Author: Maghakian Mike

ANDRANIK MIHRANIAN: MEETING IN KAZAN WAS DOOMED TO FAILURE
AZG Armenian Daily #155, 01/09/2005
Opinion
According to the Azeri Trend agency, Andranik Mihranian, political
expert from Moscow, said that the meeting of Kocharian and Aliyev was
doomed to failure, as that would be very difficult to agree something
on the eve of the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. Aliyev
and Kocharian also realize that. Mihranian believes that the sides
‘can’t do anything” to achieve the settlement.
“The settlement may be imposed either by the international community
or the status quo will be preserved, in the given case. This situation
will continue until one of the sides feels confident and strong enough
to settle the conflict by means of a war,” the political expert
stated. Reminding of the militant statements made by Ilham Aliyev,
Mihranian didn’t exclude that Azerbaijan will try to gain revenge.
Unless the super powers didn’t force the sides in conflict “the
decision of mutual concessions,” “that would be very difficult for
the authorities or Armenia and Azerbaijan to explain to their voters
why they make such unhelpful concessions.” As for Russia’s part,
Mihranian said that Russia has very limited financial, economical
and military-political opportunities. “Today the Russian potential
doesn’t allow doing more than they already do. They stopped consider
Russia a key country for the settlement of the conflict,” he said.

SERIOUS ADVANCE IN ARMENIAN-ARGENTINEAN COOPERATION
A1+
| 14:59:16 | 30-08-2005 | Official |
Today Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan met with Minister
of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina
Rafael Bielsa.
When touching upon the current situation and prospects of the
Armenian-Argentenian relations the parties noted that the absence of
political disputes contributes to the efficient development of the
bilateral relations.
Andranik Margaryan and Rafael Bielsa expressed satisfaction
with the bilateral economic cooperation. In part, they noted the
agreements signed in December 2001 between the Armenian government
and America Corporation head Eduard Ernekyan on joint management of
the International Airport of Zvartnots as a serious step forward. In
Mr. Bielsa’s words, the present low index of commodity turnover in
Armenia can be increased taking into account the large-scale airport
development projects, which will give rise to economic interests not
only in Armenia but in the whole region.
The parties also expressed assurance that the friendly relations
between the two states and the existing legal filed will create
favorable conditions for efficient cooperation in various field
of economy.

New California Media, CA
Pacific News Service, CA
Aug 28 2005
Bikers Traverse Armenia to Aid Farmers
Asbarez Armenian Daily, News Report, Staff, Aug 28, 2005
FRESNO–Six Armenians from the United States left for Armenia and
Mountainous Karabagh Republic on August 20 to bike through the
countryside as a part of the Armenian Technology Group’s (ATG) effort
to promote agrotourism there.
The Fresno, California based ATG was formed in 1989 to assist the
Armenian people to become self-sufficient in food production. Much of
its work has revolved around the seed multiplication program, which
aims to make high-quality seeds available to Armenian grain farmers.
ATG agronomists in Armenia have spent the last few years developing
seed varieties that will yield the highest possible output with the
least amount of agricultural inputs and expense. In addition, ATG
efforts to adapt and maintain harvesting equipment have allowed
Armenian farmers to reap significantly larger crops.
ATG’s executive director, Varoujan Der Simonian said that the recent
effort was launched when Vatche Soghomonian embarked on a marathon
bicycle ride last year that took him nearly 700 kilometers across the
mountains and plains of Armenia. The ride played a critical role in
raising the funds to purchase four milk-cooling tanks to serve as
storage for rural farmers, allowing their surplus milk to be kept
fresh and to be sold to dairy processors.
This year, ATG hopes that media coverage of the Bike-a-Thon will
bring rural Armenia into the spotlight, showing the great potential
of the countryside. The concept of agrotourism is a direct expansion
of ecotourism, which encourages visitors to experience agricultural
life first hand, and aims to improve the life of farmers.
In 1999, Soghomonian rode from Stepanakert to Yerevan to give a
jump-start to the ATG-proposed grape nursery in Khramort, a village
in Karabagh ravaged by war. ATG estimates that every dollar invested
in the nursery increases local income 14-fold. Fifty-three families
are now employed by the nursery, and hundreds of acres of vineyards
in Karabagh are being rejuvenated yearly with young, disease-free
grapevines.
