Author: Nahapetian Samvel

ON SEPTEMBER 5 THE RA PRESIDENT TO LEAVE FOR POLAND WITH AN OFFICIAL VISIT
ARKA News Agency
Sept 3 2004
On September 5 the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan will
leave for Poland with an official visit by the invitation of Polish
President Aleksander Kwasniewski. According to the RA President’s
Press Service Department, meetings with the President of Poland,
the Leadership of Sejm and Senate as well as the Prime Minister of
Poland are planned within the framework of the visit. Also, Bilateral
agreements on military cooperation and joint fight against organized
crime as well as a memorandum on cooperation between the Union of SME
of Poland and the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development are
to be signed. The main goal of the visit of the Polish delegation
to Armenia, which will last till September 7, is to stimulate the
development of intergovernmental relations, define the priority
directions and tasks for the economic cooperation between the two
countries, as well as exchange opinions regarding the most actual
goals of an international interest.
The diplomatic relations between Armenia and Poland have been
established since Feb 26, 1992. In 1998 an Armenian Embassy was
opened in Warsaw, and the Polish Embassy in Armenia – on Jan 27,
2001. The first visit of the RA President Robert Kocharyan to Poland
took place on July 13-15, 1999. The visit of the Polish President
Aleksander Kwasniewski to Armenia took place on November 14-16, 2001.
According to RA National Statistics Service, the trade turnover
between Armenia and Poland in Jan-July 2004 made $2068,6 thsd. versus
$2042 thsd during the analogous period of 2003. At that, the volume of
export made $28,1 thsd. for the first 7 months of 2004 (in 2003 -$129,5
thsd.), and import -$2040,5 thsd. (in 2003-$1912,5 thsd.). A.H.–0–

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 2 2004
MEETING AT FOREIGN MINISTRY
[September 02, 2004, 14:58:37]
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov received
Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Germany in Baku Klaus
Grewlich in connection with completion of his diplomatic mission
in Azerbaijan.
Mr. Grewlich expressed gratitude to Azerbaijani side for assistance and
fruitful cooperation during his activity in Azerbaijan, and stressed
his confidence in further expanding of the friendly relations between
the two countries.
Minister E. Mammadyarov noted for his part that he stands for
strengthening and expanding the friendly Germany – Azerbaijan
relations, and continuation of the fruitful cooperation between the
two countries.
Touching on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
he pointed out the importance of adherence to the principles
of territorial integrity, state sovereignty and inviolability of
borders while discussing the issue in the framework of international
organizations.
In conclusion, the Minister wished the Ambassador every success in
his further activities.

Putin says Turkey and Russia should cooperate in Caucasus, Central Asia
BY SUZAN FRASER; Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Worldstream
September 1, 2004 Wednesday
ANKARA, Turkey — Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview
broadcast Wednesday that Turkey and Russia should avoid competing for
influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia and increase cooperation,
especially regarding the soaring trade between the two countries.
Putin was speaking before a two-day visit to Turkey that starts
Thursday – a first by a Russian leader since the Soviet collapse.
Bilateral trade, currently standing at US$6.8 billion ([euro]5.6
billion), has increased sixfold since 1992, Putin said in an interview
broadcast on CNN-Turk television. The interview was conducted in the
Russian resort of Sochi on Monday.
Turkey and Russia have been rivals for centuries, competing for
influence in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. That
competition increased after the fall of the Soviet Union and the
independence of Turkic states in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
But recently rivalries have subsided and the two countries have been
concentrating on trade.
Turkey and Russia “are moving toward cooperation and welfare…
Russian and Turkey are neighbors. We have common interests,” Putin
said in the interview. His remarks were broadcast dubbed in Turkish.
A Russian transcript was not immediately available.
“I certainly believe that today and in the future, we can cooperate
and reach wider targets,” he said, referring to past Turkish-Russian
projects, including a 446-kilometer (278-mile) natural gas pipeline
that runs beneath the Black Sea to Turkey.
“I believe that if we want to solve the problems along regional
interests, we have to especially avoid competition,” Putin told
CNN-Turk television.
“Both Russia and Turkey are two states that wish, more than anyone
else, for stability in the region and for the situation to return to
normal. We know the problems there better than anyone else,” he said.
Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected
to discuss trade but also contentious issues such as the Caucasus,
where Turkey is allied with Azerbaijan and Russia is friendly with
Azerbaijan’s rival, Armenia.
The conflict in Chechnya – also in the Caucasus – is on the agenda
too. Turks sympathize with their fellow Muslims in Chechnya, and
many Turks trace their ancestry to the Caucasus. Russia has called
on Turkey to crack down on Turkish charities that it claims have
provided support to Chechen rebels.
Russia provides some 60 percent of Turkey’s natural gas imports,
and Putin said his country was also considering selling oil to Turkey
and exporting fuel to other countries via Turkey.
Turkey is expected to stress during Putin’s visit that the narrow
Bosporus Strait dividing Istanbul cannot handle further Russian oil
exports. The Turks are expected to press for other ways of exporting
Russian oil, such as pipelines through Turkey.
Putin will be accompanied by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Putin’s predecessor, Boris Yeltsin,
attended a regional security summit in Istanbul in 1999.

