Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Eurasianet Organization
Aug 5 2004
CURRENCY FLUCTUATION CAUSES CONCERN IN ARMENIA
Haroutiun Khachatrian: 8/05/04
Rapid exchange-rate fluctuation, in which the Armenian currency has
significantly strengthened against the US dollar, is a source of
concern in Armenia. Many local economic observers suspect the
country’s currency market is being manipulated by speculators.
Following its introduction in 1993, the Armenian currency, the dram,
steadily declined in value against the US dollar – until this spring.
So far in 2004, the dollar has lost roughly 7 percent of its worth
versus the dram. Whereas early this year the exchange rate stood at
about 563 drams to the dollar, the rate is now hovering at about
520-to-one.
Many economists in Yerevan say there is no sound basis for the dram’s
appreciation, sparking suggestions that artificial pressure is
responsible for the sudden currency rate change. Most believe that
speculators are responsible for the recent fluctuation. The fact that
during a three-day span in mid July the exchange rate went from 520
drams to one US dollar to 495-to-one has helped fuel such suspicion.
The exchange rate shortly thereafter returned to the 520-to-one
level.
Concern about the exchange rate reached such a point that President
Robert Kocharian convened a special session of top government
economic officials to discuss ways to stabilize the dram. Meanwhile,
Central Bank officials said the dram’s appreciation is the result of
a dramatic rise in the influx of US dollars into Armenia. According
to the bank, there are three sources for rapid growth of dollars
circulating in the Armenian economy: an increase in exports; the
growth of the tourist industry; and significantly more cash
remittances coming into Armenia from Armenians living and working
abroad. Remittances have reportedly jumped 40 percent so far this
year over the same period in 2003.
Some economists now suggest Armenia is suffering from a form of
“Dutch disease” in which a country’s economy is overly dependent on
one export commodity, ultimately creating unfavorable exchange rates
that cause other economic sectors in the country to stagnate. In most
cases, those countries that have suffered from “Dutch disease” are
oil-and-gas exporters. In Armenia’s case, the country’s main export
appears to be skilled workers, who find work abroad and then ship
back a portion of their earning to relatives at home. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Central Bank chairman Tigran Sargsian, in statements concerning the
exchange rate fluctuation, has downplayed the possibility of
manipulation by speculators. He also has expressed a preference for a
hands-off approach by the Central Bank, adding that, in his view, the
dram’s value is not near a point where it could frustrate exports.
The Central Bank position has been attacked by some economists. In an
interview published July 30 on the Iravunk web site, economist Eduard
Agajanov accused the Central Bank of negligence. In taking no action
on the exchange rate, the bank “forgets that the main goal of central
banks all over the world is to stabilize the currencies of their
countries,” said Agajanov, who formerly headed the State Statistics
Committee.
Agajanov said there were several options open to the Central Bank.
One way to prevent such sudden exchange rate fluctuations, he added,
would be for the Central Bank to increase the money supply to counter
the influx of dollars.
The dram’s sudden and unexpected rise could benefit the government.
The 2004 state budget was calculated on the basis of a dram-dollar
exchange rate in the range of 580-to-one. If the rate remains at
present levels, the government may have a far easier time keeping
spending levels within budgetary projections.
The flip side is that dollar’s loss in value has somewhat damaged
commerce inside the country, and has eroded the savings of many
Armenians. This is because many Armenians have a greater level of
trust in the dollar than in the national currency. A significant
number of business transactions in the country are calculated in
dollars, while roughly two-thirds of Armenian bank account holders
maintain their savings in the US currency. The drop in the dollar’s
value has caused many entrepreneurs to incur losses in recent months.
Some economists, including Agajanov, worry that the lack of Central
Bank action to stabilize the exchange rate may be setting Armenia up
for financial upheaval down the road. They point to the fact that the
amount of remittances coming into Armenia could fall just as fast as
they have risen in recent months, rendering it impossible to rely on
the dram’s current relative strength.
Agajanov predicted that the dram is headed for a crash. “One fine
day, when this [present-day] agitation subsides, the rate of the dram
will suddenly plummet, with all the negative consequences that will
ensue,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.

Russian regional leader offers energy cooperation to Armenia
Arminfo
2 Aug 04
YEREVAN
Armenian Deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan met Komi President Vladimir
Torlopov today. The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Anatoliy Dryukov,
attended the meeting as well.
The press service of the Armenian parliament told Arminfo that at the
meeting Torosyan stressed the importance of establishing and
developing interregional ties and said that trade and economic ties
with the Republic of Komi are promising for Armenia. He hoped that
certain agreements would be reached as a result of the current
visit. The importance of the integration of the Armenians living in
Komi and their status as full members of society was emphasized as
well. Speaking about trade and economic relations, the sides stressed
the importance of resuming the railway link, which would become a
stimulus for developing the economies of the South Caucasus countries.
