Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Armenian speaker, Swedish envoy discuss ties
Arminfo
7 Jun 05
Yerevan, 7 June: The speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Artur
Bagdasaryan, today received the newly-appointed Swedish ambassador to
Armenia, Johan Molander, and the Armenian ambassador to Sweden,
Vladimir Karmirshalyan.
During the meeting Bagdasaryan informed Molander of the reforms that
are under way in the country and touched on the process of
constitutional amendments. The Armenian speaker said that Armenia’s
inclusion in the programme Expanded Europe: New Neighbours is creating
new opportunities for democratic reforms and expansion of economic
development, the press service of the Armenian National Assembly
reported.
Bagdasaryan said that Armenia needed Swedish experience and
assistance, specifically in the sphere of legislation.
In turn, the Swedish ambassador to Armenia said his country was ready
to help Armenia in the processes of reforms and implementation of
development programmes. He believes that the constitution and
legislation which meet Council of Europe standards will open up new
prospects for the progress of Armenia and boost investment.
The sides also stressed the effective work of the Swedish Development
Agency in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Persian Journal, Iran
June 6 2005
Armenia to Launch Iran-Built Windmill
Jun 6, 2005
Armenia will soon put into operation a windmill Iran has cooperated
in its construction, its ambassador to Tehran said.
Garen Nazarian told PIN Armenia can take advantage of clean energies
due to its geographical position.
“Natural geography is of help in bilateral ties between Iran and
Armenia,” he said.
The envoy said the 2.6-megawatt power plant underwent construction in
2003 and has so far made good progress.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
THE AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE HAS BREAKFAST WITH HIS HOLINESS
The ambassador of France to Lebanon, Bernard Amie, was invited to
have breakfast with His Holiness in Antelias on June 2.
The ambassador and the Catholicosate discussed the current situation
of Lebanon during the two-hour meeting they held concurrently with
the breakfast. The two assessed the post-election situation prevailing
in Beirut and the political developments in the country.
His Holiness and the ambassador also discussed issues related to the
Armenian community. His Holiness reminded that the new electoral law
is wrong and unacceptable, because it gives rise to inter and intra
confessional sensitivities instead of securing the participation of all
the communities and strengthening inter-confessional coexistence. His
Holiness stressed that the new government should prioritize the
serious and comprehensive discussion of this issue.
His Holiness also talked about his official visit to the Islamic
Republic of Iran and the meetings he held with senior Iranian
officials. He particularly talked about his discussions with President
Mohammed Khatemi and senior Iranian officials about the situation
in Lebanon.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
history and the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Turkey still refuses to confront its past
By FATMA MUGE GOCEK
Globe and Mail, Canada
June 3 2005
Friday, June 3, 2005 Page A21
Last week was supposed to mark the opening of an unprecedented Turkish
conference on the issues surrounding the killing of Armenians during
the First World War. Organized at Istanbul’s Bosporus University,
the three-day event was intended to provide a platform to academics
to question Turkey’s official view of the 1915 killings. It also
would have showcased a new open approach by Turkish authorities,
eager to show the kind of freedom of expression that the European
Union expects of prospective members.
The conference never took place.
In the days leading up to the event, pressure was put on organizers
to include scholars who would defend Turkey’s official state view —
which denies that the killings were genocide and rejects estimates
that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred.
The more the university organizers resisted any such intervention,
the more the pressure mounted, with the conference ultimately being
described as “detrimental to the interests of the Turkish state
and nation.”
Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek condemned the gathering as
“treason” and “a stab in the back of the Turkish people.” University
officials had little choice but to “postpone” the event.
It is apparent that the government feels threatened by the significant
segment of the Turkish population who are increasingly determined to
face the long-standing issue of the Armenian question in a way that
counters the official Turkish thesis.
This official view is predicated on a Turkish nationalism that
perceives all existing interpretations of the Armenian issue as either
for, or against, the interests of Turkey. Because the conference
participants did not sanction the official thesis, the Turkish
government characterized the participants as rabble-rousers.
The Turkish state is unable to come to terms with its past because its
national identity is predicated upon the rejection of that particular
past. Advocating the nationalist ideology that the contemporary Turkish
state was built upon the ashes of the Ottoman Empire through the War
of Independence fought between 1919-1922, the Turkish state has always
argued that the nation had to look forward and not back into its past,
especially not into the period before 1919 that is considered to be
the birth year of the Turkish nation.
The alphabet reform in 1928, when the official script was changed
from Arabic to the Latin script, further alienated the Turks from
their own history. Given the dearth of historical knowledge, Turkish
society could not help but accept the official thesis on the Armenian
issue as historical reality.
With more scholars delving into that past to generate their own
interpretations, the state thesis began to lose ground. The state
efforts to cancel the Istanbul conference comprise what I hope is
the last attempt to salvage the dominance of the Turkish official
state thesis.
Turkey’s possible membership in the European Union is an underlying
reason why debate of the Armenian issue is becoming increasingly
prominent. The EU advocates the recognition and protection of the
rights of all minorities. Among such minorities that currently exist
in Turkey, the tragedy that befell the Armenians before, during
and after 1915, is the most dramatic, and the one that needs to be
most addressed and recognized by Turkish society and the state. Such
recognition necessitates an awareness of minority rights and a public
commitment to protect them.
Yet, such a recognition would undermine the Turkish state’s control
over the public sphere. The unwillingness of the Turkish state in
general, and the military and the political parties in particular, to
relinquish that control over society has generated this crisis. This
state unwillingness translates into a nationalist stand that portrays
European standards of human rights as inherently destructive and
debilitating. All advocates of such rights within Turkish society
likewise end up branded as subversive elements in service of either
Europe or the United States or both.
The chances of Turkey joining the European Union are diminished
without a state commitment to protect the rights of its citizens. In
the meanwhile, however, recent developments in Turkish society such
as the liberalization of the economy and the privatization of mass
communication have generated an increasingly conscious and vocal public
sphere that is willing to take issue with the current nationalist
stand of the state. If the current government utilizes its enhanced
communication with Turkish society — if it forms, in particular,
alliances with the liberal academics and public intellectuals to
develop a new democratic, multicultural vision for Turkey — then
the Turkish state could overcome this quagmire.
Fatma Muge Gocek, associate professor of sociology at the University of
Michigan, was an organizer of the cancelled Turkish-Armenia conference.

Redeployment of troops to Armenia not aimed against Azerbaijan -Russian envoy
Trend news agency
2 Jun 05
Baku, 2 June: “The Russian side has not yet made up its mind on the
possible re-deployment of Russia’s military hardware from Georgia to
Armenia, and media reports to that effect have nothing to do with the
re-deployment of Russian bases from one place to another,” the charge
d’affaires of the Russian Federation in Azerbaijan, Petr Burdykin,
told journalists today, Trend reports.
He acknowledged the possibility that the military bases might really
be supplied with something because, as a large facility, they cannot
stay without equipment throughout the year. He said that if it
wasn’t something made up by journalists, it is ordinary equipment,
the transfer of some hardware as part of ordinary material and
technical provision.
As for the re-deployment of military hardware from Georgia, the
diplomat said that “Russia is being urged to withdraw its troops from
Georgia as soon as possible and pressure is put on us not only by
Tbilisi, but also by other countries which urge us to seek ways of
doing it quickly, and one of the ways is to send the troops to our
military base in Armenia”.
The Russian diplomat said this didn’t mean that the arms were being
handed over to Armenia.
“This re-deployment, if it does take place, will not be aimed against a
third country, will not affect the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict and does not run counter to international agreements,”
he said.
According to the diplomat, he has submitted the Russian side’s official
response to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry following the latter’s
note presented to him last week.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
May 31, 2005
___________________
CATHOLICOS TO HELP BUILD HOMES WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, will travel to Michigan from June 21 to 22, 2005, to
participate in Habitat for Humanity’s annual Jimmy Carter Work Project.
The Catholicos will build homes alongside former U.S. President Jimmy
Carter.
The visit is the latest effort to encourage the work of Habitat for
Humanity by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
Two years ago Bishop Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and ecumenical
officer, took leaders of Habitat for Humanity to Armenia to see how
their organization could work with the Armenian Church.
Last year he traveled to Armenia with a delegation that included the
state leaders of Habitat for Humanity in Michigan, who invited the
Catholicos to travel to Michigan this summer for the construction blitz
with President Carter.
“While working alongside President Carter, the Catholicos will have a
chance to discuss the involvement of the Armenian Church in the efforts
of Habitat for Humanity in Armenia,” Bishop Aykazian said. “Hopefully
that will foster a closer relationship between the two organizations,
because there is a real need for housing in Armenia.”
Recent reports suggest that 40 percent of Armenia’s population lives in
substandard housing. Part of the donation made by volunteers this
summer in Michigan will go toward funding Habitat for Humanity projects
in Armenia.
Bishop Aykazian recently had the honor of blessing the 100th home
completed by Habitat for Humanity Armenia. And many parishes around the
Diocese have organized trips to Armenia during which they volunteer to
build homes for Habitat for Humanity.
While in Michigan, the Catholicos will also meet with community leaders
and faithful.
“We all know there is a need for quality homes in Armenia, and I think
the visit by the Catholicos and his work with President Carter will draw
attention to that, and help us work to combat that problem,” Bishop
Aykazian said. “It will draw the attention not only of the general
public, but of the Armenian community as well. We are the ones who need
to give our support first. It is up to us to begin addressing this
serious issue in our homeland.”
— 5/31/05
# # #

PROSPECTS OF MILITARY COOPERATION BETWEEN OCST COUNTRIES WAS DICUSSED
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 30, 2005, Monday
Deputy defense ministries of the countries – members of the
Organization of Collective Security Treaty (OCST) discussed the
projects of documents, which should determine the prospects of
military cooperation, in Moscow yesterday. In accordance with
information from the United Staff of the OCST, the project of the
plan of coalition military construction of the OCST till 2010 and
project of the conception of creation of united military systems were
considered.
Besides, the questions concerning creation of the united group of
forces of collective security in the Central-Asian region,
development of the anti-aircraft defense of state-members of the
OCST, creation of a united center for training of flight personnel
for national armed forces of members of the OCST were discussed too.
According to one of the representatives of the OCST, the project of
the program of military and technical cooperation of the OCSE for
2006-2010, and project on the agreement on mutual acknowledgement of
the status of servicemen and military oaths of states of the OCSE
were introduced for consideration. Such states as Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are members of this
organization.
Source: Gudok, May 26, 2005, p. 2
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Milford Daily News, MA
May 29 2005
A family legacy: Milford native shares a lifetime of stories and
local history
By Kristine Diederich / Daily News Staff
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Mitchell Kalpakgian was born in Milford into a tight-knit Armenian
family. Like many neighborhood families, his ancestors had immigrated
to the area in search of a better life. But unlike some of his
neighbors, his family’s story began tragically.

Kalpakgian’s father, at the tender age of 14, narrowly escaped
the Turkish massacre of Armenians in 1915 when he literally ran for
his life, at his mother’s insistence. He emigrated to the United
States and never saw his parents or sister again. Over the years, he
became a fixture in Milford; a trusted locksmith, hard-working
citizen and friend to many.

Over the years, as the family grew, so did their experiences —
happy and sad — including the warmth of friendship, cultural
traditions, faith and the strong bonds of family.

Kalpakgian has compiled his family stories in a new book titled,
“An Armenian Family Reunion: A Lifetime of Unforgettable and
Delightful Stories,” published by The Neumann Press.

Kalpakgian, 64, a 1963 graduate of Bowdoin College, earned a
master’s degree at the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. at the
University of Iowa. He has taught college English and is currently
academic dean and teacher of English, Latin and French at Mount Royal
Academy in Sunapee, N.H. He now lives in Warner, N.H. He was married
for 25 years to the late Joyce Narsasian and is the father of five
children and grandfather of four.

Kalpakgian recently took time to discuss his new book and his
life growing up in Milford.

Q: Tell me about your upbringing in Milford and your influences.

A: I went through all the grades in Milford (and graduated from)
Milford High School. I had wonderful high school teachers — Nello
Allegrezza, Dr. Miriam Ryan, Philomena Collavita. Dr. Ryan, who
taught Latin, told me, “You can go to college but you need to read
more, take the SATs.” I went to the (public) library to the
recommended reading shelf for high-schoolers. I took out “A Tale of
Two Cities” but struggled with it and realized I was lacking. But I
kept at it, took out another book and another book and another (and
it got easier).

We didn’t have books at home but my family was very supportive
of my interest (in reading); there was always a respect for learning.
To receive an education and to do work that you love was a gift.

Q: Tell me what your book is about.

A: Family culture is transmitted very naturally between family
members when you are living close (and I had that). When people are
spread out over the country, you don’t hear the same messages from
multiple sources and a larger extended family.

The whole idea (of sharing a wealth of family stories) came to
me because young people just have their youth culture, where they
identify more with their age group than being a member of a family or
extended family. They develop the feeling that the past doesn’t
relate to them; it’s dead and gone. They live more in the now and
don’t seem to know what wisdom is or value it, like they might if
they learned it from an elder or grandparent. The older generation
who want to pass something down don’t have anyone to receive it.

The idea of (sharing stories at) a family reunion came to me as
a way to pass on a body of knowledge that (young people) would never
get from a college course or a movie. The reunion in the book is a
device (and did not happen because my extended family is spread out
all over the country), but all of the stories are true.

Q: What led you to write the book when you did?

A: I realized at about age 60 or 61, I should (compile these
family stories) as soon as possible. What better gift could I give to
my children and grandchildren than these stories of mine and their
ancestors? I just felt inspired to do it.

Q:What kind of reader would enjoy this book?

A: The real theme of the book is the blessing and riches of
family life, and how much education you receive when you are all very
bonded and feel thankful for that. When you have received so much,
you feel a debt to share. (So I think) the average lay reader who
just enjoys reading, especially about family life, would enjoy this
book.

Q: Where can people buy the book?

A: Contact The Neumann Press at 1-800-746-2521 or
(The cost of the book is) $18.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’m working on and planning “The Home and Family in
Literature;” it will go through the classics in literature, like
Homer’s “Odyssey,” where he shows you that home is the center of
civilization. I want to write this book because we see so much of the
erosion of the family all around us.

If you are a MetroWest author and have recently self published a
book, let us know and we may feature you in a future Writer’s Corner.
Send an e-mail to [email protected] with information about your book
and yourself, including the town you live in. If you have an upcoming
book-signing or event, please be sure to contact us at least three
weeks in advance of the event.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 27, 2005 Friday 6:15 AM Eastern Time
GAZ automobile works to increase exports
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, May 27
The GAZ automobile-making works, in Nizhny Novgorod, is going to
increase exports by 6,000 cars as against 2004 and to bring it to
50,800, Sergei Shunin, director of exports department of the Russkie
Machiny Trade House, said on Friday at a conference, entitled
“Development of automobile market in Russia: current situation and
prospects.” The conference is being held within the framework of the
Autoforum-2006 exhibition.
According to his information, the exports will account for 21.9 per
cent of the total sales, planned for this year. In 2004, however,
exports amounted to 44,566 cars, which made 19.3 per cent of the
sales.
GAZ is going to deliver some 5,000 GAZEL and Sobol mini-buses to the
Bisan Firm, Izmir, Turkey, in 2005. In the future annual deliveries
of automobiles to Turkey will be brought to 8,000. The demand for
GAZEL and Sobol mini-buses in Turkey is estimated at 20,000 annually,
PRIME-Tass reports.
GAZ is planning to deliver this year 500 mini-buses to East European
countries, 1,500 to 2,000 – to Tajikistan, 23,000 – to Ukraine, 7,000
– to Kazakhstan and 2,000 – to Armenia. Aside from it, it is going to
deliver right-wheel cars and mini-buses to South Africa. GAZ is
planning to bring its exports to 100,000 a year by 2010.
According to Shunin, GAZ is planning to sell a total of 232,000 cars
in 2005, which exceeds the 2004 level by 0.3 per cent. The figure for
2004 was 231,321 cars.
GAZ accounts today for 6.5 per cent of Russia’s car output, 55.6 per
cent of truck output and 47.9 per cent of bus output.

POSSIBLE RE-DEPLOYMENT OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES ISSUE OF
ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS: LEVON MKRTICHYAN
YEREVAN, May 27. /ARKA/. Possible re-deployment of Russian military
bases from Georgia to Armenia is an issue of Armenian-Russian
relations, Levon Mkrtichyan, Head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
parliamentary faction, told reporters. According to him, this issue
can be settled under Armenian-Russian military agreements, as well as
within Armenia’s commitments to the Council of Europe, including in
setting up military quotas. “If these criteria are observed, it will
be a problem of Russian-Armenian relations alone,” Mkrtichyan said.
On the other hand, Mkrtichyan said that the withdrawal of Russian
bases from Georgia involves the problem of Javakhk Armenians.
According to him, the presence of Russian military bases in Georgia
means a solution to serious problems of Javakhk Armenians,
particularly social problems and problems of security of the Armenian
community. He pointed out that the intensification of Turkey’s policy
toward the region and Georgian-Turkish military cooperation arouses
the Georgia-based Armenian population’s concern. Mkrtichyan said that
the best way of dispelling this concern is the establishment of the
“equal citizenship” principle in Georgia, which means that Armenians
must not feel any infringement on their rights in Georgia. Mkrtichyan
stated that “the Armenian community’s fear of future may vanish if the
community will really enjoy and exercise its democratic rights and
succeeds in preserving its national identity, culture, language and
schools.” In his turn, speaking of the possibility of re-deployment
of the Russian military bases from Georgia to Armenia, Galust
Sahakyan, Chairman of the RPA parliamentary faction told ARKA that
negotiations are currently under way, but no decisions have yet been
made. He pointed out his positive attitude to this idea, saying that
“materiel is most likely to be transported, and other issues must be
settled as a result of negotiations.” P.T. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress