Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

Armenian official, Iranian governor discuss bilateral cooperation

Arminfo
5 Jul 05

YEREVAN

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Gegam Garibdzhanyan and the governor
of Iran’s Hormozgan Province, Ebrahim Derazgisu, discussed issues of
bilateral cooperation yesterday. The Iranian delegation is visiting
Armenia at the invitation of the Ararat Region governor, Alik
Sarkisyan.

Issues of establishing economic cooperation between Hormozgan and
Ararat were discussed at the meeting, the press service of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry reported. The guest spoke about the
possibilities of his province and noted that there was a sufficiently
developed trade and economic infrastructure – a fishing industry,
tourism, metallurgical plants and oil refineries.

The centre of the province, the city of Bandar-e Abbas, is the largest
port in the Persian Gulf. Trade, tourism, export of fruits and fish
products were outlined as spheres of cooperation.

The governors of Hormozgan and Ararat will sign a memorandum on
cooperation at the end of the visit.

In January-May 2005, trade between Armenia and Iran grew by 18 per
cent and increased to 36m dollars. Trade with Iran accounts for 3.6
per cent of Armenia’s foreign trade turnover.

AZG Armenian Daily #122, 02/07/2005

Karabakh diary

NEW PARLIAMENT OF ARTSAKH STARTS WORKING

On June 30, the new parliament of Nagorno Karabakh held its first sitting.
As it was predicted, Ashot Khulian, head of the National Democratic Party,
was elected parliament speaker.

The very first sitting pointed out to the absence of opposition.
Representatives of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Movement-88 voiced
dissatisfaction with ballots that did not contain abstention option during
the elections of parliament chairman, vice-chairman and chairs of standing
committees.

The chairman was elected unanimously but the vice-chairman, Rudik Hyusnunts,
got one vote against. The Committees of Foreign Affairs and State Legal
Issues will be headed by Vahram Atanesian and Yuri Hayrapetian who chaired
the same Committees of the outgoing parliament. All other chairmen are new
to their posts.

The last issue of the sitting concerned the program of actions of the
government.

By Kim Gabrielian

A1plus

| 19:36:48 | 01-07-2005 | Official |

VARDAN OSKANYAN IN BEIRUT

The RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan who is in Beirut on a three-day
visit continued to meet the high officials of Lebanon on July 1.

During the meeting with the Lebanon President General Emile Lahoud Vardan
Oskanyan mentioned that in Armenia people followed the latest developments
in Lebanon and we are glad that stability is re-established in the country
in which the efforts of the President have been decisive.

Referring to the relations between the two countries, the Minister mentioned
that the political cooperation which is on a very high level now is
supported by the mutual interest of business circles, thanks to which more
and more Lebanese investments are made in different fields.

Further on the sides exchanged ideas about international and regional issues
of mutual interest. Minister Oskanyan represented the present stage of
settlement of the Karabakh conflict and its perspectives, as well as the
preset stage of Armenian-Turkish relations and the Armenian approached about
their settlement.

Visiting the Lebanese Parliament Vardan Oskanyan congratulated Nabih Berri
in connection with his being re-elected as the President of the Parliament.

Nahib Nerri found the role of the Armenian deputies of the Lebanese
Parliament extremely important mentioning that the Armenian community of
Lebanon is a bridge between the two countries.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

For the full text of His Holiness Aram I’s message in Aremnian click here:
Messages/messages29.htm

A GRAND CEREMONY MARKS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I’S AND THE SEMINARY’S JUBILEES

ARAM I ASSURES THAT SERVICE IS THE EXISTENTIAL PURPOSE OF THE CATHOLICOSATE
OF CILICIA

The 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s
Seminary and the 10th anniversary of His Holiness Aram I’s enthronement were
marked in a grand ceremony in the hall of the “General Emile Lahoud Center”
on June 27 in Antelias.

The jubilee ceremony was organized by the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon under
the patronage of His Holiness Aram I. Members of the Cilician Brotherhood,
representatives of the Diocese, delegates from political, educational,
cultural and charity organizations and unions, MPs Hagop Pakradouni and
George Kasargi, minister Alain Tabourian, former MPs and ministers,
representatives from the sister denominations, the ambassador of Armenian HE
Arek Hovhannisian, as well as Lebanese-Armenian intellectuals,
philanthropists and friends of the prelacy and the Catholicosate and a huge
crowd attended the ceremony.