Torlopov spoke about the existence in Komi of major resources of oil,
gas, coal and other natural resources and expressed his readiness for
direct cooperation with Armenian entrepreneurs. Torlopov stressed the
importance of the parliament’s legislative assistance to the
development of cooperation and exchange of legislative experience. The
sides discussed a number of other issues as well.

Taipei Times
Mon, August 2, 2004
Iraqi chaos starting to breed sectarian strife
`PROMOTION OF VIRTUE’: The radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his army of
devotees have been blamed for a campaign of intimidation and violence
against Iraqi Christians
THE OBSERVER , LONDON
Monday, Aug 02, 2004,Page 7
“The al-Sadr tide is the only active tide in the country.”
Sheikh Raed al-Kadhimi, one of Moqtada al-Sadr’s aides
First came the warning: a sheet of paper stuck to the door of Na’aman
Khalil’s shop ordering him to close his off-license.
“You are corrupting the people of the Earth and you should stop,” said the
message, signed by a group calling itself the Monotheistic Movement of
Jihad.
Five days later, a parcel of and gutting the shop. Four other alcohol stores
along the same street in Baghdad’s largely Christian al-Ghadir district were
bombed that same night.
No one was injured, but the message was clear. After the bombings and a
spate of other attacks across Baghdad, most of the city’s alcohol shops
closed.
“They have achieved their aim. Whatever they wanted, they have got it,” said
Khalil, 24, who says the bombing cost him 7 million dinars in destroyed
stock. “If I open the shop again I don’t know what action they would take.
Probably they would kill me.”
There have been no arrests, but police and many Iraqis blame the attacks and
explosions on supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric.
A few days before the warning letter arrived, several of al-Sadr’s followers
met around 30 Shiite tribal leaders in the al-Hekma mosque in Sadr City, the
slum area in eastern Baghdad which forms the cleric’s powerbase.
They produced an edict in which they listed nine crimes punishable by death.
These included theft, kidnapping, robbery, spying “for the Wahabis, al-Qaeda
and Saddamists,” trafficking in women, and selling alcohol, pornographic CDs
and drugs.
The edict, it states, was drawn up because of the “critical and sorrowful
situation and lack of security and to serve the common good.” Most of the
tribal leaders who signed were from Amara, Kut and Nasiriyah, towns in
southern Iraq where a Shiite uprising in April was strongest.
“After the end of the dispute between our army and the Americans, our army
is working on stability and controlling the looters and other violent
groups,” said Sheikh Raed al-Kadhimi, one of al-Sadr’s aides in Baghdad. He
boasted of a number of checkpoints and patrols in Sadr City, and said one
had captured several hundred tonnes of stolen sugar, which he said were
returned to the government.
The movement, made up largely of young, unemployed urban men, has easily
moved into the power vacuum left by the absence of properly trained and
equipped Iraqi police and security forces.
“Neither the government nor the police are controlling the situation,” said
al-Kadhimi. “The al-Sadr tide is the only active tide in the country.”
Much of the movement’s strength is in its organization. The group has its
own religious police, the al-Amur bil Ma’arouf, or Promotion of Virtue.
They have divided Baghdad into three areas: east, west and the central
Kadhimiya area, home to the biggest Shiite shrine in the city. Each area has
its own unit. In Kadhimiya it numbers around 40; in the eastern sector,
around Sadr City, it is at least 100 according to Sayed Adnan al-Safi, an
al-Sadr official and editor of one of the movement’s newspapers.
“In Kadhimiya we have minimized and controlled places where alcohol is sold.
We have controlled the sale of immoral CDs and we have stopped fraud,” said
al-Safi. “People have begun to understand and are co-operating with us to
control the general violence. We are not issuing any punishments ourselves,
otherwise we would be considered a state within a state. We pass cases on to
the police for punishment.”
There is little doubt that the movement is about more than controlling
crime. In the past week al-Sadr’s followers have proselytized among Iraq’s
minority faiths. A group of them delivered a video of speeches by al-Sadr to
the Armenian Orthodox church in Baghdad. A priest, who asked not to be
named, said the speeches criticized the Christian faith.
“We have been living in Iraq for 100 years and have never had a problem
between Muslim and Christian,” he said.

Baghdad, 6 July 2004 (RFE/RL)
Iraq: Tiny Ethnic-Armenian Community Survived Hussein, Making It In Postwar
Times
By Valentinas Mite
The ethnic Armenian community is one of the smallest in Iraq. It is not
involved in the country’s political life and is doing its best to survive
the country’s postwar hardships. The community has learned the art of
survival and keeps a low profile amid the strife engulfing Iraq’s other
ethnic and religious groups. RFE/RL correspondent Valentinas Mite visited
with members of the ethnic Armenian community in Baghdad and filed this
report.
Baghdad, 6 July 2004 (RFE/RL) — The Armenian Apostolic Church in Baghdad’s
Al-Jadirya district is full of worshippers on a recent Friday morning. The
faithful pray to God to bring them peace and security and to give them
strength to survive these difficult times.
