Author: Tigranian Ani

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Prelacy of Canada
3401 Olivar Asselin
Montreal, Quebec H4J 1L5
514-856-1200 TEL
514-856-1805 FAX
e-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNIQUE

(IN RESPONSE TO A MISLEADING COMMUNIQUE)

It was with a deep sense of surprise and disappointment that we
read the communiqué which was recently put into circulation in the name of
the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada (Etchmiadzin). Through the
premeditated distortion of well-established historical facts, misinformation
and baised conclusions, this Communique attempts to create an atmosphere of
confusion and tension within the Armenian community as well as non-Armenian
circles.

We do not wish to engage in a senseless and harmful public
debate. Nevertheless for the sake of truth we wish to present the following
facts to our people:

A. Our community, which in fact represents the majority of Armenians in
Canada, has never been a part of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
Canada (Etchmiadzin) either by way of churches, educational institutions or
other organizations.
B. Our community along with all of its aforementioned structures was
always an organic and integral part of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of the Eastern United States and Canada (Cilicia).
C. “The Prelacy of the Eastern United States and Canada” had its
headquarters in New York. Beginning in 1997, a Canadian Vicarage together
with a Vice-Prelate was established in Montreal, which during the ensuing
years officially received Their Holinesses of Blessed Memory Vazken I and
Karekin I and His Holiness Karekin II Catholicoi of the Holy See
Etchmiadzin, as well as Their Holinesses of Blessed Memory Khoren I and
Karekin II and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicoi of the Holy See of Cilicia.
D. Considering that the “Prelacy of the Eastern United States and
Canada” was divided geographically between two different countries, certain
practical problems coupled with the ever-growing needs of the Armenians in
Canada, compelled the higher authorities of the Prelacy to separate Canada,
which was already endowed with its own By-laws and diocesan structures, from
the “Prelacy of the Eastern United States and Canada” and render it fully
autonomous. For the record with the same reasoning, an identical decision
was implemented in 1984 by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of the Eastern
United Staes and Canada (Etchmiadzin).
E. In 2002 the National Representative Assembly of the Canadian Prelacy
elected a Prelate according to its by-laws, giving to the Catholicossal
Vicar the title of Prelate.
F. Despite the fact that the election was legitimate and was the
natural consequence of internal administrative reorganization, His Holiness
Catholicos Aram I, motivated by the desire to enhance the cooperation
between our Prelacy and the Diocese, advised our Prelate-elect, not to use
his title, and continue to keep that of Catholicosal Vicar.
G. However, the good will shown by His Holiness, the Catholicosal Vicar,
as well as the Executive Council and all affiliated bodies and
organizations, unfortunately was not reciprocated in the same spirit by the
Primate and diocesan authorities.

Therefore, it is a plain fact that a new Prelacy was not established as the
Communique of Diocese and some circles attempt to portray in order to incite
provocation and misunderstanding in our community and in the Diaspora at
large. The fact is that this was simply an internal administrative
reorganization within an existing Prelacy and diocesan structures.

We do not wish to state anything further. We simply wanted to bring the
aforementioned facts to the attention of our community and those interested.
We are grieved by the spirit demonstrated by the Diocese and the misleading
conclusions of the Communique.

This is our statement and stand. We remain firmly committed to cooperation.
We will not respond to any further negative expressions directed at us.
Rather we will continue unswervingly to serve our people, the Armenian
Apostolic Church, our Fatherland, the Armenian Cause, Armenian education and
culture under the auspices of the Catholicosate of the Great House of
Cilica.

###

The New York Times
March 19, 2004, Friday, Late Edition – Final

Georgian Leader to Lift Economic Blockade of Province

By SETH MYDANS

TBILISI, Georgia

President Mikhail Saakashvili said Thursday that he had won important
concessions from the leader of the renegade province of Adzharia and
would lift a four-day-old economic blockade.

“The sanctions will be lifted from midnight tonight because we have
resolved all the issues which led to this misunderstanding between
the local administration and the Georgian government,” he said after
meeting with the leader, Aslan Abashidze, in the provincial capital,
Batumi.

“I want to underline that there is no conflict with Adzharia, and
such a conflict cannot be,” Mr. Saakashvili said.

The deal defuses a crisis that was touched off Sunday when armed men
supporting Mr. Abashidze refused to allow the president to enter
Adzharia.

Mr. Saakashvili placed Georgian troops on alert. Mr. Abashidze
declared a state of emergency in his fiefdom and sent armed men into
the streets.

The standoff threatened to have international repercussions as
officials from Russia, which has a military base in Adzharia,
expressed support for Mr. Abashidze.

