Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand
April 22 2005
Step Through The Looking Glass And Discover
Friday, 22 April 2005, 9:43 am
Press Release: Outlaw Creative
Outlaw Creative
Presents
miniatures
STEP THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AND DISCOVER
“…an Alice and wonderland world – with dancers squirming
inside…tender and lyrical, like swans arching and folding” – The
Listener, June 2004
Outlaw Creative is proud to announce the national tour of the
contemporary dance work – MINIATURES. Seven of New Zealand’s most
talented young dancers take this surreal and beautiful dance show to
a wider NZ audience following the outstanding success of the 2004
premiere.
Our most precious treasures are miniatures – little boxes of precious
dust – hidden and squeezed into and out of sight – brought out to air
occasionally.
Choreographer Malia Johnston has been creating her own work for the
past six years – working with Curve Dance Collective, Touch Compass
Dance Trust and The Graduate Dance Company. Last year she became a
founding member of Outlaw Creative with Guy Ryan and Michele Powles.
Outlaw Creative is a new voice in the growing world of contemporary
NZ dance. Outlaw has set their sights high and 2005 is geared up to
be a record year for this young company. They open their new show
Mystery of the Disappearing Body in Auckland in May before embarking
on the Miniatures national tour. They also tour Terrain from July
2005 to Taranaki, Christchurch and Nelson. This schedule, which would
be gruelling for many artists, is not the only project that Malia has
on the go – she’s also the choreographer for the high profile
WEARABLE ARTS AWARDS in Wellington later this year.
Malia Johnston, Choreographer of the Year and Contemporary Dancer of
the year 2004.
– The Listener, 2004
Miniatures boasts an original score from the talented composer Eden
Mulholland. Eden has recently released an EP for his Auckland band
Motorcade. Costume designer Asho Gevorgyan (originally from Armenia)
created the costumes for Miniatures. She has also designed for Touch
Compass, Jambalaya, the K-road festival, The Fall Guy, and Miniatures
2004 season. Asho’s designs appeared in 2004 Fashion Week as part of
Miranda Browns collection.
The cast of MINIATURES includes: Sarah Sproull, Liana Yew, Maria
Dabrowska, Jacob Sullivan, Malia Johnston, Julia Milsom and Paul
Young.
MINIATURES PLAYS
Auckland – Concert Chamber June 23-25th
Wellington – Te Whaea July 6-9th
Christchurch – Grand Hall July 28-30
Bookings: Ticketek
Duration: 1 hour

Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung, Deautschland
20 April 2005
——-
Armenian President: Turkey is denying its past
——-
Armeniens Präsident: Türkei leugnet die Vergangenheit
20. April 2005 Kurz vor dem 90. Jahrestag des Beginns der Massaker an
den Armeniern im Osmanischen Reich hat der armenische Präsident
Robert Kocharian dem Nachbarland Türkei die Leugnung historischer
Tatsachen vorgeworfen.
~DDie Position der türkischen Seite ist nicht nur durch die Leugnung
der Vergangenheit, sondern auch durch eine andauernde Blockade
Armeniens geprägt”, sagte Kocharian am Mittwoch in der Hauptstadt
Eriwan.
~DDie Anerkennung ist wichtig”
Die Türkei müsse die Verfolgung und Vertreibung der Armenier im
Ersten Weltkrieg endlich als Völkermord anerkennen: ~DDie Anerkennung
ist wichtig, um Völkermorde in der Zukunft zu verhindern”, sagte
Kocharian. Armenien sei zur Aussöhnung bereit: ~DWir gedenken der
Vergangenheit mit Schmerz, aber nicht mit Haß.”
Am Sonntag gedenkt Armenien des Beginns der Massaker am 24. April
1915. Während Armenier darauf dringen, daß der amerikanische
Präsident George W. Bush die Massaker als Völkermord brandmarkt,
lehnt die Türkei diesen Begriff ab. Die amerikanische Regierung
bereitet derzeit die traditionelle Erklärung des Präsidenten zum
Jahrestag der Massaker an den Armeniern vor. Im vergangenen Jahr
hatte Bush das Wort vermieden.
~DFanatische armenische Organisationen”
Unterdessen haben türkische Parlamentsabgeordnete den amerikanischen
Präsidenten zur ~DObjektivität”aufgerufen. Die armenischen Vorwürfe
eines Völkermordes hätten nichts mit der historischen Wirklichkeit zu
tun und seien politisch motiviert, schrieb der Vorsitzende der
Türkischen Parlamentarier-Vereinigung, Hasan Korkmazcan, nach Angaben
der Zeitung ~DZaman” in einem Brief an den Präsident Bush.
Die Türkei sei sich ihrer Verantwortung im Umgang mit der eigenen
Vergangenheit bewußt. Die Aktivitäten ~Dfanatischer armenischer
Organisationen” hätten jedoch negative Auswirkungen auf die
türkisch-armenischen Beziehungen.
Kriegsbedingte Zwangsumsiedlung?
Bei Massakern und Todesmärschen im damaligen Osmanischen Reich wurden
zwischen 1915 und 1917 mehrere hunderttausend Menschen getötet.
Armenien und ein Großteil der internationalen Öffentlichkeit bewerten
dies als Völkermord, die Türkei als Nachfolgerin des Osmanischen
Reiches spricht von einer kriegsbedingten Zwangsumsiedlung.
Seit 1993 hält die Türkei die Grenze zu Armenien geschlossen, was der
armenischen Wirtschaft schweren Schaden zufügt.
–Boundary_(ID_jfml9sZ5LyfxHQqZXYNr+w)–

Karabakh problem cannot be solved without Karabakh partifipation
Pan Armenian News
21.04.2005 04:38
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ «I have always stated that the Karabakh problem
cannot be solved without the participation of Nagorno Karabakh,»
President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghukasian stated
at a briefing today. «My stand is: if Azerbaijan comes against
NK participation in the conflict settlement, it means Baku is not
interested in solving it,» he added. Speaking of compromises,
Mr. Ghukasian noted one should not confuse concessions with mutual
concessions. Mutual concessions provide for compromises by Armenia,
Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan. However, as Azerbaijan is not going
to make concessions, speaking of compromises is meaningless. «I
do not think Azerbaijan has nothing to yield. It is necessary to
persuade it that it has something to yield and it has to resort to
that step. Baku considers that the international community should
present Nagorno Karabakh to it on a platter. It is not frivolous,»
the NKR President accentuated. In his words, the security of Nagorno
Karabakh is first of all the determination of its status. The question
of security cannot be solved without the solution of the issue of the
status. «We have stated many times we come for the package option
of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. All issues should
be solved simultaneously,» he said. «Today Azerbaijan speaks of
restoration of the status quo of 1988, however it is senseless,
as the USSR does not exist any more,» Arkady Ghukasian summed up.
–Boundary_(ID_iOpBtR5gbTj7TU+imzIi3w)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVENTS MARKING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CAN HAMPER TURKEY ACCESSION TO EU
Pan Armenian News
19.04.2005 06:59
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ To commemorate to the 90-th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide this week the Public Radio of Hungary will daily
broadcast the bell toll of Armenian churches at noon, the Yerkir
newspaper reported. Besides Budapest the toll will be heard in Romanian
cities, in Jerusalem, as well as Beirut and Yerevan. Thereupon Turkey
has expressed apprehension that the holding of the events in Armenia
and other countries can cause anti-Turkish moods around the world and
can hamper Turkey’s accession to the EU. It should be noted that the
majority of the Hungarian population and the country Government come
for Turkey’s membership in the EU.

SERGE SARGSYAN – DOVE OF PEACE OR HAWK?
A1plus
| 15:10:01 | 19-04-2005 | Politics |
“People, who say that I started speaking of mutual concessions
only recently, are mistaken. I have always spoken of a compromise
settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Some people have just put on
a play with those to order and perform”, Armenian Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan told journalists today.
In his words, the performers are some journalists and not the best
ones. However he was indulgent to journalists as «they have to
feed their families». The initiators were those who dropped out of
the system because of bad work and now consider themselves democrats
and reformers thus dropping a hint at recent statements by Vazgen
Manukyan and Zhirayr Sefilyan. He also said that his own speech in
the NA was assessed by Azeri press as militaristic. “Some called me
a dove of freedom, some – a hawk”, Serge Sargsyan noted.
As for mutual concessions, the Defense Minister stated that the
territories can be ceded only with exact guarantees, as Karabakh cannot
be subordinate to Azerbaijan and cannot have status of an enclave. It
should have overland communication with Armenia and participate in
international processes.
–Boundary_(ID_518tLjVN0T9LZn0T6xPADw)–

Turkish Press
April 19 2005
PRESS SCAN
NEW YORK TIMES GIVES PLACE TO TURKISH THESIS
RADIKAL- The New York Times, one of the leading dailies in the United
States, gave place to the list of more than 523,000 Turks who were
killed by Armenians in Turkey from 1910 to 1922. The list was released
by the Turkish State Archive. The daily noted, “Armenians plan to mark
April 24th as the 90th anniversary of the start of the violence. Turkey
is concerned that the issue could interfere with its plans to start
talks with the European Union in October for possible membership.”
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Plan
great trips with Yahoo! Travel: Now over 17,000 guides!

Recognition without restoration of rights is equal to denial
By Khazhak Mkrtchian Hayrenik, Boston
Yerkir/arm
April 15, 2005
Recently, especially in these days when the 90th anniversary is being
remembered, it is apparent that there is an unprecedented flow of
statements regarding the Armenian Genocide.
The flow could be attributed in part to the Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day, but it would be naïve to explain it solely by
that. During those ninety years, there were the 50th and the 70th
anniversaries but no such massive flow took place then.
Never before, there has been such flow on the Turkish and international
levels either. It is true that Armenians have been working more
efficiently to pursuit the Armenian Cause, and the international
interest has been growing.
It is also true that Armenia’s independence and the fact that the
Armenian Genocide has become an issue of the Armenian government’s
foreign policy in the recent years have also contributed, but it is
equally true that the Armenian Genocide has become a playing card
in the inter-state relations in the new international and regional
line-up. Something that should not be viewed as necessarily negative
as long as the restoration of the Armenian people’s rights could be
turned into a belief in the crossroads of international relations.
The political side of the Armenian Genocide issue sticks out especially
in the US-Europe-Turkey triangle. Turkey indeed is a significant
power in the Middle Eastern and Caucasus policies of both the US
and Europe. Europe, however, is more tied to Turkey because of the
latter’s aspiration to join the EU.
Both the US and the EU have adopted policies of direct and indirect
pressure upon Turkey in their relations with this country, and the
Armenian Genocide issue is often raised during that process. What is
noticeable, however, is that those pressures are not strong enough
to demand from Turkey the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
reparations, and restoration of the Armenian people’s rights.
Turkey too realizes this. In its political relations, Turkey is
feeling the weight of the Armenian Genocide and is trying to get rid
of it. This is where the US and Turkish approaches encounter under
the silent principle of “Recognition without reparation.”
It is obvious that the US political circles are not only speaking
of this formula but are also pushing it by any means they can,
and unfortunately are trying to convince the Armenians to accept
it. It should be noted that this idea triggers more than one concern
in Turkey. The first concern is that recognition would logically
lead to reparation demands by Armenians because anyone realizes that
recognition without reparation and restoration of the Armenian people’s
rights means nothing.
Turks also know that the process of international pressuring is
endless, so the foreign powers would only raise the level of pressuring
after Turkey recognizes the Genocide, and this time they would raise
the issue of reparation This chain of concerns has no limits. .
Therefore, Turkey is simply buying time, hoping that eventually it
could make the “Recognition without reparation” acceptable. This is
where the role of the Armenians and their political organizations
becomes crucial. Armenians should attach equal importance to both
the recognition and reparation.
–Boundary_(ID_kyn5dBr8j77JRlT1uwMEWA)–

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA WELCOMES SEN. BROWNBACK’S SUPPORT FOR
U.S. RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.
— Following Remarks during Live C-SPAN Call-in Program,
Kansas Senator Calls on President Bush to Properly
Commemorate the First Genocide of the 20th Century
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), an influential member
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a leading proponent of
U.S. action to stop the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, has
called on President Bush to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide
as a “genocide” in his April 24th comments, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
In the years since his election in 1996, Senator Brownback has not
traditionally supported Armenian Genocide recognition initiatives
or other issues of special concern to Armenian Americans. He came
to prominence in the Armenian American community in the 1990s as
the leading opponent of Section 907, a provision of U.S. law that
restricts aid to Azerbaijan due to its illegal blockades of Armenia
and Nagorno Karabagh.
Answering questions last week on C-SPAN’s Morning Journal, a popular
cable television call-in program about the Darfur Genocide, the
Senator responded to a question from Armenian National Committee
-Fresno activist Richard Sanikian about his opposition to legislation
about the Armenian Genocide. Specifically, Sanikian noted that we
was “very curious why, for a number of years, [Senator Brownback]
has always opposed Armenian Genocide [recognition] year after year.”
He noted that the Senator’s conduct was “very disturbing” and expressed
his “hope he has a change of heart and since he is talking about
morality and humanitarian issues now I hope that this coming April
24 he moves into that direction because we have a lot of Armenians
Americans in the United States – we’re tax payers – we work hard in
this country and we want our senators… and we want you to join the
rest of the senators and move this issue forward.”
In his response, Senator Brownback said that he “appreciate[d] the
question,” and clarified that, “I do not oppose a recognition of the
Armenian Genocide that took place.” He added that past genocides
“should be recognized for what they are. . . when people are killed
in mass numbers and tried to be wiped out and many were killed in
what took place. . . I am not opposed whatsoever to recognizing the
genocide that took place in Armenia, but we do need to do what we can
to grow those areas, to get democracy to take root in the region,
which is starting to. . . [in] Georgia, Kyrgizstan. . . we need it
to many of the areas as well.”
“We welcome the support of Senator Brownback for U.S. recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, and join with him in working to strengthen the
American response to the genocide taking place in the Darfur region
Sudan,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Armenian
Americans – victims of the first genocide of the 20th century –
deeply appreciate his leadership, along with Senator Jon Corzine,
on the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act.”
Sen. Brownback joined this week with over 30 of his Senate colleagues
in cosigning a Congressional letter to President Bush urging him to
honor his pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide. A similar letter
in the House of Representatives has garnered over 175 signatures.
To watch the interview on the C-SPAN archive, visit the C-SPAN website
and fast forward roughly 25 minutes into the broadcast.
Senators Brownback (R-KS) & Corzine (D-NJ)
Situations in Rwanda and Sudan and other topical issues.
4/7/2005: WASHINGTON, DC: 45 minutes:
C-SPAN rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/wj040705_sens.rm
#####

Der Tagesspiegel, Deutschland
18 April 2005
“Armenian Tsunami”
90 years of silence: A book about life after Genocide
`Armenischer Tsunami`
90 Jahre Schweigen: Ein Buch über das Leben nach dem Völkermord
Von Matthias Meisner
Nicht alle haben die Lektion über den Völkermord an den Armeniern
gelernt. Am kommenden Sonntag jährt sich sein Beginn zum 90. Mal, und
lange schien es so, als sei das Thema vor allem mit Rücksicht auf die
Türkei hier zu Lande tabu. Wohl deshalb kommt ein neues Buch über das
kleine Land zwischen Kaukasus und Ararat und seine Leute nicht ohne
ein paar Vorbemerkungen aus: Huberta von Voss, die das `Porträt einer
Hoffnung` als Herausgeberin verantwortet, will vorab gleich so viel
erklärt haben, dass man ein fast ein Viertel des ganzen Bandes lesen
muss, bis man dann tatsächlich beim ersten Porträt eines Armeniers
anlangt. Wobei es doch hauptsächlich darum gehen soll, den Alltag der
Menschen in Armenien und den der Armenier im Exil vorzustellen –
Lebensbilder sollen von der Hoffnung sprechen, als Volk in der
Diaspora zu überleben und Frieden mit der eigenen Geschichte zu
finden.
Zum Thema
Tagesspiegel Online: Literatur Spezial

Wobei Geleitwort, Einleitung, Einführung und die Interpretationen
durchaus lesenswert sind. Sie bieten eine Grundlage für das Verstehen
eines Volkes, das einst, im vierten Jahrhundert, als erstes Land der
Welt das Christentum zur Staatsreligion erhob. Heute ist die
ehemalige Sowjetrepublik – klein wie Brandenburg – arm und isoliert.
Unversöhnlich und kompromisslos steht die Regierung in Eriwan mit dem
Nachbarland Aserbaidschan im Konflikt um die Enklave Berg-Karabach.
Vor allem aber hat sich Armenien seit 1915 nie mit seinem Nachbarn
Türkei versöhnt: Die Grenzen sind geschlossen, Handel, wenn
überhaupt, läuft nur über das Transitland Georgien. Als absurd
beschreibt Huberta von Voss die Situation: In Deutschland steht die
Leugnung des Holocausts unter Strafe, wohingegen in der Türkei die
Benutzung des Terminus Genozid für die Ereignisse vor 90 Jahren
geahndet wird – obwohl auf den im damaligen Osmanischen Reich
angeordneten Todesmärschen nach Schätzungen 1,5 Millionen Armenier
ums Leben kamen.
`Porträt einer Hoffnung` kommt rechtzeitig, um der Diskussion über
das Massaker eine Basis zu geben. Denn dass es eine neue Debatte
gibt, daran besteht kein Zweifel mehr. Erst wurde wochenlang
gestritten, weil Brandenburg das Thema Armenien vom Lehrplan in den
Schulen nahm. Jetzt wirft der türkische Botschafter in Berlin der
Unionsfraktion im Bundestag vor, sich zum Sprecher des `fanatischen
armenischen Nationalismus` zu machen, weil sie der Vertreibung der
Armenier gedenken will. Der angesehene türkische Kolumnist Mehmet Ali
Birand warnte dieser Tage gar vor einem `riesigen Tsunami, dem
armenischen Tsunami`. Birand ist sicher, dass die Türkei im Recht sei
und niemand von einem Völkermord sprechen kann.
Das Buch bietet zu dieser Debatte jede Menge Informationen,
beschreibt nicht nur die türkische Leugnung des Völkermordes und die
Flucht der damaligen Haupttäter außer Landes – oft nach Berlin. Es
beschreibt die Verstrickung des deutschen Kaiserreiches. Und erinnert
daran, dass sich später Adolf Hitler für den Holocaust auch deshalb
ermuntert sah, weil die Deutschen den Völkermord an den Armeniern so
rasch vergessen hatten. Umso erstaunlicher mutet an, dass die
SPD-Bundestagsabgeordnete Christa Lörcher noch 2000 vor einer
Anerkennung des Völkermordes warnte – damit der Dialog mit der Türkei
nicht erschwert wird.
Nach vielen harten Fakten geht es dann um die Menschen. Der Leser ist
froh, von vielen Armeniern zu hören, die sich jeder auf seine Weise
Fremdherrschaft und Leid widersetzen, ob nun als Wissenschaftler,
Musiker, Schriftsteller oder gar Außenminister. Und noch einmal lernt
er: Die weitaus meisten Armenier leben heute im Exil, in den USA, in
Frankreich, aber auch etwa in Indien – und selbst in der Türkei, wie
die Akkordeonspielerin Anahit, die bis zu ihrem Tod 2003 in den
Gassen beim Istanbuler Fischbasar musizierte. Sie wird, wie viele
andere Vertreter des kleinen Volkes, liebevoll vorgestellt. Bekannte
sind dabei, wie Charles Aznavour, Unbekannte, wie ein
Karabach-Veteran. Und selbst wenn die Herausgeberin nicht von allen
Porträtierten ein gutes Foto auftreiben konnte: Armenier aus aller
Welt geben in diesem Buch ein gutes Bild ab.
Huberta von Voss: Porträt einer Hoffnung – Die Armenier.Verlag Hans
Schiler, Berlin 2005. 415 Seiten, 28 Euro.

The Herald (Glasgow)
April 16, 2005
Goddess of Revolution who makes Russians see red
PROFILE : YULIA TYMOSHENKO;
She is the prime minister of Ukraine, accused of corruption and with
a question mark over her nationality. But even that is overshadowed
by the latest controversy. Now she faces charges of bribing Russian
defence officials – fuelling the friction between the two vying
neighbours
by: ABIGAIL WILD
RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH CONTROVERSY: Ukraine’s prime minister Yulia
Tymoshenko feels her party has awakened the hopes of people.
RELATIONS with Russia were never going to be straightforward, but
Yulia Tymoshenko’s appointment as Ukrainian prime minister hardly got
things off to a great start. This week the facade of harmony,
awkwardly presented by the leaders of both countries, finally showed
cracks when Tymoshenko cancelled her scheduled visit to Moscow.
A spokesman for Tymoshenko said the trip was being delayed “because
Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko gave an order recommending the
Ukrainian prime minister . . . avoid foreign travel for now”. No
Ukrainian ministers, it was reported, were allowed to make visits
abroad until the end of the spring farming season. Sergey Lavrov, the
Russian foreign minister, insisted there were no objections to her
visit from their side of the fence, and that Vladimir Putin, Russian
president, had made it clear that his government was “eagerly
awaiting her in Moscow”.
The cancellation, however, came after Russian prosecutor-general
Vladimir Ustinov reiterated that the prime minister was wanted on
charges of bribing Russian defence officials. She is still a “wanted
criminal”, he said, and a warrant for her arrest remains in force. It
doesn’t appear to have soothed matters that Ustinov also said she
would not be arrested because of her immunity as a senior government
official. To everyone else, it looks like the first big clash between
Kiev and Moscow since Yushchenko became president.
Tymoshenko – a tower of strength to Yushchenko during last year’s
Orange Revolution – has always been a potential stumbling block in
the bid to establish a functional relationship with Putin, without
which the Ukraine premier has less chance of winning the approval of
the pro-Russian eastern regions that voted against him.
Tymoshenko – once known to Ukrainians as the Gas Princess – has in
her favour a charisma and charm that makes her an expert at working
up a crowd, and earned her new nickname Goddess of Revolution. The
trouble is, those who hate her really do hate her, and the approval
of pro-western Ukrainian nationalists and her pro-Russian opposition
appear to be mutually exclusive.
Given her background and the supposed scheme to tarnish her
reputation, her popularity at first seems quite a feat. Born in 1960
in Dnipropetrovsk, she studied economics and cybernetics at
university, and began her career at a mechanical engineering plant.
She eventually ran a lucrative private gas business. The immaculate
Heidi-meets-Queen Amidala hairstyle may make her look like a peasant,
but during the 1990s she was one of the richest women in her country.
Her enemies would have it that she was as corrupt as the oligarchs –
the business elite – she now poses a threat to. When she first
entered politics a decade ago, her party – Hromada – had very little
respect, and was viewed as a bunch of greedy business people out for
nothing more than an increase in their own profits.
She remains haunted by the accusation that she wanted the officials
to inf late the price of supply contracts with the Russian military
by dollars-80m (pounds-42.5m) , but her claim that it’s all part of
some conspiracy against her is easy for Ukrainians to believe. Her
predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, waw loathed by the end of his term.
Tymoshenko’s growing fanclub could only have been reassured when she
called him a “red-haired cockroach” and suggested to supporters of
Viktor Yanukovych in last year’s troubled elections that they should
hang themselves on their blue and white scarves.
Moscow, having backed rival candidate Yanukovych, was unsurprisingly
mute at the news of her nomination as prime minister and Putin never
made explicit public comment. The press was more realistic about the
effect it might have on the tension between the two countries, and
several editorials were strongly antiTymoshenko.
Vedomosti, the Russian business daily, called it a “slap in the face
for Moscow and, personally, for him whose name is best not spoken in
vain”. The Russian Communist Party paper, Pravda, called Yushchenko
and his supporters “a group of lying, twofaced and corrupt politicos
who have forced their way into government . . . and ordinary people
will have to pay the price for it.”
Elsewhere, Die Tageszeitung, the German newspaper said: “The
pugnacious Yulia is like a red rag to the Kremlin and the Kremlin
cannot but interpret her nomination as yet another humiliation.”
Tymoshenko, typically, had her own grandiose, provocative statements
to make. “We have passed through a long election path, ” she said.
“We have awakened the hopes of people that the government can work
and provide results . . . I want to thank the president, the
parliament and the people for honouring me with the task. People are
waiting for a new government that will be honest and will resolve all
the problems they have lived with for 14 years.”
Just a handful of Russian commentators are willing to concede that
some may be taking her revolutionary posturing for anti-Russian
sentiment. Some supporters, keen to extinguish that perception, say
her maiden name is not Grigyan, that she is not half-Armenian on her
father’s side, but that she is ethnically Russian, and her maiden
name is Telegina. Tymoshenko herself makes much of the fact she is
from Dnipropetrovsk, in the predominantly Russian-speaking east of
the country.
Despite the controversy, Tymoshenko has the same unequivocal support
among her peers that she has enjoyed for some time. The president –
who once called her his “political partner, political friend” – gave
her his personal backing and her appointment was supported by 373
votes in the 450-seat parliament, when she only needed 226 to win.
She is thought to be well liked by Anatoly Chubais, head of Russia’s
state-controlled electricity monopoly – a veteran politician who like
Tymoshenko is either demonised or idolised, and little in between.
She was regarded as an efficient anti-corruption force as a member of
Yushchenko’s government of 1999-2001, and was credited with
redirecting dollars-2bn to the state budget.
She has approached her new role with the same people-pleasing
determination. “My government will not take bribes. My government
will not steal, ” she said, as the new cabinet was voted in. She
talks of finally separating the “Siamese twins” of business and
politics, keeping a close eye on potentially corrupt privatisations,
ensuring nobody has unfair tax privileges, preparing Ukraine for EU
membership, and improving state monopolies. Her programme, Towards
the People, aims to raise living standards and build up trust in the
government.
In doing so, she has ruffled feathers among the rich and highpowered
– the very people she used to rub shoulders with. It is clear that
Tymoshenko sees no ambiguity in her career path. She declared, upon
being made prime minister: “My past and my future testify that I love
my country and want to serve its interests.”