Author: Khoyetsian Rose

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Foreign Press Office
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
March 16, 2004

Rev. Fr. Aren Shahinian Appointed as Spiritual Pastor of the Armenian
Community of Rome

By the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, Rev. Father Aren Shahinian is appointed as
spiritual pastor of the Armenian community of Rome. The Armenian
communities of Italy are under the jurisdiction of the Pontifical Legate for
Western Europe, His Eminence Archbishop Kude Nakkashian, Primate of Paris.
Fr. Shahinian is a member of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin.

* * *

Father Aren Shahinian
(baptized Shant)

Father Aren Shahinian was born on January 20, 1970, in Baghdad, Iraq. He
received his primary education in the local elementary school.
>From 1989-1992, he studied at the College of Mechanical Sciences in the city
of Kirkuk.
In 1993, he began attending a five-year ecclesiastical course organized by
His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of the Armenian Church
Diocese of Iraq. Concurrently, he pursued his education at the “Babylon”
Theological University of Baghdad.
On January 29, 1999, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Avak
Assadourian.
On March 2, 2000, he was ordained a celibate priest by Archbishop Avak
Assadourian, in the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, of
Cairo, Egypt. The same year, he successfully defended his thesis entitled:
“The Gospel and the Koran”, and was awarded with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Theology and Philosophy from the “Babylon” Theological University.
Following his ordination, Father Aren departed for Rome to continue his
theological education.
In 2004, upon the Pontifical Order of the Catholicos of All Armenians, he
was appointed spiritual pastor of the Armenian community of Rome.

##

Foreign Policy Association
March 16 2004

Project Manager- Armenia
World Vision

Job Categories: Environment | Full-Time/Contract | Central Asia
| Global Health | Environment

Description:
World Vision International is the largest privately funded Christian
Relief and Development Organization working against hunger, poverty
and injustice in over 98 countries around the world, helping over 85
million people.
World Vision Deutschland – in close co-operation with World Vision
Armenia – has successfully applied for funding under “Co-financing
with European development NGOs’ Operations in developing countries”.
The project entitled “Building Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in
Tavush region – Armenia” seeks to reduce poverty among the vulnerable
population in the remote regions of Armenia through increased rural
communities capacity to manage their assets and agricultural
resources and secure an increased income. The target population
encompasses disfranchised population, especially refugees and
internally displaced persons, living in border communities,
mountainous communities, and small remote villages not covered by
other programs. The project activities are geared towards achieving
the following results:
1. Farmer associations are enabled to promote diversified and
market-oriented agriculture

2. Off-farm income-generating activities are initiated

3. Community initiatives in infrastructure improvement are supported

In order to guarantee the effective implementation of the project,
the position of a qualified expatriate Project Manager needs to be
filled during the 2nd quarter of 2004. The duration of the project is
36 months.
To lead and facilitate the efficient and effective implementation of
the project “Building Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in Tavush region
– Armenia” building on, integrated in, and expanding WV Armenia’s
long-term development activities in Armenia. The Project Manager
reports to WV Armenia Operations Director and works in coordination
with the Area Development (ADP) Manager in Tavush Region towards
achieving the following objectives:

Supervise a structured project start-up including office
establishment, notification to all stakeholders concerned in
collaboration with the WV Armenia Operations Director and ADP
Manager, and recruitment and orientation of local staff in compliance
with WV Armenian procedures
Develop operation plans and establish a monitoring system that allows
for the measurement and documentation of project progress toward
objectives and results, which maximizes cross- cutting themes and
programs within the Tavush ADP
Provide guidance and leadership to the project based on the best
practices in multi-sectoral development projects that include
agriculture, income generation and community development
With the support of WV Armenia?s Finance team ensure that project
finance management meets the standards of the WV Armenia Finance
Manual and the specific EU requirements
In Coordination with the WV Armenia Operations Director engage in
networking with the donor and develop relationship of mutual
confidence and respect
Maintain good working relationship with local government bodies
without compromising the independence of World Vision and its
non-governmental role
Support the ADP Manager in her role of overall WV representation in
Tavush Region
Coordinate visibility actions with donors and WV Armenia Marketing
team
Work with WV Armenia Program Officers to prepare narrative and
financial reports for the donor as stipulated in the contract and
ensure any difficulties or changes that might arise during the
implementation of the project are agreed with the Operations Director
and communicated to the donor in due time
Prepare monthly narrative reports to be distributed to WV Armenia
national office, WV Deutschland, and other stakeholders as deemed
appropriate
Provide all necessary information/documentation needed for the
regular monitoring and evaluation missions in collaboration with WV
Armenia?s M&E Officer
Network with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local
government officials, and community leaders in the project area to
ensure continued project co-ordination, quality and innovation
Undertake continuous capacity building of national staff engaged in
the project in the areas of agriculture, income generation,
sustainable livelihoods, rural development, and project management,
so as to create and strengthen relevant indigenous skills &
understanding
Assist the WV Armenia Operations Director and the ADP Manager in the
development of strategies for long-term or additional interventions,
including the preparation of further plans and proposals, and
handling the marketing of these
Perform other duties as assigned by the Operations Director
Qualification:

3-5 years of similar management experience in cross-cultural
environment
A degree in Agriculture or similar with experience in working with
farmer associations and an understanding of marketing
Understanding of environmental issues and micro-catchments’
management
Prior work experience in project implementation, monitoring,
evaluation, training/capacity building, conceptual program planning,
office administrative procedures and report writing
Excellent English speaking, reading and writing skills
Working knowledge of Russian and/or Armenian
Computer literacy (word processing and spreadsheets)
Ethnic sensitivity and understanding, with an ability to resolve
complex cultural issues
Strong inter-personal and cross-cultural communications skills and
sensitivity. Ability to work closely within a team/group environment
and to be diplomatic and flexible in a sometimes remote and
challenging environment and/or under stress
Team-player attitude, with initiative & self-confidence to develop
and lead program
Strong organizing, planning and writing skills. Strong attention to
detail
Representation aptitude – including relations with donors
Willingness to travel locally around Armenia up to 40% of the time.
Staying overnight in unprivileged living conditions is possible
Experience of working in FSU transitional economies preferable
Strong commitment to World Vision?s Christian Values and ability to
reflect these in day to day work
Applications for this position should be sent to:

Gisela Poole [email protected] and Kristina Baghdasaryan
[email protected] 3-5 years of similar management
experience in cross-cultural environment.

Contact Information: Gisela Poole
Email: [email protected]
Apply by: March 31, 2004

ArmenPress
March 9 2004

GEORGIA’S PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ARMENIA MARCH 12

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: The president of Georgia, Mikhail
Saakashvili, will pay an official two-day visit to Armenia on March
12 at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian.
Kocharian’s press office said the Georgian delegation is composed of
foreign, energy, infrastructures and development ministers, members
of the parliament, representatives of the Armenian-populated region
of Javakheti and journalists.
On March 13 the two presidents will have a private conversation
after the official ceremony of welcoming, to be followed by
Georgian-Armenian negotiations. The two presidents will also brief
the journalists on the results of their talks.
During the official visit Saakashvili will meet with Armenian
parliament chairman, prime minister and representatives of the
Georgian community in Armenia. He will be received by the head of the
Armenian Church Catholicos Karekin II. The itinerary of the Georgian
delegation includes also a visit to Genocide Memorial where he will
lay a wreath in commemoration of the victims of the 1915 massacre of
Armenians by Turkish authorities. He will then visit the nearby
Genocide Museum and Institute, then the Matenadaran Institute of Old
Manuscripts. Saakashvili will fly back the same day.

The Arizona Republic
March 9 2004

Caucasian label linked to highlands

Dan Kincaid

QUESTION: What is the origin of the term “Caucasian” for White
people?

ANSWER: Words sometimes hold a secret history within themselves.
Think of influenza, which originally referred to the supposed
influence of the stars on our health, an idea that predated the
modern germ explanation of diseases.

“Caucasian” is a word heard often. Police dispatchers, for instance,
frequently describe crime suspects as Caucasian rather than White.

Caucasian comes from the Caucasus, the region between the Black and
Caspian seas that includes the nations of Georgia, Azerbaijan,
Armenia and part of southern Russia. The towering ranges of the
Caucasus Mountains traverse it.

Why should the Caucasus provide a name for the lighter-skinned
peoples of western Asia, North Africa and Europe as well as for their
descendants around the world?

The late naturalist Stephen Jay Gould tells how the term arose as a
racial label in his 2002 book I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning
in Natural History.

In 1795, Gould says, the prominent German scholar and scientist
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published a major work in which he
reclassified humanity into five races: American (Native Americans),
Mongolian, African, Malay and Caucasian.

Caucasian?

Blumenbach selected this term for lighter-skinned peoples Gould says,
because he felt that the skulls of people from the Caucasus region,
especially Georgians, were the most beautiful of all White peoples.
European that he was, Blumenbach thought Whites were generally the
most aesthetically pleasing of races in the first place. So great was
his influence that Caucasian caught on and remains a synonym for
White.

RIA news agency, Moscow, in Russian
10 Mar 04

Russian agency details crimes of ethnic gangs in Moscow

Moscow, 10 March: According to the department for fighting organized
crime, about 4,300 crimes uncovered in Moscow in 2003 were committed
by people from the North Caucasus and Transcaucasus. This was said by
the head of the operative-investigative unit of the Moscow department
for fighting organized crime, Col (Police) Andrey Bolshakov, at a
news conference on Wednesday [10 March].

Crimes committed by these people are mainly of latent nature and the
victims are, as a rule, people of the same ethnic group, or those who
live in Moscow and who are involved in illegal business dealing,
Bolshakov said.

He said that completed investigations (of the cases already submitted
to courts) showed that ethnic criminal gangs committed 295 crimes of
various degree of seriousness last year. A total of 255 of the crimes
are of economic nature, including 250 frauds.

A total of 136 cases have been instituted against leaders of criminal
gangs, including 12 cases against so-called “godfathers”.

Bolshakov said that the largest ethnic criminal group acting in
Moscow is the Azerbaijani one. They are involved in extortion and
kidnapping, mainly of people from the Azerbaijani diaspora, and they
commit crimes on the consumer market.

According to the colonel, the most influential ethnic criminal group
is Armenian. The group is involved in contract killings, gambling and
extortion.

He said that the Georgian-Abkhaz criminal group is one of the
earliest ones in Moscow, it has the greatest number of godfathers and
its members are primarily involved in car thefts and extortion.

Speaking about the Ingush criminal group Bolshakov said that its
representatives are mainly linked to embezzlement in the credit and
finance sphere.

The most odious group is the Chechen criminal group which is mainly
built on clan principles and which is the most closely-knit in
nature. These people are involved in embezzlement, kidnapping as well
as in controlling the arms and drugs trade, Bolshakov said.

Azeri official plays down Armenian leader’s Karabakh remarks

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
12 Mar 04

[Presenter] Baku believes that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s
statement that Nagornyy Karabakh can never become part of Azerbaijan
again is intended to cast a shadow on our country.

Saying this, the head of the Presidential Executive Staff, Ramiz
Mehdiyev, added that Kocharyan’s mythical remarks that if Nagornyy
Karabakh is returned to Azerbaijan, hundreds of thousands of axes
would be hanging over the Karabakh Armenians show that he is not
faring well in his country.

Mehdiyev also stressed that while the Armenian president is saying
that there is no political crisis in Armenia, his attempts to foment
tensions around the Nagornyy Karabakh issue testify to the opposite
and show that there is a deep political crisis in Armenia.

The head of the Presidential Executive Staff also pointed to the fact
that 30,000 Armenians still live in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, he said,
is demonstrating to the whole world that the Armenians can live in
peace among the Azerbaijanis and there is no threat to their
lives. This is the result of the security guarantees that we have been
providing for the Armenians for years.

At the same time, Mehdiyev said that Armenia cannot conceal its
aggressive anti-Azerbaijani policy, as a result of which there are no
Azerbaijanis on Armenian territory. He added that the Azerbaijanis
were driven out of Armenia even more cruelly than with axes. Today
Armenian snipers are targeting peaceful Azerbaijanis. But they can
only do that in borderline areas.

President warns Russian troops against interference in Georgian affairs

Imedi TV, Tbilisi
12 Mar 04

[Presenter] It was reported in Ajaria this morning that the centre was
planning to deploy the Commando Battalion in Batumi [Ajarian capital]
to establish control there.

The Ajarian interior minister [Jemal Gogitidze] said in a telephone
conversation with us that official Batumi had received this
information a long time ago. He said that Ajarian law enforcers had
been mobilized in this connection. Also, today Jemal Gogitidze denied
the information that a 60-strong group from the Netkachovi [as heard]
unit had abandoned [Ajarian leader] Aslan Abashidze.

Before flying to Yerevan, President [Mikheil] Saakashvili said once
again that the attention to Ajaria would not be lessened.

Saakashvili commented on today’s reports that the transfer of Russian
servicemen to Ajaria was continuing. It has been reported that 79 new
recruits were transferred to Batumi from the Armenian town of Gyumri
this morning. The servicemen were brought there by a special
train. The Russian side has been carrying out a rotation of its
servicemen at the military base in Ajaria for a month.

[Saakashvili, speaking to journalists at Tbilisi airport. Video starts
in mid-sentence] – they want to divert attention from Ajaria.

We will respond to the extremists in Tbilisi and we will detain those
who violate human rights in Batumi as well. Their hope that we will
give up Ajaria are in vain. This will not happen.

[Russian] bases is a separate issue. I constantly raise the issue of
bases at all levels. However, whatever forces they bring in, or take
out, let nobody have a hope that those forces will intervene in
Georgia’s domestic affairs. And may God forbid anyone to intervene [in
Georgia’s domestic affairs] without the Russian president’s
knowledge. They will receive such an answer that they will never be
able to stand on their feet again. We are no longer the Georgia of
1992. I do not advise [changes tack] – I am ready to stand in front of
any tank for Georgia.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
March 12 2004

Georgian, Armenian Presidents Meet In Armenia

Armenian President Robert Kocharian

Yerevan, 12 March 2004 (RFE/RL) — Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili arrived in Yerevan today on his first official visit to
Armenia, meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and calling
for closer relations between regional neighbors.

“Naturally, I consider the South Caucasus as a single region. We have
close relations with Azerbaijan, but I think we should also develop
bilateral Georgian-Armenian relations. We are also developing
relations with our other neighbors, and in the end, as a result of
resolving many of the existing problems, including some profound
problems, this region must be integrated — both politically and
economically — in order to be successful.”

Kocharian said the two agreed at their talks today to meet often,
both formally and informally.

Saakashvili also said Armenia could help Georgia normalize its
relations with Russia, which have been complicated by the continued
presence of Russian troops and Russia’s support for Georgia’s
separatist regions.

Earlier today, Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned the new Georgian
government against trying to force its autonomous region of Adjaria
back under the control of Tbilisi.