According to wire service reports from Batumi, Mr. Abashidze will
allow parliamentary elections to proceed on March 28, review the
cases of imprisoned opponents and disarm his paramilitary militias.

Officials from the central government in Tbilisi will be based in
Batumi to ensure that the government receives customs duties that Mr.
Abashidze had withheld in the past, the reports said.

Mr. Abashidze later said, “The meeting showed that there are no
issues that cannot be resolved.”

The specifics of the agreements were not made public, and it was not
clear how much Mr. Abashidze surrendered of the economic and military
control he had exercised for years in the manner of what Mr.
Saakashvili had called “a feudal chief from medieval times.”

Political analysts here said it appeared that the president had
earned at least short-term concessions from Mr. Abashidze that would
allow the election to proceed and supporters of the central
government to campaign.

Mr. Abashidze has harassed and arrested opponents and made it almost
impossible for supporters of the central government to campaign or
move freely.

Mr. Saakashvili has said Mr. Abashidze’s “time is past” and analysts
said it was difficult to see how a compromise could be reached that
would allow him to remain in office. He was one of the last
supporters of the former president, Eduard A. Shevardnadze, who was
driven from office last November in a peaceful uprising led by Mr.
Saakashvili.

Before traveling to Batumi on Thursday morning, Mr. Saakashvili had
sounded a tough note, saying, “I am not going to be horse-trading
with anyone or meeting anyone halfway. The law should be observed
across all of Georgia’s territory. We are not doing any deals.”

He added, “We are speaking here about my subordinate.”

The meeting in Batumi was accompanied by televised scenes of Mr.
Abashidze’s supporters chanting, “Babu! Babu!”, which means
“grandfather,” and other protesters in the distance chanting Mr.
Saakashvili’s nickname, “Misha! Misha!”

The blockade, which began Monday, was causing economic disruption in
neighboring Turkey and Armenia and particularly in Azerbaijan, where
thousands of rail cars carrying oil to the port at Batumi were
stranded.

GRAPHIC: Photo: President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, center,
addressed supporters yesterday at a rally in Batumi, the provincial
capital of Adzharia. (Photo by Agence France-Presse–Getty Images);

Map of Georgia highlighting Batumi: Georgian officials will monitor
customs collections in Batumi.

The Bay City Times, MI
March 18 2004

COMING TO A CLOSE
Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra ends season with final conductor
candidate

By Amy Jo Johnson
TIMES WRITER

Geoffrey Moull likes Freddie Mercury, Sting and Eric Clapton, but
it’s the symphony that really makes his heart skip a beat.

Conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra in Canada, Moull will
be charged with keeping the beat Saturday when he serves as guest
conductor for the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra.

The 8 p.m. concert at First Presbyterian Church is the final concert
of the orchestra’s 2003-04 season and a tryout for Moull, who is
vying to become the orchestra’s permanent conductor.

Moull is the last of five conductor candidates to lead the orchestra
this year. Symphony leaders hope to select a new orchestra conductor
by the end of May.

Moull said he wants the job because, even though SBSO would have
fewer performances than his present orchestra, there would be more
musicians – allowing for a greater repertoire of music.

“I can perform a repertoire in Saginaw that I can’t perform in
Thunder Bay,” he said.

Moull says he’d also like to move from Thunder Bay’s remote
wilderness setting.

The orchestra will perform songs from Ravel, Tschaikovsky, Debussy
and Mendelssohn under Moull’s direction on Saturday.

“It’s a very nice program. Very eclectic,” he said. “It’s almost like
going on a field day as a kid – meeting a new orchestra and meeting
new people involved with the orchestra.”

Moull is in his glory when working with symphonic music, but he’s
open to other musical styles, too.

He likes some blues, and a Jeans in Classics program in Canada that
teams rock music with symphonic arrangements has struck his fancy. A
recent concert event focused on the music of Queen.

But there will be no Britney Spears or R. Kelly CD purchases in
Moull’s future.

“I don’t feel that has much to do with music anymore,” he said.
“That’s just pure commercialism. There’s no artistic depth to it.”

Moull said the general public has this view that symphonic music is
some elitist thing that they can’t understand and won’t enjoy.

That’s just not true, he said. There’s no education or training
required to enjoy the beauty of the symphony, Moull said.

“You just have to go in with an open mind and listen,” he said.

Moull holds a bachelor of music degree in conducting from McGill
University in Montreal. To his amazement, he graduated without ever
having stood in front of an orchestra.

He went on to further his education at the Staatliche Hochschule fur
Musik in Detmold, Germany, earning master’s degrees in conducting and
piano.

After he finished his formal studies, Moull stayed on in Germany for
17 years working his way up the conducting ladder.