Nareg Ishkhanian is a pastor at the church. He tells RFE/RL that the
Armenian community in Iraq is small and spread across the country.
“We are more than 20,000 Armenians, starting from Zakhu [a town on the
border between Turkey and Iraq] to Al-Basrah. Zakhu, Mosul, Baghdad,
Al-Basrah, and Kirkuk — in each place, we have a priest. Most of the
Armenians are living in Baghdad — about 10,000 to 12,000 Armenians [are]
living in Baghdad.”
Armenians began arriving in Iraq several centuries ago from Iran, first
settling in the south and gradually moving to Baghdad.
Armenians began arriving in Iraq several centuries ago from Iran, first
settling in the south of the country and gradually moving to the capital,
Baghdad. The biggest wave came at the start of the 20th century when ethnic
Armenians fled Turkey after a massacre by Turkish soldiers in the final
years of the Ottoman Empire. Armenia claims as many as 1.5 million people
were killed, a figure that Turkey disputes.
Now, many ethnic Armenians in Iraq work as — among other professions —
merchants, doctors, engineers, goldsmiths, and photographers. The tiny
Christian community is not involved in Iraqi politics.
Says Ishkhanian: “We, as a small community, agree with everything, and we
say to everybody, ‘Salam Alaikum’ (Peace be upon you).”
He says Armenians do not suffer from sectarian problems in predominately
Muslim Iraq. However, they suffered under the regime of Saddam Hussein, as
he says all Iraqis did.
Two decades ago, Karabed Agoub Gidigain — who is in his 80s — was one of
the richest traders in Baghdad. His company imported timber, plastics, and
clothing. In 1992, after the regime ran out of money after the first Gulf
War, Gidigain says he was ordered to give all of the money he had in his
foreign accounts to the Hussein government. When he refused, he says he was
tortured and that most of his company’s assets were confiscated.
Gidigain says he is too afraid and too old now to start everything anew.
Making even one rich man poor is a blow to such a small community. However,
behind the low profile the community keeps there is a variety of activity.
Ishkhanian says the Armenians in Baghdad have four cultural and sport clubs.
But he says such activities as singing folk songs and dancing or theater
performances have temporarily stopped because of security concerns.
Other activities — such as teaching the Armenian language — have never
stopped. Ishkhanian says every Armenian in Iraq learns the native language
from early childhood.
He notes that Armenia itself offers little assistance to the Iraqi
community. The community hopes to receive aid from Yerevan, but nothing is
available at the moment.
“We had good contacts with Armenia. [Armenia] had an embassy in Baghdad, and
they left in March 2003. Until now, they are not back. And the house of the
embassy belongs to the Armenian church. We gave it [to Yerevan] free of
charge.”
Ishkhanian says it is a pity the ethnic Armenian community in Iraq does not
enjoy more support from Yerevan. He says some financial support trickles in
from Armenians living in the West — in the United States, Britain, or
Germany.
Ishkhanian says the main achievement of the ethnic Armenian community in
Iraq is that it has managed to keep its language alive and maintain strong
solidarity. He says the community never leaves its members in trouble.
Gladys Boghossian is the president of the Armenian Women’s Association for
the Relief of the Poor in Iraq, an organization that works closely with the
Armenian Apostolic Church. The association was founded in 1927.
Boghossian says the numbers of those in need in Iraq is greater now than
ever before: “Now, we have too much [work] to do because of this war. We
started to give them food and medical treatment.”
She says the association is taking care of some 300 families — almost 1,000
people. Among the benefits, Boghossian notes that every poor Armenian can
get free medicine in pharmacies serving the community.
Eglantine Simon Geloian works for the association. She says that when her
own family was in need, it received significant assistance from the
association.
“We are a very poor family,” she said. “The church has provided work for my
husband. He works in the church. Not only me — any person who asks the
church for help is given help. The church never hesitates to give help.”
On the surface, life in the ethnic Armenian community in postwar Iraq seems
fairly comfortable. However, some members of the community — speaking on
condition of anonymity — say it is only a facade that hides deep divisions.
They say some Armenians cooperated with the former regime and lost trust
among the people but remain in leading positions. Armenians in Iraq also
bitterly accuse their leaders of corruption, especially in dealing with
financial help coming from abroad.

FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF IMPLEMENTS “HUMANITARIAN AID TO NAGORNO
KARABAKH” PROGRAM AT EXPENSE OF $15 MLN ALLOCATED BY USAID
YEREVAN, July 30 (Noyan Tapan). The Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
should implement the “Humanitarian Aid to Nagorno Karabakh” program of
large-scale construction and restoration at the expense of $15 mln
allocated by USAID starting in 2003 during five years. Levon
Lachikian, the Spokesman of FAR, told NT’s correspondent that FAR
offices have already been opened in Artsakh within the framework of
the program, and the entities, where construction work should be
carried out, are being selected and studied now. The program involves
water systems, the educational, health and other spheres.

