Author: Torgomian Varazdat

POP: PICK OF THE WEEK

The Independent – United Kingdom; Jun 11, 2005

System of a Down The most vital and inventive metal band in the world
right now finish off their UK conquest with a headlining slot at the
Download Festival plus a few more big venues. Emerging in the late
1990s, they soon became a word-of-mouth sensation with their brave
chord changes, even wilder vocals, and an underlying Armenian folk
lilt battling with alternative rock and post-gothic influences. By the
time of their second album, 2001’s Toxicity, they had fully realised
their trademark of politically passionate metal. They even managed to
trump that effort with the new Mezmerize album which was recorded at
the same time as companion piece Hypnotize, the anticipated release of
which comes at the end of the year. On stage they’re an intense
one-of-a-kind proposition and support at the arena dates comes from
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Download Festival, Donington
Park, tomorrow; MEN Arena, Manchester, Tue; SECC, Glasgow, Wed

Jerusalem Post
June 11 2005

Armenia wants US help with Turkey border dispute
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON

Armenia’s foreign minister urged the United States to become more
involved in settling his country’s dispute with Turkey, especially in
persuading Turkey to reopen its border and resume normal trade with
its landlocked northern neighbor.

The Turks closed the border in 1993 during Christian Armenia’s
six-year war with another Muslim neighbor, Azerbaijan.

“The United States is active in this, but we would like to see them
more engaged,” Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said Friday after a
meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“I believe the United States can be more assertive on the border
matter. Not other matters, but on the border.”

Turkey closed the border after Armenian-backed troops from
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly Christian Armenian enclave ruled by
Azerbaijan when Armenia and Azerbaijan were Soviet republics, moved
into other parts of Azerbaijan, seized towns and approached the
Iranian and Turkish borders. A 1994 truce largely ended hostilities,
but a final settlement has not been reached.

Armenian citizen charged with espionage in favour of Azerbaijan

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
9 Jun 05

[Presenter] An engineer named Andrey Maziyev is being charged with
espionage in favour of Azerbaijan. His trial started at the court of
first instance in Yerevan’s Malatia-Sebatia community today. The
prosecution is represented by Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan.

According to the bill of indictment announced at the trial today,
Armenian citizen Maziyev has handed over various types of information
about the domestic political and economic situation in Armenia and the
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic to the Azerbaijani special services over
the last five years. Maziyev has been convicted of hooliganism before.

[Correspondent over video of trial] Andrey Maziyev was born and
educated in Armenia. He has also been convicted of hooliganism
before. His relations with Arayik in prison played a great role in his
future life. After his release from prison in 1999, at the request of
his friend Arayik, Maziyev took advantage of his Russian origin and
tried to take the letter to Arayik’s relatives in Naxcivan
[Azerbaijan]. The Azerbaijani law-enforcement bodies arrested Maziyev
on the Azerbaijani-Georgian border when they saw that he is an
Armenian citizen and released him only after they received Maziyev’s
written agreement to cooperate with the Azerbaijani special services.

[Maziyev speaking in Russian with Armenian voice-over] At that moment,
I did not understand what I was doing. My only thought was to escape
from the law-enforcement bodies. Since I signed the agreement,
employees of the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry have been
following me. They threatened my family if I refused to cooperate with
them.

[Correspondent] Apart from that, Maziyev handed over information about
the domestic political and economic situation in Armenia and Karabakh,
about the military-industrial complex and the situation in the
army. He also helped the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry
prepare terrorist acts against the Armenian president.

Maziyev worked as an engineer at Zvartnots airport, knew the area
around airport very well and took photos of the president’s return
from a visit, the landing of his plane, helicopters guarding the
territory of the airport, the president and his escort. He handed over
the photos to the Azerbaijani special services.

During this period, engineer Maziyev managed to change not only his
speciality, but also his surname several times, for example, Frolov
and Kuzin. The Azerbaijani special services gave him an old Soviet
passport under the surname of Maziyev so that he could freely visit
[Azerbaijan’s] Qazax District. It became clear that the Azerbaijani
special services are very mean even in paying for such useful
services. They paid only 150-180 dollars for his services during each
visit. Maziyev paid only 18 visits.

Witnesses were also interrogated. The court of first instance of
Yerevan’s Malatia-Sebatia community will continue the trial on 13
June.

AZG Armenian Daily #106, 10/06/2005

Armenian pilots released

CREW CAPTAIN ASHOT KARAPETIAN: WE HAD NO HOPE TO GET OUT OF THAT HELL

Armenian Captives of Equatorial Guinea Returning Home Tomorrow

Six Armenian pilots jailed for 14-24 years at notorious Black Beach prison
of Equatorial Guinea are coming back home tomorrow. Crew captain Ashot
Karapetian, second pilot Samvel Darbinian, navigator Samvel Matchkalian,
flight engineers Razmik Khachatrian, Suren Muradian and Ashot Simonian were
released on June 8.

After a night at a hotel in capital city of Malabo, our pilots, who spent 15
months in the prison of this authoritarian country, will return home via
Zurich and Moscow. In a phone conversation with daily Azg from Malabo
captain Ashot Karapetian said that all crewmembers are in normal health and
thanked all those who spared no effort to get them out from the Black Beach.

“We are very thankful to Catholicos of All Armenians, Ara Abrahamian, Robert
Kocharian and the Armenian nation. We are saved from captivity at the cost
of their great efforts. One should know the morals and manners of that
country to understand our situation. It’s not important in this country
whether one is guilty or not”, Karapetian said.

The captain confirmed once again that all of the pilots are enjoying good
health, “We’ve misses Yerevan; counting minutes”. The Armenian crew together
with citizens from other countries was convicted of a coup attempt in
Equatorial Guinea to overthrow the president.

Andranik Mihranian and Karen Galstian, representatives of chairman of World
Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamian left for Malabo bring the pilots back.
Informing daily Azg from Malabo, Mihranian said that the pilots had caught
malaria and the disease was not stamped out completely.

“They faces expressed joy, they were surprised, annoyed somehow dispirited
because the 15 months in jail left its trace”, Mihranian said. Abrahamian’s
representatives met the pilots at the entrance of Justice Ministry. “When we
were in one room with the deputy prime minister and the ministers of
security and justice, the first word captain Karapetian uttered was that
they had no connection with coup d’etat attempt. He said that they are not
guilty therefore they have not compromised Armenia”, Mihranian said.

“The Justice minister, who kept the passports of the pilots, was waiting for
our visit. There was an agreement for releasing the Armenian pilots but
talks between Ara Abrahamian and Guinean ambassador to Moscow carried on
till the last moment. The ambassador is the son-in-law of the country’s
president and he was the main mediator. In Malabo the security minister, the
president Ngumena’s uncle, was in charge. The fate of Armenian pilots was
mainly in their hands and we negotiated with them”, Mihranian said.

Mihranian did not want, as he said, to open the brackets over the phone
because “it’s a sensitive issue, perhaps we can say more later on”. “The
security minister reminded that there was a number agreements between the
ambassador and Mr. Abrahamian and asked how they are proceeding. We said
that they are in force and were primarily fulfilled. At the justice
minister’s office we met the representative of RA Foreign Ministry who
arrived in Malabo to validate the extradition. Guinean authorities would
gladly hand the Armenian pilots over to us but considering the fact that
they were Armenian citizens had to observe the official side”, Mihranian
said.

On Behalf of Ara Abrahamian Mihranian thanked President Nguema and the
high-ranking officials. In my speech I said that the process of the pilots’
release was the result of great work that was carried out by the chairman of
World Armenian Congress who created favorable and necessary conditions for
the release. The Pope’s letter, interference of top UN officials, the letter
of Russia’s foreign minister created the political ground for the President
of Equatorial Guinea to grant the pardon”, Mihranian said.

By Tatoul Hakobian

YOUNG DIPLOMATS CONFERRED ON FIRST DIPLOMATIC DEGREE IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, JUNE 7. ARMINFO. Young diplomats were today conferred on
First Diplomatic Degrees at the Armenian Foreign Ministry. Besides,
they ceremonially sworn in.

The press-service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry informs ARMINFO
that Minister Vardan Oskanyan congratulated young diplomats on this
occasion. It should be noted that 12 young diplomats won a contest for
admission to the system of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia in November
2004. Then, they successfully overcome 6 months of probation period
and were conferred on degrees of diplomatic attache.

KRQE, NM
June 6 2005

Albq. Holocaust museum wants better space

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico’s Holocaust and Intolerance Museum in
Albuquerque is housed in a modest storefront in the city’s downtown.
The museum wants to move to a much large location downtown —
although no site has been selected.

Museum president Andrew Lipman says the goal is to move in two years.

Lipman says the museum will soon receive $985,000 that was approved
by the 2005 Legislature.

That will help plan, design, buy and equip a new museum.

