Author: Jidarian Alex

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian American Cultural Association, Inc.
1300 Crystal Drive, Suite 1504
Arlington, VA 22202
Contact: Rita Balian
Tel: (703) 416-2555
Fax: (703) 416-2557
E-mail: [email protected]

The Miracle Children of Armenia: The Wellness Center’s Gift of Life

James Faris

Yerevan, Armenia – On March 22, the Armenian American Cultural Association’s
(AACA) humanitarian project in Armenia, the Armenian American Wellness
Center (previously known as the Mammography Center), was host to a very
special and unique event. Twenty mothers, along with their children, joined
with the Center’s Co-Founders, Rita Balian and Hranush Hakobian, and medical
staff members from the Center’s Gynecology Department for a heartwarming and
inspiring celebration of life.

These mothers had all struggled with infertility until they came to the
Wellness Center for assistance – some had been unsuccessfully trying to have
children for over ten years. They came to the Center after hearing about the
expertise and skill of the GYN Department and hoping that the Center’s
doctors might be able to do what other doctors at other medical facilities
had been unable to do. The result of the Center’s work was evident at the
March 22 celebration with the presence of twenty joyful mothers and their
twenty beautiful and healthy babies. Some of the babies were also
accompanied by their proud fathers (mostly physicians) and doting
grandmothers. It was announced at the event that there are five more mothers
now expecting babies as a result of the Center’s work with infertility.

In Armenia, infertility is prevalent in ten to thirty percent of all
couples. Unfortunately, it is not only a medical problem, but a serious
social one as well. When a married couple finds that they are unable to have
a baby, the problem is almost always perceived as the woman’s and very often
leads to divorce. This frequently means that men never consider themselves
to be part of the cause and never seek medical assistance to find a solution
to the problem. Therefore, what could easily be treatable cases of
infertility are never resolved because only women are examined and suggested
treatment.

The GYN Department was established at the Wellness Center in 2001 with the
initial goal of providing annual Pap smears and basic gynecological services
for the prevention of cervical cancer in Armenian women. According to
Armenia’s Ministry of Health, cervical cancer (after breast cancer) is the
second leading cause of all cancer deaths among women in Armenia. However,
like many other cancers, cervical cancer is treatable with proper screening
and early detection. The western-standard gynecological methods utilized by
the Center, including state-of-the-art cytology services, were not available
in Armenia before its introduction at the Wellness Center.

In addition to the department’s work with cervical cancer prevention, basic
gynecological services, and its pioneering work with menopause counseling,
the Wellness Center also diagnoses and treats Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STI). STIs are quite prevalent in Armenia, as is the case in
most of the former Soviet republics. This is largely a result of a casual
attitude towards sexual relations and a general lack of education concerning
the reality of the causes and effects of STIs. Therefore, chronic
infections, which in many instances can lead to infertility in women, are
rarely treated properly among couples since men are never examined or
treated. To further support the Wellness Center’s doctors’ skills and
expertise, they are also able to access the internet to consult with the
Center’s US Medical Advisory Board and to research international medical
libraries to learn of and utilize the most up-to-date treatment options for
patients with various kinds of STIs.

As the capabilities of the Wellness Center’s GYN Department increased
through advanced training in the US and in Armenia and through the
procurement of modern equipment and supplies, more and more women began
coming to the Center’s doctors seeking infertility treatment as well as
other gynecological services. The GYN Department realized that they had the
capacity to make a difference in the lives of infertile couples, so they
began infertility treatment in addition to the other gynecological services
offered.

“The most gratifying and rewarding experience I encounter is assisting an
infertile couple to have the child that they have been struggling to have
for so long,” noted Dr. Lilit Hakobyan, GYN Department Head at the Wellness
Center. Dr. Hakobyan received her advanced training in gynecology at the
Baltimore Medical Center, affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University
Medical Center, under the guidance of Dr. Emma Zargarian, who is also a
member of the Wellness Center’s US Medical Advisory Board.