Agence France Presse — English
August 30, 2004 Monday 11:11 AM GMT
Court in Azerbaijan sentences NATO protesters
BAKU
A court in the former Soviet republic of Azerbiajan handed out prison
sentences Monday to protesters who had tried to storm a conference of
NATO officials in the Azeri capital two months ago.
The court found six protesters guilty of public order offences and
resisting arrest, and ordered that they should be sent to prison for
terms ranging from three to five years.
The protesters had been demonstrating about the presence at the NATO
meeting of two officers from Armenia’s armed forces.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the early 1990s over the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two neighbouring
countries remain at a state of war, though there is no large-scale
fighting.
Among those sentenced Monday was Akif Nagi, leader of the hardline
Karabakh Liberation Organisation, which favours new military action
against Armenia. He was given five years in jail.
Supporters and relatives of the convicted men staged a protest in the
courtroom when the sentences were handed down but they were dispersed
by police.
The NATO meeting, which took place in the capital, Baku on June 21,
was briefly disrupted as the protesters scuffled with police and
smashed windows outside the conference venue.
Many people in Azerbaijan sympathised with the protesters —
evidence, observers said, of growing public support for a renewal of
hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The war there displaced a million civilians and left some 35,000
people dead.

Azeri leader to meet US secretary of state in Athens
MPA news agency, Baku
26 Aug 04

Baku, 26 August: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Germany
will end on 26 August. MPA news agency learnt from the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry that Aliyev had met German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer today. The sides discussed expanding bilateral political
relations and the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
On 26 August Aliyev will leave for Athens to take part in the closing
ceremony of the Olympic Games. Aliyev is expected to meet US Secretary
of State Colin Powell, who is in Athens.

$140M NECESSARY FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF YEREVAN TPP WILL BE GIVEN BY
GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN BY THE END OF THE YEAR, RA MINISTER OF ENERGY
HOPES
YEREVAN, August 25 (Noyan Tapan). The program of reconstruction of
Yerevan TPP isn’t delayed. Armen Movsisian, RA Minister of Energy,
reported this to journalists on August 25. He expressed a hope that by
the end of the year the government of Japan will make a decision about
the corresponding financing (about $14m) necessary for the
reconstruction of the TPP. Co-financing of the Armenian side will make
$25m. To recap, by the program of reconstruction of Yerevan TPP it’s
envisaged to build a super-modern steam-gas energy bloc working by a
combined cycle and with natural gas. The basic capacity of the energy
bloc will reach 230 mWt. The presence of the bloc will permit to spend
only 158-226 grams of gas for production of electricity of 1 kWt/h
instead of the current 372 grams. So, only on the part of fuel Armenia
will economize $19.4m a year.