Museum founder Werner Gellert says exhibits reflect American Indian
genocide and Armenian and Greek genocide as well as the Holocaust and
the Bataan Death March of World War Two.

Gellert hopes the new site will have room to honor the five million
non-Jews also killed by the Nazis.

A1plus

| 14:33:08 | 06-06-2005 | Economy |

DONORS LIKE THOSE WHO ARE DEVOTED

Will the involvement of the Trans Caucasian countries in the EU «New
Neighbors Program» contribute to their membership in the structure or vice
versa? The question sounded during the 7th annual meeting of the heads of
the Commerce and Development Black Sea Bank, but there was no answer.

«We have been interested in the region for the last 14 years», said
representative of the European Committee Andreas Papadopoulos. By the way,
high-ranked officials of Black Sea region countries, as well as
international financial structures take part in the two-day events.
Papadopoulos represented those financial profits anticipated from the
program for the Trans Caucasian countries.

«Free commerce, access to the European market, free transportation of
capital and work power, sensible macro economical policy», he enumerated.
And what does the EU expect in return? «Devotion to the program», the EU
representative informed.

RA Finance and economy Minister Vardan Khachatryan informed the
representatives of 11 countries and different international organizations
that Armenia holds a policy of open doors. A report full of numbers was
represented about the economical growth in the country for the last 4 years.

«We have a steady macro economical growth, rapidly developing economy,
legislation contributing to investments, and working power», enumerated Mr.
Khachatryan. The latter also found important the regional cooperation and
the opening of the border with Turkey.

The representatives of Turkey also participated in the meeting.

Equatorial Guinea’s president grants amnesty to six alleged Armenian
mercenaries

AP Worldstream
Jun 06, 2005

RODRIGO ANGUE NGEUMA MBA

President Teodoro Obiang has granted full amnesty to six Armenians
sentenced to up to 24 years in prison for their role in an alleged
plot to overthrow the government of this oil-rich African nation,
state radio said.

According to a presidential decree read on national radio late Sunday,
the pardon, granted on the eve of Obiang’s 63rd birthday, was
motivated by humanitarian reasons. The six were to be repatriated
after their release, the radio said. It was not immediately possible
on Monday, a holiday in this west African nation, to determine whether
the six had already been released.

After a trial here in November, three Armenian pilots the government
said were hired to fly in gunmen and materiel in the plot were given
24 years each. Three other crew members were sentenced to 14 years
each.

The alleged leader of the mercenaries, South African arms dealer Nick
Du Toit, and six other South Africans were still in detention. Du Toit
was sentenced to 34 years in prison, though he repudiated an alleged
confession that had provided the bulk of Equatorial Guinea’s case.

Equatorial Guinea opposition figure Severo Moto, in exile in Spain,
was sentenced in absentia to 63 years. Eight other opposition figures
also living in exile each were sentenced to 52 years in prison.

Equatorial Guinea alleges Mark Thatcher _ son of former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher _ and other, mainly British, financiers
commissioned the bid to overthrow the 25-year-old regime of Obiang and
install an opposition politician as the figurehead leader of Africa’s
No. 3 oil producer.

SAMVEL PETROSIAN: WE WILL STRUGGLE FOR PRIZE-WINNING PLACES

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Having won in the second elimination
stage of the European championship in Hungary, Armenia’s national
football team of 19-year-olds received the right to play in the
final. Chief Coach of the national team Samvel Petrosian stated at
the June 2 press conference at the Football Federation of Armenia that
success was due to the efforts of all team members, which allowed to
defeat the strong national teams of Italy and Belgium. As for the final
of the European championship to be held in Northern Ireland in July,
S. Petrosian said that the team has been set the goal to struggle
for a prize-winning place. It was noted that the teams taking from
first to fifth places in Northern Ireland will receive the right to
play in the World Youth Championship.

TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD

A1plus

20:22:49 | 03-06-2005 | Official |

On June 5 the delegation with RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
at the head will leave for Tokyo on a 5-day official visit. Within
the framework of the meeting the Prime Minister will take part in
the World Exhibition “Expo-2005” in Aichi region.

The delegation is rather large. On June 7 they will take part in the
events devoted to the National Day of the Republic of Armenia taking
place within the framework of the exhibition “Expo-2005”.

After the visit to Japan the delegation of the RA Prime Minister will
leave for Thailand on June 9-13 on the invitation of the Kingdom of
Thailand PM. There he will meet PM Taxin Shinavatra and President of
the National Assembly Chamber of Representatives Bhokin Balakula.