Author: Nahapetian Boris

ARMENIANS PICKET RUSSIAN EMBASSY OVER KILLINGS IN MOSCOW

Mediamax news agency
5 Jun 06

Yerevan, 5 June: Several dozen people staged a protest rally called
“Stop fascism!” outside the Russian embassy in Yerevan today.

The rally participants protested at recent killings of young Armenians
in Moscow.

The Helsinki committee of Armenia and other nongovernmental
organizations initiated the rally.

“The inaction of the Russian authorities gives us grounds to assume
that fascist groupings are being patronized by certain state structures
of Russia,” Arsen Kharatyan, chairman of the for the development of
science initiative group, said at the rally.

The protest rally had not been authorized by the mayor’s office
of Yerevan.

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 2 2006

Armenia Q106 foreign debt falls 3.7% y-o-y – statistics service
14:42 | 02/ 06/ 2006

YEREVAN, June 2 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia’s foreign debt fell 3.7%
year-on-year in the first quarter of 2006 to $1.1 billion, the
country’s top statistics body said Friday.

The National Statistics Service said government debt stood at $930
million and the Central Bank’s debt at $170 million.

It also said the country’s debt to the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund stood at $760 mln and $170 mln,
accounting for 68.8% and 15.6% of Armenia’s overall foreign debt
respectively.

NKR FOREIGN MINISTRY RESPONSE TO REFERENDUM IN MONTENEGRO

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
01 June 2006

Holding a referendum on independence in Montenegro on May 25, 2006 and
the willingness of the international community to recognize its results
are, on the whole, a positive fact. We believe that honouring the right
of a nation for self-determination expressed through a referendum is a
cornerstone in the settlement of similar situations and a real tool in
establishing political stability in the area of conflict. With regard
to this it is proper to remind that the violation of the right of the
people of Nagorno Karabakh, who voted for independence on December
10, 1991, enabled Azerbaijan to launch military aggression, which
killed many people and caused destruction. Neglecting the right of the
people of NKR for self-determination and the right for guarantees of
their political independence, economic and military security in the
settlement of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict put off the prospect
of mutually acceptable settlements and sustainable peace and mutual
understanding in the region.

CEREMONY OF “CILICIA” SAILER’S DEPARTURE FROM THAMES RIVER TAKES PLACE IN LONDON

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 31 2006

LONDON, MAY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The ceremony of
“Cilicia” sailer’s departure from the famous St. Katharine’s Dock
on the Thames River in London took place on May 28. The Armenian
Ambassador to the UK Vahe Gabrielian made an opening address. He
congratulated those present on the Day of the First Republic of
Armenia, and, speaking about the meaning of this day, noted that
the day of “Cilicia” sailer’s departure was not chosen by accident
and signifies the inflexible will and consistency of an Armenian
realizing his cherished dreams. He expressed confidence that the feat
of “Cilicia” sailer’s crew will be an example for others to follow in
their efforts to make the Republic of Armenia prosperous. Chairwoman of
the Armenian-British multiparty parliamentary group baroness Caroline
Cox recited her poem to “Cilicia”. Chairman of the Comunity and Church
Council of Great Britain Ara Palamudian and writer-publicist Zori
Balayan also made speeches. The national anthems of the RA and the
UK were performed, the choir of St. Eghishe Church sang. Hundreds
of people attended the event. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, a reception was held at St. Katharine’s Dock’s
sailing club on the evening of May 26, at which members of the Armenian
community, as well ambassadors and representatives of the diplomatic
corps accredited to London and heads of local government bodies were
present. The Armenian Ambassador to the UK Vahe Gabrielian, Chairman
of the commission on organization of “Cilicia” sailer’s departure,
Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide Stuart Windsor and the
sailer’s annalist Zori Balayan delivered speeches. Over the last
fifteen days, the film “Navigation by 7 Seas” was shown 5 times in
community organizations. BBC covered the departure of the “Cilicia”
sailer several times on May 25, with one of the programs being
broadcast live from the vessel. Tower Bridge in London was opened on
the occasion of the “Cilicia” sailer’s departure.

NEWS RELEASE
CS Media Enterprises, LLC
15 South Fifth Street, Suite 900
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
Contact: Vincent Lima
Tel: 374-93-939392
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

“THE ARMENIAN REPORTER INTERNATIONAL”
CHANGES HANDS, REMAINS INDEPENDENT

“The Armenian Reporter International” was purchased on 19 May by CS
Media Enterprises, LLC, which is owned by the Cafesjian Family
Foundation, a private foundation established by Gerard L. Cafesjian.

Based in the New York metropolitan area, the “Armenian Reporter”
carries news from every Armenian community in and out of the United
States. The newspaper, established in 1967, likewise covers political,
social, cultural, and other developments in Armenia and surrounding
countries.

CAFESJIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION INVESTS

The Cafesjian Family Foundation is a partner is the largest
independent media company in Armenia . CS Media Armenian operations
include Armenia TV, CNN Armenia, TV 5, ArmNews, Radio FM 107, CS Films
(formerly HyeFilm), Armenia Film Studios, and CS Publishing. Armenia
TV, the largest and highest rated television channel in Armenia, is
broadcast throughout the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh,
and is available via satellite in Europe , Russia, and the Middle
East, and via Dish Network in the United States .

Mr. Cafesjian has numerous other business and philanthropic activities
in Armenia. They include Cascade Capital Holdings, a financial
services group that is introducing Western insurance, credit, and
banking practices in Armenia; SolarEn International, an energy company
with an emphasis on environmentally friendly technologies working to
promote and develop Armenia’s independent energy sector using solar,
wind, hydro, and fuel-cell energy; and the Cafesjian Museum
Foundation, which is developing The Gerard L. Cafesjian Center for the
Arts in central Yerevan. Together, these entities currently employ
some 1,500 citizens of Armenia.

PLANS TO REACH MORE READERS

In an editorial discussing the change in ownership, the publishers
promised to reach out to Armenian-Americans everywhere, to invite them
to read the newspaper and get involved in Armenian affairs. They also
promised “changes in design, printing, and electronic delivery.”

The new owners announced that certain things will stay the same. The ”
Armenian Reporter” will maintain its status as a nonpartisan
newspaper. Sylva Boghossian will remain as publisher and Aris Sevag
will continue to serve as managing editor. Edward Boghosian, the
founder of the “Armenian Reporter,” will become a consultant and
contributing editor. Additional personnel will be added as the
“Armenian Reporter” expands its content and coverage.

In the editorial heralding the change in ownership, the newspaper
commits itself to “remain a forum for diverse views expressed in
columns, articles, and letters.” The newspaper also plans to maintain
its investigative edge, promising to hold people “who rely on the
support of the community” accountable.

In announcing the changes, the Boghossian family stated: “As part of a
larger network, we will be able to reach many more readers and will be
better able to provide our readers with relevant content. An important
part of our decision to join the CS Media family was the fact that the
‘ Reporter’ would remain nonpartisan. We’d like to thank all of our
subscribers who stayed loyal to us these past forty years, and we look
forward to continuing to serve our community through the paper under
the new ownership.”

In announcing the acquisition, Mr. Cafesjian said, “I am grateful to
Eddie Boghosian for forty years of service, and I welcome the
continued involvement of Eddie and his daughter Sylva in the newspaper
they built. Together, we will build on what’s best about the ‘
Armenian Reporter,’ and make it a source for increasingly effective
communications to ultimately benefit Armenians everywhere.”

###

“The Armenian Reporter International”
EDITORIAL, 27 May 2006: “GREETINGS – AND THANKS”

As of this week, the “Armenian Reporter” is owned and operated by CS
Media Enterprises, LLC, which is owned by the Cafesjian Family
Foundation, a private foundation established by Gerard L. Cafesjian.

Continuing the “Armenian Reporter”‘s forty-year history of public
service, and aware of the expanded resources available to it as part
of the Cafesjian Family Foundation, we are excited about the new era
ahead of us.