“Conducting is a long process,” he said.

Moull returned to Canada in 2000, making Thunder Bay his home.

Today, he conducts the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, which employs
30 full-time musicians for 24 weeks of the year.

The orchestra takes its show on the road touring cities in northern
Ontario for two weeks each season – covering a geographical area the
size of France, Moull said.

“If we didn’t come to these towns, they would have no exposure to
symphonic music at all,” Moull said.

The Thunder Bay orchestra also is active with the schools, where many
of the music and sports programs have been cut, he said.

“We’re essentially the missing link to try to get kids interested in
music again,” Moull said.

The featured soloist for Saturday’s concert is cellist Suren
Bagratuni, of East Lansing.

Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Bagratuni began his musical education there
at age seven. He began performing at age 10 and appeared as a
concerto soloist by age 14.

Bagratuni has performed throughout the former Soviet Union, Europe
and the United States. He’s appeared with the Moscow Philharmonic,
the Boston Pops, the Armenian Philharmonic, the Philharmonic
Orchestra of Halle in Berlin, and the symphony orchestras of Chile,
Guatamala and the Dominican Republic.

Concert tickets for Saturday’s performance can be purchased by
calling the SBSO office in Saginaw at (989) 755-6471 or by calling A
& J Galleries in Bay City at 891-1400.

Season tickets for next year’s concert series aren’t yet available
but should be on sale early in June. Those interested in purchasing
season tickets should call 755-6471 to be put on the SBSO’s mailing
list.

– Amy Jo Johnson covers features for The Times. She can be reached at
894-9637.

WHO: Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, with guest conductor Geoffrey
Moull and guest cellist Suren Bagratuni

WHAT: Final concert of the ‘Pathway to the Future’ series
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: First Presbyterian Church, 805 Center Ave.
TICKETS: $30 in advance or at the door, $10 for students
INFO: (989) 755-6471

Bulgarian News Network, Bulgaria
March 18 2004

Bulgarian foreign minister continues shuttle between Armenia, Azerbaijan

SOFIA (bnn) – Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Solomon Passy urged
Wednesday Armenia’s leaders to resume talks with Azerbaijan about the
future of the latter’s Armenian-dominated breakaway province of
Nagorno Karabakh, the BGNES news agency reported.

Passy, who is chairing the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, met Armenia’s Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan and
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan. He was scheduled to meet President
Robert Kocharyan later in the day. On Tuesday Passy held talks on the
Nagorno Karabakh issue with Azeri President Ilham Aliev.

Azerbaijan’s autonomous region of Nagorno Karabakh, which is
populated mainly by Armenians, petitioned to become part of Armenia
towards the end of the Soviet era. Serious fighting erupted in 1991
and in the following two years Armenian forces gained control of
Nagorno-Karabakh and occupied almost 20 percent of Azeri territory.

The leaders of the Nagorno-Karabakh region have declared
independence, though this status has not been recognized by any
state. The fighting between Azeris and Armenians left more than
15,000 dead.

Armenian leaders on Wednesday voiced readiness for negotiations with
Azerbaijan, but emphasized on what they see as Azerbaijan’s ethnic
Armenians’ right of self-rule, the report said.

Passy met also the head of Armenia’s Apostolic Church Garegin II, who
also spoke in favor of dialog with Azerbaija, the agency said. /bnn/

Nassau Guardian, Bahamas
March 18 2004

Uncertainty over Cable Beach?

By LINDSAY THOMPSON, Guardian Business Editor [email protected]

Hotel Corporation Chairman George Smith says he has not been informed
that Lyford Cay billionaire Dikran Izmirlian withdrew a $1 billion
proposal for an upscale redevelopment of Cable Beach.

A “no comment” response came from the Izmirlian residence when The
Guardian called there Tuesday afternoon.

Additionally, a source close to the situation told The Guardian that
noted hotelier George Myers and a group of Bahamian businessmen
called “Prestige” were also interested in the project.

Mr. Myers told The Guardian that he was watching the process and “was
not interested at this time”.

Mr. Smith was asked how close was the government to announcing a
preferred developer for the Cable Beach redevelopment project.

He noted that plenty “ingredients” are involved in the process, and
that Prime Minister Perry Christie has “very, very high ambitions”
for Cable Beach.

The government owns the Radisson Cable Beach Resort, which has
undergone tremendous refurbishing, particularly to 150 rooms, which
were damaged by Hurricane Michelle in November 2001.

Other improvements were carried out the exterior of the property, the
grounds, the escalator, the golf course with netting and lighting,
which impacts upon the value of the property, Mr. Smith said. And,
there is an anticipated 100 per cent occupancy over the next several
weeks, he added.

