Author: Kalantarian Kevo

BAKO SAHAKYAN: ARTSAKH HAS ITS OWNSTANCE

Lragir.am
15:04:47 – 17/11/2008

On November 15 the NKR President Bako Sahakyan met with the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs Matthew Bryza, Yuri Merzlyakov, Bernard Fassier and
the persons accompanying them. During the meeting they discussed a
wide range of issues concerning the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. The recent declaration signed by the presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia on November 2 was underscored.

Bako Sahakyan underlined that in Artsakh they appreciate every
document which may have a positive role in establishing a civilized
dialogue in the process of settlement. He also said that the process
of settlement cannot be complete unless Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
participates, especially considering that Artsakh has its own stance
on the settlement of the conflict.

For their part, the co-chairs reasserted that it is impossible to
resolve the conflict without the agreement and participation of
Nagorno-Karabakh and its public.

The NKR foreign minister Georgy Petrosyan and the personal
representative of the OSCE CiO Andrzej Kasprzyk were also present at
the meeting.

AZERBAIJAN WITHDRAWS FROM IRAQ
By John C. K. Daly

Eurasia Daily Monitor
Nov 14 2008
DC

Five years after a U.S.-led coalition entered Iraq as peacekeepers
after the overthrow of President Saddam Hussein, Azerbaijan has
withdrawn its 151 troops stationed there. Azerbaijan’s troops served
under U.S. command and were deployed to guard a water storage facility
and hydroelectric dam near Haditha in Anbar Province, which supplies
30 percent of Iraq’s electricity production.

The Iraqi embassy in Baku released a statement saying:

"The Azeri peacekeeping contingent was one of the first to help the
Iraqi people and has protected the Haditha hydroelectric plant since
August 15, 2003. Taking into account Azeri peacekeepers’ duties,
it should be noted that their mission was of great importance and an
example of discipline and bravery. The Iraqi people and government
will never forget this noble action. The Iraqi government welcomes
the high-level Azeri military and parliamentary delegation that
has come to attend the solemn departure ceremony held for the Azeri
peacekeepers’ bravery and courage[; it] wishes success to every Azeri
peacekeeper. Let the Azeri peacekeepers who died in Iraq, rest in
peace" (Analiticheskoe i Informatsionnoe Agentsvtvo Finenko i abc.az,
November 12).

Terry Davidson, head of the public relations department of the
U.S. embassy in Baku was similarly fulsome, commenting:

"The U.S.A. highly appreciates Azerbaijan’s contribution to the efforts
to support stability and democratic development in Iraq. Fortunately,
Iraq is now a more peaceful and stable state, and the democratic
leaders of the country understand [their] responsibility for security
issues. This will allow members of the international coalition to
relocate their units to other places. Azerbaijan has been a valuable
member of the coalition and the American people hail the contribution
by your troops. We look forward to them being welcomed at home"
(Informatsionnoe Agentsvtvo Turan, November 10).

The action comes in the wake of President Ilham Aliyev’s submission
of a bill to the Milli Mejlis (Azerbaijan’s parliament) last month
to withdraw the Azeri peacekeepers. The withdrawal was subsequently
approved on November 10 by the parliamentary committee on security
and was forwarded to the plenary meeting of the Milli Mejlis.

The basis for Aliyev’s action was a strict legal interpretation of the
December 18, 2007, UN Security Council Resolution 1790, which extended
the Multi-National Force –Iraq (MNF-I) mandate until December 31
().

The Azeri deployment to Iraq was a highly symbolic display of
Baku’s support for U.S. peacekeeping initiatives. After a five-year
deployment, the Azeri peacekeeping contingent suffered its first
casualty on June 27, with the death of Rafael Seyidbala Agaye
(Informatsionnoe Agentsvtvo Trend, June 28).

The deployment in Iraq was only one of a number of low-key Azeri
contributions to peacekeeping operations worldwide since 1997 when
the Azeri Army established a peacekeeping detachment. For example,
Azeri troops have served in Afghanistan since November 2002; and
400 Azeri peacekeepers rotated through Kosovo from 1999 until they
were withdrawn earlier this year after the province unilaterally
declared its independence in February (Kavkazskii uzel, November 12;
Informatsionnoe Agentsvtvo Trend, October 2). Two months ago Azerbaijan
agreed to increase the size of its contingent in Afghanistan (EDM,
September 19).

Baku’s decision to withdraw its peacekeepers from Kosovo underlines a
common theme with its more recent decision about its forces in Iraq–a
scrupulous and precise respect for the letter of international law. It
is an open secret that there have been substantial disagreements
between Baghdad and Washington about a continuing American military
presence beyond the expiration of the UN mandate, and particularly
about the terms of the Status of Armed Forces (SOFA) agreement
currently under negotiation between Iraq and the United States. This
may well have influenced Baku’s decision.

While MNF-I is multinational, its current commander is General
Raymond T. Odierno, who assumed command on September 16 when General
David H. Petraeus took over the United States Central Command
(USCENTCOM). Given that around 93 percent of the MNF-I troops are
from the United States, Washington speaks with the loudest voice
among the coalition forces. Odierno has minced no words regarding
Washington’s unhappiness about the Iraqi government’s foot-dragging
on approving a SOFA draft, saying last week, "We’re working with the
government of Iraq on this, and the bottom line is, if we don’t have
a legal framework, we’re going to have to take a look at what happens"
(UPI, November 4).

The other unspoken concern in Azerbaijan is the new geo-strategic
landscape in the Caucasus after the August military confrontation
between Russia and Georgia. The conflict proved, as if any reminder
were needed, that Moscow retains a keen interest in the issues of
Caspian energy and its transport through the Caucasus. During a recent
interview, when asked whether Russia had influenced Baku’s decision to
withdraw troops from Iraq, Zahid Oruc, a member of the Milli Mejlis’s
standing commission on security and defense, took pains to dismiss
the notion, saying,

"The term of the mandate is finishing, Azerbaijan’s position was clear,
and I think there are no problems here. Moreover, it is unfounded to
suggest that this decision was taken, like some do in their analysis,
in regard to the recent events in the Caucasus, Russia’s new role
in the resolution of regional conflicts. This decision cannot be
considered a rejection of cooperation with the international coalition
and no new trends in U.S.-Azerbaijani relations should be sought"
(, November 11).

What the August Russian-Georgian military confrontation brought home
to Azerbaijan was the necessity to bear in mind Moscow’s concerns
over its future energy projects. Baku has great hopes of developing
new energy export products, particularly the Nabucco natural gas
pipeline, whose funding and construction could be put at risk
by adopting a confrontational stance toward Moscow. Furthermore,
Aliyev’s government has witnessed a diplomatic effort by Moscow to
resolve its difficulties with Armenia, a diplomatic Gordian knot that
has stymied Western efforts for more than a decade.

In the choice between confrontation and commerce, the Azeri government
has clearly chosen the latter. U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman
is heading a delegation to Azerbaijan for the 2008 Energy Summit,
which opens on November 14. Neither the Russian ambassador nor other
Russian officials attended the ministerial conference on November 11
that drew up the agenda and documents to be signed at the gathering
(Farsuna Hidmet Portali, November 13).

If, as Bodman stated before leaving Washington, the U.S. government
is interested in pipelines for "the transport of competitive energy
resources from the Caspian region to meet the needs of markets east,
west, north, and south," then Aliyev might use his diplomatic skills
to remind his guest that those markets include both Russia to the north
and Iran to the south, where Azerbaijan increased its energy shipments
when conflict three months ago blocked its western export options.

ARMENIAN FINANCES MINISTER: WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS HAS NOT YET AFFECTED ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2008-11-12 15:47:00

ArmInfo. ‘Armenian government has the relevant reforms and programmes
to respond to the challenges of the world financial crisis if needed’,
– Armenian Finances Minister Tigran Davtyan said when replying to
ArmInfo correspondent’s question. He also added at present there is not
such a necessity in the financial and banking system of Armenia. ‘The
world financial crisis has not yet affected Armenia regarding finances
as the banking system as well as the state budget are in their natural
state’, – Davtyan said.

PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF ARMENIA: PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS BY STATE IS A TASK OF GREAT POLITICAL AND SOCIAL IMPORTANCE

ArmInfo
2008-11-12 10:52:00

ArmInfo. ‘Protection of human rights and freedoms by state is a task
of great political and social importance. Its fulfillment requires
serious efforts by the state and coordination of interaction with
civil society’, Prosecutor General of Armenia Aghvan Hovsepyan said
at the regional conference of prosecutors general in Lvov, Ukraine.

‘The key activity guidelines of the Prosecutor General’s Office of
Armenia are the Basic values proclaimed by our Constitution i.e. human
being, his rights and freedoms’, A. Hovsepyan said. Unfortunately
the Prosecutor’s Office in Armenia has not powers outside the
criminal and legal sphere except the function of the Prosecutor
on control over execution of criminal punishments. ‘Any crime
violates human rights, indeed. However, very often preliminary
investigation or justice violate human rights. It is the very
sphere that needs procuracy supervision and restoration of social
justice>, A. Hovsepyan said. Such violations are often displayed
through crimes against a person, property, in transport sector
and corruption. ‘Surveys showed that crimes in transport sector
are often result for wrong engineering and technical solutions and
omissions in construction of definite road sections. All this often
results in casualties. To liquidate the conditions contributing to
road accidents, the Prosecutor made relevant petitions to the Head
of the Armenian Police and the transport minister. The president of
Armenia was informed as well. All the measures taken have reduced
the general number of accidents in the country’, the Prosecutor
General said. He highlighted the role of procuracy and ombudsman in
the sphere and the real and effective mechanisms of cooperation of
these institutions. In addition, Regulations have been drafted to
boost the cooperation of procuracy and public organizations. ‘I’d
like to mention that Armenia has ratified majority of international
human rights protection acts that have become a component of our
legal system in compliance with our Constitution. CIS Coordination
Council of Prosecutors General also adopted a series of documents
ensuring protection of human right and interests through procuracy,
including by proposal of Armenian Prosecutor’s Office’, A. Hovsepyan
said. He also added that the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia
pays special attention to training of employees and strengthening
of international and legal ties with procuracies of other states to
fight crime and protect human rights and public interests.

N.K.R. BREAKS THE SILENCE AT THE RIGHT MOMENT
Vardan Grigoryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
12 Nov 08
Armenia

The rapid processes observed in the Karabakh settlement process
following the signature of the Moscow Declaration make the issue of
the clarification of Nagorno Karabakh’s political stance inevitable.

As shown by the one-year discussions over the Madrid Principles
(introduced by the mediators on November 29, 2007) and the fact of
achieving an agreement over them, even the signature of the document
cannot remove from the agenda the issue of Karabakh’s participation
in the talks. It isn’t as though the negotiations were devoted to
the discussion of such issues as the NKR status, the future of the
territories controlled by the Defense Army etc. Whereas the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic, which was recognized as a party to the talks back
in 1994 following the Budapest Summit, is deprived of the opportunity
of supporting its own stance on those issues.

So, the moment of Karabakh’s making a choice between reinstating its
rights as a full party to the talks and having to declare that it
doesn’t recognize their outcome is drawing near. In the latter case,
the efforts that the mediators, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan
have been making for so many years will fall flat.

Any document to be adopted without the participation of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic will put an end to the aspirations of its own
people. So, as long as the negotiation process hasn’t reached its
final stage, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic has no serious grounds
for being concerned. But not being a party to the Moscow Declaration,
it can no longer tolerate the existing situation.

But it isn’t as though the issue of Nagorno Karabakh’s participation in
the talks had existed at least since 1998, and every time its solution
was delayed due to the persistent efforts of Azerbaijan. So, are there
any chances that this time Baku will retreat from its previous stance
which distorted the essence and contents of the Karabakh conflict and
changed it into "territorial demands" allegedly imposed on Azerbaijan
by Armenia?

The whole problem is that after the signature of the Moscow
Declaration, each of the superpowers is attempting to speed up the
Karabakh settlement process, and the sharp conflict of their interests
again leads the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations to a deadlock. While
the mediators themselves are making haste, the new document may serve
as a ground for using the scenario that stands in stark contrast to
the "imposition of peace".

The first among them is the Western scenario that threatens to
make Karabakh a reservation controlled by the international forces,
thus securing the availability of the oil and gas of the neighboring
Azerbaijan and Middle Asia. Whereas the negotiations over the issue
of accelerating the NABUKKO program (conducted with Turkey, Azerbaijan
and Turkmenistan by EU Commissioner for Energy Issues Andris Piebalts)
have reached the crucial moment when Russia can no longer "twiddle its
thumbs". In conditions of the fall of the international oil prices,
the attempts of broadening the European gas market may undermine
Moscow’s positions on the international energy market.

In such conditions, Moscow has but 2 scenarios. The first is the
implementation of the program "Gas in Return for Karabakh" (which
requires that Azerbaijan make self-sacrifice and become Turkey’s
strategic ally) and the neutralization of the Armenian factor. However,
it’s obvious that sacrificing the Armenian party in return for the
temporary neutralization of the NABUKKO program (already included in
the agenda by the European Union) will sooner or later oust Russia
from the "big game" and lead to the continuation of the previous
program with new efforts.

Therefore, there’s only one scenario left. Its implementation
demands that Russia assume its traditional role of the defender of
the interests of Nagorno Karabakh (the main subject of the Karabakh
conflict) and hence, the guarantor of peace and stability in Eastern
Transcaucasia.

Thus, the rapid processes taking place in the region give Armenia
and the Armenian diplomacy a unique opportunity for advancing and
substantiating the issue of NKR’s right to self-determination, because
both for Russia and the West, Karabakh is the only counter-balance
that may impede or contribute to the implementation of the programs
aimed at building a South Caucasian energy corridor.

STARTING UP IN TURKEY: COMMON SUPERSTITIONS IN TURKEY

Today’s Zaman
Nov 12 2008
Turkey

"Pardon, what did you say? Yesterday night you were cutting your
nails? And you were looking at the mirror while doing that?

Don’t tell me that you were also whistling at the same time! Oh dear,
don’t you know that all this brings evil? Come on! We’ll go and buy
you an evil eye!"

Do situations like this one have a familiar ring for you? Well, then
you have probably already realized that people in Turkey seemingly
believe in a lot of superstitions. Indeed, having thousands of
explanations for bad luck and good luck, Turks can be obsessed by
auspicious and inauspicious happenings. You find that funny? But if
you’re aiming to really get acquainted with Turkey’s culture and
society, you shouldn’t miss out on its superstitions. This week,
Today’s Zaman explains what is behind the traditions.

One thing you have probably stumbled upon with your first step into
Turkey is the "evil eye" (nazar boncugu). This small, eye-shaped blue,
white and yellow amulet decorates nearly every vehicle, from cars
and cabs to buses and even airplanes. It is pinned to the clothes
of babies, built into the foundation of modern office buildings,
put in the doorways of houses, shops and offices, and can either be
worn as a bracelet, earring or necklace. Sure, you know what we are
talking about.

But do you know also what is behind this Turkish superstition? Well,
Turkish people believe that the evil eye amulet will protect you from
bad energy, especially from the envious glares that are believed to
cause one harm. Nothing can harm you as long as you are protected
with the nazar boncugu because it will absorb the bad energy. However,
if this amulet cracks, this means it has probably done a good job of
protecting you and you should immediately replace it with a new one.

So, have you just had a new child? Got a new job? Bought a new
car? Built a new house? Then use an evil eye to protect yourself,
your house, your office or your loved ones.

Make a wish

What else can you do to give your luck a boost? Keep your eyes open for
"wish trees." Wherever you see trees with small ribbons or colored
clothes tied to their branches, don’t hesitate to make a wish and
do the same. These are "wish trees," which means that you can expect
your wish to come true.

To ensure, for instance, that the new year is prosperous and peaceful,
you may open the padlocks at midnight and sprinkle salt at the
thresholds of your house. Similarly, Armenians open their shops and
workplaces for at least one or two hours on Jan. 1 and sprinkle the
kernels from pomegranates around. If you enjoy traveling, you should
go out for a short walk at midnight. This will lead you to travel a
lot in the new year.

Speaking of traveling: Never forget to pour a glass of water after
someone goes on a trip to ensure his journey will be "as smooth
as water."

A couple of superstitions are linked to eating habits: For example,
if you found a new job, with the first salary you should quickly buy
sweets and candy for your colleagues. "Let’s eat sweets so we can talk
sweet" is the saying. Moreover, you should never miss out on the chance
to have a cup of Turkish coffee with a friend. It will reward both of
you with — as a saying goes — "40 years of friendship." After you
have finished, you may also make use of the common Turkish practice
of having your coffee cups read. "Don’t believe fortune telling,
but don’t be left without fortune telling," it is said here.

Better to be prepared

You see, Turkish people have a lot of superstitions concerning good
and bad luck. Let’s prepare you with the most important dos and don’ts.

It could be good to keep in mind that in Turkey the right side is the
"right" side in the truest sense of the word. To start your day well,
you should always get out of bed from the right side. A shop owner
probably enters his establishment with his right foot to guarantee
good business. Generally, it could be better to enter your own house
(especially after moving in) with your right foot so you will have
happiness in your house. Some say the right side rule is for stepping
inside as well as outside. In short: To prevent yourself from any
bad luck, you should simply concentrate on your right side whatever
you do and where ever and whenever you go.

While you’re outside, you should watch out as well. You ran into a
black cat this morning? You definitely have to change your route to
prevent bad luck. Just the opposite — if a snake crosses your way,
it’s a sign of good luck.

Things you should never do include walking under a ladder. And never
break a mirror. This could give you seven years of bad luck — unless
you bury the pieces of the broken mirror immediately. And never hand
over a cutting utensil, like a knife or scissors, directly to someone;
this could provoke a fight. In case it is unavoidable to do so, it is
better to spit on it while giving — or at least to pretend to do that.

Nights are another quite complicated topic in Turkey. You should
not cut your nails at night. Turkish people believe that you will
shorten your life for that. You shouldn’t whistle at night because it
brings evil; sweeping your house at night brings poverty. If a dog
howls at night, it could also be sign of an upcoming catastrophe,
but you avoid it if you immediately reverse your slippers. If an
owl hoots on the roof of a house at night, some regions see this
as a signal of bad luck or even death. But different regions have
different superstitions, and some believe the hooting owl is a sign
that the family will receive a message.

And never, never talk about bad illnesses, and never mention the
illness by name. If it happens, it is best to knock directly on wood
and pull your ear.

Other beliefs and habits are linked to marriage. If a young girl
tries on a married man’s wedding ring, she will probably have bad
luck in her own marriage. If you are married already: Never knit a
pullover or something else for your own husband to wear. If a woman
eats eggs during her pregnancy, her child will be very naughty. If
she eats liver and the liver falls, touching a part of her body,
the child will have a black mark at that place later. You just had a
baby? Don’t dare to measure its length, or the baby will remain short.

We can expand this list endlessly. Washing clothes on Saturday brings
bad luck, but cleaning the house on Fridays could be unhealthy.

What? You still don’t believe in these things? Sure, we don’t
either! But it’s good to know just in case, isn’t it? I mean, we
don’t want to provoke a disaster …

A LIBERAL KISS OF LIFE TO TURKEY’S PM

Hurriyet
Nov 12 2008
Turkey

I really wonder if Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s statement,
"Anybody who doesn’t like it can leave this country," directed to
certain segments in Turkey’s southeastern region, would cost him votes.

If we are searching for an answer to the question of just how much the
"love it or leave it" statement would cost and who would be the loser
", we have a very good example.

Hurriyet did not see a fall in readership last year when an angry
Erdogan told Hurriyet daily’s columnist Bekir Coskun, "if you don’t
like it, leave the country".

On the contrary, our readership increased.

The same thing happened again and Hurriyet’s circulation rose when
he called for a boycott against the newspaper.

Starting with this example, I wonder if we would reach a similar
conclusion if we ask if Erdogan would lose votes over his recent
statements.

He may lose in the southeast, but I don’t think he would lose support
in Turkey’s remaining regions.

But there is another very important thing that he will lose.

He could lose the "liberal intellectual support" which brought him
to this point and which was also very influential during the closure
case against his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Even at this time, there are very serious indicators that this is
the result.

* * *

You are going to read an interview Hurriyet daily conducted with
Italian Prime Minister Sylvio Berlusconi in today’s edition.

I am certain that some of his remarks would irritate an important
number of Hurriyet readers.

Particularly over Berlusconi’s statement that "secularism is not
under threat in Turkey".

He says he sees Erdogan as a great reformer; what is more, he adds
that Erdogan has made important steps forward in regard to freedom
of expression.

But, the European Union said the freedom of press was under threat
and that reforms were suspended in the latest Turkey progress report
that was released last week.

Despite all this, Erdogan’s image remains high in the eyes of European
leaders.

How long will this support continue?

How long they continue to ignore the opinions and criticisms of
intellectuals?

Western society is rational and not emotional like us.

In other words, we could say it is like the sea, which warms late
and also cools late.

Erdogan’s attitude towards the press created such negative impacts
that it was included in the country’s progress report.

And now, in addition to his "love it or leave it" statement is the
remark made by Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, "Would we be a national
state if the Greeks and Armenians had not left," which could cause
a boomerang effect in Brussels.

* * *

Erdogan met with a number of intellectuals at a dinner held in a
private apartment in the Yeni Hayat (New Life) building in Istanbul
last Saturday.

I noticed intellectuals that had recently criticized Erdogan were
not among those invited to attend.

Instead, intellectuals who offer him unquestioning support, including
Can Paker, were invited.

I assessed this situation as the prime minister not wanting to listen
to any criticism from those close to him.

Why is he behaving in this manner?

Is it because he is tired and angry?

Or, is it because this ‘one man’ psychology has become a permanent
character trait?

At this point, I want to return to today’s Berlusconi interview.

Erdogan’s position of prestige in the West continues.

But as we have learned from recent history, deceased former Turkish
President Turgut Ozal, seen as the miracle star of the emerging world
by the West, and Mikhail Gorbachev, referred to as one of the greatest
reformist of the 20th century, both faced major political defeat
at home when they were accepted as world leaders, in other words,
during their most prestigious days in politics.

Therefore the prime minister is right.

A man should look to the future instead of the past.

Now, I wonder if the "kiss of life" he received in the New Life
apartment will save his life or not.

ARMENIAN PUBLIC TV CRITICIZED FOR LOW QUALITY AND BIASED PROGRAMMING

Mediamax
Nov 10 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 10 November: Discussions of the proposed amendments to the
Law on Television and Radio continued in the Armenian parliament today.

Ara Nranyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun
[ARFD] faction in parliament criticized the activity of the Armenian
Public TV. He said that the Public TV does not correspond to its real
purpose and is no different than other TV channels. He said that the
Public TV air time is completely filled with soap operas and programmes
with "inadequate content and quality". Nranyan criticized the content
of the Public TV’s information programmes as well. He called the
state budget money given to the Public TV "pointlessly wasted".

Stepan Safaryan, the secretary of the opposition Heritage party
faction, in his turn, said that in 2006-07, the Public TV "served the
interests of one person, former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
and did not ensure pluralism of opinions in media".

He also expressed discontented with the content of the programmes and
movies broadcasted by the Public TV, saying that there is a necessity
to hand over the task of monitoring the Public TV to independent
expert organizations, which will help organize more effectively the
further activity of the TV channel.

The chairman of the Public TV board, Aleksan Harutyunyan, who was in
attendance, did not react to the criticism. The voting on proposed
amendments to the Law on Television and Radio will be conducted on
11 November.

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206

Tel: 818-243-6222
Fax: 818-243-7222
Url:

PRESS RELEASE

Contact ~ Sarkis Kotanjian
[email protected]

Reconstruction of Togh Village School Completed
Project Funded by AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School Students

Los Angeles, CA – Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region is pleased to
announce the completion of the Togh Village Secondary School’s thorough
reconstruction. The school is located in the Hadrut Region of Nagorno
Karabakh. Over $115,000 of the total $465,000 needed for the
reconstruction was donated by the students, parents and faculty of AGBU
Manoogian Demirdjian School in Los Angeles, California.

Togh is a historically Armenian village situated in the picturesque
Hadrut mountains. However during the Soviet Azeri rule it had become a
`mixed’ village due to the forced influx of Azeri families. Armenians
were segregated and Armenian children had to enter the school from a
separate entrance. During the Artsakh Liberation War, this village
witnessed fierce military action and sustained serious damage. Today,
the population of the village is growing and has reached 730 residents,
exceeding the pre-war numbers. Several families have relocated to Togh
from Armenia and Russia.

`The school was built in 1978 and has not been renovated for the last 30
years’, said Sarkis Kotanjian, Executive Director of Armenia Fund U.S.
Western Region. `I remember visiting the school in 2006 before Armenia
Fund found a sponsor for the school. I was shocked to see the
conditions. But what touched me the most was that despite those horrible
conditions, children were neatly dressed, studying hard and getting good
grades. It was like they didn’t notice that the windows were broken,
bathrooms didn’t work and the classrooms were heated with an ancient
wood stove. As I spoke to the children, they were full of optimism. They
told me: `Don’t worry – things will get better…’, with a big smile on
their faces. As I came back to Los Angeles, I visited the AGBU Manoogian
Demirdjian School for a meeting with students and faculty discussing the
2006 Telethon. As I was speaking with the AGBU MDS class of 2006
students, Azatui Karaoglanyan, Aline Mnayan and Anna Vardanyan told me
with the same big smile: `Don’t worry, we’ll raise the funds, we’ll
build the Togh school!’, added Kotanjian.

A year later, Armenia Fund was demolishing everything in the school
leaving only bearing walls, floors, and ceilings. Everything was
stripped to bear concrete. The school underwent thorough seismic
retrofitting: foundations were reinforced and the entire building was
encased in a fine rib bar cage – inside and out. Sewage and water
piping, electrical wiring was replaced. Carcinogenic asbestos roofing
was removed and replaced with metal. Windows and doors were all
replaced. All restrooms have been built anew and fitted with new
plumbing fixtures. A new stand-alone boiler house with a new internal
heating system was installed. Armenia Fund also provided new school
furniture for every classroom.

`It is safe to say that Armenia Fund practically built a new school in
Togh. We only used the existing concrete skeleton of the building,
reinforced it and build everything else from scratch. I want to thank
the AGBU MDS school class of 2006, students and parents who made all of
this possible. Raising $115,000 dollar-by-dollar by going door to door
in 2 months is a mission impossible by itself. This is historic, as no
other Armenian school has done anything like this before. I remember the
enthusiasm of the students – they organized a walkathon, a fashion show,
bake sales, and numerous other events benefiting the Togh school
project. I want to thank the AGBU MDS’s principal Mr. Hagop Hagopian for
his support and faculty member, Mrs. Anahid Nalbandian-Pezeshkian, who
helped the students reach their goal’, said Ara Aghishian, Vice Chairman
of Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region and an AGBU MDS parent himself.

`I believe it is very symbolic that the Armenian school students in the
Diaspora donated a new school for Armenian students in Artsakh. I
believe that this is the most important course of study that the Class
of 2006 took at AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, just as important as
the Armenian language and history. I remember that during Telethon 2006
at the studio, Aline Mnayan, an AGBU MDS student told me that her dream
was to one day become the principal of Togh School. Now these Diasporan
kids have a tangible connection to their Homeland – a bridge that will
help them stay Armenian no matter where they end up in this life’, said
Maria Mehranian, Chairperson of Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region.

A video story about the reconstruction of Togh School will be featured
during Armenia Fund’s 11th International Telethon. The 12 hour live
broadcast originating from Los Angeles will be aired live in the United
States and across the globe on Thanksgiving Day, November 27,
8:00am-8:00pm PST. The general sponsor of this year’s Telethon is
Armenia’s largest cellular communications provider, VivaCell MTS
Corporation.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $190 million in
development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is
the U.S. Western Region affiliate of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund. Tax
ID# 95-448569

APPROACHING KARABAKH FROM THREE DIRECTIONS
by Nikolai Filchenko

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 7, 2008 Friday
Russia

Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan sign a joint declaration

PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, ARMENIA, AND AZERBAIJAN DISCUSSED
NAGORNO-KARABAKH; Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
discussed Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Dmitry Medvedev, Serj Sargsjan, and Ilham Aliyev signed a joint
declaration on Nagorno-Karabakh. It became the first document since
1994 leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed together. Observers
say meanwhile that this was all Moscow’s diplomacy accomplished.

Preparations for the trilateral summit began almost immediately after
the Five Day War with Georgia that badly damaged Russia’s image of a
peacekeeper in the eyes of the international community. A week after
recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (on September 2), President
Dmitry Medvedev met with Sargsjan in Sochi and discussed the idea of
a Karabakh summit in Russia with him. Medvedev called Aliyev in Baku
several days after that and informed him of the idea. Details of the
summit were discussed during Aliyev’s visit to Moscow and Medvedev’s
own trip to Armenia in September.

The summit took place in Castle Maiendorf near Moscow. The negotiations
resulted in the trilateral declaration which Russia appraised as "a
document of paramount importance". According to Russian Chairman of
the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov, this was the first agreement
the concerned parties signed after 1994.

Signatories pledge the resolve "to facilitate improvement of the
situation through political settlement of the Karabakh conflict on
the basis of the international law." They agree that "accomplishment
of peaceful settlement should be accompanied y legally binding
international guarantees" and emphasize that "presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia decided to continue efforts aimed at political settlement
of the conflict."

The declaration caused a great deal of comments in Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Recognizing importance of the signing, observers in Yerevan
and Baku found numerous faults with the document. Azerbaijani political
scientist Vafa Guluzade called it "a pointless document" that committed
signatories to nothing. Independent expert Rasim Musabekov emphasized
the absence of the non-use of force clause in the document.

Armenian observers meanwhile decided that the document recognized
existence of sovereign Nagorno-Karabakh. "Two presidents pledge
to abide by the international law. The birth, proclamation,
and existence of Artsakh corresponds to it," political scientist
Levon Melik-Shakhnazarjan said. Speaking of the shortcomings of the
document, Melik-Shakhnazarjan pointed out that it did not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh as a concerned party.