“The Center’s success in infertility cases is partly due to the GYN
Department’s examination and treatment of chronic infections for both women
and men,” continued Dr. Hakobyan. “Men are also examined with the Center’s
sperm analyzer, the only one in all of Armenia. For women, we utilize
several approaches; the most important of which is
hysterosalpingosonography, a diagnostic method that evaluates the patency of
fallopian tubes.”

“When we initially established the Armenian American Wellness Center in
1997, which was then known as the Armenian American Mammography University
Center, my ambition was to provide much-needed breast cancer screening to
the women of Armenia,” said Rita Balian, Founder of the Wellness Center and
AACA President and CEO. “I never could have envisioned that our mammography
project would grow to become what it is today. These twenty babies of the
Wellness Center, whom I call the “Miracle Children of Armenia” and whom I
consider children of my heart, are testament to the unwavering commitment of
many dedicated volunteers both in the US and Armenia, and the continued
generosity of Armenian American donors.”

Hranush Hakobian, Ph.D., Chair of the Armenian Parliament’s Committee on
Education, Science, Culture and Youth, and who is also a Co-Founder of the
Wellness Center said, “As a public servant of the Armenian people for over
fifteen years now, this is perhaps one of the most joyous moments that I
have witnessed. These special babies are not only precious to their mothers
and fathers, but to me and to all Armenians as we celebrate the arrival of
twenty more Armenian citizens; citizens who could become future leaders of
the Armenian nation.”