There are hundreds of thousands of individuals and families of
Armenian origin throughout the United States. Many are actively
involved in Armenian affairs – sustaining associations and churches,
supporting the Armenian lobby, visiting Armenia and Karabagh, and
contributing to their development. Part of our newspaper’s role is to
connect you, and to reach out and bring more and more individuals and
families into community life.

Our goal is to create a new era of Armenian journalism. To do this, we
will offer a newspaper that is reliable in content, scrupulous in
separating fact from opinion, and relevant to today’s Armenian
American, regardless of his or her age.

Over the months to come, you will observe changes in design, printing,
and electronic delivery. Our goal is to improve your reading
experience and make it more convenient to your lifestyle.

But, most importantly, we will strive to play an important role in
Armenian affairs.

Our editorial pages will remain a forum for diverse views expressed in
columns, articles, and letters from our readers. We will cultivate and
welcome new voices and new perspectives from the United States ,
Armenia and Karabagh.

The commitment of CS Media Enterprises and the Cafesjian Family
Foundation is clear: we want a free, independent, democratic Armenia;
we want Armenia to be secure in its borders; we want to promote ever
stronger bonds between Armenia and its friends; we want to encourage
responsible investment in Armenia so that its economy may grow in a
manner that is sustainable, that benefits the entire population,
particularly the working people; we want to encourage educational,
scientific and technological progress that makes life easier, yet
protects the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat;
we want Armenian arts, culture, and sports to flourish.

And we want an Armenian Diaspora that celebrates its diversity, yet is
able to come together and act as one where needed. We seek a Diaspora
that builds strong institutions that work for the common good. In
short, we are committed to a nation that is cognizant of its history
and looks forward to a bright future.

In our news pages, we are especially well positioned to offer original
reporting from Armenia and Karabagh. You will see more of this in the
weeks and months to come. We remain deeply committed to our coverage
of Armenian-American events. To this task we will commit additional
journalistic resources.

We expect people in government, leaders of organizations, and others
who rely on the support of the Armenian community to act responsibly,
transparently, and in the best interests of their constituents. Our
readers can rely on us to report responsibly.

In our reporting, when we cover organizations and businesses in which
the owners of the newspaper have business or philanthropic interests,
we will alert our readers. The Cafesjian Family Foundation is a
partner is the largest independent media company in Armenia . CS Media
Armenian operations include Armenia TV, CNN Armenia, TV 5, ArmNews,
Radio FM 107, CS Films (formerly HyeFilm), Armenia Film Studios, and
CS Publishing. Armenia TV, the largest and highest rated television
channel in Armenia , is broadcast throughout the Republics of Armenia
and Nagorno Karabagh, and is available via satellite in Europe ,
Russia, and the Middle East, and via Dish Network in the United
States.

In addition to media, the owners’ interests now include SolarEn
International, an energy company with an emphasis on environmentally
friendly technologies working to promote and develop Armenia’s
independent energy sector using solar, wind, hydro, and fuel-cell
energy; Cascade Capital Holdings, a financial services group that is
introducing Western insurance, credit, and banking practices in
Armenia; real estate holdings; and the Cafesjian Museum Foundation,
which is developing The Gerard L. Cafesjian Center for the Arts in
central Yerevan. Together, these entities currently employ some 1,500
citizens of Armenia , and we expect robust growth in the future.

As the “Armenian Reporter” enters this new era, we are grateful to
you, our readers and advertisers, for staying with us and sustaining
us in our commitment to public service. Greetings and thanks!

NUMEROUS CLAIMS GOT FOR PARTICIPATION IN COMPETITION FOR IMPLEMENTING
CONSTRUCTION WORKS TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY “LINCY” PROGRAM

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The process of the competition for
implementing construction works of roads, schools and streets of the
capital by the financial resources of the “Lincy” foundation was
discussed at the May 25 sitting of the Programs Management Council of
the foundation. Armen Gevorgian, the RA President’s staff head, the
Chairman of the “Lincy” Programs Management Council headed the
sitting. According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the
RA President’s Press Office, the sitting participants mentioned that
construction organizations are greatly interested in the competition,
and numerous claims have already been got. It was decided to study in
details in working groups the presented competition packages paying
great attention in them especially to those conditions by existence of
which the high quality of the contruction works to be done and the
labour discipline of the organization implementing it will be most of
all guaranteed.

BOOK REVIEWS: Fiction – A melancholy journey

Financial Times; May 27, 2006
By Carmen Callil

HAV
by Jan Morris
Faber £16.99, 288 pages

Jan Morris published Last Letters from Hav 20 years ago. Short-
listed for the Booker Prize, it was – and is – a jewel of a novel,
posturing as a travel book about the magical Hav, a Mediterranean
city-state perched on an imaginary Anatolian peninsula in Asia
Minor. For this new book, Jan Morrishas taken her imagination back
there.

So evocative, detailed and realistic was her first fictional sojourn
in Hav that Last Letters elicited tourist inquiries and agonising map
research – where exactly was it, vis-a-vis Greece and Turkey, Lebanon
and Crete? Studies of post-colonial literature continue to pontificate
about its meanings; allusions in the novel are used to illustrate the
dilemmas of ethnicity and empire.

The fabulous city of Hav was a product of Jan Morris’s unique
combination of talents. Reading her is an almost physical experience;
an encounter with any of her travel writings – the Pax Britannica
trilogy for instance, her chronicle of the British Empire – is to be
whisked into the daily life of other worlds, to loiter alongside her,
to smell, see and encounter exactly what she does.

Nowhere is this more happily achieved than in the original novel. In
it, Jan Morris arrives in Hav in 1985, jumping out of a “huge
locomotive of dirty red with a cow-catcher and a brass bell” at the
frontier, to descend into the entirely plausible melting pot that is
Hav. Over the centuries it has beena bauble for conquest: tossed
about between Greek and Arab, Crusader and Turk, Russia and Germany,
Britain and France, housing myriad races ranging from Italian,
Armenian, African and hippy American to its own cave- dwellers, the
goat-munching Kretevs. Even the Chinese are there in their divine
House ofthe Chinese Master and Palace of Delights.

“Beneath the velvet skies” of the city, its inhabitants eat sea-
urchins by the barrel-load. They run a suicidal race across the roofs
of Hav, a jumbled confusion of architectural testaments to the many
nationalities. The flotsam and jetsam of centuries of foreign
domination provide Morris with the opportunity to use her vast
knowledge to juggle it all in the air and let it fall to the page in
entrancing patterns of wisdom, humour and charm.

While she never descends into outright whimsy, there is nevertheless
more than a touch of W.S. Gilbert in Morris’s fantasy – Sullivan is
representedin the writing, which is a symphony of the melodic phrases
and resonant adjectives that mark her style. A Welsh version of
Gilbert and Sullivan itmust be said, for Jan Morris is snappish about
the joyless British presence in her imagined city.

In 1985, as Jan Morris left Hav, there were black aeroplanes in the
sky and warships on the horizon. It is 2005 when she returns. In her
epilogue she says this sequel is as full of enigmas as its
predecessor, but it is hard to see any lack of clarity in her all-
too-clear account of what the Myrmidons – the new rulers of Hav – have
created after their “Intervention” in 1985. Most of old Hav is now
razed. Gone are the “smells of food, dirt, jasmine and imperfectly
refined gasoline”, replaced by the odourless certainties of the Holy
Myrmidonic Republic. Hav is now meticulously planned, bugged by hidden
devices, with buildings made of glass and steel and so much concrete
that even the dangling earrings of a receptionist seem to be made of
that substance. “All sanitised, all sham”, the fabled peninsula is
now criss-crossed with motorways, its rare fruit “snow raspberries”
are genetically modified and canned, the jumble of history has become
the lies of government, “institutional lying”.