Reuters
Aug 25 2004
Gardner Unable to Defend His Olympic Title
By Ori Lewis
ATHENS (Reuters) – U.S. heavyweight Rulon Gardner lost his Olympic
title Wednesday after being beaten in the semi-final stage of the
120kg Greco-Roman wrestling event by Georgiy Tsurtsumia of
Kazakhstan.
In a bout which went into overtime, the bigger and stronger-looking
Tsurtsumia held on for a 4-1 scoreline after the two men tied at 1-1
at the end of the mandatory six minutes.
Gardner, 33, narrowly escaped death when stranded in temperatures of
minus 25 degrees Celsius after his snowmobile broke down in a forest
in Wyoming in 2002.
He lost a toe to frost bite and last year also suffered a dislocated
shoulder in a motorcycle accident.
The articulate American had no regrets about his tactics in the bout.
He said: “I gave 100 percent, I have no bad feelings. I was trying to
score a point to win the match but he countered me and beat me. I
tried.”
Tsurtsumia stands at 6-foot-4 and towered above Gardner, whose
physique is much stockier and who stands at about 6-foot-1.
Gardner said that all his opponents had studied his technique closely
and knew exactly what was needed to beat him.
“These people (my opponents) have come here having learned each
set-piece. They saw what I can be worked on, where I’m weak,” he
explained.
Gardner beat the seemingly invincible Russian Alexander Karelin to
win the 130kg gold medal at the Sydney Games in 2000 but that
category has been dropped in Athens to make room for the women’s
wrestling events.
Gardner now meets Iranian Sajad Barzi for the bronze. Tsurtsumia’s
opponent for gold will be Russia’s Khasan Baroev.
In the other finals to be contested Wednesday, Russia’s Alexei
Michine will fight for gold in the 84kg division against Sweden’s
Armenian-born former world champion Ara Abrahamian.
In the 66kg class Farid Mansurov of Azerbaijan will meet Turkey’s
Seref Eroglu, while in the 55kg category Istvan Majoros of Hungary
will battle Gueidar Mamedaliev of Russia.
Elimination bouts in the three other Greco-Roman weight categories
(60kg, 74kg and 96kg) began Wednesday with medal bouts set for
Thursday. The freestyle competition begins on Friday in a
corresponding format to the Greco-Roman event.

ARARATCEMENT CONTINUES INCREASING OUTPUT
YEREVAN, AUGUST 23. ARMINFO. Araratcement, the biggest cement producer
in Armenia, continues increasing its output and exports.
In Jan-July 2004 the company’s output was 3.241 bln AMd which is 48%
more than in Jan-July 2003. The sales grew by 80.3% to 3.079 bln AMD,
the exports totalled 1.430 bln AMD – 14 times as much as a year
before.
The second biggest cement producer Mika Cement produced cement for
1.988 bln AMD – 68% growth. The sales was 1.652 bln AMD (+27.8%), the
exports 429.8 mln AMD (3 times growth).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Aug 19 2004
OREGON CONGRESSMAN EARL BLUMENAUER JOINS ARMENIAN CAUCUS
Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly welcomed the official
announcement today that Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) has joined
the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, bringing the total to
133. The news follows an August 10 district meeting with the Armenian
Assembly held August 10 in Portland, Oregon.
“As the congressional representative of many Armenians in
Portland, I’m proud to be the latest member of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, an ever-growing group of those of us in
Congress who want to give these issues the attention they deserve,”
said Congressman Blumenauer.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues and the members of
the Armenian community in my home town and around the world on issues
of importance to Armenians,” he continued. Assembly Western Office
Director Lena Kaimian, who led this week’s meeting, said: “We welcome
Congressmen Blumenauer’s membership to the Armenian Caucus. He brings
experience, enthusiasm and commitment to the Caucus and we look
forward to working with him and his congressional colleagues on
issues pertinent to the community.”
“Assembly supporters worked closely with our Los Angeles staff to
encourage the Congressman’s membership to the Caucus,” Kaimian
continued. “I would especially like to thank activists Greg Geokjian
and Les Margosian for participating in this meeting and advocating on
behalf of our issues.”
Congressman Blumenauer, who has represented Oregon’s Third
Congressional District since 1996, is a well-known supporter of
Armenian-American issues. As such, he has urged President George W.
Bush to appropriately acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, voted to
maintain Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and supported the
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act.
The Congressman also serves on the International Relations
Committee and is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee. He joins fellow Oregon lawmaker, Congresswoman Darlene
Hooley (D-OR) in representing Armenian-American interests on the
Caucus.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/13/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Georgian PM Comes Under Fire in Ossetia 2) New Pastors Appointed to Western Prelacy Parishes 3) Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School Receives LAUSD Grant 4) The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Another Four Years 1) Georgian PM Comes Under Fire in Ossetia TBILISI (AFP/Civil Georgia)--Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said Friday that he came under attack from South Ossetian troops while visiting the separatist region on a peace mission. He told Georgia's private television that no one was hurt in the attack. The station showed footage of gunfire as he passed through an area that saw three Georgian soldiers killed Thursday. "They were shooting directly at us," he said. "I see this as Ossetia's response to our peace initiative. "Both Ossetian and Russian peacekeepers knew that only my convoy was passing through that region at the time," he said. Zhvania went to its northern separatist region, which is trying to join Russia, late Thursday amid Georgian efforts to win back its control. Those attempts have so far led to shootouts between Georgian, Ossetian, and Russian troops, which are also acting in the region as peacekeepers. The pro-Moscow region's self-declared president denied his forces were responsible for any attack. The village of Eredvi, where the incident occurred, "is controlled by Georgian troops," Eduard Kokoity told Russia's Interfax news agency. "There was no shooting from the Ossetian side, and we view this as a provocation." At least five villagers were reported injured at Eredvi in shooting that started early Friday morning, according to Georgian television. The station claimed the attack came from the Ossetians in yet another exchange of accusations in the escalating conflict. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili raised the prospect on Thursday of "ethnic cleansing" in the separatist region after fighting there left four soldiers dead and around 40 people injured. A senior Russian official also sounded an alarm over the latest developments in South Ossetia, a territory located along the Georgia-Russia border which has enjoyed a measure of de facto independence since fighting a war with Tbilisi in the early 1990s. Russia has proposed an emergency meeting of a tripartite Georgian-Ossetian-Russian commission charged with resolving the dispute and appealed in the meantime for an immediate ceasefire. The United States on Thursday urged Russia and Georgia to end rising tension over the separatist Georgian region. "We are urging Georgian officials to move quickly to avoid further conflict," deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said. "We're also making the point with Russian officials that it's important to work with the South Ossetian authorities to end hostilities immediately." He said US diplomats had been in touch with Georgian authorities in Tbilisi and that the message had been conveyed to Moscow in meetings with officials from the Russian embassy in Washington. Ereli also told reporters that the United States backed Russia's call for an emergency meeting of the so-called "Joint Control Commission," a tripartite Georgian-Ossetian-Russian commission charged with resolving the festering dispute. Georgia's parliament has overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding that Russian peacekeepers withdraw from its separatist region of South Ossetia and instead be replaced by international troops. The non-binding resolution has been passed in a 117-3 vote on the same day Zhvania came under fire from South Ossetian troops while visiting the separatist region. Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze was barred from entering South Ossetia's self-declared capital Tskhinvali region on August 13. "The Ossetian side is categorically against my entering the Tskhinvali region. I simply want to pass via Tskhinvali [capital of breakaway South Ossetia] and meet with Georgian population of the breakaway region," Nino Burjanadze said at the Tkviavi administrative border between breakaway South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia. She reiterated that the Georgian Prime Minister is ready to hold talks with South Ossetian de facto President Eduard Kokoity; however, the latter is categorically against. Saakashvili has vowed to reassert Tbilisi's authority over the entirety of his Caucasian country, which splintered into several separatist regions in the wake of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. 2) New Pastors Appointed to Western Prelacy Parishes LA CRESCENTA--On Thursday, the Prelate and the Joint Session of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America announced new pastoral appointments in three parishes of the Prelacy. The appointments, which were based upon the considerations discussed during the 32nd Representative Assembly held in May of this year, will help advance the Prelacy's mission. Rev. Fr. Vrouyr Demirjian was appointed as assistant to the Prelate at the Prelacy and will be in charge of the Christian Education department and Youth Movement program. Rev. Fr. Hrant Yeretsian was appointed as Pastor of Forty Martyrs Arm. Apostolic Church in Orange County. Rev. Fr. Nareg Pehlivanian and Rev. Fr. Ashod Kambourian were appointed as pastors of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello. Rev. Fr. Khoren Baboushian was appointed as Pastor of St. Sarkis Arm. Apostolic Church in Pasadena. 3) Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School Receives LAUSD Grant ENCINO--Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School was able to obtain a $56,000 grant allocation from Los Angeles Unified School District for use during the school year 2004-2005. The grant was allocated under the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." A large portion of these grants will be applied toward faculty development programs and approximately $10,000 will be devoted toward attaining scientific resources. In addition, a special grant allowed five elementary teachers to attend the 5-day Governor's Reading Institute this past summer. Through the institute, teachers acquire training in the use of the Open Court Reading series. 4) The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Another Four Years BY SKEPTIK SINIKIAN So I think I've finally figured out how this internet thing works. For a system of communication that's supposed to simplify the way we do things, this internet business is pretty confusing. Trying to understand how to work with it when you're coming in at the middle is like starting to watch `Days of Our Lives' midway through the season and understand what the heck is going on. (I still don't know why Stefano is evil or why Marlena was possessed). I've finally set up my web blog. After trying and trying and giving Asbarez readers the runaround, the blog/website is finally up and can be visited at This time it's for real. Feel free to write back and exchange ideas. I don't take things personally, so all types of comments and letters are welcome. After all, everyone has an opinion, and it's not a crime yet in this country to share your opinions openly. Take last week's column for instance. I wrote about the flip-flopping of the Democrats at their National Convention and stated my opinion. In response, I received numerous letters from Republicans and Democrats alike. Republicans praised me for finally seeing the light and Democrats thought I had been sniffing glue. But my column wasn't an endorsement of Republicans. I simply stated my opinion about the Democratic Convention. I doubt anyone would disagree with me when I say that it was probably the most boring week of television up until the Republican Convention later this month. One of the letters I received last week was a forward of a letter to the Editor by an Armenian who is presumably a Republican and was obviously a President Bush supporter. I've decided to share an excerpt from this letter because it illustrates an opinion that I disagree with and is part of my response this week to Armenian Bush supporters. `[T]his Presidential election is not about the issues that both parties are talking about, or who can make the most promises to whichever interest group gives them the most money or votes--because all of these factors are irrelevant. The issue is simply who Osama and his buddies would fear most as President of the United States of America.' I agree with the first part of this statement that says that this election is not about the issues that the parties are talking about because the issues that the two parties are talking about non-issues such as Kerry's war and post-war record. Did Senator Kerry throw medals or ribbons over the fence of the White House in protest of the Vietnam War? Did he throw his own ribbons or someone else's ribbons? Who cares? I don't care if Kerry threw an orangutan in pajamas over the fence because its irrelevant. The real issue in this election is the question that Ronald Reagan asked Americans when he challenged Jimmy Carter and then when he was seeking reelection to the White House against Walter Mondale--`Are you better off today than you were four years ago?' My answer is a resounding `no.' And as for the question of whom Osama and his buddies would fear more? I personally think they would fear someone who was able to restore America's glory and respected position in the world rather than gallivanting around the globe like a vigilante gunslinger from an old Western. I appreciate that there are folks out there that still believe this election is about the War on Terror, but the War on Terror isn't going to put books in classrooms for our schoolchildren. Nor has it helped bring down the cost of colleges and universities or created any stable, long term jobs. The next time you call AOL or any other Internet Service Provider and you wonder why your customer service call is being answered by some young kid living in Punjabi, India, ask yourself why these jobs have left America and why places like West Virginia have an economy that parallels those in the third world. Or the next time you hear about another kid that died in Iraq, ask if he was looking for Bin Laden. Ask where your retirement investments have disappeared to and why the top executives of Enron (Bush's top campaign contributors) are still free and being driven around in limousines. And finally, the next time Vice President Dick Cheney talks about national energy policy and national security, ask how much money his former employer, Halliburton Inc., has invested in Azerbaijan, a country which harbors Al Qaeda cells and hires Taliban fighters to fight against Christian Armenians defending their land in Karabagh. I'm not a fan of Michael Moore and this column isn't my version of `Fahrenheit 9/11.' Nor is this an endorsement of one candidate over another. But, I'm sorry to say that there are a lot more questions to ask in this election that simply who will Osama Bin Laden and his buddies fear more. The real question is not who we will fear more but how long will we have to live being afraid of ourselves, of the world around us, and those enemies out there who relish in terrorizing us and our children. There are too many questions to be asked and no one who is willing to answer them truthfully. I don't want to live in a country where my beliefs and political views are defined by who a nefarious criminal genius fears more. We'll just have to wait until November to see if the rest of America shares my sentiments. Skeptik Sinikian is an angry Armenian-American with lots of useless ideas and opinions. He'd love to hear from you at [email protected] or visit him at 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) 2004 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. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress