Author: Karagyozian Lena

ARMENIAN FM AND EU REP DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION BETWEEN EU AND SOUTH CAUCASUS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 19 2006
YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
and Co-Chair of the commission for the EU-Armenia parliamentary
cooperation Marie-Anne-Isler-Beguin discussed issues of the cooperation
between the EU and South Caucasus.
The RA Foreign Ministry Press Service reported that the parties
positively appreciated the EU’s growing interest toward the region
over the last years.
They also pointed out the positive role of the Europarliament in
involving the three countries of the region in the frameworks of the
Policy of the European Neighborhood.
Oskanyan presented then the latest developments of the peaceful
negotiations over the Karabakh conflict and Armenia’s approaches to
energy security and regional cooperation.

ARMENIAN SPORTSMEN WON MEDALS IN THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
A1+
[04:10 pm] 18 April, 2006
Armenian unarmed self-defense team won two medals in the European
Adult Championship held in Serbia. Ashot Danielyan won silver medal in
74kg weight category, and David Khachatryan won bronze medal in 68kg
weight category. Our best unarmed self-defense player, the world ex
champion of 2005 Layert Avagyan was injured in the first stage of the
championship and couldn’t continue his meeting. The Armenian Unarmed
Self-Defense Federation chairman Levon Hairapetyan mentioned that
Avagyan would win a medal by all means in case he participated. Thus,
Armenia lost one of its medals because of Avagyan’s injury. Regardless
of the medals the chairman of the Federation was not content with the
participation of the Armenian sportsmen. “We got accustomed to winning
medals which has become a normal thing for us. But I expected more –
a gold medal. This is a good result for the Olympic Games and Sport
Committee but I am not pleased with it.”
Let us add that 5 Armenian sportsmen participated in the European
Championship held in Belgrade.

RAZMIK SARGSYAN’S PARENTS CONTINUE THE HUNGER STRIKE
ArmrRadio.am
18.04.2006 14:17
Before the Court of Appeal would start the trial of the case of
murder of two soldiers, an act of protest was organized by parents
and relatives of the accused.
To remind, Razmik Sargsyan, Arayik Zalyan and Musa Serobyan are charged
with murdering the two soldiers. However, they continue to confirm they
have not committed the crime. They have again started a hunger strike
to prove their innocence. Their parents have also joined the strike.

GAGIK TSARUKIAN RECEIVES ANASTASIA GREBYONKINA AND VAZGEN AZROYAN
Noyan Tapan
Apr 17 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Gagik Tsaroukian, the Chairman of
the National Olympic Committee of Armenia received on April 14 figure
skaters Anastasia Grebyonkina and Vazgen Azroyan. Grebyonkina-Azroyan
pair took the 20th place in the dance pairs competition of the 20th
winter Olympiad taken place in Turin. They would be able to take
higher places if there were no referee overlookings. During the long
conversation of the Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of
Armenia and the figure skaters, issues concerning their competition
performances, refereeing were touched upon. G.Tsarukian assured
Grebyonkina and Azroyan that the Olympic Committee will do its best
from its side that Armenia has a referee in high level competitions. It
will give possibility for an unjust attitude is not displayed towards
our sportsmen.

“AMERIA” CJSC DEVELOPS INVESTMENT PLAN FOR KRASNOYARSK HEAVY ENGINEERING PLANT
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 18 2006
YEREVAN, April 17. /ARKA/. “Ameria” CJSC developed an investment plan
for the Krasnoyarsk Heavy Engineering Plant (KHEP). The investment plan
aims at raising $ 150 millions to fund investments in technology and
working capital, as well as for introduction of competitive leasing
schemes for major clients. The investment plan projects reaching an
annual sales level exceeding $400 millions by 2010.
The Krasnoyarsk Heavy Engineering Plant is one of the biggest
enterprises manufacturing excavators and mining equipment. In the
beginning of 2000, a new team took over the management of the company
experiencing financial problems at that time. The new management
started actively implementing a rehabilitation policy. According to
Gagik Sahakyan, Head of the Management Advisory Services Department
of Ameria, the quick revival and rehabilitation of “KrasTyazhMash”
brand will get at its full pace in the nearest future. Today KHEP
is already one of the most modern enterprises in the CIS in terms of
equipment and technologies, applied in the production process.
Ameria is a group of professional services companies registered in
Armenia with the objective to provide a comprehensive package of
professional advisory and assurance services. Ameria specializes
in four major areas of professional activities: management advisory
services; assurance and advisory services; legal advisory services;
investment banking. Established in 1998, the company has become
a leader in the Armenian market of advisory services bringing an
international reach and local touch to complex issues rising in more
than 30 industry sectors.