Insurance Day
July 30, 2004
Armenian case enters final hearing
A hearing is being held today to give final approval for a $20m
settlement between New York Life Insurance and descendants of
Armenians killed almost 90 years ago in the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The settlement relates to an estimated 2,300 policies sold by the
insurer to Armenians living in the Ottoman Empre in the late 1800s
and early 1900s.
>From April 1915 onwards, many of these policyholders were among the
1.5m slaughtered in attacks on Armenians within the empire.
California insurance commissioner John Garamendi, a leading figure in
the campaign to earn the settlement for descendants of those killed,
described the action as a “deliberate, systematic and
government-controlled genocide”. The settlement was given preliminary
approval at a hearing in January, and final approval is expected to
be given in today’s hearing.
Brian Kabateck, an attorney representing the plaintiffs and who is of
Armenian descent and lost family in the genocide, explained: “This is
the first time a court anywhere in the US or possibly the world has
formally recognised the Armenian genocide and the trauma and turmoil
that resulted.
“While this settlement is not repatriation for the genocide, as
lawyers, we can help bring recognition that further recognises the
Armenian genocide something the US and Turkey still refuse to do.”
Armenians have always maintained 1.5m people were executed by Turkish
authorities between 1915 and 1919 on accusations of helping the
invading Russian army. Although France and Russia have already
recognised the genocide, Turkey and the US have always rejected the
claims, saying Armenians were killed in civil unrest associated with
the collapse of the empire.
Mr Kabateck has said the settlement will mark a significant step in
the campaign towards getting the US to acknowledge the act as
genocide. Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry has promised to
formally recognise the Armenian genocide if he is elected.
Mr Garamendi is set to continue his prominent role in the process, as
he will be responsible for appointing a three-member settlement fund
board which will oversee the approval of claims. This board will also
be responsible for distributing £3m ($5.45m) of the settlement to
nine Armenian charitable organisations.

PanArmenian News
July 29 2004
AZERI OFFICER DISAPPEARED IN BRUSSELS
ONE KILLED, 12 WOUNDED IN CRASH IN YEREVAN
ARMENIA SUGGESTED THAT CONFLICTING PARTIES HAVE DIRECT CONTACTS
DURING OSCE MONITORING
GEORGIAN ENERGY SYSTEM TRANSFERS TO PARALLEL WORK WITH ENERGY SYSTEM
OF ARMENIA
GERMAN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS DEMAND POSTPONING TALKS ON TURKEY
ACCESSION TO EU
CE CRITICIZES TREATMENT OF DETAINED PERSONS IN ARMENIA
ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSSED BILATERAL RELATIONS
ARMENIAN AMERICANS HOPE KERRY WILL NOT FOLLOW HIS PREDECESSORS IN
GENOCIDE ISSUE IN CASE OF BEING ELECTED
EDUARDO ERNEKIAN INTENDS TO ASSUME MANAGEMENT OF TUNIS MAIN AIRPORT

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AZERI OFFICER DISAPPEARED IN BRUSSELS
29.07.2004 18:09
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Union Police is searching for officer
of the armed forces of Azerbaijan Firuz Gasimov, who was attending
retraining courses at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. As Azeri
Defense Minister Safar Abiyev told journalists, the 35-year-old
officer was to return to Baku June 7, however he has not appeared so
far. “Searching for F. Gasimov resulted in nothing. We do not know
ourselves what has happened,” the Minister said. At that he denied
rumor that the Azeri officer had asked for asylum in one of the
European countries.
*********************************************************************
ONE KILLED, 12 WOUNDED IN CRASH IN YEREVAN
29.07.2004 17:28
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A person was killed, 12 got injuries of various
degrees of heaviness resulting from a traffic accident in the center
of Yerevan today. As reported by the Department of Emergency
Situations under the Armenian Government, in one of the avenues a
refuse collection car run into a passenger car, then bumped into a
route taxi. According to the data of the republican Ambulance
service, 7 were delivered to hospitals, one of them – Boris Babloyan
– died on the way. The state of the rest of the victims is still
grave. The investigation group is holds an inquiry of the details of
the occurrence.
*********************************************************************
ARMENIA SUGGESTED THAT CONFLICTING PARTIES HAVE DIRECT CONTACTS
DURING OSCE MONITORING
29.07.2004 16:27
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian party has suggested turning from radio
communication to direct intercourse of the parties during of the OSCE
monitoring of the contact line between the armed forces of Armenia
and Azerbaijan. As reported by the Press Service of the Defense
Ministry of Armenia, the proposal in question was made July 28 during
a planned OSCE monitoring in the area of Berkaber village of Tavush
region of Armenia and Mizamlu settlement of Gazakh region of
Azerbaijan, held with the participation of personal representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk. Mr.
Kasprzyk welcomed the suggestion and expressed hope that the OSCE
will soon intercede for holding such a meeting. It should be noted
that the third monitoring of the part of border in question was due
to the exacerbation of the situation there. In the course of the
monitoring OSCE representatives were informed that at present the
situation at the lot of border in question is relatively calm.