USINFO.STATE.GOV
10 May 2005

Rice Espouses Peaceful Settlement of Georgia’s Internal Conflicts

Secretary of state predicts democratic Georgia will be “magnet”
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States and the
international community will try to help Georgia to resolve the conflicts in
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but she predicts that as Georgia becomes more
democratic and economically successful, “you will see that people want to be
a part of Georgia.”
“A unified Georgia that is democratic is going to be a magnet for all kinds
of people,” Rice told an interviewer on Imedi TV in Tbilisi, Georgia, May
10. “This can be a great multiethnic democracy and that, I think, is really
Georgia’s future.”
Rice was accompanying President Bush on a four-nation European visit that
concluded in Georgia. Bush attended commemorations in Russia and the
Netherlands for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe
and also visited Latvia and Georgia to promote freedom and democracy.
When asked whether Georgian troops trained under the U.S.-funded
counterterrorist “train and equip” program could take part in the settlement
of internal conflicts such as those in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Rice
responded:
“[W]e do not believe in the use of military force in these internal
conflicts and therefore . forces that were trained by the United States,
could not be used in those conflicts.”
The purpose of the train-and-equip program, according to remarks at a
February 5, 2004, briefing by then-Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs Elizabeth Jones, “was to enable the Georgian government
to begin to take control over its territory in order to stop the flow of
terrorists from the Pankisi Gorge into Chechnya.” The fourth and final
trained battalion graduated in May 2004.
“These are issues that need to be resolved politically and diplomatically,”
Rice told Imedi TV.
People might want some autonomy in their local affairs, she noted, but “I do
believe that as the democracy develops here, there will be reason for people
who now live in Abkhazia or live in South Ossetia to really want to be a
part of this great Georgian democracy.”
Abkhazia and South Ossetia sought to secede from Georgia during the breakup
of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Rice said the Bush visit has offered confirmation that Georgia “is on a
democratic path.” Building democracy is not easy, she acknowledged. It
means having a strong legislative branch, a strong independent judiciary,
rooting out corruption in government, and allowing the economy to be free of
too much government interference.
“These are the foundations of democracy, and along with freedom of speech,
freedom of worship and protection of minority rights, that’s how you build a
democracy,” Rice said. “And so I’m confident that that is the road that
Georgia is on. It’s why I believe that our friendship is only going to get
deeper over time.”
The secretary added that “Georgia is a wonderful example for people in this
entire region of what can happen when people start to take their rightful
place in the communities around them.”
In response to a question, Rice said the United States has “no intention of
using military force in Iran.” She said the United States is working with
the European Union negotiators to “support their negotiations to get Iran to
live up to its international obligations.”
As for democracy, she said, “I firmly believe that Iran will not be immune
to the changes that are going on in the world.”
Following is a transcript of Rice’s interview:
(begin transcript)
U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
May 10, 2005
INTERVIEW
SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE
ON IMEDI TV WITH REVAZ SAKEVARISHVILI
May 10, 2005
Tbilisi Marriott Hotel
Tbilisi, Georgia
(12:20 p.m. Local)
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: Madame Secretary, welcome to Georgia. I’d like to thank
you on behalf of our company. During the time schedule, you have found a
few minutes to answer our questions. The first question; how successful was
your visit to Russia and Georgia? And what can we expect from this visit?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, let me start with the visit to Georgia. This has
been a wonderful visit. The President last night had a great introduction
to Georgian culture, and to Georgian hospitality. Georgia is a country that
the United States considers a good friend. And it’s a good friend not just
because of what Georgia has done to support us in the war on terrorism in
Iraq or Afghanistan, or because of our deep cultural ties, but because we
share values. And it has become very clear that the world has been inspired
by the Rose Revolution. So this trip has been terrific. I think the
President is having a good time and we look forward to many, many years of
excellent relations between the United States and Georgia.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: Georgia hopes to get support from the United States in
order to restore its territorial integrity. Georgian government officials
often say that Russia is the main negative factor that prevents Georgia from
achieving this. What do you think Washington can do to help Georgia in this
mentioned above?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, we’ve had good discussions with the Russians over the
years but also when we were in Moscow, about the importance of Georgian
territorial integrity and the move for a unified Georgia. I do believe that
there are really two aspects to this. One is that the international
community could be helpful. In South Ossetia, for instance, at times the
OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] has been
involved. In Abkhazia, the United Nations has a role to play. And so the
United States in conjunction with the international community will try and
help Georgia to resolve these difficult conflicts. But it’s also the case
that the stronger Georgia becomes economically, the more vibrant this
democracy becomes, I think that you will see that people want to be a part
of Georgia. Yes, people may want some autonomy in their local affairs —
they may want some local control over some issues. But a unified Georgia
that is democratic is going to be a magnet for all kinds of people. This
can be a great multi-ethnic democracy and that, I think, is really Georgia’s
future.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: A couple years ago an American-funded Train and Equip
program was started. Initially the White House stated that American-trained
troops were not entitled to take part in the settlement of internal
conflicts. Is there any possibility that Washington’s position may change?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, we believe strongly that there should not be the use
of military force in these internal conflicts. We have made that clear with
the Georgian government. In fact, these are issues that need to be resolved
politically and diplomatically. I do believe that as the democracy develops
here, there will be reason for people who now live in Abkhazia or live in
South Ossetia to really want to be a part of this great Georgian democracy.
All forces for Train and Equip were to ensure that Georgia could fight
terrorism. We started in the Pankisi George and I think we’ve had some
great success there. But it is really the case that we do not believe in
the use of military force in these internal conflicts and therefore American
forces, forces that were trained by the United States, could not be used in
those conflicts.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: In his annual report President Bush mentioned Iran as
the danger of freedom and democracy around the world. What’s the plan that
Washington has to deal with this problem? Is there any chance that an
anti-Iran operation could resemble anti-Iraq one, and what part could
Georgia play?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, we have no intention of using military force in Iran.
The fact is that conflicts are different. And Iraq had for twelve years,
twelve long years, defied the international community. It was time to deal
with this brutal dictator in Iraq. Iran is a country where we have many,
many concerns about Iran’s role in funding terrorism in the Palestinian
territories, in Lebanon, in other parts of the world and we all as a world
need to deal with Iran. Funding and support for terrorism, which is open
that they support terrorism. We also have to deal with Iran’s ambitions for
nuclear technology to complete to a nuclear weapons program. And there, we
are working with the Europeans to try and support their negotiations to get
Iran to live up to its international obligations.
Now as to democracy, I firmly believe that Iran will not be immune to the
changes that are going on in the world. If you look around the world,
people are demanding their democratic right. And the Iranian people are a
sophisticated people, they are worldly people. They want to be a part of
the international community. And they are being denied their rights by an
unelected few in Iran who want to impose their particular view of the
relationship between religion and politics on the Iranian population. Iran
is a proud and great nation. And Iran will find its place in democratic
values, because as you know it’s not too far from here. But the freedom,
and the spirit of freedom that is spreading throughout the world, Iran is
not going to be easy.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: Do you think that the attitude of Washington towards
Georgia would change, according to democracy in Georgia?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, we believe that Georgia is on a democratic path. And
everything that I have seen since I’ve been here, and I think that
everything that the President has seen since he’s been here is that Georgia
is on a democratic path. It is not easy to build democracy and we
understand that it’s not just having luncheons, the President will say that
to the Georgian leaders. He’s said it in his speech, that it’s not just
having luncheons, it’s building democratic institutions. We were able to
meet with the Speaker of the Parliament. It means having a strong
legislative branch. It means having a strong independent judiciary. It
means rooting out corruption in government. It means allowing the economy
to be free of too much government interference. These are the foundations
of democracy, and along with freedom of speech, freedom of worship and
protection of minority rights, that’s how you build a democracy. And so I’m
confident that that is the road that Georgia is on. It’s why I believe that
our friendship is only going to get deeper over time.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: During your visit to Riga, President Bush met with the
Presidents of the Baltic States. But in Tbilisi he did not agree to meet
with leaders of two other Caucasian countries. What’s the reason for this?
The level of democracy or anything else?
SECRETARY RICE: Oh, the visit to the Baltic States was a particular kind,
the President went to Latvia, he had been to Lithuania, and as you know, of
course the Baltic States are members of NATO, they are allies and so he
wanted to bring them all together; but we have relations with Azerbaijan, we
have relations with Armenia, and we value those relations. We do believe
that it is important that democracy spreads in the Caucasus. Georgia is a
wonderful example for people in this entire region of what can happen when
people start to take their rightful place in the communities around them.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: Thank you for your time. I hope it’s not your last
visit.
SECRETARY RICE: Oh, I think it will not be my last visit to Georgia. It’s
a wonderful place and I’ve always loved coming to Georgia. And I very much
support coming again.
MR. SAKEVARISHVILI: Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: )

Turkish Press
May 10 2005

Arinc Meets Representatives Of Turkish Community In Australia

MELBOURNE (AA) – Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc asked the Turks
living in Australia to adapt to the society where they were living.
Arinc who came to Australia upon the common invitation of
Australian parliament and senate speakers on Saturday, met with the
representatives of Turkish community.
Arinc said in the meeting that Turkey could become member of the
EU after eight-ten years.
Regarding the Armenian genocide claims, Arinc said that no such
crime was committed. Arinc stressed that he cancelled his visit to
Poland and postponed his visit to Russia as the two countries’
parliaments adopted decisions supporting Armenian claims.
Arinc asked the representatives of the Turkish community living
in Australia to fully integrate with the Australian society and to
learn its language, laws, and traditions to this end.

>>From Evil, Make Good
By Mayaan Jaffe

Israel Hasbara Committee, NY
May 5 2005

One-and-a-half million innocent individuals were killed. Women were
raped and children were tortured. The survivors are few, the pain is
great. But even ninety years after the Armenian Genocide, in which
Armenians were systematically murdered at the hands of the Ottoman
Turks, many ignore or deny the tragedy; many, but not all…

On 2 May 2005, the Hebrew University Armenian Studies Program, under
the auspices of Professor Michael E. Stone, brought the massacre
to the forefront of the thoughts of Israelis in a commemorative
evening, one week after the 24 April official day of remembrance
of the genocide. There was laughter, there were tears, and despite
the pain of the speakers (who presented materials in English, Hebrew,
Armenian and Russian), they offered sentiments of empowerment, outlooks
of hope. His Beatitude Patriarch Torkom II, the Armenian Patriarch
of Jerusalem, was present. Steven Kaplan, Dean of the Department of
Humanities at the Hebrew University, attended as well. Mr. Tsolag
Momjian, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia, inspired the
crowd with his personal story. And leading scholars in the field
of genocide, including keynote speaker Professor Israel Charney
and Armenian Studies Program Director Professor Michael E. Stone,
offered educational and inspirational lectures.