This technological nightmare, one long, vulgar expansion of holiday
resort and airport, is slashed with Offices of Ideology, Leagues of
Intellectualsand an all-seeing 2,000ft Tower. The ideologies of
apartheid and of the US and China seep through Morris’s portrait of
the new Hav, now fully controlled by the Holy Cathars of the
Myrmidonic Republic. (Morris demonstrates her subtle understanding of
history in choosing the believers of this particularly unattractive
Christian heresy as the mindless perpetrators of the Myrmidonic
horrors that are now 21st-century Hav.)

In the epilogue, Morris states she had a sense of foreboding before
the “catastrophe on September 11”, but it is other government
“interventions” that seem to hover in the air in her new vision. This
melancholy contemplation of civilisation as ruled by globalisation and
fundamentalism, with its haunting sense of Welsh rage, offers little
joy and no hope. We must be grateful the original novel is still there
in all its engaging eccentricity, to remind us that its sequel of
despair may only be a hiccup of gloom in the long career of a
distinguished writer who has, perhaps, seen too much.

Carmen Callil is author of “Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family
and Fatherland” (Jonathan Cape).

GRADUATION PARTIES WERE BANNED BUT CHILDREN HAVE FUN

Lragir.am
26 May 06

May 25 is the last day of the academic year in secondary schools of
NKR. This year 2324 students left school (814 from the capital). The
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport informed that 10 alumni are
candidates to gold medals. 7 are from the schools of the capital, 3
from Askeran.

As long ago as April 21 signed an order banning parties at schools
after the final exams, as well as graduation parties with the teaching
staff and directors. Open Society and Unity NGOs held a round-table
meeting to find out the attitude of teachers, students and parents to
these parties, which have become a tradition at schools. A family
usually spends about 100 dollars on the graduation party only.

St Petersburg Times, Russia
May 26 2006

Five Suspects Linked To Racist Crime Wave
By Simon Saradzhyan and Galina Stolyarova

Staff Writer

Five men detained last week for possible ties to the killing of an
African student are being charged with killing a prominent racial
issues expert, city prosecutor Sergei Zaitsev said Wednesday at a
news conference at the City Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspects, members of the Mad Crowd group, are thought to have
taken part in the June 2004 fatal shooting of Nikolai Girenko, 64, as
revenge for Girenko’s testimony in court against another extremist
group, Schultz-88, the prosecutor said.

Girenko, who pioneered a method for classifying ethnically motivated
crimes, died after an unidentified assailant rang the doorbell of his
St. Petersburg apartment and then shot him through the closed door as
he approached it.

`The recent outburst of extremist crimes is associated with the
activities of this gang,’ Zaitsev said at the news conference. `We
have long suspected that the wave of extremist crimes was not a
symptom of a widespread nationalism, which is not typical of St.
Petersburg, but was the result of the activities of a well-organized
gang that specialized in this type of crime.’

Although the trial has not yet begun, Zaitsev’s strong words were
echoed by an even more powerful statement from Governor Valentina
Matviyenko, who suggested the gang `sought to taint the reputation of
St. Petersburg nearing the G8 summit’.

Besides the murder, the five suspects are also to be charged with
taking part in a series of other attacks and robberies, including the
2003 killing of a Chinese citizen and a 2003 attack on an Armenian
citizen, Zaitsev said.

During searches at the apartments of the detainees the police found
extremist literature. Medical examinations of the suspects have shown
that some of them have tattoos of swastikas and extremist or racist
slogans. Two of the suspects are students of local universities: one
studies at the Baltic International Tourism Institute, while another
is a student of the Herzen Pedagogical University.

The arrested men have also confessed to having incited teenagers to
attack a Tajik family. In that 2004 attack, Khursheda Sultanova, a
9-year-old Tajik girl, was stabbed to death while her father and a
sibling also suffered knife wounds.

The suspects are also being investigated for their ties to the
killings of a Vietnamese citizen and a Sengalese student, the
prosecutor said. The suspects are all in their early twenties.

Mad Crowd founder Dmitry Borovikov, who was killed last week, is also
suspected of having killed two teenagers allied with the group,
Rostislav Gofman and Aleksei Golovchenko, Fontanka.ru reported. The
two were killed because `they were the weak link and could have
betrayed the group,’ Zaitsev said. Borovikov was shot dead Thursday
after lunging at police officers with a knife.

