Author: Jidarian Alex

PLANE THAT CRASHED IN THE BLACK SEA WAS IN GOOD TECHNICAL CONDITION

Focus News, Bulgaria
May 3 2006

Yerevan. The plane of the Armenian air company which crashed in the
Black Sea was in good technical condition, RIA Novosti informs citing
statement of the head of Chief Civil Aviation Department of Armenia
Artem Movsisyan.

According to him the plane Airbus A 320, which is owned by Armavia air
company, had undergone full repair and technical check-up in April this
year and shortly before take-off the expert company Sabina Technics
had given positive assessment of the plane’s technical condition.

A JOINT STATEMENT PRESENTED TO THE GOVERNMENTS

A1+
[06:41 pm] 02 May, 2006

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, the media freedom
watchdogs of four of the world’s leading international organizations
have issued a joint statement urging governments not to let violence
against media personnel go unpunished and commending the vital role
the press plays for democracy.

“We take this opportunity to call upon all governments to combat
impunity with regard to violence against journalists and media
personnel, by bringing to justice those responsible for attacks
against them, and by taking measures that enable journalists
and media personnel to continue providing information freely and
independently. All journalists detained on the grounds of their
media-related activities should be released immediately,” the
statement reads.

“It is a grave sorrow to remind ourselves that in the year 2005 the
world recorded the highest number of journalists and other media
professionals, killed or injured in the line of duty.”

“The media constitute the foundation of a democratic society where
individuals and groups are encouraged to exchange information and
express opinions freely.

Nourishing media diversity is essential for maintaining pluralism,”
the four reporters stressed.

The joint statement was signed by: the Special Reporters of the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights on the promotion and protection of
the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Representative on
Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe, the Special Reporter for freedom of expression of the
Organization of American States and the Special Reporter on Freedom
of Expression of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

RACIST MURDERS DEAL FURTHER BLOW TO RUSSIA’S STANDING IN ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
May 2 2006

The latest upsurge in murders of dark-skinned immigrants living
in Russia has not only reinforced the country’s image as a hotbed
of xenophobic extremism, it also has negative implications for the
future of its relations with one of its most loyal allies. The April
22 fatal stabbing of an ethnic Armenian youth in Moscow has caused
an uproar in Armenia that is likely to add to the ongoing erosion of
the traditionally strong pro-Russian sentiment in the South Caucasus
nation.

The 17-year-old Vigen Abramiants was killed on a Moscow subway platform
in full view of other riders. The next day a well-known Armenian film
director, Mikael Dovlatian, was attacked and seriously injured by a
group of neo-Nazi skinheads as he entered the same underground system
where the police presence is unusually strong.

Similar individuals are believed to have stabbed to death a Tajik
immigrant, also in the Russian capital, on April 24. A 23-year-old
Indian student and a 36-year-old Turkish man living in St. Petersburg
were more fortunate, surviving separate racist attacks reported on
April 22.

The violence followed what has become a familiar pattern in Russia,
where hardly a week goes by without reports of rampaging youths
indiscriminately wounding or killing people from the Caucasus, Central
Asia, Africa, and even Latin America. The Russian anti-racism watchdog
group Sova has registered more than a hundred racist attacks since
January, saying that at least 14 people have already been murdered
in Russia this year because of their non-Slavic looks. Sova puts the
death toll from such incidents reported last year at 28.

The latest spate of killings is widely linked to Adolf Hitler’s
birthday — April 20. The founder of Nazi Germany may be responsible
for the deaths of millions of Russians during World War II, but
he seems exceedingly (and shockingly) popular with scores of young
people in modern-day Russia. According to Russian media estimates,
in St. Petersburg alone (a city that saw at least one million of
its residents starve to death during the infamous German blockade
of 1941-44) there are some 15,000 adherents of Russian neo-Nazi
organizations.

With neo-Nazi and other extremist literature and propaganda widely
available on the streets and especially on the Internet, Russian
law-enforcement authorities and courts have been remarkably lenient
towards hate groups, routinely portraying racially motivated crimes
as mere acts of “hooliganism.” A case in point is the trial in St.