The evening was not a small feat for the Hebrew University. Despite
an Armenian-Israeli population of 25,000 and aside from scattered
Israeli politicians who support genocide commemoration and study,
the Jewish state has refused to recognize the Armenian massacre. The
country’s reasons are twofold. First of all, Israel has few allies
and is afraid to harm its relations with Turkey, a perpetrator who
has still not taken responsibility for its crime. Second of all, there
is a hesitation among Jews to give credence to other genocides so as
not to detract from the world’s focus on the Nazi Holocaust, in which
some six million Jews were murdered. While the former may be a viable
reason for Israel’s stance, according to Monday’s keynote speaker
Professor Israel Charney, the second reason is totally unfounded.

Said Charney, “We have an absolute moral responsibility to recognize
the Armenian Genocide… Respecting and honoring the memory and history
of each and every genocide is the first essential step towards creating
new means of preventing genocide to all people in the future.”

And there might be some truth to Charney’s statement. The Armenian
Holocaust of 1915 occurred less than half-a-century before the
Jewish Holocaust. Adolf Hitler was aware of how the world almost
instantaneously ‘forgot’ about the Armenians. In one of Hitler’s
many speeches he recognized the Armenian Genocide, drew comparisons
between it and the acts he plotted to carry out, and used it as a means
to encourage his followers. He said, “I have issued the command – and
I’ll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a
firing squad – that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain
lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly,
I have placed my death-head formations in readiness … with orders
for them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men,
women and children of Polish derivation and language. Only thus shall
we gain the living space … we need. Who after all speaks today of
the annihilation of the Armenians?”

Making the connection then

As the statement by Hitler alludes, there is a deep connection between
the Armenians and the Jews. But the histories of the two peoples
connect more extensively than one might imagine. Senior lecturer at
the Open University of Israel and the Kibbutzim College of Education,
Professor Yair Auron has dedicated himself to bringing to light the
connection Armenians and Jews, their trials and tribulations. In his
book The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide
(Transaction Books, 2000), which was published this year in Hebrew
in honor of the 90th anniversary, he writes: “At the time of the
Armenian genocide, the possibility of its extension to include the
Ottoman Jews was just barely avoided. One cannot help but be reminded
that between the two world wars, when the fate of the Armenians became
the forgotten genocide, European Jewry failed to heed the clear early
warnings of Hitler’s final solution.”

Auron devotes the major portion of his study to the fate of the
Armenians and the Jews under Turkish rule during the twilight of the
Ottoman Empire, from the beginning of the twentieth century, to the
rebalancing of world power in the Middle East after World War I.

He proves that the Jews of the Yishuv were well aware they were
next in line for a Turkish genocide. Indeed, during the spring of
1916 the order for expulsion of the Jews from Jaffa was a distinct
possibility. The intervention of the U.S. and German consuls with the
Turkish government in Jerusalem proved to be decisive in helping the
Jews avoid the fate that befell the Armenians.

Ironically, it was Henry Morgenthau, a Jew and the American ambassador
to Turkey during World War I, who became the first whistleblower
in what he described as the murder of a nation. In September 1915
Morgenthau requested emergency aid from his government, and in the same
year the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief (ACASR)
was established. In 1916, assistance efforts under the auspices
of Congress were reorganized as the Near East Relief (NER), which
collected and distributed substantial sums from private and government
sources. Through these projects, tens of thousands of Armenians were
saved. However, more were murdered than saved; according to Professor
M.E. Stone, head of the Hebrew University Armenian Studies Program,
the number of Armenians murdered by the Ottoman Empire totaled more
than 1.5 million, virtually wiping out the Turkish-Armenian population.

Ambassador Morgenthau was also effective in rescuing Jews, saving
leaders such as David Ben Gurion and Yitzhak Ben Tzvi, later prime
minister and president of Israel, respectively. Both men were avidly
pro-Turkish. Indeed Ben Gurion had tried to organize a Jewish corps in
support of the Ottomans, but when his name appeared on a Zionist list
he was jailed and charged with treason. On arriving in Alexandria he
was jailed again by the British, and then evacuated to New York. In
both instances, he was saved thanks to the intervention of Ambassador
Morgenthau.

