Author: Tvankchian Parkev

ARMENIAN PM AND CATHOLICOS TO LEAVE FOR ROME FOR POPE FUNERAL

05.04.2005 04:55

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian governmental delegation headed by Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian will leave for Italy April 7-9 to take
part in the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the Press Service of
the Government of Armenia reported. The Armenian delegation will
include Armenian Ambassadors to Italy Ruben Shugarian, to France and
Vatican Eduard Nalbandian, Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Bayburdian.
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II will leave for Rome along with
the delegation.

Best Western Signs On to $250M Hotel Plan
By Denis Maternovsky, Staff Writer

The Moscow Times
Tuesday, April 5, 2005. Issue 3139. Page 9.

The Best Western Neptune in St. Petersburg, which opened in 1994,
is currently the chain’s only Russian outlet.

U.S. hospitality giant Best Western International has signed a
franchise agreement with a local firm that may potentially make Best
Western the country’s largest hotel chain.

The franchise agreement for Russia and the CIS was signed with the
Bonita Group, a Russian company that has extensive construction
experience in Kazakhstan, chiefly in infrastructure projects.

Bonita also operates a 14-room, five-star Albion residence hotel in
Aktyubinsk, northern Kazakhstan, which was built in 1995.

“This is where our interest in the hospitality industry originated
initially, and this is how our understanding of the business began
to form,” said Nikolai Shekhovtsov, president of the Bonita Group,
referring to the Albion.

In 2003, Bonita and Best Western signed a letter of intent to build
hotels in Russia. They are about to open their pilot project under the
agreement, a 150-room property near Sheremetyevo Airport that Bonita
is financing jointly with the Moscow city government. The hotel,
which will also feature a 3,300-square-meter Class B office center,
is scheduled for an October 2005 opening.

Shekhovtsov said the Sheremetyevo project was part of a larger plan,
in which up to $250 million will be invested into building hotels in
the next five years. Roughly 30 percent of this sum will come from
the company. The remaining 70 percent will be bank financing.

“The idea of developing a Best Western hotel near Sheremetyevo is
welcome because there are at the moment only two hotels located there,”
said Stephane Meyrat, senior consultant at the Hotel Consulting &
Development Group.

“Because of its proximity to Sheremetyevo-2 and the absence of
competition, Novotel Sheremetyevo enjoys the highest occupancy rate
in the city — between 90 and 100 percent year-round,” he added,
offering an example of the nature of the market near the airport.

In addition to the Sheremetyevo project, Bonita is negotiating the
acquisition of roughly a dozen sites for Best Western hotel development
— two more in Moscow, two in Volgograd, two in St. Petersburg and
the Leningrad region, and one each in Samara, Yekaterinburg, Vladimir
and the Tver region.

There is currently only one Best Western in the country — St.
Petersburg’s 154-room Neptune Best Western, opened in 1994. The
86-room Art Hotel near Moscow’s Sokol metro station operated under
the Best Western brand until last year, but is now nonbranded.

By comparison, there are 2,220 Best Westerns in the United States,
222 in France, 142 in Germany and 17 in Portugal.

Consisting of more than 4,100 independently owned and operated hotels
with some 310,000 rooms in 79 countries, Best Western, originally
launched as an informal referral system, is currently the world’s
largest hotel company operating under a single brand name.

Shekhovtsov said the company was interested both in building new
hotels and in refurbishing existing Soviet-era properties. “In 20
years, we would like to have 50,000 hotel rooms,” he added.

Best Westerns in Moscow and St. Petersburg will have rack rates of
$100 to $120, while regional hotels will charge significantly less,
$80 to $90 per night.

In order to spearhead its expansion, Bonita hired a “well-known German
firm” to design a hotel prototype.

“Because of its design, it can be easily adjusted for different types
of travelers,” said Damir Kaftanarov, general director of City Hotel,
a Bonita subsidiary overlooking the hotel business. “We can add a
business center, a restaurant or a bowling club depending on whether
a specific hotel is catering to businesspeople or to tourists.”

Bonita’s development activity will be concentrated on Russia, with
Best Western hotels also built in Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

The Best Western projects are one of a series of ambitious midrange
hotel expansion plans announced recently in Russia, with a severe
nationwide lack of quality accommodation being a driving force
behind them.

For example, late last year Russian Hotels, a company close to metals
conglomerate Basic Element, announced plans to invest between $200
million and $250 million into a chain of 20 to 30 midrange hotels
and office centers. They would be located chiefly in the Russian
regions and CIS capitals, such as Kiev, Tbilisi, Georgia, and Yerevan,
Armenia. The company is negotiating with South Africa’s Protea Hotels
to operate its project in Novosibirsk, scheduled for a 2007 opening.