The ceremony officially commenced with the Lebanese and Armenian anthems,
after which Bishop Kegham Khatcherian, the primate of the Diocese of
Lebanon, welcomed and greeted His Holiness and the attendants.

The bishop pointed out that the two jubilees, both milestones in the
Catholicosate of Cilicia’s mission, are bound for the same aim.

“The past 75 years and particularly the last decade have had a unique
influence on the history of Antelias, because words were transformed into
action and action into service in our church’s and nation’s life during this
time,” said Bishop Khatcherian.

“Just as the times of the seminary’s establishment were not easy, the past
decade since His Holiness’ enthronement has not been calm on the national,
international, ecumenical and other front; rather, they have been
characterized by challenges to our Church and nation, he added.

Bishop Khatcherian stated that His Holiness Aram I had been able to overcome
these challenges and become both the servant and the protector of his
people. The Bishop highlighted the importance attached to the
Lebanese-Armenians by the Catholicosate of Cilicia, pointing out that the
jubilee ceremony was also an expression of respect and a response by
Lebanese-Armenians to the Catholicos’ call.

A video cassette reflecting the fruitful activities of the Catholicosate
during the past decade was shown to the public. It presented the audience
with information on various initiatives, ecumenical activities and
construction projects accomplished by the Catholicosate, the Seminary and
the Catholicos.

Lebanese-Armenian intellectuals Jirair Tanielian and Sarkis Giragosian spoke
about the two jubilees during the event. Tanielian talked about the past and
current irrefutable merit of the seminary, an institution, the national and
spiritual education of which continues to benefit the Armenian nation.

Tanielian highlighted the impressive number of students who have received
their education at the Seminary.

“During the last 75 years, the light emanating from the Seminary went beyond
the Middle East, reaching Europe, the Americas and Canada, so the will and
faith to live as Armenians can be strengthened. The wheat seed that was
thrown into Lebanon fell in a fertile land. The role played by the Seminary
in this respect has been great during the last 75 years and will be
continued in the coming decades,” he said.

Tanielian spoke about the growth and progress of an institution, which
became fortress for the formation of intellectuals and spiritual leaders,
provided Catholicoi, archbishops, vartabeds, deacons, servants of the church
and nation and teachers. Mentioning the most well-known seminaries in
history, Tanielian assured that the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Seminary was
also established for the same purposes and mission and based on the same
principles.

Sarkis Giragosian outlined the achievements accomplished during the
relatively short tenure of His Holiness Aram I in the past decade. He
pointed out that His Holiness Aram I, who has been active on the national
front, at the same time conquering international spheres, today is the pride
of not only the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Armenian Church, but the
whole Armenian nation.

“This grand ceremony is not an ordinary event; rather it’s the collective
reassurance of our loyalty to His Holiness Aram I. The moment he made his
oath as a spiritual leader, Catholicos Aram I chose service as his primary
goal and became a glowing presence in our nation’s life,” said he.

Giragosian pointed out that the Catholicos not only transformed words into
action, but also influenced and set an example to the people gathered around
him, intellectuals, the youth, even the elderly, teens and children, by his
activeness.

“His Holiness embodies not only the breaths of our late Catholicoi, but also
the spirit of our 1700 year old church,” said Giragosian.

His Holiness Aram I attributed all the praises addressed to himself to God,
who had given him the strength and vigor to keep lit the torch passed on to
him by the nation and church.

“My heart is filled with happiness not because of what was said, but because
what I see here in front of me, your presence. Let all those who want to see
the Lebanese-Armenians weakened come here and see this. As Catholicos of
Cilicia, I bow with respect in front of the collective will of the
Armenians,” said His Holiness Aram I.

Speaking about the last 75 years, His Holiness reminded the attendants of
the late well-known Catholicos Sahag II’s legacy regarding the keeping or
the closing down of the Catholicosate, and in response, the worldwide
Armenians’ request for retaining and advancing Antelias.

The Pontiff pointed out that a seminary has been established in place of the
orphanage that existed in the 1930s, and the emptiness of those days has
been replaced by mission of faith. His Holiness dedicated the two jubilees
to all those who have worked in the past and those who still work for the
centuries-old Cilician mission. He particularly highlighted the role of
members of the Cilician Brotherhood, members of the Executive Council
central, philanthropists, teachers and dedicated people “who gave something
from their intellectual ability, their time and their pocket to the treasury
of this Holy See.”

