Author: Talalian Arpi

A1+

NEW OPPOSITIONAL BODY TO BE FORMED
[06:18 pm] 23 November, 2006

`The announcements of the authorities that the forthcoming
parliamentary elections will be transparent and fair are but an
illusion. The 2007 elections have already been held-de facto’, claims
Garnik Margaryan, Colone and leader of `Motherland and Honour’ Party.

Mr. Margaryan, can you give reasons for your statement?

Everything is visible. The elections are already fabricated under the
guise of charity. I cannot say definitely whether it is a party or a
charity organization but I am convinced in one thing; its head thinks
himself a giant or a monster.

He has been distributing potatoes, fertilizer to the RA residents to
provide his electorate in the elections. I wonder how a party can have
30 000 members if it doesn’t have an ideology. There is another
benefactor-Tigran Karapetyan who gathers his voters via songs and
dances. The authorities rely on the above-mentioned electorates and
want to show the international community that the elections are fair
and transparent in Armenia.

The previous elections have shown that people vote for the candidate
they want, though they take the bribes offered on the eve of
elections. Don’t you think that candidates had better take care of the
voters’ confidence than bother about the electorate formed via bribe
taking?

Yes, you are right. The 2003 elections proved that the authorities,
that had only 7 – 8 percent of votes, fabricated the elections. As a
result they had 51 – 52 percent votes. The previous elections have
also shown that the opposition cannot combat against the criminal
authorities with joint efforts. A committee must be formed which will
unite all the forces which are convinced that there is only one
outcome of the situation; to hold out-of-order elections to get rid of
the authorities.

And how do you imagine the formation of the new committee?

We already have `Civil Disobedience’, `Alternative’, `Anti-criminal
Movement’ and various suchlike oppositional movements which are
concerned about the future of the country. I don’t agree with the
wide-spread opinion that the Democratic Party of Armenia (DPA) has
already exhausted. They merely passed on to a milder policy. They
still have their stable electorate that follows Stepan Demirchyan with
nostalgia and trust him. Today, all the oppositional representatives
agree that the acting authorities are criminals and we must get rid of
them. That very ideology can become a stimulus for the oppositional
forces and unite them. I assume that the Opposition will be able to
set up a body available for all.

Our country has past, present and future. We cannot let the current
authorities deprive us of the future. We haven’t got oil supplies but
we have intelligentsia and scientists – the mental set,
instead. Today, the names of Armenian scientists appear in a number of
international magazines. Why should an Armenian scientist use his
abilities for the prosperity and future well-being of other countries?
A few years ago we said that the emigration increased in Armenia and
the population greatly decreased. We face a bitter reality because of
the authorities. The USA urges that the Armenian troops must be taken
out of the occupied territories and the troops of the NATO must be
located there to settle the U.S. matters with Iraq. And Russia says
that the NATO troops have nothing to do in the above-mentioned areas.

What will Armenia do in this situation?

We must be guided only by the interests of Armenia according to which
the NATO troops mustn’t enter the region. These authorities have
weakened the country so much that the superpowers treat us like a
ball. They get whatever they want from us. The same Russia exerted so
much pressure on us that deprived us of objects of military importance
under the program `Property in Return of Debt’. Provided Russia
strengthens its position in Armenia, it will not allow us to become a
member of any European structure. The USA also wants to make use of
Armenia for its own interests. If we sit awaiting for the decision of
the superpowers we had better surrender. And all this hustle and
bustle was caused by the current authorities. The country will not
prosper unless the RA Constitution guarantees protection for
Armenians. The emigration will continue, provided the prime minister
of the country announces that families can live on the 11 000 pension.

Should we blame only the acting authorities for the current situation
in the country? Don’t the Opposition representatives have their share
of guilt?

Certainly, they are also guilty. We couldn’t display enough
determination and prudence to combat against the criminal regime. We
couldn’t unite in 2003, 2004 and in 2005.