Meanwhile, a release of the Press Service of the Defense Ministry of
Azerbaijan says July 27 evening the Armenian party fired upon the
positions of Azeri forces.
*********************************************************************
GEORGIAN ENERGY SYSTEM TRANSFERS TO PARALLEL WORK WITH ENERGY SYSTEM
OF ARMENIA
29.07.2004 14:16
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The energy system of Georgia will soon be
transferred to parallel work with the energy system of Armenia, which
will allow it to join the energy exchange between Armenia and Iran.
As Energy Minister of Georgia Nika Gilauri has told journalists, the
agreement was achieved in the course of a sitting of the
intergovernmental Armenian-Georgian Commission on Economic
Cooperation, held in Tbilisi this week. In his words, Interfax news
agency reported, in the course of the implementation of the project
in summer electric power surplus will be exported to Iran from
Georgia via the energy system of Armenia. By means of the Armenian
energy system electricity will be supplied to Georgia from Iran in
winter.
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GERMAN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS DEMAND POSTPONING TALKS ON TURKEY
ACCESSION TO EU
29.07.2004 13:51
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Members of the Christian Democratic Union of
Germany demand postponing the adoption of a decision on the beginning
of talks on Turkey’s accession to the European Union. As reported by
NTV Turkish channel, Chairman of the EU Foreign Affairs Commission
Elmar Brok and Chairman of the Commission for EU Affairs of the
German Federal Council Mathias Visman have stated that no decision
should be made in December on Turkey’s accession to the EU and the
prerogative of deciding the issue should be left to the EU Council,
which will have new composition after the election. Brok and Visman
demand “privileged partnership” for Turkey instead of full EU
membership. They stated that “there is much to be done” by Turkey to
realize reforms launched.
*********************************************************************
CE CRITICIZES TREATMENT OF DETAINED PERSONS IN ARMENIA
29.07.2004 13:28
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Council of Europe (CE) anti-Torture Committee
has made public its first report on Armenia. According to the CE
Yerevan representation, the report notes cases of mistreatment of
detained people at police departments of Armenia. Thereupon the
Committee recommends that policemen attend professional trainings,
including study of contemporary investigation methods. The report
pays attention to the prisons being packed. In the experts’ opinion,
urgent steps should be taken to improve the conditions life prisoners
are kept under in the Nubarashen prison.
*********************************************************************
ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSSED BILATERAL RELATIONS
29.07.2004 13:27
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ July 28 Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation, the
Press Service of the Russian leader reported. In the course of the
conversation, which took place on the initiative of the Armenian
party, the presidents “discussed some questions of bilateral
relations,” ITAR-TASS Russian news agency reported.
*********************************************************************
ARMENIAN AMERICANS HOPE KERRY WILL NOT FOLLOW HIS PREDECESSORS IN
GENOCIDE ISSUE IN CASE OF BEING ELECTED
29.07.2004 17:08
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US presidential candidate from the Republican Party
John Kerry has pledged that in case of winning the election this
November he will recognize the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey,
Arminfo news agency reported referring to Pasadena Star-News.
Meanwhile, as reminded by the source, such pledges were also made by
previous presidents, when they were candidates. These are Bush Sr.,
Clinton and the incumbent President. However, having found themselves
in the While House they hampered introduction of any resolutions
recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
*********************************************************************
EDUARDO ERNEKIAN INTENDS TO ASSUME MANAGEMENT OF TUNIS MAIN AIRPORT
29.07.2004 14:07
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Argentinean air magnate of Armenian origin Eduardo
Ernekian participates in tender for management of Tunis main airport.
As reported by RFE/RL, in the opinion of specialists, Ernekian’s
chances to win are high. It should be reminded that Aeroportos
Argentina company, Ernekian is in charge, manages 37 airports of the
world, including the Yerevan airport of Zvartnots.

Baku Today
July 29 2004
Armenian FM Official Warns Azerbaijan against Resorting to Force
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday warned Azerbaijan
against attempting to regain its occupied territories by force,
threatening that any such attempt could turn out to be `catastrophic’
for the latter.
“We have repeatedly stated that the ramifications of any attempt to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem by force will be catastrophic
for the whole region and first of all, for Azerbaijan,” Gamlet
Gasparyan told reporters in Yerevan, Armenia’s Mediamax news agency
reported.
Gasparyan noted that the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent
statement that his nation would fight back the occupied territories
should the peace negotiations prove fruitless `is a matter of serious
concern.’
President Aliyev on Tuesday told a meeting of Azerbaijani diplomats
in Baku that his country wouldn’t go for any compromise on its
territorial integrity.
`The international law is on our side… Justice is on our side.
Economic potential and other issues are also in favor of Azerbaijan,’
President Aliyev said, warning that if the peace talks mediated by
the Minsk group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) give no results, Azerbaijan will resort to force.
