Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Institute for War & Peace Reporting
July 21 2005
Baku Runs Dry
Water runs out in the Azerbaijani capital’s antiquated water system.
By Sevinj Telmangizi in Baku (CRS No. 296, 21-Jul-05)
“I have a huge heap of linen to wash but I don’t have enough water to
fill a teapot,” said 35-year-old housewife Sadagat Mamedova.
Mamedova and her neighbours in the settlement of Binagadi, north of
Baku, all have the same complaint. As Sevil, an elderly neighbour,
explained, the water shortages are getting worse and worse.
“Three years ago, we received water for two hours twice a day,’ said
Sevil. `Since last year, we’ve been getting it only once a day,
according to a timetable, from seven until half past eight in the
evening. However, since the summer started, we’ve had running water
only once every two or even three days. In addition, we are always at
a loss as we never know when it will start running. And the pressure
is so low that it’s impossible to fill the water tank.’
Fizuli Akhundov, a former Baku city official, said that the capacity
of the water system in the capital is out of date. “These lines were
meant for city’s population as it was 20 years ago,’ he said. `The
population was 1.8 million then, but it’s more than three million
now.’
Azerbaijan’s water resources are seven times smaller than Georgia’s
and four times smaller than Armenia’s. The Kura and Araz rivers are
the main sources of drinking water, and almost four million people,
or 40 per cent of Azerbaijan’s population, use water from the former.
However, tests show that water quality in these rivers falls far
below accepted standards, with high levels of pollution from sewage
lines and tributaries flowing into the rivers.
“In the Soviet era, special biological filters were used to clean the
water from the Kura. They were installed on the Kura-Baku water pipe
near the village of Talish in Sabirabad district,’ said Akhundov.
`However, they have not functioned for 20 years now. At present, we
have almost no water cleaning system at all.”
Professor of medicine Adil Geibulla warns that microbes in drinking
water can rapidly cause epidemics of gastroenteric diseases.
“Sometimes, drinking water gets mixed with sewage and industrial
waste,’ he said, adding that `the current pollution of drinking water
is caused not only by bacteria and viruses but also by the
construction work under way in Baku”.
Elnur Gasimov, the leading engineer at the state-owned water company
Azersu, defends the government, pointing out that much of the new
housing constructed in Baku lacks the proper water facilities. “The
25 pumping facilities and water cleaning systems are able to supply
water ony to those settlements and districts that were designed in
the Soviet period,” Gasimov told IWPR.
He added that accidents are frequent because the housing departments
do not repair damaged mains or the branch connections to apartments.
The newest pipes were installed 30 years ago, and are in urgent need
of repair because years of neglect.
According to Gasimov, only 12 or 15 streets in Baku’s prestigious
Sabaili district have continuous running water. Others have their
water rationed according to a schedule.
Surai Gurbanova, 52, who lives in Ataturk avenue in the Narimanov
district, says that about six years ago, her house had water 24 hours
a day, but things started getting worse once multistorey apartment
blocks began springing up all around them. Each time another building
was finished, the water supply was cut further.
“Right now, no water is supplied to the house from one in the
afternoon until six in the evening and from midnight until eight in
the morning,’ said Gurbanova. `We were obliged to install a water
tank because of this problem, even though the cheapest costs 250,000
manats [around 50 US dollars].”
To make things worse, from January 2005 the charge levied on water
for household use was doubled, from 185 to 370 manats (7.7 cents) per
cubic metre. Commercial tariffs also went up.
According to Vusal Gasimly, director of the Institute for Economic
Technologies, the problem is that the official figures for water use
are incorrect, and this is distorting the way policy is shaped.
Azersu data show that the average person in Baku consumes 12 cubic
metres of water a month, or about 400 litres a day. In reality, it is
simply impossible to consume so much water in most of Baku’s
districts, where water is rationed, and hardly ever reaches the upper
floors of multistorey blocks. In Moscow, the average is 200 litres of
water a day.
Gasimly suggested that the true figure for per capita water
consumption in Baku is between 100 and 150 litres. `There is a
difference of 25-30 million dollars between the estimated and real
figures for water consumption,’ he concluded. `It would be very good
if the finance and tax ministries, the audit chamber and the law
enforcement agencies would pay attention to this and find out who is
in Azerbaijan’s water mafia.’
The World Bank has allocated 61 million dollars in loans to the
Azerbaijani government to spend on restoring Baku’s water supply
system, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has
allocated 23 million dollars for the same purpose, while the
government plans to spend 10.9 million dollars of its own money.
Gasimov says these credits come at a high price, and would never have
been needed if the estimates for water use had not been put so high,
“We will have to return these loans with 10-20 per cent interest,
which will be a major blow to Azerbaijan’s economy.’
He says that instead of loans, what is needed to improve water
supplies is `meticulously formulated and audited investment
projects.’
Sevinj Telmangizi is a reporter for Yeni Musavat newspaper in Baku.

$100 MLN IS REQUIRED FOR RESTORATION OF HEATING SYSTEM IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JULY 19. ARMINFO. According to the strategy of the energy
development of Armenia till 2025, the program on restoration of
the heating supply system starts in 2005. Deputy Minister of Energy
of the Republic of Armenia Areg Galstian stated during the seminar
“Energy Security of Armenia”.
According to him, the programs costs about $100 mln. The World
Bank will provide a part of these funds, and local communities and
condominiums will invest the remaining part. The whole program is to
be completed till 2016, he said.
It should be noted that the World Bank’s Board of Directors approved
recently an Urban Heating Project for Armenia in the amount of
US$15 mln. The development objective of this four-year project is
to increase the use of clean, efficient, safe and affordable heating
technologies in urban schools and multi-unit apartment buildings. The
best scenario is to promote efficient and safe mini boilers. A $6 mln
credit will be provided to this end to be provided through the fund
of renewable energy to commercial banks (at LIBOR+1%) and later to
condominiums for purchasing or leasing minim boilers at market rates.
$4 mln will be allocated to provide heating to 10,000 poorest families
– 10% of the country’s poor population. Beneficiary to the program
are 100 schools outside Yerevan. Almost $3 mln of the UNDP/GEF grant
funds will be spent on the development of technical standards for
ensuring the safety of gas supplies in multi-unit apartment buildings.
Presently for lack of centralized heating Armenian residents heat
their houses with electricity or natural gas. The lack of standards
and efficient control has led to increasing gas accidents in the last
years. The $15 mln credit will be provided under IDA conditions for
40 years at 0.75% with a 10-year grace period. Since 1992 the WB has
carried out and is carrying out in Armenia 40 programs worth a total
of $896 mln.

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:
4000 BELIEVERS PARTICIPATE IN THE PILGRIMAGE OF ST. TADÉE
Over 4000 Armenians participated in a three-day-long pilgrimage
held in the St. Tadée Monastery in Iran. The pilgrimage was held on
July 7-9 under the patronage of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the
supervision of the primate of the Diocese, V Rev Fr Neshan Topuzian.
Archbishop Sebouh Sarkisian, primate of the Diocese of Tehran, V Rev
Fr Papken Tcharian, primate of the Diocese of Isfahan, representatives
from the three Dioceses of Iran, MP Kevork Vartanian, officials from
the “Alik” corporation, Garen Nazarian, the ambassador of Armenia to
Iran and a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
also participated in the pilgrimage.
A religious and spiritual atmosphere was dominant throughout the
pilgrimage, as several Holy masses and services were held. The primate
of Isfahan officiated the mass and delivered the sermon on Friday.
The primate of the Diocese of Tehran officiated the mass on Saturday
on the occasion of St. Tate’s holy day and welcomed the crowd of
faithful on behalf of the Catholicos of Cilicia. Water blessing and
a procession were held after the Holy Mass.
The three primates held their second meeting in the Armenian Prelacy
in Tabriz on July 11, at the end of the pilgrimage. They discussed
the possibilities of realizing a number of spiritual, educational,
cultural and publishing initiatives with combined efforts.
##
View the picture of the Monastery here:
*****
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.
–Boundary_(ID_6p2XY3a28csHAtrSpQ7EeA)–