And why couldn’t the Opposition unite?

The reason is that Armenians suffer from megalomania, to be the
first. I can speak of it easily and openly as I don’t have such
ambitions. We must finally realise that the president of the country
can be one person and we must allow people decide themselves. This is
bitter and cruel reality.

And do you have guarantees that the Opposition will not repeat the
same mistakes?

I call on the Opposition to be sober. We have no way back. All the
means to stop this regime are justified. Who says that political
disobedience is not a constitutional norm? It is one of the
fundamental rights of people. The regime has drawbacks and the society
doesn’t obey it. The point is that we overestimate the acting
regime. But in fact they are rather weak.

Why do you think that the current authorities are weak?

There are numerous examples. Let’s take the visit of the Defense
Minister to Iraq. Serge Sargsyan anticipated guarantees from
Condoleeza Rise. Our authorities are in a constant search; they always
seize the opportunity to meet with the superpowers. Today, our
high-rank officials see the indifference of the North that’s why they
have turned to the West. The economy of the country is number one
priority of the Armenian authorities. Only the country with
`self-service’ can maintain the liberated territories and its victory.

The acting regime came to power with the slogan, `we shall not giving
the territories back’. What is your opinion on the RA policy in view
of the Karabakh conflict?

They deem their policy objectively in their announcements. If the
Defense Minister announces that Aghdam is not an Armenian territory,
or they have liberated the territories on condition to return them
later or to initiate trade in those territories, I have nothing more
to say about him. I only advise Mr. Sargsyan to view the pages of
history and to turn to politicians’ help. The whole world is aware
that the second Tigranakert is in Artsahk. Perhaps, only the Defense
Minister is unaware of it. These authorities have `labeled’ themselves
with their evaluations to the former regime. The main difference
between them is that unlike the former authorities, the current
authorities cannot accept their defeat with honour.

What `label’ do you mean?

The label of betrayers. The RA authorities have no right to forget
Erablour and the innocent victims of Armenia and Artsakh. The most
striking point is that they want to keep their office. But they should
bear responsibility for every robbery, political murder, the
parliamentary carnage of October 27 and the white Genocide of the
Armenians over the past 4 – 5 years initiated by them.

The interviewer was Victoria ABRAHAMYAN

NOVRUZ MAMMADOV: CO-CHAIRS WILL ACHIEVE IMPROVEMENT IN TALKS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 22 2006

"OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ efforts will help to achieve improvement
in talks. The talks will show if there is a motive for Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents meeting," President’s Office International;
Relations Department Ali Hasanov told journalists, APA reports.

He said that American co-chair Matthew Bryza’s absence will not affect
the efficiency of the visit.

"Though American co-chair has not come to the region, we know that
they have opportunities to contact with one another concerning the
talks. The co-chairs may achieve improvement in talks after meeting
with the President," he said. He also added he believes that the
co-chairs will take definite steps within their visit.

PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON GOVT TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE OF THE CHERKESS PEOPLE

Interfax, Russia
Nov 20 2006

KRASNODAR. Nov 20 (Interfax) – Representatives of six public
organizations in Adygeya, Karachayevo-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria
have signed an address to the Russian federal government, urging it
to recognize genocide of the Cherkess people in the 18th and 19th
centuries.

"We ask the government to recognize moves by Tsarist Russia from
the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of Word War I
as genocide. The Cherkess people suffered great deprivations and
hardships, Zaur Dzeukozhev, deputy head of the Adyg republican public
movement the Cherkess Congress told Interfax on Monday.

"We are ready to discuss this question, hence our address to the
president. Also, we have appealed to the European Parliament because
it recognized the genocide of the Armenians," Dzeukozhev said.

Historians have "sufficient materials in their archives, including
eye-witness reports and documents, to prove the genocide," he said.