Auron argues that Ben Gurion knew of the murders and what the Turks
capable of doing. Auron writes, “Whatever Ben Gurion’s strategy may
have been, he wrote privately to his father in 1919 that ‘Jamal Pasha
[then Turkish military ruler in Palestine] planned from the outset
to destroy the entire Hebrew settlement in Eretz Yisrael, exactly as
they did the Armenians in Armenia.'”

The murder of the Armenian political, cultural and business leadership
in Constantinople in April 1915 marked the beginning of full-scale
genocide. One month prior, Ambassador Morgenthau made arrangements
through his friend Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, to have
the USS Tennessee evacuate a number of Jews from Palestine to refugee
camps in Alexandria, Egypt. On the eve of World War I, there were some
85,000 Jews out of a population of 700,000 in the area of Palestine
west of the Jordan River [modern day Israel]. Half of the Jews were
part of the “Old Yishuv” and half were part of the “New Yishuv,”
immigrants who had arrived at the end of the nineteenth century and
the beginning of the twentieth.

As noted, evidence suggests the Jews knew what was happening to the
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

“The Yishuv knew about the fate of the Armenians and feared a similar
fate,” Auron writes.

Interestingly, it was Mordecai Ben-Hillel HaCohen, a Jewish journalist
in the Yishuv and uncle of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin,
who became the first publicist to report the chain of events affecting
the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. This was as early as 1916.

Likewise, the first book to document the plight of the Armenians,
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh: Symbol and Parable, was also written by a
Jew, Franz Werfel, and published in Germany in 1933. Translated into
Yiddish and Hebrew, Franz Werfel’s novel influenced Zionist youth
movements in Palestine in the 1930s and the resistance movements to
the Nazis throughout occupied Europe.

When Hitler’s plans began to come to fruition, it was Morgenthau’s
son, Henry Morgenthau II, the treasury secretary under President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who became the only member of the American
government during World War II to campaign for the creation of a
World Refugee Board to save the remnants of European Jewry. He was
always quoting the cables sent from his father, which warned of the
Armenian genocide during his time.

Making the connection now

One might assume these parallels, especially those between the tragic
events themselves, would lead the Jewish people to both identify
with and recognize the Armenian Genocide. This is especially since
the Armenian community has been in Jerusalem and the Holy Land since
the fourth century (more than 1,700 years). However, this is not
the case; as mentioned, Israel does not officially recognize the
Armenian Genocide. But it is also not accurate to say the facts have
gone unnoticed by everyone. Five years ago, for example, then-Israeli
Minister of Education Yossi Sarid became one of the first Israelis
to take a stance against denial of the Armenian Genocide when he
participated in that year’s memorial event. During his speech he
said, “The Armenian Memorial Day should be a day of reflection and
introspection for all of us, a day of soul-searching. On this day,
we as Jews, victims of the Shoah [Holocaust], should examine our
relationship to the pain of others. The massacre, which was carried
out by the Turks against the Armenians in 1915 and 1916, was one of
the most horrible acts in modern times…”

Sarid even recommended the state implement a new history curriculum
that would include a central chapter on genocide, and within it,
an open reference to the Armenian genocide. (Since Limor Livnat took
over as education minister, this idea has been dismissed.)

While few other politicians have followed Sarid’s lead, educated
historians and professors such as Auron have for a long time taken
a stand. As Director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide
in Jerusalem, Charney lectures regularly about the significance of
Jewish recognition of other people’s tragedies.

“Denying that there was an Armenian genocide, or any other genocide,
is the same as someone saying there was no Holocaust of the Jewish
people,” he said.

During the aforementioned 2 May memorial event, Charney noted that
there has been decisive progress against denials, but that there is
still much work to be done.

Stone also has extensively written and lectured about the similarities
between the atrocities committed against the Armenians by the Ottomans
and those committed against the Jews by the Nazis. He said, “In
my view they are the same sort of event. The Holocaust was simply
‘bigger and better’ because the Nazis had a much more organized
state and much more advanced technology.”

But Stone has taken it all a step further. It is through his work that
the Armenian Studies Program has come alive in the last ten years;
Stone plays a critical role in the education of Israel about the
genocide, but also Armenian history, culture and art.

“It is vital that we not only focus on the horrible effect of genocide
or the one-third of the Armenian people that were wiped out,” said
Stone, “but also focus on rejuvenating the culture and history that
the Ottomans attempted to eradicate.”

In his short but poignant remarks last Monday, Stone declared that
his work in general, and the memorial event in particular, are not
solely about remembering those needlessly murdered, but serve the
purpose of creating positive results from evils that have occurred.

Echoing the Jewish message that as terrible as the pain could be, the
happiness can be even greater, Stone said, “From evil, make good.”

And that is what the Armenians plan to do…

04.05.2005
,1564,1574355, 00.html

Schröder Criticizes Turkish Democracy

A Turkish journalist protesting threats to press freedom

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder on Wednesday criticized Turkey
for a string of deficiencies in its democracy, urging the country to
correct them if it wants to join the European Union.

“Mistreatment by security forces, limits on freedom of expression and
discrimination against women are incompatible with our common values,”
Schröder said at a speech at Marmara University after official talks
in Ankara.

The German leader also spoke of the “necessity of reform” in religious
freedoms in this mainly Muslim country, specifically mentioning a
meeting earlier in the day with the Istanbul-based spiritual leader
of the Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

Turkey is under pressure to remove legal obstacles for non-Muslim
religious foundations to fully exercise their property rights and to
reopen a Greek Orthodox seminary in Istanbul closed down more than
30 years ago.

Schröder, who was receiving an honorary doctorate from the university,
called on Ankara to address problem areas before it begins accession
talks with the European bloc on Oct. 3 and urged it to swiftly
implement reforms it has already adopted to achieve European norms.

Turkey “should not diminish its efforts,” he said. “Turkey has achieved
many reforms so far but there is still much to do.”

Investigating Armenian killings

Earlier on Wednesday, Schröder told reporters after meeting Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the EU is determined to open
accession talks with Turkey on time.

He brushed aside concerns that a May 29 referendum in France on the
European constitution could undermine Turkey’s bid.

“No referendum anywhere in Europe will affect Turkey’s EU process,”
he said.

Schröder also backed a Turkish proposal to Armenia to create a joint
commission of historians to study allegations that the Ottoman Turks
committed genocide against their Armenian subjects during World War I.

“We want Turkish-Armenian relations to improve,” Schröder
said. “Germany is ready to do its best to help in this issue and open
its archives.”

Germany and the Ottoman Empire, from which the present-day Turkish
Republic was born, were allies during World War I, when the Armenian
massacres occurred.

Turkey has come under mounting international pressure to recognize
the 1915-1917 killings as genocide; some EU politicians, including
the German opposition, argue that Ankara should address the genocide
claims if it wants to join the European bloc.

Erdogan, meanwhile, denounced an appeal issued by the German parliament
last month calling on Ankara to face up to its history. He said he
“conveyed our serious concerns and expectations” on the issue to
Schröder.

Support in Cyprus conflict

The two leaders said they also discussed the Cyprus conflict, a major
stumbling block to Turkey’s EU membership bid. Schröder pledged he
would work for the release of a 259-million euro (335-million dollar)
EU aid package earmarked for the breakaway Turkish Cypriot community
and the activation of measures aimed at easing trade restrictions
imposed on the island’s Turkish sector.

The EU promised the aid last year as a reward for the strong support
Turkish Cypriots gave to a UN peace plan, which was killed off due to
an overwhelming “no” by the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot
side. The measures have been blocked, however, because of opposition
by the Greek Cypriots, who joined the EU last year.

© 2005

–Boundary_(ID_hAikhhEBzAc0EO+XWuyYng)–

PACE COMMITTEE ON KARABAKH NOT TO REPLACE OSCE MG

Pan Armenian News
04.05.2005 03:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are not going to meet
with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev
during the events dedicated to the victory over Fascism to be held in
Moscow May 9, OSCE MG Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated, Azeri
APA news agency reported. He rated the negotiations held with Azeri FM
Elmar Mamedyarov in Frankfurt April 27 as useful and progressive. “We
have done a good work”, Yuri Merzlyakov said adding that presently
the Co-Chairs are preparing for the meeting with Armenian FM Vardan
Oskanian. In his words, the place and terms of the meeting are being
considered at the moment. “The meeting may take place in Moscow,
Warsaw or any European city 1 or 2 days before the CE summit. Yuri
Merzlyakov does not rule out that after the meeting with Vardan
Oskanian a recurrent meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Presidents will
be held within the frames of the CE summit in Warsaw May 16-17. “After
the meeting of the Presidents the negotiation process will continue in
the initiate format, when the talks will be held by the FMs of the two
states”, the OSCE MG Co-Chair said. When commenting on the formation
of the PACE Committee on Nagorno Karabakh Yuri Merzlyakov disagreed
with the opinion that the Committee can become an alternative to the
Minsk Group. “The proposal on the formation of such a committee was
submitted as a recommendation in David Atkinson’s report. Council of
Europe Secretary General Terry Davis stated that the Committee cannot
replace the OSCE Minsk Group and its activities will be based on human
rights protection”, he said. He also informed that the Co-Chairs are
not going to visit the region in the near future.

COMISSION WITH LIMITED AUTHORITY

A1plus

| 20:26:51 | 03-05-2005 | Politics |

When touching upon the Commission on Nagorno Karabakh conflict during
today’s press conference, Armenian National Assembly Vice Speaker
Tigran Torosyan states that the opinion that the Commission will
replace the OSCE Minsk Group is erroneous.

According to the demand of the resolution adopted at the PACE
January Session, a commission composed by the representatives of the
conflicting parties and of OSCE Minsk Group, chairmen of the political
and monitoring as well as Turkey’s representatives had to be formed.

As for Turkey’s role in the Commission, Tigran Torosyan is not
concerned over it, as the authority of the Commission are rather
limited and it not empowered to carry out comprehensive activities
in the region.

To note, the Commission will he headed by Lord Russell Johnston.

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA MAY 4

Pan Armenian News
03.05.2005 06:55

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Union special representative for the South
Caucasus, Ambassador Heikki Talvitie is arriving in Armenia May 4,
reported the Press Service of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia. In
the course of the visit H. Talvitie is scheduled to meet with the
Armenian President, the Parliament Speaker, the Foreign Minister,
as well as the US and UK Ambassadors to Armenia, the Temporary Charge
d’Affaires of Russia in Armenia and leaders of some non-governmental
organizations. May 6 the Special Representative will leave Armenia.

Presidential adviser on reasons for ceasefire breaches

Baku, April 28, AssA-Irada

The frequent ceasefire violations on the frontline by Armenia are due
to the successful policy on the Upper Garabagh conflict resolution
pursued by Baku, the presidential adviser on military issues Vahid
Aliyev said. Another reason for the persistent ceasefire breaches is
the fact that the documents passed by international organizations
recognized Armenia as aggressor. `This has led to psychological
tensions for the Armenian armed forces’, Aliyev said. The
presidential adviser added that the ceasefire violations will not
affect the Azerbaijani army, as it stands firm on its positions.*

ON HIS WAY TO GEORGIA SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT TO VISIT SEVERAL
TOWNS IN NORTH OF ARMENIA

YEREVAN, APRIL27. ARMINFO. On April 28, Speaker of Armenian parliament
Arthur Baghdasarian will pay an official visit to Tbilisi by the
invitation of his Georgian counterpart Nino Burjanadze.

ARMINFO was informed in the press office of National Assembly of
Armenia, during his visit Arthur Baghdasarian meet with President of
Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, Patriarch
of Georgia Ilya II and representatives of the Armenian community. On
his way to Georgia Arthur Baghdasarian will meet with residents of
several towns in the north of Armenia.