This year’s Bike-a-Thon has the specific goal of raising the funds
needed to train professional veterinarians who will work with the
Central Diagnostic Lab to help increase farm production and income,
ensure that milk and dairy products are safe for consumption. The
purpose of the Lab is to ensure that Armenia’s rural farming
operations can minimize the spread of a wide range of diseases
including tuberculosis, brucellosis, salmonella, anthrax and ecoli.
“Rural economic development in Armenia is vital to the future of the
country. We sincerely appreciate those who participate in helping us
attain our mutual goal,” said Der Simonian.
Soghomonian, who led the first two cycling events and recently
qualified for the Tour de France, will lead the other riders from
Yerevan, then peddle towards Khor Virab, and then on to Noravank.
They will then journey to Yeghegnatsor and through Areni wine
country, stopping to have a taste of Armenia’s wines. The tour will
continue to Sisian, and then Goris, followed by a stop at Khapan, and
onward to Meghri. The bikers will pass through Karabagh, visiting
Shushi and Stepanakert. They will visit the ATG wine grape nursery in
Khramort, funded by diaspora Armenians, and ride to the ancient
Gantzasar monastery. The tour will then climb from Yeghegnatsor to
Martuni, and along Lake Sevan, then continuing on to Oshagan,
Sardarabad, and finally visit Echmiadzin before returning to Yerevan.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/24/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Hopeful Signs on Karabagh Emerge after Moscow Meeting 2) New Twist to Bogazici Armenian Genocide Conference 3) US And Turkey Set to Discuss Bilateral Ties and Rebels 4) EU Commission Sees Turkey Accession Talks on Target for October 3 5) Armenian Catholicos Set to Visit Javakhk 1) Hopeful Signs on Karabagh Emerge after Moscow Meeting MOSCOW (AP/Itar-Tass)--The foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan said on Wednesday that they saw hopeful signs recently in the drive to find a settlement to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian stressed that the self-determination of Mountainous Karabagh is a priority in settling the conflict, which should focus on the rights of its population to take care of their fate. "Other problems are to cope with the consequences of the conflict, settle territorial claims, and return refugees," and added that there is hope the sides would find common denominators. `It would bring peace and stability to southern Caucasus." "The settlement requires active work," Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said, adding that it is premature to talk about any headway in resolving the conflict. The three ministers met in Moscow on Wednesday, along with representatives of the United States, France, and Russia, who are mediating negotiations on settling the conflict. They also discussed arrangements for a meeting Saturday between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Russia's Volga River city of Kazan. Russia's mediator Yuri Merzlyakov said that Russia "holds a clear position on this issue." "We believe that one should not impose his solution of the problem on the parties to the conflict; they should arrive at it independently, without outside interference," Merzlyakov said. "If a mutually acceptable accord is reached, we'll be able to guarantee it. The settlement should make all the parties involved feel safer, the balance of forces that historically developed in the region should not be upset, while the region itself should not become an arena of rivalry," he added. 2) New Twist to Bogazici Armenian Genocide Conference Abdullah Gul decides to open previously censured gathering of academics ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)--Bogazici University rector Ayse Soysal and the President of Sabanci University, Tosun Terzioglu, told the press on Tuesday that Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul would be opening a conference titled "Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy." The conference was initially scheduled for May, but postponed after Turkish justice minister Cemil Cicek branded it "a dagger in the back of the Turkish people." It has been rescheduled to take place at Istanbul's Bogazici University on September 23-25. Soysal and Terzioglu both stressed that such conferences must be viewed from an academic standpoint, without forgetting that the universities do not necessarily share the views of lecturers. They defended their right to criticize politically motivated opposition or support of such discussions prior to their onset, saying that such tactics directly harm the fundamental freedoms of science and education. They suggested that viewpoints could more appropriately be addressed-fully reviewed and criticized in academic circlesafter presentations are allowed to be made. Though they did not elaborate on Gul's appearance, Hurriyet newspaper reported that in a phone conversation with Soysal, Gul responded to the invitation, saying that he would have to check his schedule for conflicts. However, Gul confirmed that he would be launching the conference. "The rector requested that I speak, and I accepted. We have no reservations or concerns about this matter. Why should we bury our head in the sand? That is what I said about the first planned conference that was postponed unnecessarily. Our society can undoubtedly debate this issue." But the Turkish Justice Minister had condemned the original initiative as a blow to government efforts to counter a mounting Armenian campaign to have the Genocide recognized internationally. "We must put an end to this cycle of treason and insult, of spreading propaganda against the [Turkish] nation by people who belong to it," he had told parliament. According to the AKI news agency, the conference will feature 12 sessions and lectures by 38 academics; panel discussion topics will include "Deportation and Massacre," "Disaster and Rescue Stories," "Memories and Witnesses," and "Things the World Knew that Turkey did not know." 3) US And Turkey Set to Discuss Bilateral Ties and Rebels ANKARA (AFP)--A ranking US official is expected in Turkey on Thursday for talks on bilateral ties and possibly measures to combat armed Turkish Kurd rebels holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq, a US spokesman said. Matt Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, "will be visiting Ankara for two days to discuss general matters.... the PKK (the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party) issue could also be brought up," the spokesman, who requested anonymity, said Tuesday. Bryza is also expected to meet officials in charge of the economy and "possibly" military officials, he added. US Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers, and General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command, are also expected in Ankara in September, but the exact date of the visit has not been set, the spokesman said. Turkey has long pressured the United States to act against thousands of PKK militants who have found refuge in northern Iraq since 1999 and stepped up their attacks on Turkish targets over the past several months. Last month, the Turkish army's number two, General Ilker Basbug, said that Washington had ordered the capture of PKK commanders in northern Iraq and warned of a Turkish military incursion into the region if Baghdad fails to curb the rebels. Last week, the PKK, listed by the US and the European Union as a terrorist group, announced a unilateral one-month cease-fire until September 20 to give Turkey time to take steps to resolve the conflict. Ankara did not respond to the truce offer. Some 37,000 people have died since 1984, when the PKK first took up arms for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. 4) EU Commission Sees Turkey Accession Talks on Target for October 3 BRUSSELS (AFX)--The European Union's executive commission said on Wednesday it still expects accession negotiations with Turkey to open as scheduled on Oct 3, amid French pressure for a delay. "As far as the views of the commission are concerned, the commission presented the negotiation framework for Turkey before the summer break... and of course it hopes and expects this will be adopted by the member states," said Krisztina Nagy, spokeswoman for EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn. At the beginning of the month, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin poured cold water on the prospect of the talks starting on time as long as Ankara does not recognize EU member Cyprus. Nagy said that, for the commission, Turkey had met the conditions set for opening the talks, namely carrying out a package of legal reforms and adopting a customs agreement with the EU. "There were two preconditions set for the opening of the start of the negotiations....these two things have happened." EU foreign ministers will have their chance to address the question of accession talks with Turkey at an informal meeting in the Welsh city of Newport on Sept 1-2. Ahead of that meeting, EU ambassadors are to discuss the issue on Aug 31. Turkey only recognizes the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed in 1983, nine years after Turkish troops occupied the northern third of Cyprus in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the Mediterranean island with Greece. Turkey says its position towards the Greek Cypriot administration will remain unchanged until the conflict is resolved and the Turkish and Greek communities of the island are reunified. 5) Armenian Catholicos Set to Visit Javakhk AKHALKALAKThe Catholicos of all Armenians, Karekin II is set to visit southern Georgia's predominately Armenian region of Javakhk to consecrate the newly constructed Armenian Diocese building on October 1. Karekin II also plans to meet with the local population, which has not had a visit from an Armenian Catholicos since Khrimian Hayrig in 1896. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 19, 2005
ARMENIAN PHILHARMONIC SHINES, HOSTS BAYRAKDARIAN, KRADJIAN, TREGER
North American and European Performers Enrich APO’s Season
The AGBU-funded Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) hosted an
impressive array of performances during May and July, including a
special Fourth of July concert with guest American conductor Alexander
Treger. The Orchestra also participated in the highly anticipated
“Il Barbiere de Siviglia” (The Barber of Seville) starring Canadian
soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian.
A YEREVAN FAVORITE
A rising star in the international opera world, Isabel Bayrakdarian
first performed in Armenia last year returning to perform one of
Mozart’s most popular operas under the direction of APO conductor,
Eduard Topchjan on May 25 and 27. Music was provided by the Serenade
Chamber Orchestra, Hover Chamber Choir and the wind section of
APO. Bayrakdarian appeared in the role of Rosina accompanied by two
other visiting singers: Georgia’s Besik Gabitashvili as Il Conte
d’Almaviva and France’s Souren Shahidjanian as Don Basilio.
Co-sponsored by Hamazgain Cultural Society, the May 25 performance
was broadcast by Armenia’s H-1 TV. Bayrakdarian, who was accompanied
by her husband pianist Serouj Kradjian, was closely followed by the
local media during her visit.
On May 29, pianist Serouj Kradjian presented Rachmaninov’s Piano
Concerto No. 3 in Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall and the performance
was conducted by Topchjan and dedicated to the Year of Russia in
Armenia.
APO’S MAY CONCERTS
APO performed eight concerts in May 2005: May 6, they welcomed
British violinist Hideko Udagawa whose latest CD with pianist Boris
Berezovsky featured the music of Aram Khachaturian and included seven
premiere recordings; May 13, another Brit, Alexander Ivashkin, led
APO during a dynamic program that included Alfred Schnittke’s “(K)ien
Sommernachtstraum,” Tigran Mansurian’s “Nachtmusik”and the Armenian
premiere of Charles Ives’ “Washington’s Birthday”; May 20, Sergei
Azizian, concertmaster of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra,
visited his homeland to perform the work of Danish composer Carl
Nielsen; May 21, Hratchia Harutunian (Germany) and Barsegh Tumanian
performed in a program entitled, “An Evening of Violin and Vocal
Music”; May 23, American pianist Sahan Arzruni performed a benefit
concert for the Armenian Bone Marrow Transplant Donors Registry
Charitable Trust.
TREGER RETURNS
Russian American violinist and conductor, Alexander Treger conducted
APO on July 3 for a concert dedicated to the Independence Day of
the United States of America. In addition to the music of Liadov and
Tchaikovsky, there was an unannounced premiere of Caspar Diethelm’s
violin concerto, “Anubis,” by Swiss violinist Sibylle Tschopp.
Representatives of the American Embassy in Yerevan attended the
concert and the event began with welcoming remarks by U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia, John Evans.
As an encore to the evening’s performance, APO performed John Philip
Sousa’s rousing “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
This was Treger’s second visit to Armenia and his second performance
with APO.
Formed over 75 years ago, APO has been primarily subsidized by AGBU
since 1992 in recognition of the importance of the performing arts
in Armenia. Annual grants are allocated for weekly concerts, new
instruments, administration, salary supplements, international guest
artists and special festivals. APO has successfully toured Austria,
England, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, Turkey, UAE
and the United States, and has produced over a dozen CD recordings. For
more information on APO, please visit or

FOOTBALL TEAMS OF ARMENIA AND JORDAN PLAY DRAWN GAME
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The national team of Armenia,
preparing for contests of the electoral round of the 2006 World
Championship, held a friendly meeting with the national team of Jordan
on August 18. The game taken place at the rival’s playing-field, in
Amman, finished a drawn game: by a score of 0 to 0. Some football
players of the national team of Armenia did not participate in this
meeting for different reasons. There are difficult games facing
the national team of Armenia in future. Within the framework of the
electoral contests of the World Championship, the team will first
meet with the team of Holland on September 3, in Yerevan; and the
team of Czechia on September 7, on the rival’s playing-field.

NKR PRESIDENT SENDS CONGRATULATORY LETTER TO CAPTAIN OF VESSEL
“CILICIA”
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 19. ARMINFO. President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Arkady Ghoukassian sent a congratulatory letter to the crew of the
vessel “Cilicia” and its captain Karen Balayan.
ARMINFO was informed in the press office of NKR president, in the
letter Ghoukassian in particular says: “I am very glad for the
completion of the voyage of the legendary vessel of Cilicia round
Europe. It is symbolic that your mission was over on the threshold of
the 14th anniversary of declaration of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,
whose flag along with the state flag of Armenia was flying proudly
over the Cilicia during its historical cruise”.

OFFICIAL WEB-SITE OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MILLENIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT-ARMENIA OPENS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The official web-site of the Board
of Trustees of the Millenium Challenge Account-Armenia (MCA-Armenia)
opened with a goal to secure publicity of the process of working out
and implementation of the Armenian program of the “Millenium Challenge”
fund. The address of the web-site is Information concerning
the process of working out of the MCA-Armenia program is placed in the
web-site. In the web-site, special attention is paid to covering of
the consulting process to reach the goal of providing the publicity and
transparency of the process. At the same time, necessary conditions are
created for providing direct questioning and, with the help of a forum,
a retrospective tie with people not involved in the consulting process.