JIHLAVA IS FIRST CZECH TOWN TO HAVE ARMENIAN CROSS-STONE

Czech News Agency (CTK)
November 17, 2006 Friday 7:55 PM (Central European Time)

Jihlava became today the first Czech town in which an Armenian
memorial Cross-stone, a gift from the Jihlava-based Armenian-Czech
society Urartu, has been unveiled.

Mayor Jaroslav Vymazal said Armenian crosses that are a symbol of
Christianity, freedom and friendship, have only been put up in capital
cities in Europe to date.

The Armenian community in Jihlava dates back to 1992. "It exists in
a few other Czech towns as well, but I think that in Jihlava it is
the firmest. That is why we have decided to locate the memorial in
Jihlava," Urartu chairman Alexandr Sargesyan said.

The society has 92 members. Besides Armenians they are Czechs,
Ukrainians and Belarussians.

"We are grateful to the town, we have been given a chance to adapt
ourselves to the European society. Jihlava is our home, children
attend school here, have their friends here, there have already been
several Armenian-Czech weddings, children have been born from them,"
Sargesyan said.

The memorial is made of rose-coloured Armenian tuf. It bears an
Armenian inscription reading "In memory of people who died without
any reason."

It was unveiled by Armenian ambassador seated in Vienna Ashot
Hovakimyan and by Vymazal, and it was consecrated by Mesrop Sarpazan
Grigoryan and Barsek Pilavchyan, from the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Sargesyan said that the cross-stone is also to remind that Armenia was
the first country in the world in which Christianity was accepted as
an official state religion during the reign of King Trdat III in 301.

ARMENIAN SPIRIT LIVES ON
By Snejana Farberov

New York Daily News, NY
Nov 19 2006

Nabe toasts independence

Red, blue and orange – the colors of the Armenian flag – were waved
proudly in Brooklyn last Sunday as the 15,000-strong local Armenian
community celebrated 15 years of national independence.

The main event of the day was organized by St. Gregory Mission Parish
and held at St. Edmund’s Church on Ocean Ave. More than 150 guests,
some from as far away as Germany, convened there for an evening of
poetry readings, traditional dance performances by the Sevan ensemble,
and a mixed bag of musical treats.

The evening began with a performance of the American and Armenian
national anthems by lead soloist Jenny Bagdasarian and passionate
community activist Elen Ohanyan, both of whom grew up in the U.S.

That set the tone for the event: Move forward, but remember where
you came from.

"I consider myself both an Armenian and an American," said Bagdasarian,
15. "I want everyone to know that I’m not only an American who came
to live here, but also that I have Armenian roots.

"It’s important to me, because my family is from Armenia," she
continued, "and when all those people died during the genocide,
we’re very proud they sacrificed everything so that we could have a
better life."

The Sunday festivities were just a commemoration of the secession of
Armenia from the crumbling Soviet Union, which had controlled the
proud little nation since 1920. Perhaps more importantly, it was a
celebration of 3,000 years of rich culture and history marked by a
tragedy that galvanized the Armenian national character.

"We survived, and now – thank God – we have our homeland, even
a small one, and we try to protect it," said Marina Bagdasarova,
principal of the Armenian School of Brooklyn, which is affiliated
with the St. Gregory parish.

The Rev. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral, Eastern
Armenian Diocese, who officiated the formal part of the event, said
that the Armenian Church has always been the true backbone of the
Armenian nation. Chevian noted that it has provided a safe harbor
for the worshipers to come together in fellowship and prayer, and it
remains at the heart of the Armenian diaspora in New York.

"During the Soviet period, when Armenia was not able to reach out as
much as it can now, [it was] the church that maintained the Armenian
identity outside of Armenia," added Chevian.

Bagdasarova said that for the past several years, civic leaders
have been striving to build an Armenian community center that would
provide an additional venue to pass on the language and traditions
of the old country to the next generation before it is too late.

However, as it turns out, in such endeavors, size does matter.

"Considering the fact that we are a relatively small community here,
much smaller than others, we clearly receive far less attention from
the city and county governments," lamented Bagdasarova.