Armenia has been occupying Nagorno-Karabakh – a western Azeri region
that is home to about 100,000 ethnic-Armenians – along with seven
other regions, Lachin Kelbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jebrail, Zengilan and
Qubadli, since 1991-94 war. The territories make up for one-fifth of
the country’s total area.
Peace talks launched by the Minsk group in 1992 have yielded no
result while over 700,000 Azerbaijani citizens forced out of their
homes in the occupied regions are suffering in tent camps built in
inner regions of the country.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Department of Armenian Studies, Haigazian University
Beirut, Lebanon
Contact: Ara Sanjian
Tel: 961-1-353011
Email: [email protected]
Web:
HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN LECTURES AT HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY ON THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY IN ABKHAZIA
BEIRUT, Monday, 19 July, 2004 (Haigazian University Department of
Armenian Studies Press Release) — Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian lectured at
Haigazian University on “The Armenian Community of Abkhazia” on
Thursday, 15 July, 2004.
Tchilingirian is Research Fellow and Associate Director of Projects of
the Eurasia Program at the Judge Institute of Management, University of
Cambridge. He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and
Political Science in February 2003. The title of his dissertation was
“The Struggle for Independence in Post-Soviet South Caucasus: Karabakh
and Abkhazia.” Tchilingirian’s research interests include political and
territorial disputes in the Caucasus and Central Asia and their impact
on economic and geo-strategic developments, the affairs of the Armenian
Church and the Diaspora. His numerous analytical articles and reports
have appeared in journals and publications in Europe, North America and
the Middle East. Tchilingirian’s talk on the Armenians of Abkhazia was
partly based on his two-week trip to Abkhazia in the summer of 2003.
Tchilingirian first described the overall situation in Abkhazia, which
lies on the north-eastern shores of the Black Sea and has a territory of
8,600 sq km. Abkhazia was an autonomous republic within Georgia during
the Soviet period. With its wonderful climate and developed
infrastructure for tourism, it was considered the ‘Riviera’ of the
Soviet Union. Successive Soviet leaders from Stalin onwards had their
summer resorts in Abkhazia. About 1.5 million tourists visited Abkhazia
annually in Soviet times, when its total population was only half a
million. Agriculture was also a very successful sector of the economy,
and Abkhazia had one of the highest GDPs in the Soviet Union.
The Abkhaz form a separate ethno-linguistic group in the North Caucasus,
said Tchilingirian. Ancient Greek and Roman chronicles already mention
them as living in this area. Sixty percent of the Abkhaz nominally
follow the Byzantine Orthodox tradition of Christianity. Abkhazia came
under Ottoman rule in the fifteenth century and stayed as such in the
next few hundred years. Some forty percent of the Abkhazians now are
Muslims. However, both Christian and Muslim Abkhazians remain attached
to their earlier pagan rites. There is no mosque, for example, on the
territory of Abkhazia, which was conquered by the Russians in the early
nineteenth century.
The lecturer explained that the Abkhaz had been a minority in their
autonomous republic in Soviet times, forming only 18 percent of the
total population. Georgians were the majority. Throughout the Soviet
period inter-ethnic problems existed between the two communities,
leading to the emergence of an Abkhaz secessionist movement. One of the
key grievances of the Abkhazians was the systematic policy of
“Georgianization”, which restricted the use of the Abkhaz language and
culture. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, a war erupted between
the Abkhaz and the Georgians. It ended in an Abkhaz victory, but at the
high cost of many deaths and destruction.
Tchilingirian continued that despite the presence of cease-fire
observers representing the United Nations and the Commonwealth of
Independent States (the latter, largely Russians), sporadic clashes do
continue in the bordering region of Gali. Some 60,000 Georgians have
recently been permitted to resettle in the Gali region, but another
250-275 thousand Georgians, who fled Abkhazia during the war, remain
refugees. Hence, the overall population of Abkhazia has gone down in
recent years.
According to official figures, there are now 350 thousand inhabitants in
Abkhazia. However, Tchilingirian stated that unofficial figures put the
number at 250 thousand, which is more realistic. The parliament has
passed a law making Abkhaz the primary language in the country and
rendering its teaching mandatory in all schools. However, there are not
enough qualified teachers to teach the native language, and the Abkhaz
generally remain Russophone, especially in the cities. Moreover, there
has been a very sharp economic decline since the war. People now largely
subsist on private, small-scale agriculture. Not much reconstruction is
going on, and many of the buildings damaged during the war are still not
repaired, especially in Sukhum, the capital. Post-war Abkhazia is
completely dependent on Russia. It carries on most of its trade with its
large, northern neighbor and uses the Russian ruble as its currency. The
Abkhaz are also following Russian time, which has two hours’ difference
from Georgia.
There are some signs that the economy, especially tourism, is gradually
picking up, explained Tchilingirian. Some 300 thousand tourists from
Russia visited Gagra from January to August 2003, a much cheaper
destination compared to similar locations in Russia. Moreover, Russian
companies are now investing in tourism and energy exploration in Abkhazia.