Also in late 2004, U.S.-based Cendant Corporation, the world’s
largest lodging franchiser, signed a deal with Hermitage Hospitality
to develop 45 midlevel Days Inn hotels in Russia and 14 former Soviet
republics over the next five years.

“The Russian hotel market is such that it will welcome any foreign
hotel brand, since the brand guarantees a certain quality of service,”
said Marina Usenko, vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. “And
the fact that such recognizable brands as Best Western are actively
looking at the market is indicative of the market becoming more
attractive.”

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
March 28, 2005

Resurrected is Christ,
Resurrected is the Armenian Nation. –
His Holiness Karekin II

Easter Sunday in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On Sunday, March 27, the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord
Jesus Christ was celebrated by the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church in
dioceses, parishes and communities throughout the world.

In Holy Etchmiadzin, the worldwide headquarters of the Armenian Church and
the Mother Cathedral of all Armenians, the morning began with the solemn
pontifical procession entering the ancient cathedral, where His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, began the
celebration of the Pontifical Divine Liturgy on the most significant day of
the year.

Assisting His Holiness at the Holy Altar were His Grace Bishop Yeznik
Petrossian, Director of Inter-Church Relations, and His Grace Bishop Arshak
Khatchatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See.

During the service, His Holiness addressed his message to Armenians
throughout the world on the occasion of Holy Easter, where he noted:

“.Resurrected is Christ! Sin has been expiated upon the cross.
Irreversible hopelessness and fear, like the chains of death, have forever
been shattered. Life is emanating from the tomb and the all-conquering hope
of salvation and everlasting life are shining. God is wondrously glorified
and glorified is man, because Christ submitted Himself to the cross and was
resurrected, so that life stained through human sin be renewed and restored
in its aim, in its true course towards God. .Christ brought to man the
perfect example of filial obedience to the Will of the Heavenly Father,
declaring that mankind’s highest aspiration is to choose the providential
and saving Will of God.

“Indeed, dear ones, through the choice of the Will of God, mankind will be
able to reject and prevent Der-Zor and Holocaust, reject and prevent
September 11 and Beslan, to see paths free of wars and violence, and to find
the just and luminous fraternal avenues among nations. Hope is alive upon
those roads, the hope of life, progress and the future. Today and always,
the opportunities of man, his choices and decisions, shall be directed to
the care of the world and humanity, just as the Creator’s Fatherly care is
towards His creation. Along with the crucified and resurrected Savior, we
are His collaborators in saving, through which we have life and have it
abundantly.”

His Holiness, reflecting on the significance of the Resurrection for the
Armenian people and nation, noted: “Holy Etchmiadzin, established through
the shower of light of the Resurrection, is the soul of all Armenians; the
rejuvenated soul of the nation, surviving destructions and deaths throughout
the centuries of history. Our people have not seen the empty tomb of
Christ, but together with Christ, they have often seen the emptiness of the
graves which had been prepared for them. Together with Christ they wove
glorious crowns of victory. The Armenian cannot deny the Resurrection of
the Christ. Our past and our present are testimony to that Resurrection.
We experienced the Golgotha of the Genocide together with Christ, turning
the most tragic period of our history into a time of victory. Our people,
massacred and bleeding, in heroic struggle, gave birth to their new
statehood. The first Armenian Republic rose from the ashes, as testimony to
the immortal aspiration of our people for the eternal existence of Armenian
statehood. Resurrected is Christ, resurrected is the Armenian Nation.”

The Catholicos of All Armenians called upon the pious faithful to follow the
examples of their luminous forefathers in overcoming all difficulties in
this temporal life, to see the providential love of God beyond material
goods, to believe in the saving mission and strength of the Risen Christ.
“The message of the Feast of Easter is faith. Our resurrected life with the
Redeemer begins with faith, and with faith it strengthens and flourishes.
With faith, self-sacrifice becomes natural, and love for a neighbor becomes
the source of joy and happiness. This is the deep and mysterious miracle of
the Resurrection, always aspiring to eternal heights, to truth, to justice
and to the good. .Beloved Armenians, with the light of your faith turn your
life to glorifying God, so that in all your works, your heartbeat is strong,
your love emanates, and your will for the just, the true and the good is
victorious”, noted His Holiness.

The Pontiff of All Armenians also addressed his greetings, blessings and
congratulations to the Incumbents of the Hierarchal Sees of the Armenian
Church, the entire ranks of clergy, state officials of the Republics of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh and the spiritual leaders of Sister Churches.

Present during the Divine Liturgy were Prime Minister of the Republic of
Armenia Andranik Margarian, President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia
Gagik Harutiunian, National Assembly Members and Ministers of the Government
of the Republic of Armenia, ambassadors and the diplomatic corps of foreign
governments, representatives of international organizations in Armenia,
members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, and thousands of faithful from
throughout Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, an official reception was held in the
Pontifical Residence during which His Holiness welcomed and congratulated
the guests on the occasion of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ, with the
great tiding: “Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection
of Christ.”

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False “Armenian genocide” to be marked in Poland

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 26 2005

Baku, March 25, AssA-Irada — A rally dedicated to the 90th anniversary
of the so-called “Armenian genocide” will be organized outside
the Turkish embassy in Warsaw on April 22, according to Armenian
sources. Similar protest actions will be held in Lublin and Krakow.

Polish and Armenian religious leaders are expected to meet in Poland
on April 10 on the occasion.

The Armenian government has allocated $300,000 to solemnly mark the
false “Armenian genocide”.*

Kazakh, Kyrgyz troops arrive in Tajikistan for joint CIS drills

Avesta web site
24 Mar 05

Dushanbe, 24 March: A military subunit of the Kazakh armed forces
arrived today in Tajikistan for participation in the joint command
and staff exercises Rubezh-2005, the head of the [Tajik] Defence
Ministry press service, Zarobiddin Sirojov, has told Avesta.

He said a subunit of the Kyrgyz armed forces arrived [in Tajikistan]
on 21 March.

“Preparations for the joint tactical drills involving all the
participants will now continue at the firing range,” Sirojov said. He
said that an airlift of the participants of the exercises from the
Kazakh and Kyrgyz armed forces, which was planned with the aim of
checking mobility in practice, ended today.

The command and the HQ of the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces in
the Central Asian region will be set up on Tajik territory.

[Tajikistan will host five-day CSTO (Collective Security Treaty
Organization; members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Russia) military exercises, which will start in
early-April]

His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate of Western United States
Tel: 818-248-7737
Fax: 818-248-7745
[email protected]

Prelate’s Easter Message

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST IS OUR LIFE-GIVING SOURCE

“And you Lord, by meeting with the Apostles granted them your
life-giving greeting and sent them off to save the world.”

(Hymn)

On these first days of Spring, together with the flowering and
renewal of nature once again we proclaim the glorious Resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ and renew the message of our spiritual and
national rebirth.

Describing the Resurrection of Christ according to the gospels, the
hymn-writer tells us about the oil-bearing women who went to the tomb
on the third day following the burial of Christ, they discovered that
the tomb stone had been moved and heard the angel say,

“Christ is risen and conquered death”

(Hymn)

The Lord revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene and the women
accompanying her and to the Apostles. Whoever the Lord met, was
blessed with renewed life.

“And you Lord, by meeting with the Apostles granted them
your life-giving greeting and sent them off to save the world.”

(Hymn)

***

It is the undeniable truth that the arch of the Gospel rests upon two
major pillars: the Death of Christ and the Resurrection.

The Apostle Paul describes this truth with these words:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. And
that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according
to the Scriptures.” (1st Corinthians, 15:3-4)

By entering through the arch of the Resurrection, the
Apostles became the fearless preachers of the new religion and they
spread their testimony for the salvation of the World. They
witnessed that the Resurrected Lord “was delivered for our offences,
and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

Uplifted by the apparition of the angels and renewed by the Lord’s
life-giving greetings, they proclaimed the Resurrection of the
Savior, who lighted up the lives of all those who believed in His
Holy Resurrection and followed his teachings, knowing that death was
defeated, that there was life after death, and the promise of
salvation.

***

Centuries ago, with the faith based on the reality of the
Resurrection, our forefathers accepted the Resurrected Christ,
received His life-giving greetings and put forth their efforts for
the salvation of our nation. Since the first century, the same
life-giving greetings were received by the King Apkar and our first
martyr St. Santoukhd, followed by St. Gregory the Illuminator and St.
Mesrob Mashdotz, St. Vartanantz and numerous other saints, martyrs,
and heroes who became worthy of the promise of the crown of
righteousness.

Indeed the year 2005, is a significant year for our nation nourished
by the breath of the Resurrection, as we will commemorate:

· The 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian
alphabet;

· The 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide;

· The 75th anniversary of the Great House of Cilicia Seminary

His Holiness Aram I, with encyclicals, invited all of us
to consider these three historic anniversaries.

Will the 1600th anniversary of the discovery of the Armenian
Alphabet, along with the heritage left to us by St. Mesrob Mashdots
and the Holy Translators, help us renew our spiritual and national
path to lead our lives according to the faith of our forefathers?

