Author: Jalatian Sonya

Baku Today
June 10 2005
Pressure Group Urges to Oust Former Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group
Former Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group [mediating the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh] Vladimir
Kazimirov’s attending a seminar on the geo-strategic importance of
Azerbaijan in Baku on Wednesday was condemned by the participating
representatives of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO).
KLO deputy chairman Firudin Mammadov demanded that Kazimirov leave
the seminar and the country “as he does not recognize Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.”
“Kazimirov has always acted on Armenians’ behest and his
participation at the event sparked protests among those driven out of
Karabakh, and the entire Azerbaijani people.”
Former state foreign policy advisor Vafa Guluzada tried to ease the
tensions. He said that he was one of the people who regularly
criticized Kazimirov.
“Kazimirov is not an important person. He does not currently hold a
post and is only an independent political analyst. He may say
whatever he thinks and get a response. Let him speak,” said Guluzada.
The KLO representatives urged the former Russian diplomat to state at
the beginning of his speech that “he recognizes Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.”
Dennis Samut, head of the British `Links’ organization, co-organizer
of the seminar, requested the protesters to give opportunities for
the event participants to express their opinions.
The KLO members, who calmed down for a while, heated up the tensions
again. They disturbed the seminar, even using foul language against
Kazimirov, and subsequently walked out of the hall.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
Fax: 617-484-1759
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
NAASR TO PRESENT LECTURE ON
ENERGY CRISIS IN ARMENIA

Robert Kalantari, a nuclear energy expert who has
participated in inspections of the Medzamor plant in Armenia, will speak
at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
Center in Belmont on Thursday evening, June 16, at 8 p.m., on “The
Energy Crisis in Armenia.”
Because reliable electricity generation is vital to
Armenia’s national security, its economic growth, and is essential to
basic needs of everyday life, the precarious state of the Republic’s
energy industry is an area of major concern, both in Armenia and in the
diaspora.
Important Role of Medzamor Nuclear Plant
Kalantari will analyze the energy needs of Armenia and its
current ability to generate sufficient power from various sources. His
presentation will focus on the role that Medzamor, the Armenian nuclear
power plant, plays in meeting Armenia’s requirements, and the risks
inherent in depending on this plant. He will also discuss the
challenges that Armenia faces now and will face in the near future in
maintaining its capacity to meet the nation’s growing energy needs. The
Republic of Armenia will face a dangerous situation if it does not begin
to replace its generation capacity now. The options for building new
power plants are few and will require billions of dollars. The nation
is running out of time.
Mr. Robert Kalantari has been involved with the nuclear
industry for a quarter of a century, during which he has served as the
Engineering Manager of a Boston-area consulting company and has been
responsible for many safety analysis projects for nuclear plants
throughout the world, particularly in Armenia and other former Soviet
republics. He recently participated in a mission with the International
Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the Medzamor nuclear plant in Armenia.
Special Exhibition of Photos of Genocide Memorials
In addition to the lecture, NAASR will continue to feature a special
exhibition of more than three dozen photographs of Armenian Genocide
memorials worldwide taken by renowned photographer Hrair “Hawk”
Khatcherian. The exhibit, which was featured last month at the UCLA
conference “After Nine Decades: The Enduring Legacy of the Armenian
Genocide” and subsequently at the California State House and elsewhere,
was mounted by Richard and Anne Elbrecht of Davis, CA. The Elbrechts
have loaned these impressive photographs to NAASR for a limited time
only.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The NAASR Center and Headquarters is
located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post
Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent
areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.
More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

# # # # #
Belmont, Mass.
May 30, 2005

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
June 10, 2005 Friday 9:39 AM Eastern Time
Russian bases’ withdrawal from Georgia may have int’l funding
By Eka Mekhuzla
TBILISI
The withdrawal of military hardware and armaments from the Russian
military bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki, Georgia, may have an
international funding, Russian delegation head, Ambassador Igor
Savolsky said in Tbilisi on Friday.
“The withdrawal and relocation of a huge amount of military hardware
and armaments are an extensive operation, which will take 3.5 years.
We agreed with the international community in the past that an
additional funding might be given within the framework of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to make
the operation quicker and safer,” he said.
He confirmed the media reports that some of the military hardware and
armaments would be moved from Akhalkalaki to the Russian military
base in Gyumri, Armenia. He did not say how much it would be.

Reuters, UK
June 9 2005
KYRGYZSTAN: Focus on Mesketian Turks
Source: IRIN

BISHKEK, 9 June (IRIN) – The status of thousands of Mesketian Turks
living in Kyrgyzstan remains unresolved, more than half a century
after being deported to the former Soviet republic by Stalin in the
forties.
“Several days ago, I was very sick but I could not get treatment in
hospital because I do not have citizenship, I still have the red
Soviet passport. I am an invalid (disabled person). Last year I paid
US $50 to lie in hospital,” with tears in her eyes, Gulchehra
Hazikova, a 48-year-old Meshitin-Turk, told IRIN in Novopavlovka
village, near the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
“After the events in Ferghana valley in 1989 [ethnic riots that led
to an exodus] I moved with my family to Kabardino-Balkaria [in the
north Caucasus region of the Russian Federation]. I came to
Kyrgyzstan in 1993, but still cannot get Kyrgyz citizenship,” Faramuz
Ahmedov, another Mesketian Turk from the same community, said.
Nearly 100,000 Meskhetian Turks were deported to Central Asia from
their native Georgia in 1944 on Stalin’s orders. Russia considered
the Meskhetian Turks a problem on several fronts. As Turkish-speaking
Muslims, Meskhetian Turks had strong social ties to Turkey and proved
to be resistant as a group to Soviet assimilation. Roughly 15,000
people died of starvation or cold en route.
It has been suggested that Stalin saw Meskhetians as potential
troublemakers, despite the fact that Meskhetians had exhibited no
signs of disloyalty. On the contrary, more than half the 40,000
Meskhetian Turks in the Red Army died fighting Nazi forces.
In the 60 years since deportation, Meskhetian Turks have integrated
into the region with varying degrees of success but their sense of
ethnic and social identity remains strong. They continue to lobby for
repatriation to Georgia. In Kyrgyzstan they are often subject to
discriminatory and abusive treatment by the local authorities who may
grant or may withhold residence permits.
In June 1989 tragedy struck the Meskhetian community a second time.
The outbreak of ethnic violence in the Ferghana Valley area of
Uzbekistan prompted them to uproot themselves again. Meskhetians were
once again scattered across Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan
and Turkey.
According to Gulkiz Gasanova, executive secretary of the Turkish
National Centre in Bishkek, an NGO supporting the group, there are at
least 2,000 people in Kyrgyzstan are in the same situation as
Gulchehra and Faramuz, rendering them effectively stateless.
The official Meshketian Turk population in Kyrgyzstan is put at more
than 33,000 people but the unofficial figure is around 50,000 people.
Many of them have had their ethnic and national identity erased and
their passports simply state they are Azerbaijani, Georgian or
Armenian.
“It is very sad that I cannot even have my native nationality,” Umar
Uysupov, a Meskhetian Turkish elder living in Ala-Archa, a village
close to the capital, noted, as he showed IRIN his Soviet-era
passport that records his nationality as Georgian. The majority of
Meshketian Turks, after the events in the Uzbek part of the Ferghana
valley, moved to Russia and Azerbaijan. This wave of Meshketian
migration to Kyrgyzstan was from 1993-1997. But many returned to
Central Asia to be with relatives, as it was difficult to secure
permits to stay in Russia.
Those who stayed in Kyrgyzstan were promised that after five years
they would be eligible for citizenship but most are still waiting.
“We raised this issue with the National Committee on Citizenship
within the Ministry of Internal affairs and even asked former
president Akaev but there were only promises. We have asked UNHCR
[office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] here
and now we are waiting for its response,” added Gasanova.
“I went to Azerbaijan in 1989 from Fergana and lived there for six
years, in an old railway carriage, it was very difficult. I could not
get permission to stay there, so I moved to Kyrgyzstan in 1995
because my brother was there, and helped me. You cannot imagine, I
had nothing; I left everything in my house in Ferghana. Now here I
have [a] two rooms house, which we built ourselves but still do not
have Kyrgyz citizenship,” Hazikova told IRIN.
The group say they suffer discrimination, a lack of medical treatment
and no proper jobs or education.
“I cannot work legally here because it is necessary to have [a]
passport. My passport is not valid now,” Ahmedov told IRIN. “I am
afraid to go out, because the police stop me frequently.”
Kyrgyz authorities say the problem is basically administrative. “If a
person have been living in Kyrgyzstan for more than five years,
he/she can apply for Kyrgyz citizenship through the local district,”
Erkin Arapbaev, deputy head of the passport section of the Kyrgyz
Ministry of Interior Affairs, told IRIN.
“There are some categories of people who apply but do not have the
right documents. People themselves have to gather documents, it is
not our obligation,” Arapbaev said.
Many Meshketian Turks have married locally, which creates further
problems. The majority are living without marriage certificates or
birth certificates for their children, though in some cases bribery
may help obtain the documents.
“Children who are born to parents who do not have citizenship, like
many Meshketian Turks, do not have documents, so they cannot get
medical treatment, they cannot go to school, so education among this
group is very low,” commented Gasanova.
Many are hoping the recent regime change in Bishkek will mean a
change of policy towards Meshketian Turks and other former Soviet
citizens such as Kurds and some Uzbeks who have no legal status in
Kyrgyzstan.

Azerbaijan NEws Service
June 7 2005
NEXT ROUND OF TALKS ON SETTLEMENT OF DAQLIQ QARABAQ CONFLICT TO TAKE
PLACE ON JUNE 17
2005-06-07 19:12
Talks on the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan Daqliq Qarabaq conflict
continue in nine aspects. These aspects include security, mine
removal issues, withdrawal of Armenian troops from occupied
Azerbaijani lands, said Elmar Mammadyarov, FA minister of Azerbaijan.
According to him, Azerbaijan has more concrete position in present
talks. We discuss withdrawal of Armenian forces from 7 occupied
Azerbaijani regions, status of Daqliq Qarabaq, demilitarization and
deployment of peacekeeping forces in the area. Question of
establishing transport from Daqliq Qarabaq to Armenia and from Aghdam
to Nakhchivan is in agenda as well. FA minister also says there are
rapprochement between Azerbaijan and Armenia in some aspects. We have
close positions in some points. But a document will be prepared after
we come to an agreement on seven-nine aspects, said Elmar
Mammadyarov. Mr. Mammadyarov stated everything depends on the next
round of talks that will be held in Paris on June 17.

Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
June 2, 2005 Thursday
CITY EDITION
SLIPPING IT PAST CASUAL LISTENERS;
SYSTEM’S MESSAGE CLEAR, IF YOU CAN MAKE IT OUT
By Melissa Ruggieri Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
At the moment, it’s hip to listen to System of a Down.
Its latest assembly of 11 airtight metal rock songs (clocking in at a
mere 36 minutes), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart last
week.
The band is garnering more attention than ever in mainstream
magazines, including Blender and Entertainment Weekly. And anyone who
caught its raw performance on “Saturday Night Live” a few weeks ago
had to secretly cheer that at least one word slipped past the person
hitting the mute button (it’s supposed to be live, right?).
That said, System isn’t for the delicate of eardrums. But what sets
it apart from the caveman walloping of many similar bands is an
uncanny ability to shove a melody into the heart of its headbanging
songs and usually — but not always — have something intelligent to
say. At least once you read the lyrics, because understanding them is
a crap shoot.
The first single, “B.Y.O.B.,” is mostly indecipherable until it
shifts into a soft ska chorus with a biting anti-war sentiment
(“Everybody’s going to the party, have a real good time/dancing in
the desert, blowing up the sunshine”). The same can be said of
“Violent Pornography,” 3 1/2 minutes of thunderous riffing that also
contains the odd juxtaposition of a chorus that might sound
comfortable on Top 40 radio, right next to Green Day and Baby Bash.
Parts of the album feel as if singer Serj Tankian still has more to
say — surely intentional given the band has a second album,
“Hypnotize,” due this fall. But it’s impressive that the four
members, all of Armenian descent, aren’t afraid to stir ethnic sounds
into its hearty sound.
“Radio/Video,” a lyrically weak song consisting of one repetitive
stanza, nonetheless stands out with a chugging beat that you’d expect
to accompany dish-breaking or chair-raising or some other cultural
representation at a wedding. Until the finger-bending guitar kicks
in, anyway.
Fans of the band will likely relish the straightforward speed metal
of “Sad Stature” and “Question!” which finds guitarist Daron Malakian
beating his strings to sound like bug wings frantically flapping
against a window. But a closer listen is more rewarding once it’s
realized that System is a lot more than the latest musical trend.
System of a Down
Title: “Mesmerize”
Label: American
– Highlights: “B.Y.O.B.,” “Radio/Video,” “Violent Pornography”
– Grade: B
Each new release is graded from A (the best) to F (try again).

ARMENIAN CB BOARD INVALIDATES LICENSES OF 15 EXCHANGE OFFICES
YEREVAN, June 6. /ARKA/. The Board of the Central Bank of Armenia
(CBA) invalidated licenses of 15 exchange offices for violating the RA
currency legislations. Last December, the CBA started large-scale
inspections of exchange offices as a result of concern over their
vigorous activities connected with USD exchange rate fluctuations. The
inspections resulted in the revocation of 22 exchange offices in
Yerevan. Last inspections were conducted in May, and 17 exchange
offices were deprived of their licenses. P.T. -0–

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO MEET WITH OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN
IN VIENNA ON JUNE 8
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Deprtment, a meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen is scheduled for
June 8 in Vienna.

RA FM TO MEET OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS IN VIENNA
Pan Armenian News
03.06.2005 09:11
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian will
meet with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in Paris on June 8, RA MFA
press center reported. June 8-10 the RA FM will pay a working visit
to Washington. 11-14 he is to visit Beijing, where he will meet with
the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. June 15 he will depart for
London to address the House of Lords with a speech on the Armenian
Genocide. June 16-17 Vartan Oskanian will be in Brussels, where he will
present the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan during the
NATO sitting and familiarize the EU leaders with the draft package of
the Action Plan within Wider Europe: New Neighbors EU Program. June 18
on the initiative of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Vartan Oskanian
will meet with Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mamedyarov in Paris. June 22-23
within the summit of the CSTO heads the Armenian FM will take part
in the recurrent meeting of the SCTO Foreign Ministers.

Azerbaijan says Russian weapons transfer to Armenia not a tragedy
By Tengiz Pachkoria
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 3, 2005 Friday
TBILISI, June 3 — Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade said
Friday the Azerbaijani government did not perceive Russia’s transfer
to Armenia of the weapons and equipment from bases in Georgia as a
tragedy of any kind.
“This is an internal prerogative of Russia and Armenia, but we’ll
naturally make conclusions for our own policy, and they’ll be made
shortly,” Rasi-zade said.
Azerbaijani officials said in May they were discontent with proposals
to pull out a part of weaponry and equipment from Russian bases in
Batumi and Akhalkalaki, Georgia, to the Armenian territory.
Russian government took that decision as the two bases are to be
closed in line with a Russian-Georgian agreement.
At the end of May, an echelon of 15 coaches transported military
hardware from Batumi to a Russian base in Gumri, Armenia.