Poll Shows Turks Dislike al-Qaeda, But Blame Bush for Terror
A survey conducted throughout Turkey shows little of no support for
al-Qaeda and its methods, but ironically, 54% say Bush is ‘the number
one guilty party’ for terrorism, while only 22% blame Osama bin Laden
Sabah (Turkish daily newspaper)
August 7, 2005
Ninety-one percent (91%) of the Turkish public expressed a negative
opinion about the al-Qaeda organization, known for its terrorist
operations.
A poll conducted by the International Strategic Research Organization
(ISRO) under the coordination of Director Sedat Laciner and Ihsan
Bal revealed that none of the participants said, “I am happy with
al-Qaeda’s attacks” nor did any say, “al-Qaeda defends Muslim rights.”
The survey entitled “Perception of Terrorism” was conducted with
2,500 participants in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Adana and Bursa.
Only 4% perceive al-Qaeda’s attacks as “jihad,” and 5% think the
network fights for independence. Thirty-four percent of Turkish
society thinks al-Qaeda harms Muslims, while 57% says its attacks
are acts of terrorism.
Those “ashamed as a Muslim of al-Qaeda’s attacks” were recorded at
18% and 31% say they are worried about the world’s future. Eighteen
percent think Muslims are humiliated by the al-Qaeda attacks, and
those saying, “I am happy with its attacks” was recorded at 0%.
Ninety percent say the bombing attacks that occurred in London,
Madrid and Egypt were “unfair,” while only 3% supported the fairness
of the attacks.
In response to the question, “Why did al-Qaeda attack Istanbul?,” 40%
said, “Because Turkey is the best alternative to al-Qaeda.” However,
36% said, “Because Turkey is a Western ally.”
U.S. President George W. Bush is shown as the number one guilty
party for terrorism, at 54%. Twenty-two percent indicated Sharon, 17%
indicated al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and 4% indicated British
Prime Minister Tony Blair as being most responsible.
Sixty-six percent of participants blamed U.S. Middle East policy
as the cause of global terrorism, yet 20 percent pointed to the
inequality in income distribution and economic problems as the prime
cause for terror.
Only four percent of the Turkish public links terror with religion.

Genozid an den Armeniern
General-Anzeiger (Bonn)
10. August 2005
Genozid an den Armeniern Kommentar “Gedaechtsnisarbeit” von Hubert
Kleine Stegemann am 6. August In dem Kommentar findet sich die
Behauptung, “die Mitglieder der deutschen Militaermission in
Konstantinopel” haetten “der tuerkischen Regierung 1915 zur
Deportat…
Kommentar “Gedaechtsnisarbeit” von Hubert Kleine Stegemann am 6.
August
In dem Kommentar findet sich die Behauptung, “die Mitglieder der
deutschen Militaermission in Konstantinopel” haetten “der tuerkischen
Regierung 1915 zur Deportation der Armenier geraten”. Eine solche
Anschuldigung findet sich auch nicht ansatzweise in irgendeinem der
mir bekannten Buecher zum Genozid an den Armeniern, weder
beispielsweise bei Johannes Lepsius, Armin T. Wegner oder Yves
Ternon, noch in dem von Tessa Hofmann im Auftrage der Gesellschaft
fuer bedrohte Voelker herausgegebenen Band “Das Verbrechen des
Schweigens” (Bericht ueber die Verhandlung des tuerkischen
Voelkermords an den Armeniern von dem “Staendigen Tribunal der
Voelker” in Paris 1984), in dem eine Anzahl internationaler Fachleute
eingehend alle Aspekte des Genozids vortragen. Er findet sich auch
nicht in der Serie “Wir werden euch ausrotten” des Spiegels (1992).
Der gaengige Vorwurf lautet vielmehr, die Reichsregierung haette es
unterlassen, durch eine Intervention bei der Hohen Pforte die
Vernichtung der Armenier zu verhindern. Es wird unterstellt, dass
eine solche Intervention erfolgreich gewesen waere. Ich halte das
fuer eine Illusion.
Absurd ist die Behauptung, dass sich “die (sic) Mitglieder der
deutschen Militaermission spaeter unter dem NS-Regime unter den
Ausfuehrenden des Massenmordes an den europaeischen Juden befanden”.
Der Chef der deutschen Militaermission in Konstantinopel, General
Otto Liman von Sanders, ist 1928 verstorben. Sein Stellvertreter
General Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein ging 1929 in den Ruhestand
und starb 1948. Der juengste Offizier der Mission muss 1938 an die 60
Jahre alt gewesen sein. Die Massenmoerder waren wohl erheblich
juenger.
Horst Poetzsch
, Bonn