Aram I concluded by emphasizing that the word service has become a synonym
to Antelias. “If Antelias felt proud, it did so only due to its service,”
assured His Holiness adding that this pilgrimage of service will continue.

The Catholicos mentioned the national-religious priorities of the Armenians:
collaboration between Etchmiadzine and Antelias, cooperation between Armenia
and the Diaspora, based always on the Armenians’ interests and immediate
needs.

His Holiness emphasized the importance of keeping pace with time and making
progress through self-criticism, so mistakes can be corrected.

The seminary’s choir entertained the audience with “Khosk im Vortoun”,
“Nanor” and “Sipana Katcher”, “Cilicia” and “Eeveh Partsants”.

##

View pictures here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

TURKISH DIPLOMAT MADE PUBLIC REPORT ON VISIT TO ARMENIA

Pan Armenian News
30.06.2005 05:01

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Member of the Justice and Development Party headed
by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turhan Comez has made
public the report on his two-day visit to Armenia. As reported by
NTV Turkish channel, the report notes that a working group including
MPs of Armenia and Turkey needs to be formed to settle bilateral
issues. Simultaneously Ankara has to support development of commercial
relations with Yerevan, specifically shuttle business. The document
indicates that Armenian Diaspora representatives send $1 billion
to Armenia annually. In the opinion of the Turkish MP, the Soros
Foundation and the US Government influence grow in Armenia today and
this is first of all due to the preparation of deployment of American
military bases in the South Caucasus region.

AZG Armenian Daily #120, 30/06/2005

Visit

AMBASSADOR OF SOUTH KOREA IN ARMENIA

Kim Je Sob, ambassador of South Korea to the Russian Federation,
arrived in Yerevan to hand his credentials to Robert Kocharian, RA
President. The delegation he led visited the consulate of Korea. There
they got acquainted with Armen Abrahamian, consul-general of Korea to
Armenia. The ambassador said that they are only starting to establish
relations between Armenia and South Korea. He emphasized the importance
of developing the economic relations between two countries.

RA citizens have to leave for Moscow for departing to Korea and
get their visas confirmed there. This procedure takes too much time
and money. Ambassador Kim Je Sob promised that they will do their
best to solve that issue and make the entry to South Korea for RA
citizens easier. As for the activities of Abrahamian, consul-general
of South Korea in Armenia, the ambassador said the following: “The
government of our country gave that position to Mr. Abrahamian. We
are very impressed and thankful to him for what he does. He spares
no efforts to strengthen the relations between our countries and we
are sure that he will continue working very well.”

The delegation of diplomats from Korea will be present at sports
arrangements, meet with the students of the Yerevan State Linguistic
University as well as RA education and science minister. The South
Korean diplomats will also visit historic places of Armenia.

By L. Martirosian

FM Oskanian to visit Lebanon

29.06.2005 17:04

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian is set to start
on June 29 a three-day visit to Beirut, Lebanon, to participate as a
keynote speaker in the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the
Haykazian University.

He is also to meet with high-ranking officials of the country, as well
as pay a visit to the family and grave of the former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri. He will also meet with Cilicia Catholicos Aram I and
other clerics.

Russian base withdrawal held up by refusal of Georgian transit papers

RTR Russia TV, Moscow
28 Jun 05

[Presenter] More than 1,300 Russian servicemen and specialists in the
Group of Russian Armed Forces in Transcaucasus have still not received
the documents required to be in Georgia and to enter and exit the
country. The local authorities are refusing to issue the visas under
a variety of pretexts. The headquarters of the group of forces is
calling the situation critical, saying it threatens to disrupt the
whole process of withdrawing the bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki.

[Deputy commander of the Group of Russian Armed Forces in Transcaucasus
Col Vladimir Kuparadze, captioned in Tbilisi] At the moment we cannot
get a single specialist serviceman in to prepare equipment for the
withdrawal. Six specialists from the Gyumri military base [in Armenia]
should have come in on 21 June and have still not received their
visas and cannot come in and prepare the equipment.

This has to be resolved so that the agreements reached by the leaders
of Russia and Georgia can be implemented in good time and on schedule.