Tchilingirian then focused on the Armenians living in Abkhazia, who, he
said, feel isolated from and are largely forgotten by fellow Armenians
both in Armenia and in the rest of the Diaspora.
Armenians have lived in Abkhazia for about 150 years, said
Tchilingirian. Although Armenian merchants had established a small
community there in the Middle Ages, the first wave of the ancestors of
modern-day Armenians in Abkhazia arrived only in the 1880s, fleeing the
regions of Trabzon, Ordu and Samsun-Jenik in the Ottoman Empire. A
second wave followed after the genocide of 1915, especially from Artvin.
Hence, the Armenians of Abkhazia descend mostly from the region of
Hamshen, but unlike the Islamized Hemshin living in Turkey and Adjaria
today, the Hamshen Armenians of Abkhazia remain Christian.
Tchilingirian underlined the fact that, after the flight of the
Georgians, Armenians now form about 30 percent of the population of
Abkhazia. According to official figures, Armenians number about 100
thousand out of the total 350 thousand inhabitants of Abkhazia. The
lecturer gives more credence, however, to the estimate of 60-80 thousand
Armenians currently living in Abkhazia, out of a total estimated
population of 250 thousand. Armenian presence is significant in Sukhum,
Gudauta, Gagra and their vicinities, while Armenians living previously
in and around Ochamchira have left their homes. There are now around
50-60 Armenian villages in Abkhazia, while, in the past, that number was
as high as 100. Moreover, Armenians living in the city of Adler in
southern Russia have family ties with the Armenians in Abkhazia.
Tchilingirian explained that even after the expulsion of the Georgians,
Abkhazians now only form a plurality in their country and are destined
to remain less than half the total population in the foreseeable future.
Following the Armenians, the Russians are now the third largest group.
The Abkhaz are trying to forge close ties with the other minorities in
their republic, and, hence, the Armenians can play a significant role in
the country’s internal and external politics. The strong Armenian voice
in Abkhaz politics is also conditioned by the extensive Armenian
participation in the Abkhaz war against Georgia. There were two Armenian
battalions, totaling 1500 soldiers, in the Abkhaz army, which consisted
of 6-7 thousand soldiers. The Armenians sustained 240 dead, and there
are now about 300 crippled former Armenian fighters. Twenty Armenians
were made heroes of Abkhazia, the highest honor in the country, while 70
others received other decorations. There are currently three Armenian
deputies in the Abkhaz Parliament, which consists of 35 members. Among
them is Galust Trapizonian, who lost his leg fighting in the war. Other
Armenians serve in the ministries and town councils. In Gagra, Armenians
form 40 percent of the population, and Ishkhanuhi Kasian is the city’s
deputy mayor. Eight out of the Gagra town council’s 28 members are
Armenian, while Arsen Altunian is the deputy commander of Abkhazia’s
small air force.
There are currently 41 Armenian all-day schools in Abkhazia, said
Tchilingirian, with 3180 students and 640 teachers. Before the war,
there were 52 Armenian schools. These schools are now being sponsored by
the community’s two main organizations, Krunk (founded in Sukhum in
1994) and Mashtots (formed in Gagra in 1989). The Abkhaz government is
providing 50 percent of the salaries of the teachers, while the other
half is being supplied by the parents of the students. Almost all
teachers in these schools are Armenian, with very few Russians and
Abkhaz. The difficulties these schools face range from organizing an
up-to-date curriculum and acquiring textbooks to coping with the lack of
qualified teachers and money to repair the damage caused to the
buildings during the war. For example, the Hovhannes Tumanian school in
the mostly Armenian inhabited village of Alakhadzi, south of Gagra, was
renovated in 2003 only after the principal found a benefactor, a
graduate of this school, who is now a successful businessman in the
Czech Republic. In recent years, the Armenian schools in Abkhazia have
been receiving textbooks from Armenia, but the shipment costs from
Yerevan have to be covered by the local community.
Tchilingirian told the audience that cultural life in the Armenian
community of Abkhazia is only developing gradually. The Tsovashunch song
and dance ensemble has been organized in Sukhum, and there is a
bilingual (Armenian-Russian) newspaper, “Hamshen”, published and edited
by Artavazd Saretsian and his wife, Gohar. They receive no financial
assistance and rely solely on subscription fees and the sale of
individual issues. There are extremely few paid advertisements published
in the newspaper. Tchilingirian explained that Saretsian has an old
computer, on which the newspaper is prepared. Once a month, Gohar takes
the diskette to the nearby Russian city of Sochi. She returns to Sochi a
week later to take the 2000 printed copies for distribution in Abkhazia,
bribing the Russian border guards along the way. Artvazd Saretsian is a
poet and a member of the Armenian section of the writers’ union in
Abkhazia. He has translated Abkhazian sayings and short stories into
Armenian. Besides the newspaper, he also publishes books. There are two
Armenian church buildings in Sukhum and Gagra, but they have no
full-time priests. Armenian clerics from the neighboring region of
Krasnodar in Russia visit the community from time to time.
