turkey should not be a hostage of Azerbaijan in relations
with Armenia, but is to be guided by its own interests. In their
opinion, when the border with Armenia is opened, Turkey may play far
bigger part in the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. -r-

OSCE CHAIRMAN: THERE ARE REAL MECHANISM FOR SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH
CONFLICT
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24. ARMINFO. OSCE Chairman Dimitry Rupel intends to
visit Armenia and Azerbaijan to get acquainted with the realities of
the Karabakh conflict in the place. He declared during the sitting of
OSCE in Vienna, Thursday.
National Television of Armenia informs, during his speech Rupel has
mentioned that OSCE must activate its role in peaceful settlement of
the Karabakh conflict. He also pointed out that there are real
mechanisms for settlement of this problem. Dimitry Rupel also
mentioned that for resolution to the conflict the only acceptable
format of mediation is the OSCE Minsk Group. Head of Armenian
delegation Vahan Hovhannisian proposed OSCE to assist the
establishment of a direct dialogue between Nagorny Karabakh and
Azerbaijan. In his turn, OSCE Chairman stressed that there are no
obstacles for that and nobody has the right to hinder this dialogue.

Newsday, NY
Feb 25 2005
Eats
Home cooking, if your home is Armenia

BY JOSH OZERSKY.
SEVAN
216-07 Horace Harding Expy.
Bayside, 718-281-0004
Its thing: Armenian home cooking
Its hours: 12 p.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday
The Tab: Appetizers $3-$5; entrees $9-$12
Disabled Access: easy: open seating, no steps
If you have Armenian friends, sooner or later they are going to sing
you a song of lamejun.
At least that’s been my experience. I had been hearing for years
about this delicacy, which is a flatbread topped with ground lamb and
herbs. Every Armenian granny makes it, and their fortunate relatives
keep it frozen away like waffles, reheating it at needy moments.
Armenian food is said to have other hidden treasures, as well. So
when I heard about Sevan, on the service road off the Long Island
Expressway in Bayside, I headed out.
Sevan isn’t run by a grandmother, but it is a family operation. Next
door is a large grocery loaded with Armenian and Turkish specialty
items: dates, cheese, spices. A family member waits on you, bringing
out courses with helpful explanations.
On each of two trips, I started with soup. Jujoukh, or yogurt soup,
was warm and tangy, closer to great tzatskiki than what we tend to
think of as yogurt. Borscht was a satiating medley of beef, cabbage,
beets and little vegetables in broth, with a dollop of sour cream
added for richness.
On both occasions, I had lamejun on my mind.
As it turned out, the lamejun is a little underwhelming here. It’s
ground beef, not lamb, and though the herbs give it a nice little
kick, it didn’t knock me out with either its taste or texture. Far
more exciting were the potent hummus, the bulgur-dusted ground beef
kuifta, and the air-cured meat called basturma, which went well with
the olive and cheese platters that my party wisely ordered on both
occasions.
The carrot salad was the biggest surprise – bound up with ground
walnuts and garlic and scented strongly with cilantro, it made an
excellent appetizer, refreshing without being filling.
Main courses were simpler – good, if a little plain. I tried the
manti, the so-called Armenian ravioli, which the menu here describes
as “seasoned ground beef shells served with specialty tomato sauce
and yogurt with garlic.” I thought it was good but neither very
interesting nor a match for the other entrees. Pork chops are mildly
marinated, thick and grilled carefully, though I made a point (as I
always do) of asking for them not to be too dry.
The “Sevan original chicken dish” is delicately breaded poultry,
served with a “specialty yogurt sauce.” (There are a lot of
specialties at Sevan.) Grilled quail were plump and vivid. And
khinkali, a meat dumpling, was probably the homiest of all the
entrees I tried.
The best part of the meal was drinking Armenian coffee, a thick and
sweet brew like Turkish coffee, and browsing the selection of
“specialty food” next door.
I was able to enjoy Sevan completely and leave happy. I even took
some lamejun home and have been eating it for breakfast.

IMPRESSION OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES IN MIDDLE EAST AND GEORGIA
Azg/arm
23 Feb 05
We met father Haroutyun Bezdikian from Mkhitarian Congregation in
Venice upon arrival in Yerevan after a trip to Armenian communities in
the Middle East. The aim of this trip to Lebanon and Syria with the
president of Paradiz Company Martun Adoyan and few other members was
to get acquainted with historic places of Syria for shooting a feature
film on “Ara the Beautiful and Shamiram” epopee. We met Syrian
officials as well as representatives of Syrian c inematography for
this purpose. The film is an attempt to present to international
spectators the famous story of Armenian king Ara (his name was
mentioned in”The Armenian History” by Movses Khorenatsi) and the queen
of Assyria Shamiram.
During our stay, archimandrite Bezdikian had a chance to meet Armenian
families in Aleppo and to deliver a lecture titled “National Ideology”
at the Levon Shant hall of Aram Manukian Center. His impression of
Armenian communities of Middle East was not that optimistic. “The
Syrian community, famous for its warmth, has much changed, as I
see. There are less Armenians in Syria with every year, and the
majority of those who did not leave the country for the US or Europe
did so out of national feelings and wishing to keep their children
away from depravity. Few of them, mostly craftspeople, come to
Armenia. The Syrian community makes every effort to revive: they
opened a new benevolent centerand organize cultural arrangements. But
I think that the Armenian community of the Middle East is devoid of
its previous glamour and needs attention from the Armenian
government. Something has to change, and those reforms should come
from Armenia. The Armenian government should awake”.
In three days after he arrived in Yerevan he learnt about acts of
vandalism in Georgia against Armenian churches and headed for
Tbilisi. Upon his return from Georgia he visited daily Azg to share
his impression and to show pictures he shot. “I left for Tbilisi to
find out whether the media ruckus that Georgians began using Armenian
churches and replacing Armenian tombstones with Georgian ones was true
or not. I saw that sacrilege with my own eyes. The Armenian Norashen
church was deprived, Karmir Avetaran church was blown up by dynamite
and other churches were remade into Georgian ones.
“This savagery aroused Armenian community’s indignation, and the
Armenian diocese of Georgia took measures by urging mass media to
inform about these falsifications, writing letters to the Georgian
president and prime minister. A group of patriots – director of
Sundukian Theatre, lawmakers â=80`demand punishment for those
vandals. Those acts were committed by Georgian clergy mainly. The
fanatic mob attacked the churches blowing one of them and setting
another one on fire. There was a TV interview scheduled for Saturday
with father Abgar Hovakimian from the Armenian diocese.
“I am hopeful that the uproar will make Georgians settle down and
cease their barbarism”.
Nevertheless, the member of Mkhitarian Congregation was impressed by
the Georgians’ watchful attitude towards their language (Georgian
language predominates on signboards in Tbilisi).
By Melania Badalian

CENN – FEBRUARY 21, 2005 Daily Digest Table of Contents:
1. Announcement — The Caspian Development Advisory Panel
2. BTC Hoped to Alleviate Dependence on Arabia, Russia
3. Georgia: Black Gold, Hard Times?
4. Japan’s Shimizu To Launch Warming Gas Emission Rights Business
in Armenia
5. annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment
6. Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment
7. SoS, Help, We are Being Assassinated
8. EIA Reports
1. Announcement — The Caspian Development Advisory Panel
The Caspian Development Advisory Panel (CDAP) invites you to attend a
dial-in briefing on Wednesday, March 23 concerning its 2004 Report to BP
on the BTC pipeline and related BP-led investments in the Caspian
region. The Panel’s 2004 Report and BP’s Response were both released
earlier this week and are available on CDAP’s website, together with
copies of earlier CDAP reports and communications ().
The dial-in briefing will begin at 9:30 a.m. (Washington/Eastern
Standard Time); 14:30 (London); 17:30 (Tbilisi); 18:30 (Baku) on March
23.
