Author: Torgomian Varazdat

TURKISH GENERAL SAYS MILITARY TIES WITH FRANCE “SUSPENDED”
Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Nov 15 2006
Ankara, 15 November: “Our military relations with France have been
suspended after the French national assembly approved the bill on
so-called Armenian genocide,” said Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen.
Ilker Basbug on Wednesday [15 November].
Tamer Gazioglu, Ambassador of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) to Turkey, hosted a reception in Ankara on the occasion of
the 23rd anniversary of foundation of the TRNC.
Replying to questions of journalists during the reception, Gen.
Basbug said: “Our military relations with France have been suspended
after the French national assembly approved the bill on so-called
Armenian genocide. Also, high-level visits do not take place between
the two countries.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul
said in his part: “Recent economic developments in the TRNC are quite
pleasing. Those, who are interested in the Cyprus issue, need to talk
to President Mehmet Ali Talat of the TRNC now. We hope that the best
solution proposals will be made by taking into consideration the
facts on the island.”

PRESS RELEASE
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Office of Public Information
25 Columbia Heights
Brooklyn NY 11201
Contact: David Semonian
Tel: 718-560-5600
Fax: 718-560-5619
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
For Immediate Release November 14, 2006
Armenia acquits 19 conscientious objectors, but issue remains
unresolved
YEREVAN, Armenia-Nineteen conscientious objectors who left alternative
labor service have been informed by the Armenian Prosecutor General’s
Office that they have been acquitted and that the criminal proceedings
against them have been terminated. The ruling opens the way for them to
apply for compensation for their illegal prosecution and imprisonment.
Although the government of Armenia has organized nonmilitary work
assignments, they are under military control and supervision. Thus
the law providing for alternative labor service, as well as its
implementation, fails to meet the criteria laid down by the Council of
Europe, which calls for genuine and nonpunitive civilian alternative
service. In a series of videotaped interviews posted on the Web site
, four young Jehovah’s Witnesses describe in their
own words why Armenia’s alternative service was not an acceptable
option for them.
In a separate development, on September 12, 2006, Hayk Avetisyan
was sentenced to two years in prison for his conscientious refusal
of military service or alternative labor service. On September 25,
2006, Assistant Prosecutor A. Manukyan appealed the decision, asking
for a stricter sentence. The October 18, 2006, decision of the Court
of Appeal granted the prosecuter’s appeal and increased Avetisyan’s
sentence from 24 to 30 months in prison. Despite the progress implied
in the latest acquittals, Avetisyan is one of nearly 50 conscientious
objectors who are Jehovah’s Witnesses currently in prison for their
conscientious refusal of military service. From their study of
the Bible, they learned that Christ’s followers should love their
neighbors and that Christians are bound together in an international
brotherhood. (Matthew 22:39; Acts 15:22) As such, they do not resort
to weapons of warfare or learn war anymore.-Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 26:52.
Until Armenia complies with its commitments to the Council of Europe
to adopt genuine civilian alternative service and release
conscientious objectors from prison, the issue of conscientious
objection to military service remains unresolved.
Contacts
Paul Gillies Phone +44 7775 833880
David Semonian Phone +1 718 560 5600

ACCORDING TO “ENI SHAFAQ”, TURKEY PRESENTS ONE-SIDED DOCUMENTS ABOUT GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
ISTANBUL, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. In connection
with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal to
the Turkish president to create a commission to examine issues of the
Armenian Genocide, the newspaper “Eni Shafaq” proposes the Turkish
authorities to look into their own archives.
Particularly, the article notes that there are some documents showing
that a deportation rather than genocide took place in 1915. “On
the other hand, there were several hundred thousands of missing
ordnary people (even a million) who had not participated in a war
or uprising. Nobody speaks about documents related to them. We
cannot convince anybody by presenting such one-sided documents,”
the newspaper writes.
“If we cannot open our archives containing such documents, if we only
open archives to our advantage, we can never be convincing in this
problem. On the contrary, we continue to act in this way,” is said
in the article.
According to the article, recently the Turkish General Staff presented
original documents and photos about the 1915 deportation in the
military museum of Harbie. However, the one-sided approach again
prevailed here, that is, the archives are used in an advantageous way.
“One asks a question: do these archives contain a document about
the deportation and massacres aganist Armenians? If there are
such documents, why they are not presented and handed to the prime
minister?” the article’s author writes, adding that there is a need
to think about using more reasonable and serious methods.

ARMENIAN SOLDIER WOUNDED IN IRAQ
AZG Armenian Daily
15/11/2006
A soldier of the Armenian peacekeeping detachment in Iraq was
wounded in a terrorist act that claimed lives of a Polish and
a Slovak soldier. According to defense minister Serge Sargsian,
senior lieutenant Georgi Nalbandian of the Armenian regiment was
wounded on November 11 terrorist act and was transported to Germany
for treatment. His life is not in danger. As a result of a blast,
the 25-year-old soldier lost his right leg.
The US Embassy to Yerevan has thanked the wounded soldier and his
Armenian fellow soldiers for their role in the international fight
against terror.

THERE IS NO NOTION OF “ARMENIAN PEOPLE”
Democratic Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2006
“Release us from the captivity” was presented at the Azerbaijan
National Academy of Sciences Recently the book entitled “Release us
from the captivity” in close collaboration with the Institute of Human
Rights of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, State Commission
for War prisoner, hostage and missing’ issues, and “The way of grief”,
the Public Unity for war prisoner assistance was presented. The book
get up by Esmira Orujeva, informs about 753 war prisoners and missing
persons of Azerbaijan.
Rovshan Mustafayev, a Director of the Institute of Human Rights of
ANAS and Doctor of Political Studies informed that the book based
on concrete documents was get up in close collaboration with the
State Commission for War prisoner, hostage and missing’ issues and
its chairman Eldar Mahmudov. According to R. Mustafayev, such books
need a comprehensive discussion. In addition, he informed about the
Nagorno-Garabagh problem, and the Institute is dealt by with studying
of the crimes committed by Armenians against Georgian, Jewish and
Arabic nations: “Armenians’ criminal activity resulted in death
of 8 million persons in Egypt. We all bear a great responsibility
in connection with the problem. We have to know what problems are
expected us during settlement of the Nagorno-Garabagh conflict.” R.
Mustafayev, rejecting availability of such notion as “Armenian people”,
instead of that, suggests to use the term “Armenian ethno-corporative
organization”: “Kept silent MPs, disinterested officials and illiterate
scholars hold away us from the victory. But this victory is necessary
for us to become aware of ourselves as nation.” The Director of the
Institute, highlighting the importance of such books called all for
releasing our compatriots from captivity and following all instructions
of the President Ilham Aliyev.
Shahin Sayilov, a Secretary of the State Committee for War prisoner,
hostage and missing’ issues called the book “historical document”.
According to him, the State Commission has materials of each person
mentioned in the book: “When we speak of war prisoners, international
organizations and Armenians accuse us of interference into politics.
But the book denies these accusations.” The positive fact is that
NGOs made such a work. In addition, we’ve prepared English version
of the book, e-version of which we intend to prepare in future.”
Nizami Bahmanov, a head of the Shusha district executive power
informed that besides 753 missing mentioned in the book, there are
about 4600 our missing compatriots. N. Bahmanov assured of missing
persons’ relatives of that the Government attaches a great importance
to the problem. In addition, he informed that the book will be sent
to international organizations and the Council of Europe.
Ganira Pashayeva, a Member of Parliament called all to act: “To
date the facts relating war crimes are on agenda of international
organizations. Unfortunately, we have no materials to submit to the
international organizations. Because of that they suppose that by
holding talks on this subject we interfere into politics. Thus, the
book will help us in this point.” Expressing dissatisfaction about
inactivity of Azerbaijani community in respect to the Nagorno-Garabagh
conflict G. Pashayeva made a proposal to eliminate such tendency: “The
Nagorno-Garabagh problem should be discussed at schools, universities,
and in families, otherwise we can stray from the subject as we strayed
from Zangazur and our other lands. There is clearly a need to transform
this issue into a part of national thinking and ideology.” MP considers
bringing the problem to the notice of international community more
purposeful: “It is necessary to discuss the problem with scholars
worldwide. For instance, when we left for Hungary for the protection
of Ramil Safarov, I did not find any book concerning Azerbaijan in
library of this State that is very a sorrowful fact. We have to use
with the fact that films concerning the human rights are transmitted
free abroad”.

VARTAN OSKANIAN LEAVES FOR BRUSSEL TO TAKE PART IN 7th COUNCIL SITTING OF RA-EU COOPERATION
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanian left for Brussels on November 13 to take part in the
7th council sitting of the RA-EU Cooperation.
Joint press conference of Foreign Ministers of the three South
Caucasian countries and EU chairmanship representatives is scheduled
for November 13.
The 7th council sitting of the RA-EU Cooperation and ceremony of
signing the actions plan of the EU European Neighbourhood Policy with
Armenia will take place on November 14.
RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian’s and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mamedyarov’s meeting with the participation of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairmen will also took place in Brussels on the same day.

SOME DETAILS OF MILITARY SERVICE EVASION IN ARMENIA
Translated by Pavel Pushkin
Source: Novoe Vremya (Yerevan), October 31, 2006, p. EV
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 13, 2006 Monday
In the Soviet times evasion of the military service was an ordinary
matter in Armenia. As a rule, parents, especially top-ranking ones,
did their best to protect their sons. These were mostly residents
of cities. If they failed to protect their sons from the service
they tried to arrange for their sons to serve as close to home as
possible. The luckiest ones remained to serve in Armenia. Some of
the conscripts were exempted from service for bribes or for good
relations. At any rate, one thing did not stand in the way of the
other. All thinkable false documents about bad health, incomplete
status of families and other documents of this kind were obtained by
hook or by crook. Military commissars and doctors made very much money
on this. Practically the same is happening nowadays. Probably flight
of conscripts to Russia or to other CIS countries was added to the
well-tested methods. Very often conscripts flee without any documents,
sit and wait for the time when they turn 27. Alleged religious belief
has become a popular method to. Another less prestigious method is
post-graduate study. There are post-graduates in the country sufficient
for an entire division.
Deserting from the army acquired local specific traits to. Soldiers
desert seldom but they are often allowed to go home for a while for
bribes. This phenomenon has not acquired a mass nature yet but is at
least very popular.
Nothing will evidently change in the future and no supreme national
interests can serve as an obstacle.

ABOUT THE CHURCH: WHAT IS THE ARMENIAN CHURCH?
Belleville News-Democrat, IL
Nov 12 2006
The Church of Armenia acknowledges as its original founders two of
the 12 apostles of Christ, Thaddeus and Bartholomew. Armenia was the
first nation to adopt the Christian faith as its national religion in
301 A.D., 21 years before the Holy Roman Empire. The spiritual center
of the Armenian Church is Etchmiadzin near the capitol of Armenia,
Erevan, and is the seat of the head of the church, the Catholicos.
The Armenian Church does not answer to the Pope of the Roman Catholic
Church.
Since their conversion in the fourth century, Armenians have clung
to their faith and maintained a passionate devotion to Christianity
despite being conquered by many nations of many faiths including
Persians (modern Iran), Romans, the Ottoman empire, Turks and others.
All of these conquerors tried to drive Christianity from this small
nation and impose their respective religions. All of them failed
and the Armenians have held onto their Christian faith for more than
1,700 years.
Armenian Churches exist on six continents around the world.
Where is Armenia? The modern state of Armenia is a former Soviet
Republic located to the east of Turkey, south of Georgia and west of
Azerbaijan. Historic Armenia includes Mount Ararat, the spot where
the Bible says Noah’s Ark landed after the Great Flood of the Old
Testament.
How long have Armenians lived in the metro-east?The first Armenians
may have arrived in the Metro East in the 1890s. Their numbers grew
in the early 1900s, many of them immigrating after they escaped the
Armenian genocide by the Turks from 1915-1923. Nearly 1.5 million
Armenians died during these year, which have been described as the
“holocaust of World War I.”
The Armenian community in this region has grown throughout the years
as the original immigrants married and had families and other Armenian
immigrants came here from Russia, Lebanon, and most recently from Baku,
Azerbaijan. Several hundred Armenian families live in the St. Louis
area. They include physicians, lawyers, educators, professionals and
elected officials among others.
When was the Armenian metro-east church founded? The church was
originally founded in 1956 in East St. Louis. The present building in
Swancea was dedicated in November 1978. Holy Virgin Mary and Shoghagat
Church is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
What does Shoghagat mean? The word “Shoghagat,” the original name of
the church, literally means “dripping of beams from heaven.” This name
was chosen in 1956 by the Godfather of the church, Levon Bagdasaroff.
Source: Holy Virgin Mary and Shoghagat Church
ntertainment/15994193.htm

PARISIAN COURT REJECTED SUIT AGAINST TURKISH CONSUL
PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2006 14:53 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Parisian circuit court rejected the suit brought
against Turkish Consul Aydin Sezgin. The suit was brought by an
Armenian organization over the posted on the Consulate’s website
material denying the Armenian Genocide. Yet in 2004 the court said that
due to diplomatic immunity Turkish Consul cannot be convicted. After
this the Armenian organization appealed to the Supreme Court,
reports Yerkir.

Armenpress
REAL ESTATE PRICES GO UP

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS: In the first nine
months of 2006 prices of apartments in high-rise
blocks in Yerevan surged nearly 30 percent from a year
ago ranging between 54,300 Drams to 900,000 Drams for
one square meter of housing space.
The price growth was even higher in other towns of
the country springing up to 42 percent. The state-run
cadastre committee said 90, 200 transactions were
concluded in real estate market over these nine
months, 2 percent down year-over-year.