Eight of Mad Crowd’s 13 members have been detained, Zaitsev said.
After Borovikov was killed, police arrested five other Mad Crowd
members. Searches of their apartments netted six guns, three
kilograms of TNT and extremist literature, Zaitsev said.

LITHUANIAN-AZERBAIJANI RELATIONS COULD AND SHOULD BE MORE INTENSIVE – LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT
Author: E.Huseynov

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
May 25 2006

Trend’s exclusive interview with the Lithuanian President, Valdas
Adamkus, on the eve of his forthcoming visit to Baku on 8-9 June 2006.

Question: How do you estimate the current level and perspectives of
bilateral relationships between Azerbaijan and Lithuania?

Answer: I may evaluate Lithuanian-Azerbaijani relations as friendly,
based of sympathy from the past and on the common future goals –
to live in prospering and safe Europe.

These relations could and should be more intensive – especially in
economical sphere. We receive the signals from our businessmen about
their interest in developing trade relations with Azerbaijan and
I hope that the foreseen visit to Baku this April will serve as an
impulse for the intensification of such cooperation. I am going to
have a group of businessmen accompanying me.

Azerbaijan – is and should be safe and stable transit country between
Europe and South Caucasus region.

I also see open possibilities for fostering our cultural relations,
renewing people-to-people contacts, encouraging flows of tourists
between Lithuania and Azerbaijan.

Lithuania’s, as a new member’s, integration experience is still “fresh”
and we are ready to share it upon the interest of your country. We
have gained a lot from the regional cooperation in this regard, we
suggest basing such a sharing of experience on a regional level –
this is the core of 3+3 initiative (cooperation between three Baltic
and three South Caucasus countries), which implementation depends on
common efforts.

Question: Have you defined the exact date of your official visit to
Azerbaijan? What issues will be on focus of discussions during the
forthcoming visit?

Answer: I think the agenda of this visit should reflect all major
issues of common interest – bilateral cooperation and possibilities
to develop it in particular fields, EU and NATO integration, energy
security, business development. As well, a very important subject of
discussions should be regional issues and Baltic-Black-Caspian sea
regions cooperation.

Question: What aid can Lithuania render to Azerbaijan in its
integration into the international establishments?

Answer: Lithuania welcomes Azerbaijan’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We
are ready to share with you all the lessons learned in our way towards
NATO. We already have good traditions of cooperation as Lithuania
and Azerbaijan have been cooperating bilaterally for several years
in various fields of defence. Our experiences in restructuring
security and defense sectors, establishing legal basis and setting
coordination mechanisms for Euro-Atlantic integration might be of
particular interest of your country in the current implementation of
Azerbaijan-NATO IPAP (Individual Partnership Action Plan).

Question: In what stage is the realization of your initiative on
regional cooperation 3+3 (three Baltic countries and three South
Caucasus countries)?

Answer: Having learned from our own experience, how advantageous is
regional cooperation in reaching strategic goals, we are willing to
encourage regional approach in South Caucasus as well. Therefore 3+3
initiative is an essential part of these efforts, as it could provide
opportunity to share Baltics’ experience with the South Caucasus
countries and promote links between them.

As I know the first informal meeting of five Ministers of Foreign
Affairs and Azerbaijani representative, held last December in Liubjana,
was considered as successful step into the implementation of this
initiative, the participants have agreed on the continuation of such
meetings. Let’s work together.

Question: Does Lithuania support the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan? How do you view the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh?

Answer: Lithuania has also suffered complicated historical situations
in relations with the neighbouring countries, though since the
independence our aim is not forgetting the past, to work for the
future and to strengthen friendly cooperation with neighbours –
as it is an inevitable precondition of the wealth of whole region.

The territorial integrity of each country should be respected. We stand
for resolution of any related disputes only in a peaceful manner and
truly hope that such peaceful breakthrough will be reached in your
region in the shortest run.