As you may be aware, BP established CDAP at the beginning of 2003 as an
independent external panel focusing on the social, environmental and
economic impacts of the BTC pipeline project as well as BP’s related
activities in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The Panel visited all
three BTC countries in late October 2004, and its latest report to Lord
Browne, chief executive officer of BP, summarizes its findings and
recommendations. The Panel has benefited greatly from its extensive
interactions with interested NGOs and representatives of the SRI
community, and the Panel looks forward to a substantive discussion on
March 23.
If you are interested in participating in the March 23
briefing/discussion, please respond to this email and dial-in
instructions will be circulated. Interested parties are also invited to
attend the briefing in person at the Washington, D.C. offices of the
CDAP Secretariat, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (11th Floor). Please also
RSVP if you plan to attend in person.
Please feel free to pass on this invitation to other groups or parties
with an interest in BP’s Caspian investments.
Thank you.
Caspian Development Advisory Panel Secretariat
c/o Covington & Burling
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
[email protected]
2. BTC Hoped to Alleviate Dependence on Arabia, Russia
Source: The Messenger, February 18, 2005
One of the greatest hopes had been the former Soviet Union that now
produces more oil than Saudi Arabia, and especially it’s Caspian Basin,
whose fields are located in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The
pipeline through Turkey starts in Baku and carries oil from Azeri
fields.
When the pipeline was being developed in 2001, “there was a lot of
excitement that non Middle Eastern oil, especially from the Soviet
Union, would be an alternative source of oil,” said Bulent Aliriza, an
analysts with the Washington based Center for Strategic and
International Studies. “The hype at the time was that the oil of the
Caspian would rival that of the Middle East.”
Oil Companies looked for a way of bringing the oil to Western markets
and US officials insisted that for political reasons a pipeline should
be built through Turkey, by passing the Middle East and Russia.
But many Caspian estimates proved to be unrealistic, at least in the
short term. Experts now say the Caspian should in coming years pump some
four million to five million barrels per day, on par with Iran.
3. GEORGIA: BLACK GOLD, HARD TIMES?
Source: Eurasianet, February 18, 2005
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline could prove a vital source of revenue
for cash-strapped Georgia, pumping an estimated $50 million per year
into government coffers. Yet as construction on Georgia’s portion of the
1,760-kilometer-long pipeline winds down, residents affected by
construction are wondering whether the benefits of the project will
outweigh the costs to them.
“Look, we’re not against this pipeline. The only thing we would like to
know is the status of our compensation money,” said Zura, one of about a
dozen protestors taking part in a November 2004 picket at one of the
pipeline’s construction sites near the village of Agtakla in
southwestern Georgia.
With a completion date slotted for the second half of 2005, the litany
of complaints shows no sign of decreasing. Orchards have been damaged
and grazing meadows for cattle and sheep blocked by construction work,
Zura said. “The sums we were allotted by the local government and
British Petroleum [a leading member of the pipeline consortium] are a
joke, really,” he said. Compensation for landowners ranges from $1,500
to $5,000 – a hefty sum in a country where annual per capita income
hovers around $2,300. At the same time, many compensation recipients
remain frustrated.
Much of that frustration comes down to misguided expectations, said
Manana Kochladze, who leads the Tbilisi-based non-governmental
organization Green Alternative Georgia. With some 60 percent of the
population grappling with poverty, jobs in Georgia, whether for casual
laborers or university graduates, can be hard to come by. When local
authorities initially announced plans for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
pipeline, Kochladze said, “they made a big deal about employment, and
soon you had these rumors about up to 100,000 jobs that were going to be
created. Britsh Petroleum is not fully to blame for that.”
The rumors are in keeping with the project’s economic weight. Only 245
of the pipeline’s total 1,760 kilometers will pass through Georgia, but
related construction still accounted for most of the country’s 8.4
percent economic growth rate in 2004, according to the Georgian Economic
Trends, a quarterly report issued by the Tbilisi-based Georgian-European
Policy and Legal Advice Centre. Once the pipeline is complete, the
Georgian government will receive an estimated $50 million per year in
transit fees, about one percent of its gross national income for 2003.
Recently, the project, long dogged by controversy over its environmental
impact, cost and technical shortcomings, has made efforts to show that
it is giving more than transit fees back to Georgia’s economy. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In late 2004, the BTC
consortium signed two protocols with the Georgian government that
envisage grant programs totaling more than $46 million to fund social
and economic projects in the pipeline area. British Petroleum has also
announced that it will invest $10 million in Georgia in a range of
projects, including education, healthcare, cultural heritage, energy
sector revitalization and the promotion of business and civil society
links between Georgia and the European Union. On February 1, the
Georgian government received the first $9 million of the BTC grant.
But in the Akhaltsikhe-Vale sector, the last Georgian portion of the
pipeline before it crosses into Turkey, little benefit is expected from
the BTC project once construction ends. In this impoverished, relatively
remote border area the pipeline has become a magnet for job seekers, who
otherwise depend on small-scale agriculture, animal husbandry,
remittances from migrant workers and limited border trade for their
cash. “Well, of course I’m glad to have this job. There’s not an
overload of alternatives around here,” said 23-year-old construction
worker Sergei, one of an estimated 250 locally hired temporary employees
on the project. “Our part of the job will soon be done, however. I have
no idea yet what will come for us after that.”
An employee of one international organization who asked not to be named
agreed that the pipeline “has not brought much sustainable employment”
to the region. The income derived from renting apartments and houses to
non-Georgian pipeline construction staff evaporated when the project
decided to relocate their staff to a trailer camp on the edge of town,
commented one Akhaltsikhe-based businessman who gave his name as Samuel.
At the same time, he said, the fact that fewer jobs were created than
expected – locals cite an initial figure of 1,000 – have caused many
residents to feel shortchanged.
The presence of about 300 foreign workers, mainly of South Asian origin,
in the Akhalkitskhe-Vale sector provide further cause for
dissatisfaction. Residents claim that the imported laborers performs
tasks that Georgians could do just as well. The BTC project’s Public
Affairs Office in Tbilisi did not respond to requests for comment about
hiring practices in Georgia, but, according to British Petroleum, a
total of 5,308 people worked on the pipeline in Georgia as of mid-2004.
About one-third of these workers were locally recruited, mainly as
manual workers, welders, machine operators, drivers, night watchmen and
cleaners. Once construction is completed, maintenance and operation of
the pipeline and related installations will require only 200 local
staff.
Potentially positive changes, however, have resulted from the project,
the international organization employee added. When the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ezurum natural gas pipeline comes online in 2006, local
residents hope to benefit from cheap natural gas for heating – an
environmentally friendly alternative to the firewood currently used.
British Petroleum has also repaired bridges and roads, and the amounts
landowners have received as compensation for property loss could be put
to good use as investment in local agriculture, observers say.
Samuel, the businessman, agreed. “[A] couple of hundred people hired is
not that bad, really. If they manage to save some money and invest it
well that will be good for the area. However, there’s no guarantee that
that is going to happen on a large scale. ”
“I’m indeed worried about what’s going to happen once we’re gone,” said
one foreign, Akhaltsikhe-based British Petroleum engineer who asked to
remain anonymous. “Once the pipeline is ready and operational, the
number of sustainable jobs will remain even more limited than they are
now. I can imagine that it will lead to more frustration.”
Editor’s Note: Bruno De Cordier is a research assistant at the
University of Ghent’s Conflict Research Group in Ghent, Belgium.
4. JAPAN’S SHIMIZU TO LAUNCH WARMING GAS EMISSION RIGHTS
BUSINESS IN ARMENIA
Source: Asia Pulse, February 16, 2005 Shimizu Corp. (TSE:1803) intends
to team up with Mitsui & Co. (TSE:8031) and Hokkaido Electric Power Co.