THE FACTS AND FORCES THAT DRIVE SYRIA
Canberra Times – Australasia
Apr 17, 2006
Full Name: Syrian Arab Republic Capital: Damascus Location: Syria is
in the Middle East, bordering Lebanon and Turkey Border countries:
Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey Area: 185,180sqkm Highest
point: Mount Hermon, 2814m Oceans: The western coastline meets the
Mediterranean Sea Coastlines: 193km Population: 18,881,361 Population
growth rate: 2.3 per cent Life expectancy: Total population: 70.32
years.
Male: 69.01 years, female: 71.7 years Natural resources: Petroleum,
phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt,
marble, gypsum, hydropower Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish,
Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, and French and English is understood
Ethnicity: Arab 90.3 per cent, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7 per
cent Religion: Sunni Muslim, Alawite, Druze, Christian and Jewish
Labor force: Agriculture 30 per cent, industry 27 per cent, services
43 per cent Unemployment rate: 12.3 per cent Industries: Petroleum,
textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Crops: Wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets
Livestock: Beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk Exports: Crude oil,
petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing,
meat and live animals Currency: Syrian pound.

Miss Iraq forced to go into hiding after death threats
By Jerome Taylor
The Independent/UK
14 April 2006
Tamar Goregian, a 23-year old Armenian Iraqi, stood before a small
crowd in a secret location in Baghdad last Friday and wept with
joy. She had just won the coveted title of Miss Iraq 2006 and was
hoping to travel to Los Angeles to take part in July’s Miss Universe
competition.
“Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace
after all,” she told friends and fellow contestants packed into the
heavily guarded nightclub. Four days later, Ms Goregian was forced to
renounce her crown and flee to Jordan after receiving death threats
from fundamentalists calling her the “Queen of Infidels”.
“I respect her decision,” said the pageant’s director. “The country is
undergoing rough times and we understand her desire to protect herself
and her family.”
It was never going to be easy to hold a beauty pageant in a country
where every day brings more violence and bloodshed. Almost half of the
20 contestants dropped out on the day of the competition and the
organisers had taken numerous precautions to keep the event a secret
even from the media.
The organisers had hoped that sending an Iraqi to the Miss Universe
competition would show a different side to the war-torn country, and
provide a welcome respite from the daily diet of atrocities that
dominates most news from Iraq.
On Wednesday, a fellow contestant, Silva Shahakian, a Christian who
originally came fourth in the competition, said she was prepared to
take over from Ms Goregian as Miss Iraq. Speaking to ABC’s Good
Morning America, Ms Goregian confirmed she would keep her title but
said she would have to go into hiding.
“This chance does not come to every girl. So I’m lucky to have that.
I’m not going to lose it,” she told the programme on Tuesday. “I’ll
take care. I will change my living space. I would like to take that
chance, I will do my best,” she said.
Global beauty pageants have frequently fallen foul of traditional
sensibilities in the developing world as more countries try to cash in
on holding the contests, which bring with them money and publicity.
In 1996, riots erupted in India during the Miss World competition, and
in Nigeria’s competition in 2002 more than 200 people were killed in
clashes when a local journalist suggested the Prophet Mohamed would
have approved of the Miss World competition that was being held there.
Last week’s contest in Iraq was the first to be held inside the
country since the US-led invasion – previous hopefuls had been forced
to travel to Kenya and enter competitions there. The last time Iraq
sent a delegate to a Miss Universe competition was in 1972, when
Wijdan Sulyman represented her country in Puerto Rico. The pageant
organisers say they still hope to send Ms Shahakian to compete in Los
Angeles this July.
Tamar Goregian, a 23-year old Armenian Iraqi, stood before a small
crowd in a secret location in Baghdad last Friday and wept with
joy. She had just won the coveted title of Miss Iraq 2006 and was
hoping to travel to Los Angeles to take part in July’s Miss Universe
competition.
“Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace
after all,” she told friends and fellow contestants packed into the
heavily guarded nightclub. Four days later, Ms Goregian was forced to
renounce her crown and flee to Jordan after receiving death threats
from fundamentalists calling her the “Queen of Infidels”.
“I respect her decision,” said the pageant’s director. “The country is
undergoing rough times and we understand her desire to protect herself
and her family.”
It was never going to be easy to hold a beauty pageant in a country
where every day brings more violence and bloodshed. Almost half of the
20 contestants dropped out on the day of the competition and the
organisers had taken numerous precautions to keep the event a secret
even from the media.
The organisers had hoped that sending an Iraqi to the Miss Universe
competition would show a different side to the war-torn country, and
provide a welcome respite from the daily diet of atrocities that
dominates most news from Iraq.
On Wednesday, a fellow contestant, Silva Shahakian, a Christian who
originally came fourth in the competition, said she was prepared to
take over from Ms Goregian as Miss Iraq. Speaking to ABC’s Good
Morning America, Ms Goregian confirmed she would keep her title but
said she would have to go into hiding. “This chance does not come to
every girl. So I’m lucky to have that. I’m not going to lose it,” she
told the programme on Tuesday. “I’ll take care. I will change my
living space. I would like to take that chance, I will do my best,”
she said.
Global beauty pageants have frequently fallen foul of traditional
sensibilities in the developing world as more countries try to cash in
on holding the contests, which bring with them money and publicity.
In 1996, riots erupted in India during the Miss World competition, and
in Nigeria’s competition in 2002 more than 200 people were killed in
clashes when a local journalist suggested the Prophet Mohamed would
have approved of the Miss World competition that was being held there.
Last week’s contest in Iraq was the first to be held inside the
country since the US-led invasion – previous hopefuls had been forced
to travel to Kenya and enter competitions there. The last time Iraq
sent a delegate to a Miss Universe competition was in 1972, when
Wijdan Sulyman represented her country in Puerto Rico. The pageant
organisers say they still hope to send Ms Shahakian to compete in Los
Angeles this July.

‘MY SON SHALL BE ARMENIAN’ FILM DEMONSTRATED IN CANADA
Yerevan, April 13. ArmInfo. ‘My Son Shall Be Armenian’ film by director
Hakob Gudsuzian was demonstrated in Canada on April 11. The film was
made by the ‘National Film Board’ company and the demonstration was
organized by Armenian youth unions of Ottawa, Armenian organizations
of Canada and the Armenian Embassy.
The Foreign Ministry of Armenia report that the film tell about five
Armenians from Montreal traveling to Armenia in order to find evidence
of survivors of the Genocide.

PREVENTING TURKEY’S POPULAR SLIDE AWAY FROM THE WEST
By Soner Cagaptay
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, DC
April 12 2006
Iran’s nuclear program presents one more issue on which Washington sees
Middle East developments in a different light than does the Justice
and Development Party (AKP) government in Turkey. Since coming to
power in November 2002, AKP leaders have pursued rapprochement with
Damascus and enhanced dialogue with Iran. In March 2006, the AKP
welcomed Hamas leaders in Ankara. It is surprising that Turkey,
a traditional bastion of Western policies in the Middle East, is
promoting close ties with anti-Western actors that have hurt Turkey
for decades-Syria provided safe haven to the terrorist Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) and Iran supported the PKK and radical Islamist
terrorists. Why do the Turkish people not resent such policies?
The Iraq war and the U.S. agenda for political transformation in the
Middle East have clashed with the Turkish people’s desire to preserve
the Middle Eastern political landscape. What is more, U.S. inaction
against the PKK’s Qandil enclave in Northern Iraq is angering most
Turks in the way Syrian and Iranian support for the PKK upset them
in the 1990s. Turkish confusion and anger toward the United States
stands in sharp contrast with the improved image of Syria and Iran
in Turkey. Meanwhile, with AKP discussing Middle Eastern politics
in terms of Islamic codes, some Turks now identify with the region
through Islam and not their national identity. The challenge for
Washington is to find a way to prevent Turkey’s popular slide away
from the United States.
Further Problems with the EU
Anti-Western sentiments in Turkey are exacerbated by problems with
the European Union (EU). Even though Turkey’s EU negotiations will
take up to a decade and do not promise membership, objections to
Turkey are already rising in the EU. In capitals such as Paris,
opinionmakers are opposing Turkey’s membership, describing the country
is “non-European.” With Cyprus, a Middle Eastern island in the EU,
Turks see this argument referring not to Turkey’s geography, but to
its dominant Muslim faith.
An important example of Turkey being treated differently than other
applicants is the EU’s embrace of a French plan to introduce references
to human rights, indicating Turkey’s combustive Kurdish question, into
the “Chapter on Education and Culture,” the first of the thirty-five
chapters of the Turkish-EU accession talks. While this chapter has
had a technical approach to educational and cultural issues in case
of previous accession countries, it is evolving into a political
one for Turkey, demanding more from Ankara than from previous EU
candidate states.
The problems in Turkish-EU relations will be exacerbated by the PKK’s
use of terror to coerce Turkey into talks. Over the past two weeks,
the PKK has launched violent demonstrations in Turkey, destroying
businesses that refuse its order for social strike, killing people,
and firebombing public buses in Istanbul. The PKK is able to operate
thanks to a vast financial, recruitment and propaganda base inside the
EU. For instance, on March 31, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported
that the PKK’s current violent initiative is being carried out with
daily directives from Danish-based Roj TV. EU stipulations that
“Turkey should do more on the Kurdish issue” sound insincere to Turks
when PKK fronts are thriving inside Europe.
European pusillanimity against the PKK angers the wider Turkish
public, especially since the Kurdish nationalist view represents a
minority opinion among Turkey’s Kurds. In the twelve overwhelmingly
Kurdish-populated provinces in southeastern Turkey, Kurdish nationalist
Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) received only 30 percent of the vote
in the last elections, while in western Turkey, home to over half of
Turkey’s Kurds, support for DEHAP barely exceeds one percent. Even
though it represents a minority opinion among Turkish Kurds, the
PKK dominates the Kurdish nationalist movement, including DEHAP (now
called Democratic Society Party DTP), through the elimination of any
peaceful alternatives.
U.S. Options
Even if Turkey manages the oncoming crisis with the EU, an anti-EU
and anti-Western backlash will nevertheless follow, with Turks blaming
the EU for treating them with religious bias. With even the best-case
scenario offering a bleak picture, Washington can take a number of
steps to counter the erosion of Turkey’s longstanding pro-Western
foreign policy orientation, and even the prospect of Turkey turning
into an anti-Western yet modern state, in the mold of Malaysia:
Convey to the Turkish public that Turkey’s interests lie in the
Western world. Through high-level meetings, the best way of getting
opinions across to the Turkish elite, and through public diplomacy,
Washington should tell Turks that Turkey belongs to the West and that
the United States and Turkey share secular democratic values and an
interest in fighting terrorism. In terms of public diplomacy efforts,
eliminating the Voice of America’s Turkish services, as proposed in the
2007 budget, would be dangerous at a time when al-Jazeera has plans
to start a Turkish broadcast. Washington should also identify areas
of common interest to convince Turkey’s public of the advantages
of cooperation with the United States. These include new energy
transportation projects from the Caspian basin; U.S. involvement in
ending Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory, a major concern
for the Turkish public; and a free trade agreement to build the
economic pillar of bilateral ties and to strengthen business lobbies
for better relations.
Deal with the PKK. U.S. action against the PKK is a must for winning
Turkish confidence. Turkish frustration with lack of U.S. action
against the PKK’s Qandil enclave in Iraq has mounted in the aftermath
of recent PKK violence. Even public officials and the liberal press
now suggest that Washington supports the PKK. If a full-scale battle
against the group is not possible before Iraq is more fully stabilized,
the detention or elimination of the group’s leadership in Iraq would
be the best way to pacify the PKK and gain Turkish trust.
As a hierarchical organization, the PKK loses its tactical abilities
when it loses its leadership. That was the case in 1999 when PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured with U.S assistance-and thanks
to Ankara giving credit to Washington for its efforts, Turkish public
opinion embraced the United States as a result.
Take steps on Cyprus. The Cyprus issue ought to be taken off the
table before it crashes Turkish-EU relations, damaging the anchor that
ties Turkey to the West. Washington might appoint a senior diplomat
with international visibility to build momentum toward a UN-supported
solution of the problem. Increased political, cultural, and commercial
contacts with Turkish Cypriots would undercut the confidence of the
uncompromising Greek Cypriot leadership that the current stalemate
can be prolonged indefinitely.
Move Turkey’s EU process. Washington should continue its closed-door
diplomacy to emphasize to European leaders the added value of Ankara’s
membership on issues such as demographics, energy, and strategic
concerns. Washington could also bring to fruition ongoing collaboration
with European intelligence bodies, lawmakers, and police forces
against PKK structures in Europe. This step would not only disarm a
vector of crisis in Turkish-EU relations, but also, when recognized
by the Turkish government, improve America’s standing in Turkey.
What Ankara Can Do
None of Washington’s steps will work unless the Turkish government
works to shape public opinion in favor of Turkey’s Western
orientation. Strange as it sounds, after four years of AKP rule,
Turkish public opinion worries that American foreign policy constitutes
a threat to Turkey; the AKP needs to forcefully counter this view. The
Turkish government should lead a public discussion on U.S moves in
the Middle East from the perspective of Turkish national interests,
and not the interests of the country’s Arab neighbors or the Muslim
world, an issue on which Turks are confused. Indeed, the AKP might
emphasize that by working with the United States, Turkey can shape
U.S. Middle East policy to its advantage. Only these steps can shape
public opinion in the long run and maintain Turkey’s historic Western
orientation, a path rooted in Ataturk’s vision.
Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy and chair of the Turkey Advanced Area Studies Program at
the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.
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TURKS TO WATCH EGOYAN’S ‘ARARAT’ TODAY
AZG Armenian Daily
13/04/2006
Private Turkish KanalTurk TV will air today Atom Egoyan’s “Ararat”
today, Agence France-Presse reports.
The Turkish presenter assured yesterday that the film will be shown
without cutbacks and censorship.
Interestingly, in presenter’s words, the decision for airing the film
was taken after a public opinion poll revealed that 72 percent of TV
viewers wants to see Atom Egoyan’s movie on Armenian Genocide.
According to AFP, the Turkish government does not hinder movie
screening. Yet, the agency reminds that another Turkish company
intended to show “Ararat” at a theatre but changed its mind fearing
possible protests.