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO MARTIROS SARIAN’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY
Azg/arm
21 July 05
Armenia created in the paintings by Martiros Sarian is as real and
vigorous as the artist’s unlimited love to life, painting, people
and nature.
The republican annual exhibition held at RA Artists’ Union was
dedicated to 125th anniversary of the great painter. The contemporary
Armenian artists exhibited about 120-150 canvases. The exhibition
also included a competition. It was envisaged to award the winners
of the competition with the Martiros Sarian Medal and 2 invitations
to the resort centers of the union in Tsaghkadzor and Sevan.
“Sarian is the youngest Armenian painter. He was searching for new
discoveries and forms during his life. If he were a son of a larger
nation, a Frenchman, an Englishman or a German, he would be as famous
as Modegliani, Picasso and Dali. Moreover, Sarian managed to create
a new image of Armenia. In his paintings Armenia is so strong and
vivid, that people always remember Sarian when speaking of Armenia.
And it is very good that our best painters remember the great Master,”
Avik Isahakian said.
By Melania Badalian

PROPAGANDA IN AZERI MASS MEDIA HAS SYSTEM NATURE, IT IS CHAOTIC IN ARMENIAN MASS MEDIA
YEREVAN, JULY 19. ARMINFO. Negative statements and expressions
concerning Armenia in Azeri mass media exceed four times than
in Armenian mass media concerning Azerbaijan, data of mass media
monitoring prove. Chairman of the Yerevan press-club Boris Navasardyan
says that one can see in Azeri mass media the “enemy” term concerning
neutral subjects, which cannot by military, “enemy football team”,
“enemy newspaper”, etc. Besides, Azeri newspapers actively use inverted
commas concerning NKR’s political institutions.
According to observers, stereotypes in Armenian press rather show
moods of Armenian journalists or editors of one or another mass media,
than the coordinated propaganda of authorities.
Navasardyan noted that mass cases of misinformation have been
registered from both parties. He expressed regret for absence of
transformation of frames of mind in Armenian press. Armenian-Azeri
relations in Armenian press are covered through the stereotype of
Turks’ and Azeris’ animosity.
Monitoring of mass media was crossed: Georgian and Azeri colleagues
of Navasardyan studied Armenian mass media. In Navasardyan’s opinion,
negative influence of mass media in Transcaucasian republics upon
frames of mind is explained by that information subjects had been
formed not under the market’s but political field’s impact there. Thus,
according to the monitoring group, propaganda but not information is
the main function of mass media.

Lraper Church Bulletin 19/07/2005
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]
A LECTURE FOR THE REGENT UNIVERSITY GROUP
;NewsCode=N000000717&Lang=ENG
His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey,
received a 15-member group from Regent University, who were on a Gospel
Tour of Anatolia run by the American Christian Trust, on Thursday,
14 July.
His Beatitude the Patriarch, at the request of the leader of the group,
Prof. Mark Wilson, and the university professors, graduate students,
and pastors in the group, gave a talk in the garden for two hours. He
spoke on ancient Armenian and foreign sources concerning the founding
of the Armenian Church, the first three ecumenical councils, and
christological and theological principles accepted and defended by
the Fathers of the Armenian Church.

Bagapsh Speaks of Upcoming Summit of Secessionist Leaders
Civil Georgia, Georgia
July 15 2005
In an interview with the Russian daily Vremya Novostey, published on
July 15, President of breakaway Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh said that the
leaders of the unrecognized republics of South Ossetia, Transdnestria
and Nagorno-Karabakh will mainly discuss economic cooperation during
a summit which is scheduled in the Abkhaz capital of Sokhumi at the
end of July. According to some reports, the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh
will not participate in this summit.
“We will make an appeal to Russia and the international community that
the situation surrounding Transdnestria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia
is aggravating,” Bagapsh said.
He also said that although economic cooperation will top the agenda
of the summit, “there will be [discussions of] military cooperation
as well, if necessary.”

LOST FEELING OF REALISM
A1+
15-07-2005
The OSCE Minsk group co-heads have not yet left the region, while
Azerbaijan is already making plans about activity in Karabakh. In
particular, the Azeri Deputy Minister of Transportation Musa Panakhov
has represented the ambitious plans of Azerbaijan.
According to the information, Azerbaijan is going to make large
investments for the development of the highways and railroads in
Karabakh. «At present it is hard to say anything about the volume of
investment», said Mr. Panakhov.
Nevertheless, the feeling of realism has not left the Azeris for
good. While speaking about the future plans they realize that all
this is possible only after the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
–Boundary_(ID_tzTcKrtszgEwTBWPWZI3MA)–

Hard work still ahead on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Russian mediator says
AP Worldstream; Jul 14, 2005
AVET DEMOURIAN

A Russian mediator cautioned that hard work lies ahead to resolve the
long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and settle the status of
the disputed enclave.
Yuri Merzlyakov, speaking late Wednesday after meeting with officials
in Nagorno-Karabakh, said that “the two sides are still very far from
reaching an agreement to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
Russian, French and U.S. envoys from the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe are trying find a solution to the dispute over
the mountainous region, which was seized by ethnic Armenian forces in
a war with Azerbaijan in the 1990s.
Merzlyakov said that months of painstaking work would be required to
bring Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a compromise.
French diplomat Bernard Fasier said many difficult issues remained but
praised the constructive attitude of the rival Caucasus nations.
“We consider important the spirit of the negotiations and the
relations between the two sides, which are developing positively. This
really is a help to us,” he said.
The self-declared president of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arkady Gukasyan, told
the envoys that although a deal was not yet in the making, “there is
still a great hope of progress,” his press service said Thursday.
A cease-fire was signed in 1994, but the enclave’s final status has
not been determined and shooting breaks out frequently between the two
sides, which face off across a demilitarized buffer zone.
The diplomats from Russia, the United States and France held talks
Wednesday in Nagorno-Karabakh’s main city, Stepanakert, before
returning to Yerevan for more talks.
The OSCE mediators on Tuesday met with officials in Azerbaijan, whose
president, Ilham Aliev, last month said there were signs of progress
in resolving the dispute.
The international community has become increasingly keen to reduce
tensions in this part of the former Soviet Union as energy-rich
Azerbaijan and other countries in the region have exploited vast
reserves of oil around the Caspian Sea.
About 1 million people were displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, and their resettlement as well as the future status of the
territory are among the major issues to be resolved.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND ARMENIAN ISSUES
Azg/arm
15 July 05
The National Geographic periodical touches upon Armenia and the
Armenian issues time after time. According to “The Armenian Mirror
Spectator, ” Bernard Ohanian, former deputy editor-in-chief, told
about the history of the periodical during the meeting at the
International and Public Affairs’ Facultyof the Columbia University in
New York. The meeting was organized by the Armenian center of the
University, commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.
On behalf of the board of the Armenian Center, Mark Momjian,
represented the guest and stated that the periodical touched upon the
Armenian issues in the October of 1915, when Hester Donaldson
Jannicks, professor at the Ladies American Collage of Constantinople,
published the article, entitled “Armenia and the Armenians.”
Mr. Ohanian spoke of the history of the periodical and the articles
published in “The National Periodical” on Armenia and the Armenian
issues. In particular, writer Melville Chatter published an article
entitled “The Country of Walking Death. The Travel through Armenia
Doomed to Hunger” in 1919. In 1978, the periodical published the
article “The Proud Armenians.” While in the March of 2004, the
periodical published “The Revival of Armenia” article that the term
“genocide,” when dwelling on the events of 1915.
Mr. Ohanian has worked also with The Los Angeles Times magazine, The
Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Columbia
Journalism Review” periodicals.
By the end of the meeting, Mark Momjian presented “My Name Is Red,”
the book by Orhan Pamuk, signed by the author, to the honored
journalist.
By Hakob Tsulikian