A feast of chamber music and free meals for the midges of Mull and Iona
By ROGER COX

The Scotsman – United Kingdom; Jun 27, 2005

LEVON Chilingirian – OBE for services to music, leader of the
celebrated Chilingirian Quartet and artistic director of the annual
Mendelssohn on Mull Festival – is preparing to do battle with
the midges. “Some very close friends who are Scots have just sent
me something today called Avon Skin So Soft,” he says. “It looks
like a ladies’ body lotion, but, apparently, it works absolutely
brilliantly. I’m going to test it out, and I’ll be equipping all the
players at the festival with the same stuff”.

By today, Chilingirian will have a good idea of whether this latest
midgie-buster is up to the job. Since Saturday, he and 19 other
musicians from as far afield as South Africa, Sweden and Armenia have
been on Mull preparing for a week-long programme of chamber music.
This evening they will divide into three groups – each one a mixture
of seasoned professionals and younger, less experienced players –
and sally forth to perform at various venues across the island.

Now in its 18th year, Mendelssohn on Mull was founded by the late
violinist, Leonard Friedman, with the aim of helping promising
young players to develop their skills by performing alongside older,
wiser heads. Chilingirian took over as artistic director two years
ago, and since then he has worked hard to remain true to Friedman’s
original idea. “It would be very easy just to invite ‘safe’ people,”
he says, “slightly older young professionals who are very good and
very experienced, and all just get together and produce proficient,
high class concerts. We’ve got plenty of youngsters who are more than
safe – they’re exceptional players – but I’m always wanting some at
the bottom end to come in who are not as experienced.

“It’s a big risk, but that’s exactly what Mendelssohn on Mull is about,
to get these people in, to wean them.”

Among the younger players this year are Hannah Craib, Heather Kennedy
and Christoff Fourie – all students at the Royal Scottish Academy of
Music and Drama in Glasgow. Chilingirian recruits players from all
over the globe, but he maintains that getting Scottish students to
take part in the festival is his priority.

The festival may be called Mendelssohn on Mull – a nod to the
composer’s 1829 visit to the island that inspired his great Hebridean
Overture – but this year’s programme only contains one performance
of his music. Chilingirian prefers to see the German composer as the
festival’s patron saint, rather than its raison d’etre.

“When I did my first festival two years ago,” he says, “there was a
blitz on Mendelssohn – there was Mendelssohn everywhere. Last year
the festival was a Mendelssohn-free zone. This year we’re back to
doing one of the quintets, and I’m sure other pieces will appear at
the classical ceilidh.”

The piece in question, Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2 in B
flat major, will be performed at Salen Church today and at Creich
Church on Thursday. Also on the menu are three Haydn quartets (Op. 64
No. 2, Op. 64 No. 3 and Op. 64 No. 4) written in the autumn of 1790,
described by Chilingirian as “fabulous, fabulous pieces – really
original and wacky”, and various quartets, quintets and sextets by
Mozart, Beethoven, Bruckner, Arensky and Brahms.

Venues include Glengorm, Duart and Torosay Castles, Aros Hall in
Tobermory and St John’s Cathedral in Oban. On Thursday morning all
the players will come together at Iona Abbey to perform a programme
that includes Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross.

“I don’t have a favourite venue,” says Chilingirian, “but Iona is
unique. The fact that we make a pilgrimage there every year, that we
all go there by boat – there’s a wonderful atmosphere.”

* Mendelssohn on Mull 2005 runs from today until 2 July. Visit
for more information.

Gul sends condolences to Taschji’s wife

Hurriyetim
27.06.2005

Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul sent
his condolences to Mary Tasschji – the wife of Edward Taschji, who died
on June 22 in New York. Taschji, an Armnenian, was responsible for
public affairs at the Federation of Turkish-American Association for
the the 20 years and was a well-known defender of the Turkish thesis
against allegations about the so-called Armenian genocide. In the
message Gul thanked Taschji for his relentless efforts and extensive
contribution in bringing about a better understanding between the
Turkish and Armenian people.

“The relentless efforts and extensive contribution of Mr. Taschji in
bringing about a better understanding between the Turkish and Armenian
peoples will always be remembered and appreciated,” said Gul.

Adding that, “His courage and dedication to this cause was an
inspiration for the Turkish Americans. His lifetime contribution to
the efforts of the associations founded by the Turkish-Americans as
well as for the enhancement of Turkish-American relations will also
be reminisced dearly.”