Petersburg of seven teenagers who were convicted of collectively
stabbing to death a 9-year-old Tajik girl but were sentenced to only
between 18 months and five years in prison last February. A jury
found that they were hooligans, rather than racists.

The Moscow police were likewise quick to suggest that the Abramiants
murder resulted from a dispute over a teenage girl allegedly
offended by the Armenian. This official theory infuriated leaders
and many members of the large Armenian community in Russia. Even
the Kremlin-connected chairman of the Union of Armenians of Russia,
Ara Abramian, accused the authorities of “connivance” in the young
man’s violent death. Speaking in Moscow on April 27, Abramian said
the failure to prosecute the perpetrators of the vast majority of
racist crimes only encourages more such attacks. Abramiants is the
sixth Armenian murdered in Russia this year, he added.

The furor sparked a week-long outburst of anti-Russian rhetoric by
Armenia’s electronic and, especially, print media that regularly carry
reports on the desecration of Armenian churches and cemeteries in
southern Russia. “In no other country of the world except Armenia’s
supposed ally Russia, do Armenians get killed in the street because
of being Armenian,” the Yerevan daily Haykakan Zhamanak observed on
April 29. “It is evident that the Russian authorities are secretly
encouraging activities of those [neo-Nazi] groups,” charged another
newspaper, 168 Zham. “Russia has stepped onto a path leading to its
transformation into a fascist state,” agreed Vartan Harutiunian,
a human-rights campaigner and Soviet-era dissident, in an interview
with the daily Aravot. Many Russians, he claimed, see nothing wrong in
“the murder of a few Armenians, Azerbaijanis, or Tajiks.”

Newspapers also lashed out at Armenia’s government for its continuing
unwillingness to officially protest to Moscow, with Aravot condemning
the stance as “odd and outrageous.” “The Armenian authorities
are subservient [to Russia] to such an extent that they are even
scared of defending the interests and rights of their citizens and
compatriots in the territory of our purported ally,” wrote Chorrord
Ishkhanutiun. “How many more Armenians need to be killed in Russia in
order to prompt a reaction [from official Yerevan?],” asked Taregir,
another paper critical of the government.

Such comments cannot fail to have an impact on public opinion in
Armenia, which has traditionally been sympathetic to Russia and formed
a key building block of the close Russian-Armenian political, military,
and economic relations. But it has clearly undergone important changes
in recent years, with opinion polls suggesting that a rising number
of Armenians see their country’s future in NATO and the European
Union. This trend may only accelerate as a result of a growing
sense that the Russians look down on even the most loyal of their
dark-skinned neighbors.

Golos Armenii, a Russian-language newspaper critical of the West,
summed up the changing public mood in Armenia on April 27 when it
suggested that violent xenophobia is becoming a key feature of Russian
society. “Even those who are very sympathetic to Russia understand
that that country has no future,” it wrote.

(Haykakan Zhamanak, April 29; Aravot, April 28; 168 Zham, April 27-28;
Golos Armenii, Azg, April 27; Novye izvestiya, April 26.)

Newsday (New York)
April 30, 2006 Sunday
NASSAU EDITION

WAY TO GO!;
Special essay, special prize

by MARY ELLEN PEREIRA

Julia Naldjian, a second-grader in Carole Ellert’s class at Village
Elementary School in Syosset, was one of four grand-prize winners in
the school essay contest sponsored by the Long Island Presidents’
Council of the New York State United Teachers. Each winner received a
$500 U.S. Savings Bond. Students in grades kindergarten through 12
were asked to write an essay on the theme: “My Teachers Are Special
Because . . .” Julia, 7, was the top winner in the primary category.

She wrote about how nice her teachers are.

“When they teach me new things I feel strong and happy inside,” Julia
wrote. “I study foreign languages and that makes me travel in my
imagination.”

A taped recording of the top four essays in the students’ voices will
air through May 16 on 11 local radio stations as part of a feature
about the excellence of Long Island schools.

Julia is a Brownie Girl Scout. She takes piano and swimming lessons.

An avid reader, she enjoys the Magic Tree House and the A to Z
Mysteries series. On Saturdays, she goes to Armenian school.