(TSE:9509) to start greenhouse gas emission rights business in Armenia.
The major construction company is hoping the joint operation will be
approved as a clean-development-mechanism (CDM) business, which allows
companies to gain emission rights in exchange for cooperating in efforts
to reduce emissions in developing countries. CDM is featured in the
Kyoto Protocol, which takes effect Wednesday. If the project is approved
as a CDM business, it will be the first such operation in Armenia. The
company expects to gain approval by the middle of this year. Under the
plan, Shimizu will build a power generation plant to produce electricity
from methane gas piped in from a waste material disposal site. The firm
intends to spend about 800 million yen on the project. Shimizu expects
the facility to eliminate about 135,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year,
which will enable the company to acquire emission rights.
5. PRESENTATION OF TAVUSH AND GEGHARKUNIK MARZES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON FEBRUARY 21
Source: ARKA, February 18, 2005 Presentation of Tavush and Gegharkunik
Marzes development programs will be held in Yerevan on February 21.
According to the Public Relations and Press Department of RA Government,
the main objective of the programs is the assistance to administrations
of the regions and implementation of RA Government strategic poverty
reduction program. This event will be a final opportunity to discuss the
Regional Development Plans before they are submitted to the Cabinet for
approval. This should take place next month. The meeting will mark the
completion of the first phase of the Armenia Regional Development
Programme, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID)
and implemented by the British consultants Oxford Policy Management.
Hovik Abrahamyan, the Minister for Territorial Administration, and
Thorda Abbott-Watt, the British Ambassador, as well as RA NA Deputies,
representatives of RA President’s staff and central and regional
government agencies, the donor community, embassies, NGOs, contractors
and other potential development partners will take part. DFID provided
the funding to draw up the Regional Development Plans and has also set
aside ?2 million for their implementation in Tavush and Gegharkunik
regions of Armenia (?1 million for each). The main goal of the program
is to render assistance to the administrations of the regions,
development and implementation of the strategic program of the RA
government on poverty reduction. The program will last for 54 months, 18
of which will be spent on the development of the program. DFID has been
operating in Armenia since 1996. The main goal of DFID is to contribute
to the government of the republic in the issue of poverty reduction.
6. annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment
The US based Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) is now accepting
submissions for its annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment. The
awards recognize the best environmental journalism in newspapers,
magazines, newsletters, television, radio and online. SEJ accepts
entries from anywhere in the world, as long as they include a complete
and accurate English translation.
The entry deadline is April 1. Each entry should be a story
predominantly on an environmental subject. The story must have been
published or broadcast between March 1, 2004, and February 28, 2005.
SEJ will hand out US$1,000 awards in nine categories. The organizers
emphasize that interested participants should choose the submission
category carefully, as only one may be selected per entry.
Entry form and details:
7. SoS, Help, We are Being Assassinated
Dear CENN Readers,
Norway has a new form to tourism; this is assassinate babies seals to
blow. Canada kills them too.
Is this a sport?
Please see the attached file.
8. EIA Reports
Source: “Sakartvelos Respublica” (“Republic of Georgia”), February 19,
2005
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Martoili” Ltd. submitted
EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of first category -Oil and Oil
Products Processing Mini Factory in Gardabani Region, Village Martkopi.
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Kapira” Ltd. submitted EIA
report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of second category -Development
and Management of the Hunting Farm “Kapiar” in Ambrolauri Region.
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Mamuli MPT” Ltd. submitted
EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of first category -Oil Processing
Mini Enterprise of Periodical Activity in Senaki.
EIA reports are available at the Service of Environmental Permits and
Licensing of the Ministry of Environment of Georgia (15 A, Tamarashvili
Str., Tel: 39 91 81). Interested stakeholders can analyze the document
and present their comments and considerations until April 5, 2005.
Public hearing will be held on April 5, 2005 at 12:00, at the conference
hall of the Ministry of Environment. 68 A, Kostava str., VI Floor.
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: