Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Azeri Foreign Minister to leave for Turkey
ArmRadio.am
10.07.2006 11:46
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov will leave today
for Turkey on a three-day official visit. In addition to bilateral
relations and prospects of settlement of the Karabakh issue the Prime
Ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey will discuss issues of regional
and international concern.

LEVEL OF LAKE SEVAN WAS 1898,58 METERS IN THE BEGINNING OF JULY
GAVAR, JULY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. As for July 15, the level of the lake
of Sevan was 1898,58 meters above the sea level. As the Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed from the Gegharkunik regional department
of the Hayhydromet service, it is 28 centimeters above the same day
index of the previous year. Nearly 44 million cubic meter of water
had been run off the lake for the purpose of irrigation since the
beginning of the year.

LIFE IS STAGE, PEOPLE ARE ACTORS
Lragir.am
07 July 06
The National Theatrical Creative Society is ten days old. The first
conference of the society was on June 26, where the members of the
presidium including Ara Yernjakyan, Armen Mazmanyan, Armen Meliksetyan
and Jirayr Dadasyan elected Ruben Babayan, the art director of the
Puppet Theater, chair of the organization.
Unlike other organizations, the members of the presidium will chair
the society in turn. “We find that this form of government is right
because this is a public society and sole governance would not be
helpful,” thinks Ruben Babayan. Considering the establishment of
the organization as natural, he says competition and variety are
the guarantee of progress and they stood up considering tomorrow’s
theater important. They say their mission is to clear the way for
the young generation by providing a free stage.

Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov is on a visit in Germany
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 7 2006
[ 07 Jul. 2006 18:23 ]
Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov who is on a visit in
Germany, yesterday visited Marshal Foundation of Germany, joined the
seminar with participation of private company, strategical institute,
and other organization leaders.
Foreign Ministry Press and Information Policy Office chief Tahir
Taghizade has told APA that, making a speech in the seminar, Elmar
Mammadyarov spoke on regional problems, relations of Azerbaijan with
neighboring countries, energy and transport projects implemented
at the initiative of Azerbaijan, especially Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Arzurum pipelines, Baku-Tbilisi- Gars railway station,
integration of Azerbaijan to Euroatlantic area, European Union new
neighborhood policy activity, Azerbaijan-Armenia, Nagorno-Garabagh
conflict’s settlement talks through peaceful way.
Elmar Mammadyarov visited Azerbaijani embassy’s new building in
Germany, met with associates of the embassy.
Today in the end of the visit, Elmar Mammadyarov will meet with Defense
Ministry state secretary Christian Shmidt, economic cooperation and
development deputy minister Ms. Kotman and Germany-Azerbaijan Forum
leadership./APA/

CLERGY TAKES AIM AT EXTREMISM
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer
Moscow Times, Russia
July 5 2006
Killing in the name of God has long been a hallmark of extremists.
Now moderate voices are invoking the Almighty with the hope of
saving lives.
Meeting Tuesday for the second day of a religious leaders conference
at the President Hotel, clergy from around the globe bemoaned the
explosion in violent secularism.
The three-day meeting has drawn more than 100 senior clergy from 40
countries and all four faiths recognized by Russian authorities —
Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Other religions were
also represented.
“We are facing international terrorism that misuses religion …
especially when it is used a pretext for hatred and murder,” said
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the top Catholic representative at the meeting.
Armenia’s Catholicos Garegin II also blamed secularism for extremist
violence, and Russia’s chief rabbi, Berl Lazar, called for “responsible
spiritual leaders” to counter extremist movements.
Participants in the meeting agreed to set aside theological differences
to prepare a joint statement directed at the heads of state from the
Group of Eight nations meeting in St. Petersburg later this month.
The statement from the meeting, which is being hosted by the Russian
Orthodox Church, will focus on the intersection between faith and
politics.
President Vladimir Putin has pledged to present a copy of the religious
leaders’ statement to his counterparts at the G8 meeting.
The summit takes place July 15-17.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged religious leaders
not to shy away from attacking extremists and xenophobes.
But behind the veil of goodwill and shared purpose were deep-seated
cultural and religious differences.
Russia’s chief mufti, Ravil Gainutdin, said politics was behind many
religious conflicts.
Without pointing any fingers, Gainutdin said: “Conflicts that have
arisen in Palestine, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan simply reflect a common
discontent with the world having a unipolar trend of development.”
Tuesday’s meeting largely steered clear of discussion between clergy
and instead entailed a series of statements delivered one after
another. The chief mufti of the Caucasus, Allahshukyur Pashazadeh,
moderated the event, calling every speaker “dear brother.”
Israel Singer, head of the Political Council of the World Jewish
Congress and a participant in the conference, said the meeting was
a great step forward for Russia.
“The fact that President Putin chose not just to allow us to work out
recommendations for the government, but encouraged us to do so — what
is it if not a search for partners among religious leaders?” he said.
Putin, speaking on Monday, the first day of the conference, called
on participants to transform the “clash of civilizations” into a
“dialogue of civilizations.”
Similar government-backed, international meetings of religious leaders
were recently held in Cairo and Ankara.
An explosion tore through windows and doors of the home of a Moscow
region Muslim leader early Tuesday, Interfax reported. The man’s name
was not disclosed.
The house is also used by Muslims for prayers. No one was injured in
the blast. Police classified the attack as “hooliganism.”

TURKEY NOT READY FOR EU
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.07.2006 17:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Following an attack on a French Catholic priest in
Samsun on Sunday, a top Vatican official said yesterday that Turkey
shouldn’t become a member of the European Union until freedom of
religion is guaranteed. Speaking to Italian daily Corriere de la
Sera, Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Vatican’s department
for Christian Unity, said, “We believe that Turkey isn’t ready to
integrate with Europe. If it were a truly secular state, it would be
able to guarantee freedom of religion. Right now the atmosphere in the
country is very tense and hostile towards minorities.” Charging that
freedom of religion in Turkey is restricted by radical nationalism
and fundamentalism, Kasper added he doesn’t think attacks on members
of the clergy and missionaries are personal. Kasper also said that
as freedom of religion isn’t guaranteed, Turkey isn’t ready to join
the EU, reported Yerkir.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN: ARMENIA’S DEVELOPMENT AND POLITICAL FATE SHOULD BE DECIDED BY PEOPLE PERMANENTLY RESIDING IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jul 4 2006
YEREVAN, JULY 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The traditional
friendship between Armenia and Syria should continue: Syria has an
important mission in the Near East and many Armenians live in Syria
being warmly welcomed in this country after the tragedy of the last
century. RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian declared this at the July 4
meeting with Moukhless Pharaon, Charge d’Affaire of Syria.
According to NA Press Service, NA Speaker also touched upon the
principles of the bill “On Dual Citizenship” mentioning that this
subtle issue should be treated carefully and the limits of rights and
obligations should be differentiated. T.Torosian considers unacceptable
for Armenians living in Armenia, bearing all difficulties after
the independence to have equal rights and obligations with their
compatriots living abroad at the same time mentioning that those
wishing to have the right to elect and to be elected can return,
live in Armenia and receive this right. “Armenia’s development and
political fate should be decided by people permanently residing
in Armenia.” Appreciating the contribution of Diasporan Armenians,
T.Torosian attached importance to bringing their experience to Armenia.

ATTACKS ON MINORITIES IN MOSCOW – HATE CRIME, PROSECUTORS SAY
Pravda, Russia
July 3 2006
Four Armenians and one Azerbaijani were attacked by about 15 assailants
at a subway station on Saturday, said Sergei Marchenko, a spokesman
for the Moscow prosecutor’s office. The Moscow prosecutor’s office
initially said only two people were hurt in the attack, and that it
was being investigated as “hooliganism,” not a hate crime.
Russia has seen a wave of xenophobia and hate crimes in recent years,
with hundreds of attacks reported, including many on dark-skinned
immigrants from former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus Mountains
region.
Rights activists say hate groups are emboldened by authorities’
mild approach to prosecuting hate crimes, and say that neo-Nazi and
extremist literature is sold freely.
In Yerevan, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan on Monday
condemned the attack, and called on Russia to do more to head off a
rising tide of violent xenophobia in the country.
Meanwhile, three suspects in the Saturday stabbing of a Kazakh
citizen were arrested for a racially motivated crime, the Interfax
news agency reported.
Also Saturday, two Uzbek citizens were hospitalized with multiple
stab wounds after being attacked in southwest Moscow, Interfax said.

First International Youth Conference on National Democracies to open in
Yerevan July 3

ArmRadio.am
01.07.2006 15:25
July 3 the first International Youth Conference on National
Democracies will open in Yerevan. The conference will be held on July
3-7 and will cover topics related to National Democracy, such as Youth
and Democracy, National Culture and Democracy, Nationalism,
Cosmopolitism and Democracy and Democratic Education. It involves
students from different countries including Armenia.
There will be speakers from Stockholm City Hall, Sweden, Caucasus
Media Institute, Armenia, Russian Embassy in Armenia, Yerevan State
University, the “European Integration” NGO, the “Sociometr” Research
Center, Caucasus Research and Resource Center, Armenian Center of
Political and International Research, OpenArmenia.com, ICSRD, Florida
State University and AIPRG.

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
June 30 2006
Turkish Food Ban Reflects Political Concerns in Armenia
Turkish food has remained popular in Armenia despite the hostile
diplomatic relationship, but it has been banned ostensibly for health
reasons.
By Arpi Harutiunyan in Yerevan (CRS No. 346, 30-June-06)
`Don’t buy Turkish sunflower seeds,’ Nelly told her friend Armine as
they stood in a shop in Yerevan. `I’ve heard they cause sterility.’
`Are you serious? `The Turkish ones are so tasty,’ said Armine, still
wavering. In the end, she reconsidered, `All right, give me two packs
of Armenian seeds.’
Fears that Turkish food products could cause various illnesses and
disorders have grown into a wave of hysteria in Armenia that seems to
be as least politically driven as it is based on real health
concerns.
Officially at least, the sale of Turkish foodstuffs has been illegal
since May, when the Armenian trade and economic development ministry
imposed what it said would be a temporary ban on certifying food
products imported from Turkey.
Some Turkish-made grocery products can still be found in the shops
and markets, but officials say they have either been smuggled into
the country, or brought in legally as part of travellers’ normal
duty-free allowance.
At a political level, the relationship between Armenia and Turkey is
coldly hostile – their shared border is sealed and they have no
diplomatic relations. Ankara cut off all ties with Armenia because of
that country’s role in the Nagorny Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan,
with which the Turks enjoy a good relationship based on their common
ethnic background.
Yet for the last 15 years, imported Turkish foodstuffs – transported
via Georgia – have continued to account for a sizeable chunk of
groceries sales in Armenia.
There seems to be little scientific reason to single Turkish
foodstuffs out now, since many of the problems – variable standards
and some cases of contamination – apply to domestic products and
other imports.
Officials in Armenia deny they are singling out Turkish products. But
government officials and consumers’ rights groups have mounted a
concerted campaign culminating in the certification ban and calls for
a boycott.
The state agency for state quality control concluded this year that
some Turkish goods `violated consumers’ rights’ and were at variance
with Armenian law.
Trade ministry spokesperson Anahit Khechoian said the move to bar
Turkish products was prompted mainly by customer complaints about
`suspicious foodstuffs of unknown origin’. But the ministry has also
offered another explanation – that the ban is to prevent the spread
of the deadly bird flu virus.
A non-government organisation called Protection of Consumers’ Rights
claimed to have found that five out of ten food imports they tested –
nine from Turkey and one from Iran – contained harmful ingredients.
In particular, the group said it discovered bacilli in some products
and unacceptable levels of yeast in others.
Biochemist Anahit Davtyan says bacteria get into foodstuffs made in
unhygienic conditions or stored at the wrong temperature, and can
cause dysentery and other infectious diseases including typhoid.
Abgar Yeghoyan, the head of Protection of Consumers’ Rights, made
dark hints that contamination could be introduced deliberately by
Armenia’s enemies.
`Food safety is one element of national security,’ he said. `Given
the region we live in and the laws we have, there’s no guarantee we
won’t be poisoned.’
The head of the trade ministry’s standards office, Robert Dayan,
suggested that the gap left by `questionable’ Turkish imports would
be filled by `high-quality Armenian goods’.
Some consumer advocates, though, say Armenian-made products need
closer inspection as well, since many lack proper labelling and have
quality problems.
`We’ve been talking incessantly about the foodstuff safety problem,
but the first thing we should worry about is the local produce,’ said
Armen Poghosyan, who leads the Consumers’ Association. `If I were to
assess the extent to which food safety is guaranteed on the Armenian
market, I’d say quite seriously that there are virtually no
guarantees.’
In one recent incident in early in June, bottles of an Armenian brand
of mineral water suddenly started exploding one after another in a
Yerevan shop. Customers and sales staff rushed out of the shop to
avoid the flying glass. In this case the problems was traced to
faulty bottle manufacture.
Poghosyan’s association says that a study conducted in November 2005
found that 64 per cent of locally-produced food items lacked proper
information about contents, nutritional value and expiry date.
Rather than deal with wider quality problems, officials may have
found it simpler to blame Turkish imports because of underlying
emotive issues about the country’s politics.
One indication of this was a recent scandal in which it was claimed
that a brand of Turkish chocolate on sale in the shops was actually
being made by a subsidiary based in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan
with which Armenia is still technically in a state of war.
To add insult to injury, an Armenian confectionary producer ran TV
advertisements warning that the offending chocolate bars contained
vegetable fats, rather than milk as stated on the label.
Arpi Harutiunyan is a reporter at Armenianow Weekly.