Tchilingirian explained that Armenian activities are hampered due to the
lack of official links between Armenia and Abkhazia. The Armenian
government does not wish to annoy Tbilisi. Like all former Soviet
republics, Armenia had its own summer resort in Abkhazia, the Armenia
Hotel, where the Soviet Armenian elite passed its summer vacations.
Since the war, the Armenian government has practically given up its
rights over this hotel so as not to be forced to sign any agreement with
the Abkhaz government, which is not recognized by Georgia. The hotel has
now been leased for 25 years to the Abkhaz army.
In the question-and-answer session, which followed the lecture,
Tchilingirian emphasized that Armenian community leaders are unhappy
with the lack of interest that both the government of Armenia and the
Holy See of Echmiadzin show towards them. In the absence of Armenian
priests, some Armenians hold their weddings and baptisms in the local
Orthodox churches. Moreover, he made it clear that while the dialect of
the Armenians in Abkhazia is closer to the western branch of the
Armenian language, the language taught at the Armenian schools is the
standard Eastern Armenian. Armenians are engaged in agricultural trade
and many own cafés along the seashore. During the war years, some 15-20
thousand Armenians migrated to Russia, and many of the youth continue to
see no prospects for the future, a feature which deeply concerns the
community leaders. In the past, most Armenians in Abkhazia used to study
in the institutions of higher learning in Armenia. These graduates
continue to hold the important positions in the community. However, the
Armenian government has ceased providing full scholarships to Armenians
from Abkhazia in the past 2-3 years, resulting in a sharp decline in the
number of Armenians from Abkhazia specializing in Yerevan. This feature
will undoubtedly adversely affect the teaching of Armenian subjects in
Abkhazia in the future, said Tchilingirian. Abkhazia has its own
university from Soviet times, but its educational standards are not
high. When a member of the audience asked about new religious movements,
the lecturer explained that the Abkhaz government has passed laws
against the spread of religious cults. Indeed, as an unrecognized state,
Abkhazia has avoided the scrutiny of international human rights
organizations. Finally, Tchilingirian informed the audience that
presidential elections would be held in Abkhazia in October, and various
Abkhaz factions are now courting the estimated 30 thousand Armenian
voters. Some political parties from Armenia are also trying to establish
themselves in Abkhazia, but these efforts have received a mixed reaction
within the local Armenian community.
Haigazian University is a liberal arts institution of higher learning
established in Beirut in 1955. For more information about its activities
you are welcome to visit its web-site at <;. For additional information on the activities of its Department of Armenian Studies, contact Ara Sanjian at .
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Italian daily: Turkey links Airbus order to country’s EU membership quest
Il Sole 24 Ore, Milan
23 Jul 04
Text of editorial: “A closer Turkey”, published by Italian newspaper
Il Sole 24 Ore on 23 July
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan is a politician who is
capable of looking very far ahead. The Ankara prime minister, a
moderate Muslim leading a single-party government which has achieved a
number of successes in the economic sphere to date by giving a fresh
boost to growth and by slashing inflation, knows that his country’s
future is going to have to include membership of the European Union.
Erdogan also knows full well that in order to achieve that target, it
will be necessary to be patient and to wait a few decades. In the
short term, on the other hand, Ankara is looking at a far closer
deadline, namely 17 December when the Commission and the Council,
under the Netherlands duty presidency, will be deciding whether or not
to set in motion negotiations for Turkey’s membership of the European
Union. Beginning negotiations does not mean joining, but it would be
an important start and a diplomatic success for Ankara.
Erdogan has realized that to join Europe he is going to have to win
over France, which has so far been the main opponent of the Islamic
country’s entering into European negotiations. That is why, in the
course of a recent three-day visit to Paris, the Turkish prime
minister met all of the country’s highest authorities, from the Elysee
Palace [president’s official residence], to Matignon [prime minister’s
office], the speakers of both houses of parliament, the leaders of the
Socialist opposition and businesspeople. These contacts were intended
to illustrate the progress the country has made in terms of respect
for human rights and bringing itself into line with the criteria set
for joining the EU.
In the course of his French mission the Turkish prime minister won
President Jacques Chirac’s personal support, the friendship of Prime
Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and the approval of [French Socialist
Party leader] Francois Hollande’s Socialists (although they linked
their approval to recognition of the Armenian genocide), but he also
attracted the outspoken opposition of the UDF [Union for French
Democracy] and the UMP [governing Union for a Popular Movement,
President Chirac’s party], the two centre Right parties, and of
grassroots opinion. So in order to overcome these final barriers
Erdogan played the business card, signing a massive contract for the
purchase of 36 Airbus planes from the French-German consortium. It is
a ticket that cost him 2bn euros, but it might well be worth an option
on membership of Europe.