In the meantime, students of the Armenian School perform in local
Jewish centers and nursing homes, and at fund-raisers and festivals,
introducing people to their heritage through music and dance. Some
of their regular gigs include the annual Russian Heritage Week and
charity concerts in Brooklyn’s Millennium Theater, and the Shorefront
YM-YWHA on Brighton Beach.

Bagdasarova explained that it is no coincidence that Armenians and
Jews are so close: In the past century, the two nations were united
by the horrors of genocide and repeated pogroms that confined them
but failed to break their spirit.

Armenia was the first nation in the world to officially adopt
Christianity as its religion in A.D. 301. Its people were repeatedly
persecuted by their Muslim neighbors, and dispersed throughout the
world. Not until 1991 did Armenia regain its long-lost independence.

"Armenians take great pride in their millennia of history," said
Bagdasarova. "We are fortunate to be living in a country where you can
take independence, its inevitability, and the rights that it promises,
for granted."

More grounds to grant ex-Soviet regions independence than Kosovo – Kokoity

Interfax, Russia
Nov 17 2006

MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax) – The breakaway regions in three former
Soviet republics have better reasons to seek independence than Kosovo,
President of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity
said at Friday news conference at the Interfax central office in
Moscow.

"We have better political and legal reasons for recognition than
Kosovo," he said, before accusing "the international community of a
policy of double standards toward all four republics."

He was referring to South Ossetia, Abkhazia (both de jure part of
Georgia), Transdniestria (Moldova), and the Armenian-speaking enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan).

"CACOPHONY OF SIGNALS" SPELLS "NOT WELCOME" FOR TURKS

Spiegel Online, Germany
Nov 8 2006

The European Commission slapped Turkey on the wrist Wednesday for
not opening its ports to Cypriot ships. Turkey has about a month to
shape up, or else. The question is: Or else, what?

The same statement that makes beautiful music in Cyprus strikes a
dissonant and portentous chord in Turkey: "Failure to implement
its obligations in full will affect the overall progress in the
negotiations." Today, the European Commission released its progress
report on Turkey’s EU accession, telling the country it has until
mid-December to open its ports to Cypriot ships, lest it throw its
European dream into jeopardy.

This isn’t the first time Turkey has gotten a slap on the wrist, and
accession talks have always continued to slog forward. The question
now is whether this warning will have consequences — the answer will
come at the Dec. 14-15 EU Summit.

The report does not please Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, but it
also doesn’t surprise him. He dismisses the idea that EU talks could
collapse entirely: "A suspension, a breakdown of consultations,
the train halting at the station, these are not possible," he told
reporters. Instead, there may just be "a slowdown" of the process.

That’s something the EU and Turkey can agree on. Olli Rehn, EU
Enlargement Commissioner, referred to the EU’s expansion as "a slow,
slow train coming and not precisely up around the bend." German
newspapers have weighed in on what this means for Turkey’s future.

"The EU has maneuvered the negotiations with Turkey into a dead end,"
writes the Financial Times Deutschland. The business daily compares
the current state of negotiations to a "train crash." In this head-on
collision, "the conflict surrounding the divided Mediterranean island
[Cyprus] is blocking negotiations" on Turkey’s side, while on the
European end "it is downright fashionable, so they say in Ankara,
to denounce Turkey’s inadequacies." In France, the National Assembly
recently made it illegal to deny the "genocide" of Armenians under
Ottoman rule during World War I, and in Germany, the conservative
Bavarian leader Edmund Stoiber on Tuesday demanded a complete halt to
negotiations with Turkey. For Turkish observers and politicians alike,
this "cacophony of signals means but one thing: not welcome."

The turning of the tide in Turkish public opinion of the EU is no
good, the paper writes, for those who "wish to build a Europe in
which Muslims have their place."

With no small amount of cynicism, the Suddeutsche Zeitung writes
that Edmund Stoiber is highly suited to criticizing his Turkish
counterparts, since he resembles them so closely. The similarities
are in their politics: "whatever happens, don’t upset the voter
base; speak many great words, only to give up on them later; haggle,
dicker and gamble until the last second — but then turn around and
question your own agreements." For the center-left daily, Stoiber is
"the Erdogan from Wolfratshausen." But Stoiber is worse than Erdogan,
the paper concludes, because his motives are purely personal: "Stoiber
is concerned only with himself and the honorable end of his political
career." Merkel, by contrast, is "considerably more reasonable" and
diplomatic than her Bavarian friend, even though both conservative
politicians share the same goal of preventing full membership for
Turkey in favor of a privileged partnership. Without this diplomatic
approach, the paper believes that "Turkey would be lost for any form
of partnership with the EU."

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The Handelsblatt, meanwhile, traces much of the current "euro-political
wrangling" to the conflicts within German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s
own coalition of Social Democrats (SPD) and conservatives. Europe
looks towards Berlin for leadership, the business daily writes,
"but in Berlin, the grand coalition is much too preoccupied with
itself." In regard to Turkey, that means that while conservative
"Edmund Stoiber has once again called for an immediate end to EU
negotiations" with the would-be member state, his supposed social
democratic partner in government "Kurt Beck has demanded the opposite
with equal fervor." These constant negative signals have become what
the paper calls a "self-fulfilling prophecy," borrowing the English
term, that has turned Turkey away from Europe and more towards
Russia. The business paper sees this as a failure of the government
to follow the tradition that has allowed "Europe to become a success,
because governments disregarded the daily trends in strategic moments."

— Alex Bakst and Joshua Gallu, 4 p.m. CET

,1518,44 7257,00.html

OVERVIEW: EU STANCES ON TURKEY

Cafe Babel, France
Nov 8 2006

With the EU progress reports on Turkey coming out this week, the
country is in the spotlight. Where do the EU members stand on its
membership bid?

Roughly there are three groups. Those who are in favour of Turkish
entry, those who are against and those who are stuck in the middle.

The United Kingdom and Finland are two countries in favour of Turkish
membership. The Finnish Presidency has for months been engaging
in ´sauna diplomacy´, trying to find a solution to the problem of
Cyprus, that is to say the opening of Turkish ports and harbours to
Cypriot ships and planes. In December the Council is expected to say
whether or not Turkey has made sufficient progress on this issue,
but Commission President Barroso has stated he expects trouble ahead.

France and Germany are against. In Germany, the coalition government
is split, with the SPD in favour of membership and the CDU in favour
of a ´privileged partnership´ with Turkey, stopping short of full
membership. In France, elections are upcoming. The likely candidate
for the right, Nicolas Sarkozy, is against Turkish membership As for
the left, it is still unclear, but it was the Socialist party which
introduced a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered
genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks after the first world war.

France will have a referendum on Turkish membership before negotiations
are concluded.

Others, mostly the new member states, seem undecided. Poland, while
inclined to listen to Pope Benedict´s claim that Turkey is perhaps
not culturally a part of Europe , is demanding fair treatment of
candidate states, Turkey among them.

–Boundary_(ID_7eD9QU69DYrC3YITapz/gw)–

NAGORNO-KARABAKH WINE AND VODKA EXPLORE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Regnum, Russia
Nov 6 2006

Wine and vodka production is one of the key directions of
Nagorno-Karabakh’s economy. REGNUM correspondent reports that the
leaders in the sphere are Karabakh Gold and Artsakh Alco.

Artsakh Alco produces wheat vodka, fruit vodkas (mulberry, grape,
apricot) and brandy. Only 15% of the fruit vodkas are sold inside
Nagorno-Karabakh. The rest is exported to Armenia, Russia, Ukraine,
and the US. The company has opened grapes reception offices in some
villages of Martuni district, which has become a good stimulus for
local farmers. The company is also planning to help grape producers
with fertilizers.

Karabakh Gold produces almost 30 types of wines and vodkas. Last year
the company processed 700 tons into wines. 2,000 tons of raw grapes
were sold to Yerevan Brandy Company, while spirit equivalent to 2,300
tons will be used in own brandy production, to be launched next year.

The company’s output is steadily growing – the volume of grape
processing is growing by 500 tons a year. People actively help
grape-growers to purchase necessary fertilizers.

EU CALLS ON ANKARA TO TAKE CONCRETE STEPS ON MINORITY RIGHTS
Senem Caglayan

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Nov 5 2006

Turkey has made little progress on ensuring cultural diversity and
promoting respect for and protection of minorities in accordance with
international standards, the European Union said in the progress report
urging Ankara to take concrete and constructive steps in the issue.

In the draft report obtained by The New Anatolian, freedom of religion,
minority rights and their protection is the main areas of concern.

On the issue of freedom of religion, according to the progress report,
although freedom of worship continues to be generally respected,
no progress was reported with regard to difficulties encountered by
non-Muslim religious communities.

Stressing that restrictions on the training of clergy and on
foreign clergy to work in Turkey remain, the reports said, "Turkish
legislation does not provide private higher religious education for
these communities," and therefore urged the reopening of the Greek
Orthodox Halki (Heybeliada) seminary and the recognition of the
"ecumenical" status of the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch.

There have been no developments made in relation to the situation
of the Alevis and they face difficulties for opening their places
of worship (Cem houses), it was said in the report, urging Ankara
to recognize Cem houses and give funding for them. Furthermore, the
Union also criticized the compulsory religious instruction given to
Alevi children in schools.

Another area of concern stated in the progress report is that
although the mandatory indication of religious affiliation in some
personal documents such as ID-cards was abolished in April 2006, such
documents still include information on religion, which according to
the EU leaves open the potential of discriminatory practices.

Furthermore on freedom of religion, Brussels called on Turkey to give
access to legal personality to non-Muslin religious minorities and
abolish their restricted property rights.

Call for more Kurdish language broadcasting, education

On the issue of cultural rights of Kurds, the EU called on Turkey to
do more to ensure more broadcasting and education in Kurdish language.

Stressing that permission was granted to two local TV channels in
Diyarbakir and to one radio in Sanliurfa to broadcast in Kurdish,
the Union expressed criticism on the time restrictions, the presence
of subtitles or translations in Turkish and the absence of educational
programs teaching the Kurdish language. Stating that the Turkish Public
Television (TRT) has continued broadcasting in five languages including
Kurdish, the Union expressed concern over the limited duration and
scope of TRT’s broadcasts, adding that no private broadcaster at
national level has applied for broadcasting in languages other than
Turkish since the enactment of the 2004 legislation.

The Union also urged Ankara to do more in education in Kurdish saying,
"Children whose mother tongue is not Turkish cannot learn their mother
tongue in the Turkish public schooling system. As concerns Kurdish
all private courses were also closed down in 2004.

Therefore, there are no possibilities to learn Kurdish today in the
public or private schooling system. Furthermore, there are no measures
taken to facilitate access to public services for those who do not
speak Turkish."

Touching on the overall record of Turkey in the minority rights, the
EU described it as "unchanged" and urged Ankara to determine other
minorities in Turkey except the Jews, Armenians and Greeks who were
given the status of minorities with the Treaty of Lausanne.

"The February 2005 visit of the OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities (HCNM) to Ankara has not been followed up and no progress
has been made in starting a dialogue on the situation of national
minorities in Turkey," said the report urging Ankara to include
relevant areas such as minority education, languages, the participation
of minorities in the public life and broadcasting in minority languages
to facilitate Turkey’s further alignment with international standards
and best practice in EU member states to ensure cultural diversity
and to promote respect for and protection of minorities.