Author: Karapetian Hovik

‘THE SCORPION’ OF FAMOUS TURKISH PLAYWRIGHT, POLITICAL PRISONER ECBER YAGMURDERELI TO BE STAGE IN ARMENIA

Azg/arm
22 July 05

Eminent Turkish playwright and writer Ecber Yagmurdereli has arrived
in Yerevan.

Jailed in 1976, he spent 18 years in Turkish prisons never giving
up the fight for human rights, democracy and minority rights from
the pages of Jumhuriet. This brave intellectual and humanitarian,
who lost his eyesight in childhood, always wished to see his play
“The Scorpion”, which was translated into many languages and being
screened these days, staged in Armenia.

The play targets the “heroes” of bloody coup on September 22 of
1980 the head of military junta Kenan Evren and his adherents. The
revolution threw many Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Assyrian, Greek
and Arab freedom fighters into Turkish jails of this horrible tyranny.

Ecber Yagmurdereli and his companions met with the head of Gabriel
Sundikian State Academic Theatre, Vahe Shahverdian, who promised
to stage “The Scorpion” in near future. Asked whether the Turkish
government will not oppose staging this important political play in
Armenia, the Turkish playwright said, “The thaw in Armenian-Turkish
relations of recent times is obvious. Under the pressure of
international powers, Turkish opposition and Armenian authorities
the European Union will bring these relations to a desirable point.

The intelligentsia and art workers have a great role in improving
Armenian-Turkish relations and in establishing democracy. Days of
youth and dreams of those like me passed in the terrible prisons of
military junta of 1980. I have wonderful Armenian friends in Istanbul
where I live now. I know the invaluable contribution they made both
in the Ottoman Empire and nowadays in the spheres of art, literature,
theatre and economy. I am charmed with your capital, which I consider
truly European city in the Caucasus”.

The guests visited the Opera House and listened to Istanbul-born Arto
Tunj-Boyajian at the Jazz Club.

By Hamo Moskofian

GERMAN AND FRENCH OFFICIALS AGAINST TURKEY’S ACCESSION TO EU

Pan ARMENIAN Network, Armenia
July 21 2005

21.07.2005 05:22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Leader of German Christian Democratic Union Angela
Merkel and Chairman of the Union of Democratic Movement ruing in
France, French Interior Minister Nikola Sarkozi held a joint news
conference in Paris. There they stated they are against Turkey’s
accession to the EU and privileged partnership should be suggested
to Ankara instead. A. Merkel noted that before the start of the talks
with Turkey one has to clear out to which extent the country has met
the conditions referring to settlement of the Cyprus problem. She
added that the failure of the Constitution in France and Holland
evidences that the EU has to revise enlargement programs and specify
Europe’s borders. In her words, the continuation of the building of
Europe is conditioned with Germany-France relations to a high degree
and irrespective of who takes the power in Germany resulting from the
parliamentary election scheduled in autumn, the close ties between the
two countries should be preserved. As noted by the Radical Turkish
newspaper, Austrian FM Ursula Plesnik stated that an alternative
to accession to the EU should be suggested to Turkey. In her words,
this demand should be fixed in the framework convention on Turkey’s
accession to the EU being worked out.

FIRST GROUP OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS RETURNED HOME FROM IRAQ

Pan ARMENIAN Network, Armenia
July 21 2005

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first group of the 12th peacekeeping battalion
of the Armed Forces of Armenia today returned to Yerevan from Iraq.
Meeting them Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Artur Aghabekyan
stated, “I personally, as well as the whole staff of the Armed Forces
of Armenia and the MOD are proud of our soldiers.” “Our peacekeepers
are capable to fulfill the task they were commissioned with. They
proved it and they will be awarded by the MOD,” he said. As noted
by Aghabekyan, during the peacekeepers’ 6-month stay in Iraq,
no complaints were received from the Armenian community: on the
contrary, many community members wished to visit their compatriots.
In his words, 45 out of the 46 peacekeepers are home at the moment,
while one of them was moved to Baghdad and appointed liaison officer of
the multinational corps. When commenting on the opportunity sending a
third group of peacekeepers, Aghabekyan noted the National Assembly of
Armenia earlier adopted a decision on sending peacekeepers for a term
of a year. The second group will return this December, and if Armenia
receives an official document on continuation of the peacekeeping
mission, the respective resolution will be passed. “Troops are ready to
fulfill a new peacekeeping mission in any region if the Minister orders
to,” Aghabekyan stated. As of the possible sending of peacekeepers
to Afghanistan the Armenian Deputy Defense Minister remarked Armenia
continues examining the question. However, Armenia has not received a
specific proposal yet. “We should not wait for proposals. We should
always be ready to fulfill peacekeeping missions the Armenia-NATO
cooperation provides for,” he noted. When commenting on Lebanon’s
proposal on sending Armenian sappers to the country, the MOD official
noted that no official proposal was received yet. Aghabekyan also
reminded that IPAP Armenian Presentation Document was appreciated by
the NATO and Armenia will present the Plan of Actions within the IPAP.

US NOT EXPORTER OF REVOLUTION TO ARMENIA

PanArmenian News Network
July 19 2005

19.07.2005 03:44

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans stated the
relations of his country with the current Armenian Government «are
characterized by confidence and increasing assistance.» When
commenting on the opinion that the US is interested in exporting
revolutions from former Soviet Union states to Armenia, Evans noted,
«the US is not engaged in export of revolutions from a country to
another. We protect development of democratic institutions and
holding free and independent election as a recognized way of shift of
leaders of these institutions. We do not have favorites in the list
of candidates and we will work with any leader, who will come to
power via free and fair election.»

–Boundary_(ID_KUzxccvFS5XVvZPbnJ8vUg)–

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER

A1+
18-07-2005

Dear readers.

Today the internet site “A1+” goes on vacation. But the newspaper
“Ayb-Fe” continues its activity, and the materials of the newspaper
will be placed in the site.

Polls on different themes will also continue on our site, and as
always, we expect you to actively participate in them. In case of
need the the internet site “A1+” will refer to the important events
in the Republic online.

Dear readers, if you have advice, remarks and offers, we will be glad
to hear them if you write to our e-mail address [email protected]. After
the summer vacations we will return and continue to keep you aware
of the latest events in the Republic.

The government’s position needs to be modified
By Mher Ohanian

Yerkir
July 15, 2005

One of the obvious developments in the reforms of the Armenian
economy is that the state is gradually driven out from the economic
domain. Meanwhile, the liberal model of the economy whereby the state
is completely driven out of economic processes can have catastrophic
results in terms of the development of the country’s competitive
potential.

The experience of the countries that experienced drastic economic
growth in the past several decades shows that in the context of
extremely harsh economic competition in the international markets,
one can only enter those markets as a competitive partner with
active assistance from the state. This excludes the absolutization
of horizontal economic coordination.

Free trade is not for the weak

The notion of freedom of trade in international economic relations
actively supported by international financial institutions and
multi-national corporations is a myth. Free trade is the best way
of realization of the monopoly of the strongest while the novices
and the weak are forced to perform secondary functions serving as
suppliers of raw materials, energy and human resources and knowledge.

In this context, adherence to the principles of free trade and
joining various international agreements without having a national
strategy can in the long run force a country to become a permanently
third-world coutnry.

It has been several years since Armenia joined the World Trade
Organization. Since then Armenia has not experienced any increase
in the competitiveness of exported goods or any improvement of their
quality. The share of high technologies exported from Armenia in the
overall volume of exports remains very small (only 0.5%).

The international experience shows that the liberal free trade, if not
anchored on principles of mutual benefit and justice, can turn into
one-sided imposition hindering the domestic producers from entering
external markets and even forcing them out of the domestic market.

This situation can be observed in some sectors of the Armenian
economy. Liberal free trade puts the countries that have modern
technologies and thus smaller production costs in an advantageous
position. The liberal model of economic policies leaves no space for
either direct or indirect support of high tech production.

On the other hand, the regulation of the exchange rate of the
Armenian dram by the Central Bank as a result of cooperation with
international financial organizations and its continuous “stability”
(more precisely hyper-appreciation of the Armenian dram) continuously
increases the negative balance of foreign trade thus causing obstacles
for improvement of the competitiveness of the domestic economy and
limiting exports.

DEAN OF THE THEOLOGICAL FACULTY DIES

A1+
13-07-2005

Today at the age of 79, after long years of illness died Friar of the
Holy Echmiadzin, dean of the Yerevan State University Theological
Faculty Shahe archbishop Achemyan.

Shahe archbishop Achemyan was born in Halep in 1926. He studied in the
local Haykazyan college and then in the Mkhitaryan college in
1937-1939.

In 1965 November 7 he was ordained into bishop by he Catholicos of All
Armenians Vazgen I.

In 1982 he founded the Center of Armenian Holy Bible in Jerusalem. He
rendered many lectures in the Gevorgyan Spiritual college and
Vazgenyan college, and greatly contributed to the enhancing of the
international relations of the Armenian Church.

In 1992 Shahe archbishop Achemyan came to Armenia where in 1995
re-founded the Theological faculty of the Yerevan State University.

Lraper Church Bulletin 11/07/2005
Contact: Deacon Vagharshag Seropyan
Armenian Patriarchate
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Istanbul
T: +90 (212) 517-0970, 517-0971
F: +90 (212) 516-4833, 458-1365
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
[email protected]
<;

THE PATRIARCH BLESSES THE GETRONAGAN GRADUATES

On Saturday evening, 2 July 2005, His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian
Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey, participated in the Getronagan
High School graduation night, which took place in the Harutyun Amira
Bezciyan hall of the Holy Mother of God Patriarchal Church complex.

Before the evening began, the graduating class visited the Patriarch and
posed for a photograph with His Beatitude the Patriarch in the garden.
Then together with the Patriarch they went to the grave of the founder
of the Getronagan School, Patriarch Nerses Varjabedyan, where they paid
their respects and said prayers. His Beatitude the Patriarch then spoke
about the person and the deeds of Patriarch Nerses and strongly advised
the students not to forget the Getronagan School, which was the vision
of the late Patriarch.

The graduation ceremony, which then took place, was attended by the
graduates of 2005; their parents and families; the director of the
Getronagan High School, Silva Margosyan; the faculty; Father John
Whooley; the school’s founder’s locum tenens, Garbis Balmumcu; members
of the parish council of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of
Galata and Getronagan High School, with Migirdic Ardzivyan as the
chairperson; previous graduates; and many guests.

At the end of a successful programme of dance, poetry, and speeches,
diplomas were awarded to the graduating class of forty students.

The diploma of the most successful graduating student, Serli
Medzaduryan, was given by His Beatitude the Patriarch himself, who
congratulated all of the students in his speech. His Beatitude the
Patriarch wished the graduates lifelong success. He also advised them to
remain loyal to the heritage bequeathed by the late Patriarchs Hovhannes
Golod and Nerses Varjabedyan, and always to protect our spiritual
values.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 7 2005

OSCE PA passes resolution on Garabagh conflict

Baku, July 6, AssA-Irada
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) passed a resolution on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper Garabagh conflict in its session held in
Washington on Tuesday.
The resolution is based on a report prepared by the Assembly’s
special envoy on Upper Garabagh conflict Goran Lennmarker, head of
the Azerbaijani delegation at OSCE PA Sattar Safarov said.
Safarov said participating OSCE representatives stressed the need for
resolving the conflict within the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.
The resolution says that numerous people have been displaced as a
result of the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani regions. `The
occupied areas must be liberated and the displaced people returned to
their homes,’ it said. Nevertheless, Armenia was not termed as
aggressor in the resolution.
The document also said that the conflict settlement through military
action is unacceptable.*

Pan Armenian News

AZERI FM: OSKANIAN-MAMEDYAROV MEETING QUESTIONABLE

06.07.2005 02:35

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ July 11 the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will pay a visit to
Baku. The possibility of the recurrent meeting of the Armenian and Azeri FMs
will depend on the outcomes of the visit, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov stated, Trend news agency reports. In his words, after 2-day stay
in Azerbaijan, on July 13 the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will make for
Armenia. `If the necessity of the meeting of the FMs emerges after the
discussions with parties to conflict, the date of the meeting will be fixed.
Otherwise the meeting will not take place’, Elmar Mamedyarov said.