Julia lives in Syosset with her parents, Henry and Anahid, and
younger brother, Robert. She likes animals and wants to be a
veterinarian when she grows up. “I have a dog and three goldfish,”
she said.

TO NOMINATE a student as a Way to Go! candidate, send information and
photograph (photos cannot be returned) to Mary Ellen Pereira,
Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747 or e-mail
[email protected]. Photos sent via e-mail should be
high-resolution images.

GRAPHIC: Photo – Julia Naldjian

NEW PHASE OF CHURCH – SCHOOL RELARTIONS

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[12:46 pm] 27 April, 2006

Today the monk of the Syunyats eparchy Abgar Hovakimyan met the
teachers and pupils of Goris. The meeting was aimed at strengthening
the ties between churches and schools.

Each pupil must be aware of the history of the church and realise its
role and important. According to the eparchy representative school
visits will become more frequent and they will help pupils to suffice
their spiritual needs. School pupils will also get exhaustive answers
to all questions concerning them.

The offer was accepted by the teachers and pupils with great
enthusiasm.

“Last” TV channel of Goris

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT VISITS WASHINGTON
Shahin Abbasov and Khadija Ismailova

EurasiaNet, NY
April 26 2006

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev began a three-day visit to
Washington on April 26 that could help determine whether the Bush
Administration pursues a military option against Iran as part of its
ongoing effort to thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

The key talks of the hastily arranged trip will come on April 28,
when Aliyev is scheduled to meet with US President George W. Bush.

Aliyev has long sought a photo-op with Bush out of the apparent belief
that the US presidential imprimatur of approval would greatly enhance
the Azerbaijani leader’s legitimacy. Aliyev’s election win in 2003
was marred by widespread irregularities and police repression against
demonstrators. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. US
officials had resisted inviting Aliyev to a White House, feeling
that an Oval Office meeting would be perceived internationally
as undermining the Bush Administration’s global democratization
mission. The administration’s ardor for pressing an international
democratic agenda has cooled perceptibly in recent months, as its
concern over Iran’s nuclear program has risen. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive].

Apparently aiming to burnish his image, Aliyev on April 26 met with
representatives of prominent non-governmental organizations that
promote civil society, including Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and
the Open Society Institute. [EurasiaNet operates under the auspices
of the Open Society Institute].

Aliyev’s discussions with various US officials are expected to focus
on geopolitical issues in the Caucasus, including the response to
Iran’s nuclear program, breaking the stalemate in Nagorno-Karabakh
peace talks and Caspian Basin energy-related issues.

US officials are believed to be most interested in discussing Iran,
Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor. Since the announcement earlier this
month that Aliyev would be traveling to Washington, Baku has buzzed
with speculation that the Bush administration wanted to enlist Aliyev’s
support for a blitz against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Such plans were reported by the American weekly magazine The New
Yorker. However, US officials have denied the magazine report.

Nevertheless, Bush on April 18 emphasized that “all options remain
on the table,” including the potential use of force, as Washington
ponders ways to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

All indicators show that securing Azerbaijan’s participation in any
offensive military operations against Iran will be an extremely tough
sell for Washington. Azerbaijani officials have shown no interest
in confronting Iran. On April 20, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir
Taghizadeh indicated that Azerbaijan remains interested in balancing
its relations with both Iran and the United States. “In general
Baku’s position remains unchanged in two directions: Every country
has right to develop a nuclear program with peaceful goals, and our
region is vulnerable enough due to existing conflicts [to preclude]
adding a new source of tension,” Taghizadeh said.

Azerbaijani public opinion is also solidly opposed to a potential
conflict with Iran. Local newspapers and broadcast media have carried
reports in recent weeks critical of Bush’s confrontational approach,
and have urged the government to refrain from granting basing rights
to US forces, or providing any other form of assistance that would
facilitate an attack against Iran. In urging Baku’s neutrality in the
standoff, the reports have expressed alarm over a possible flood of
Iranian refugees into Azerbaijan, or retaliatory strikes by Tehran
against Azerbaijani targets.

Iranian officials have done nothing to discourage speculation
in Azerbaijan about military retaliation. Azerbaijani media have
given prominent play to recent comments made by Iranian National
Security Council chief Ali LAlijani, who said that an attack against
Azerbaijan’s economic lifeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline,
could not be excluded in the event hostilities between the United
States and Iran.

Aliyev moved quickly to quash expectations that Azerbaijani officials
could be persuaded to change their minds, telling members of the
Council on Foreign Relations during a closed-door meeting April 26 that
Baku would not be a participant in “any kind” of military operation
against Tehran. Although Aliyev appears committed to sitting out any
possible military clash between the United States and Iran, he may
be playing a diplomatic role aimed at heading off a conflict.

On April 19, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar visited
Baku ostensibly for talks on mutual security issues. However, some
political analysts in Baku believe that Najjar passed an Iranian
message for Washington to Azerbaijani officials. Najjar helped fuel
such conjecture by saying Azerbaijan can act as a mediator in the
US-Iranian dispute. “Azerbaijan is our closest neighbor and … Ilham
Aliyev can convince the United States to understand Iran’s position
properly,” Najjar said.

Other observers say Najjar’s visit was designed to remind Baku of the
high risks it would take if it opted to join an American coalition
against Iran. Uzeyir Jafarov, a Baku-based military expert, said
Najjar probably delivered a blunt message that Azerbaijan could not
expect to escape unscathed if Iran was attacked. “The Iranian minister
likely reminded Ilham Aliyev that in case of [Baku’s] participation
in any action against Iran, Azerbaijan would be the first to suffer,”
Jafarov said.

Hikmet Hajizade, the political analyst and vice-president of
FAR-center, a Baku-based NGO, suggested that the consequences could
be devastating for Azerbaijan. “Even pre-attack tension will impact
our interests. … If military action takes place, Azerbaijan could
experience retaliatory strikes against the BTC pipeline. Besides,
one day we could find Iranians naval vessels along the Azerbaijani
coast.” At the same time, Hajizade indicated that the worst possible
geopolitical scenario in the Caucasus for Azerbaijan could involve
a nuclear-armed Iran. “Azerbaijan’s interests [might] suffer more if
Iran develops its nuclear weapon,” he said.

If Aliyev is indeed acting as a messenger, there would seem to
be an opportunity in the near future for the Azerbaijani leader
to pass along any back-channel communication conveyed by the Bush
Administration. Iranian President Mahmmoud Ahmadinejad is planning to
visit Baku on May 4 to attend a summit of the Organization of Economic
Cooperation. Jafarov said that President Aliyev could update the
Iranian leader on any US proposals, counter-proposals or ultimatums
at that time.

A few opposition politicians and political experts in Baku have
suggested that Aliyev explore the possibility of a quid pro quo
involving Azerbaijani support for a US attack against Iran in exchange
for Washington’s unequivocal support for Baku on the Nagorno-Karabakh
question. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Currently, the United States is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group that
is acting as the chief mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some recent statements by
Azerbaijani officials have prompted speculation of a possible linking
of Iran and Karabakh. On April 22, for example, Deputy Foreign Minister
Araz Azimov caused a sensation when he suggested that some Azerbaijani
regions currently under Armenian occupation could become embroiled
in a possible US-Iranian conflict, the Turan news agency reported.

Hajizade and other experts downplay such a connection. “The Karabakh
conflict is not just about United States’ will and the question is:
will the Washington able to push on Russia, which in its turn would
push Armenia to give up [some] of its claims. So far I do not see any
opportunity for US-Russia agreement on the issue,” Hikmet Hajizade
said.

Vardan Oskanian, the Armenian foreign minister, dismissed the
possibility of a US-Azerbaijani quid pro quo involving Karabakh. “It
is not a way that the United States operates. And such a deal would
not end with any positive result,” Oskanian said on April 19.

Editor’s Note: Khadija Ismayilova and Shain Abbasov are freelance
journalists based in Baku.

SAFAROV’S RIGHTS PROTECTION FORUM CREATED IN WEB
Author: S. Ilhamgizi

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 25 2006

A forum for protection of rights of lifelong-sentenced Azeri military
Ramil Safarov created in the Web, Trendreports quoting Akif Nagi,
chairman of Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) and member of
Advisory council for protection of Ramil Safarov’s rights.

The council for protection of Ramil Safarov’s rights opened a forum
at The forum provides information in Azeri, Russian,
English and Hungarian. The information is also sent to Hungarian
mass media and world public agencies. The forum also displays the
conversation with lawyers on Ramil Safarov’s case. One of famous
lawyers is going to visit the Forum at noon of April 26.

KLO considers necessary to hand Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan. “Since
Ramil Safarov’s life in Budapest is in danger, Azeri government must
save him. Moreover, we think his case shall be tried in NATO’s Military
Tribunal. Budapest municipal court has already demonstrated his biased
position and we should seek for justice in a different instance”, –
Nagi said.

KLO chief also said it is unfair to restrict protest actions and
rallies on this matter. Open demonstration of decisive protest against
unjust sentence, brining this protest to attention of Hungarian public
and legal system is in favor of our compatriot, not the contrary.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORY CEREMONY TAKES PLACE IN SURB KATARINE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF SAINT PETERSBURG

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2006

SAINT PETERSBURG, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Memory
ceremony of the Armenian Genocide took place in the Surb Katarine
(Saint Katarine) Armenian church of Saint Petersburg on April 24. The
RA Consulate General to Saint Petersburg, the RA Armed Forces soldiers’
guard of honour, Armenians of Saint Petersburg and local Russian
inhabitation laid wreaths to the khachkar (cross stone) placed at the
entrance of the church. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign
Ministry’s Press and Information Department, after the midday the
Saint Petersburg “Nor Serund” (New Generation) youth organization of
the Armenian Apostolic Church organized an event where young people
made speeches for compatriots, a film was shown.

KOCHARIAN: NO PRESSURE IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2006 00:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There is no pressure in the Karabakh settlement,
there is a normal negotiation process, Armenian President Robert
Kocharian stated when answering a question of a Lithuanian reporter at
a news conference in Yerevan. In his words, the co-chairing countries
in the person of the OSCE Minsk Group join their efforts to activate
the talks. The Armenian leader emphasized that the OSCE MG mandate
“does not provide for pressure on any party.” As of the possible
participation of Lithuania in the settlement, Kocharian said the
OSCE MG format suits both parties. He also said that he does not see
any link between the intense situation around Iran and the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. As of regional cooperation, in the words of the
Armenian leader, it is possible only after peace is established. “Most
important – it is necessary to form a confidence atmosphere and in
that context Lithuania can be useful,” the Armenian President said.

TURKEY BLASTS PM FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMARKS

Canadian Press
April 25 2006

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey on Tuesday criticized Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper for remarks he made in support of recognizing the
mass killings of Armenians during the First World War as genocide,
and warned that such statements threatened to harm Turkish-Canadian
relations.

In a statement on April 21, Harper recalled that Canada’s Senate and
House of Commons had adopted resolutions recognizing the killings as
genocide and said, “I and my party supported those resolutions and
continue to recognize them today.”

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a stern statement saying it
“regretted” Harper’s remarks over the killings that occurred more
than eight decades ago.

“Statements concerning disputed historic events by foreign parliaments
or governments nearly a century later will not change the nature of
what happened in reality,” the statement said.

“Such statements do not contribute to the environment of
dialogue between Turkey and Armenia, and have a negative effect on
Turkish-Canadian relations,” it added. “The stagnation of relations
between the two countries after the Canadian Parliament’s decision
… is the clearest example of this.”

Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reported Tuesday that Turkey would bar
Canadian companies from bidding for the construction of a nuclear
power plant that Turkey hopes to build in the Black Sea coastal town
of Sinop.

In 2001, Turkey cancelled millions of dollars’ worth of defence
deals with French companies after legislators in France recognized
the genocide.

Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were killed as the
Ottoman Empire forced them from eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923
in a deliberate campaign of genocide.

Turkey denies it was genocide, saying the death count is inflated
and insisting that Armenians were killed or displaced as the Ottoman
Empire tried to secure its border with Russia and stop attacks by
Armenian militants.

Several other countries, including Argentina, Poland, France and
Russia, have declared the killings a genocide, and there is strong
pressure from Armenians worldwide for the U.S. Congress to recognize
the killings as genocide as well.