A number of groups have expressed interests in developing the Cable
Beach strip, which includes the Radisson, Wyndham Nassau Resort and
Crystal Palace Casino and the Nassau Beach Hotel, in addition to the
former Hobby Horse racetrack land opposite.

The Wyndham and Nassau Beach hotels are owned by Phil Ruffin, who is
reportedly refusing to sell to the Swiss-Armenian billionaire Dikran
Izmirlian who owns the largest real estate plot in Lyford Cay.

A source representing Calstar Properties of Orange County, California
told The Guardian it is interested in the development, at an
estimated $500 million.

Calstar Properties estimates that the redevelopment of the hotels
would be completed within 36 months. The opposite land would take a
bit longer and would comprise a convention centre, an amusement and
entertainment park.

According to the source the project will not disrupt the Cable Beach
area as, “We are not pulling down.” It is anticipated that between
1,600 and 1,800 permanent jobs would be created at the completion of
the project.

Mr. Smith noted that the golf course is on 110 acres of land
surrounded by an additional 30 acres of “excellent land with
tremendous value”, and about 55 acres of the Hobby Horse racetrack.

“Those are very valuable assets and the government and the
corporation want to find the best possible entities to proceed with
the massive improvements to make it into a first class destination,”
Mr. Smith said.

It has also been said that potential developers are seeking the same
type of tax concessions granted Kerzner International when it opened
its resort on Paradise Island.

Analysts say that most investors would like to get the “most generous
concessions” but those have to be negotiated and in some cases what
may appear to be generous in one area, is not in another.

The deal surrounding Radisson seems to be taking shape like that of
the sale of Bahamas Telecommunication Communications (the government
went through a bidding process, then decided to postpone the sale).

To this, Mr. Smith said, “Radisson is an ongoing hotel that is doing
a whole lot better now that it was a year ago. It has all its rooms
in very good condition, we have retained the staff and there was
great temptation when the 150 rooms were not in circulation to lay
off staff… this makes it an attractive hotel to a purchaser.”

Under Government Pressure, Baku Opposition Paper May Go Under

Rosbalt
17/03/2004, 10:03

BAKU, March 17. Eni Musavat, Azerbaijan’s main opposition newspaper, is on
the verge of going out of business. The paper’s acting editor, Gabil
Abbasoglu, spoke about the situation Monday, a Rosbalt correspondent
reported.

Abbasoglu blamed the problem on legal actions brought against the daily by
the government. The authorities, he said, are seeking payment of
approximately USD 30,000 in fines arising from six separate cases and have
blocked the newspaper from otherwise using its day-to-day sales income. All
income from sales of Eni Musavat, handled by three companies, have been
sequestered in special accounts. Abbasoglu called the action ‘arbitrary and
in violation of the law.’

The chief bank account of the newspaper has been under seal since last
August. One result is that the newspaper’s staff now is working without pay.
‘If we were selling 25,000 copies per issue before the presidential election
of 2003, we’re barely at 10,000 today,’ the editor said. Because of the lack
of pay, reporters are beginning to leave, he said.

He said the newspaper has appealed to President Ilkham Aliyev in a statement
noting that the latter’s late father had every opportunity to close the
paper but did not do so. The statement also calls on the head of government
not to deprive the country of a forum for the opposition. ‘We stand ready to
hear out any conditions proposed by the authorities and will work with full
consideration of their views,’ the statement declares.

The publication is seeking help from its distributors, other newspaper
organizations and, most important, the Press Union, the editor said. The
newspaper staff is threatening a hunger strike to call attention to the
situation.

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
March 17 2004

Melkonian pupils in spontaneous protest against school closure
By Jean Christou

OVER 200 pupils from the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) walked
out of their classes yesterday after hearing the news that their
school was to be closed down in June next year.

During the spontaneous demonstration, the students chanted `Melkonian
Not For Sale’ at the main gate and in front of the founders’
mausoleum. They held placards condemning the sale and suggested this
was a `second genocide’.

The news that the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU),
headquartered in New York, has decided to close the 78-year old
school has prompted a rush of support from Armenians living abroad.

The 3,000-strong Armenian community in Cyprus are planning to stage a
mass demonstration against the closure of the school on March 24,
according to Shavasb Bohdjalian, who heads the school’s alumni.

`You cannot imagine the reaction, apart from Cyprus,’ he told the
Cyprus Mail yesterday. `There is a lot of anger and the assemblies in
Europe and the US are trying to get the AGBU to reverse its decision.
We are getting a lot of support.’

In an official announcement, the New York-based AGBU said that after
`extensive deliberations and thorough assessment’, the Central Board
had resolved unanimously to discontinue MEI in June 2005. This
decision is based largely on the Board’s conclusion that MEI `no
longer meets the challenges of its mission in the present context of
the Armenian world.’
The AGBU administers 22 Armenian schools worldwide, including the
Melkonian, which was founded in 1926 and is today the only secondary
school in Cyprus for the Armenian community. It also serves dozens of
other Armenian pupils that board there from neighbouring countries.
The alumni have sought legal advice from law firms in Cyprus and
abroad and intend to incorporate international expertise to
strengthen their defence as they move to contest the decision and
block the AGBU’s plans to sell the school.

The loss-making Melkonian school is sitting on a £40 million plot in
the capital’s commercial district. Reports have been rife that it is
up for grabs by developers.

The AGBU initially denied this, and said in November that the school
was not for sale. However, the alumni are not convinced and believe
the foundation’s only aim is to `take the money and run’.

Since the controversy began, the Armenian community has managed to
have the Melkonian declared a listed building and has persuaded the
Forestry Department to file an application to declare the wooded area
in the grounds as a protected forest.

Yesterday, the AGBU issued an eight-page statement detailing the
reasons for its decision to close the school.

`MEI’s continuing deficit levels have been taken into consideration
but have not been the primary issue of concern… AGBU has focused its
attention on MEI’s recent educational performance and its current
inability to fulfil a role similar to that which it fulfilled
throughout the late 1960s,’ it said. `If MEI’s current structure
provided exceptional opportunities to its students as it had done in
the past, substantial subsidization under those circumstances would
be warranted.

Unfortunately this is not the case in spite of the diligent efforts
of committed school board members, the principal and the teaching
staff.’
Commenting on the statement, Bohdjalian said the AGBU was trying to
justify its decision `and blame everyone except themselves’.

BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PLEDGES TO MEDIATE IN KARABAKH PROBLEM

Khorizont Radio, Sofia,
16 Mar 04

Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi, who is currently touring the Caucuses
region in his capacity a chairman of the OSCE, is in Baku on 16
March. He is to meet President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev in the
afternoon.

Earlier today, Pasi held talks to Foreign Minister Vilayat
Quliyev. Quliyev expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of
the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. He
said that for 12 years the Karabakh problem remained unsolved. The
enclave is populated mainly by Christians of Armenian stock and makes
up 20 per cent of the territory of Azerbaijan. It has remained with an
unclear status for 10 years. Only Armenia has recognized its
self-declared independence.

Pasi, who is to visit Yerevan on 17 March, pledged to raise the issue
to the Armenian leadership.

OSCE chairman sees dialogue as only way of solving Karabakh crisis

ANS Radio, Baku
16 Mar 04

Solomon Passi, chairman-in-office of the OSCE, who is on a two-day
official visit to Azerbaijan, thinks that there is only one way of
solving the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.

The problem can be resolved only through dialogue. That must be the
first step. We can take other steps after the first one, end of quote.

As for his visit to the region, the OSCE chairman-in-office, who
arrived in Azerbaijan from Georgia, said that he would leave for
Armenia from Azerbaijan and added he was not planning to visit
Karabakh.

Before his appointment as chairman-in-office, Passi stated that the
OSCE would concentrate its activities on the resolution of regional
conflicts in the Caucasus.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
March 16 2004

RECEPTION AT THE CABINET OF MINISTERS
[March 16, 2004, 19:43:26]

On 16 March, Prime minister of Azerbaijan Artur Rasizadeh received
the visiting Acting Chairman of OSCE, foreign minister of Bulgaria
Solomon Passy.

Greeting the guests, the premier spoke of the results of the reforms
conducted in the country, rising year-by-year GDP and volume of
foreign investment, on rise of wages and numerous social allowances.
Along with the priorities in the development of global energy
projects, the leadership of Azerbaijan attaches great attention to
strengthening of non-oil sector, the Premier said.

As was stated, despite of positive alterations in the economic sphere,
Azerbaijan has a major problem that is the unsolved Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorny Karabakh conflict, which led to occupation of the Azerbaijani
lands, and ousting of the native population form their homelands.
Speaking of measures taken for settlement of this conflict, the
premier stated that the leadership of Country is for peaceful
resolution of the problem and called on the OSCE Acting Chairman to
activate efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in this direction.

Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister for warm reception and
provided comprehensive information, head of the delegation Mr.
Solomon Passy conveyed greetings from the premier of his country.

In the course of talks, also were exchanged views on a number of
other issues of mutual interest.

Head of the OSCE Baku Office Mr. Peter Burhard took part at the
reception.