With the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, how will we
remember the â~@~Armenian Golgothaâ~@~] of our Martyrs, and as the
children of a resurrected nation stand up for justice honor their
memory and demand for compensation for shedding their innocent blood?

And will the 75th anniversary of the Seminary, which in our Prelacy
will be celebrated during the Pontifical visit of His Holiness Aram
I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, in October, in California,
serve to mobilize our parents and new generation to brace themselves
with the faith of the Resurrection.

***

Let all of us be renewed by the message of the Holy Resurrection and
be inspired by the glory of the 1600th anniversary of the discovery
of the Armenian alphabet, to lead our lives with faith and
commitment.

As we commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by
remembering our Martyrs who witnessed the path of the cross and the
â~@~Armenian Golgothaâ~@~] at Der Zor, let us renew our pledge to
walk the path of truth and justice with the spirit of the
Resurrection.

With the hope of being worthy of the life-giving greetings of our
Resurrected Savior and with the desire of splendoring our spiritual,
church and national lives, let us actively support our churches,
schools and seminary, so that the new generations will receive a
wholesome education and ensure our nation’s future.

***

On the occasion of Christ’s Glorious Resurrection, we convey our love
and blessings to our Prelacy clergy, representative assembly,
executive council, all who serve within our parishes, our schools,
organizations and our faithful people.

It is our prayer that we continue to serve to enliven our people with
renewed faith and spiritual joy, warmed by the Resurrection and our
Savior’s life-bearing spirit, and exclaim:

“Christ is risen from the dead.

Blessed be the Resurrection of Christ.”

Prayerfully,

Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian

Prelate, Western United States

Easter, 2005

–Boundary_(ID_3w45GzZK+VpELZ6BtSZkXg)–

Moscow Times
Wednesday, March 23, 2005. Issue 3130. Page 4.

News in Brief

Putin Will Visit Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia — President Vladimir Putin is to make a two-day
visit to Armenia starting Thursday.

Putin will hold talks with his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian,
and participate in a gala ceremony marking the start of the “Year of
Russia” in Armenia, presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said. (AP)

Congressional Record: March 17, 2005
>>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

ANTHONY BARSAMIAN SPEAKS ELOQUENTLY ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

HON. BARNEY FRANK

of massachusetts

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, last month, Anthony
Barsamian, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Armenian Assembly
of America, made an eloquent speech at the “International Refuge,
Relief and Recognition Tribute” hosted by the Armenian-American
community in California. Mr. Barsamian eloquently stressed the
importance to all of us of remembering that “the history of genocide
must remain inviolable and periodically affirmed regardless of
political discomfort or cost so that we may learn its lessons.”
Mr. Speaker, I think it is a grave error that this Congress has not
been allowed to vote on a resolution affirming this important point
with regard to the terrible history of the genocide perpetrated against
the Armenians. We cannot allow current foreign policy considerations to
override our obligation in this critical area. Anthony Barsamian
cogently and forcefully reminds us why such an omission is
unacceptable, and I ask that his moving, thoughtful remarks be printed
here.

Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian’s Remarks at the
“International Refuge, Relief and Recognition Tribute”–February 24,
2005

Your Eminence, Reverend clergy, Your Excellencies, Ladies
and Gentlemen,
This remembrance and recognition highlights two issues of
critical importance to the horrific recurrence of Genocide
and the apparent impotence of the world to stop this crime
against us all.
First, the history of genocide must remain inviolable and
periodically affirmed regardless of political discomfort or
cost so that we may learn its lessons.
Second, the actions of 3rd parties are vital to raising
awareness about the crime as soon as it becomes known, to
taking resolute steps to end the genocidal process, to bring
to account the perpetrators, to provide comfort to the
survivors, and to forever remember all instances of genocide.
This is why the Armenian Assembly joined with the AGBU and
the Diocese to remember those nations and organizations that
took action while the Armenian Genocide was being carried out
and subsequently. Armenians remain deeply indebted to all who
refused the easy path of indifference and inaction. You saved
lives, you affirmed the truth, and you bore witness so that
the world would be better equipped to act on the meaning of
“Never Again”.
As is evident today, the Republic of Turkey refuses to
accept the judgment of history that the Ottoman Turkish
government committed genocide against its Armenian minority.
Instead, Turkey attempts to impose its revisionism on a
civilized world that knows better, but occasionally succumbs
to Turkish demands and intimidation by refraining from
affirming the truth. Nations who had initially committed to participate
in this
recognition commemoration withdrew in the face of such
Turkish pressure. This solves nothing. The dead are not
honored for their sacrifice. The actions of the righteous are
not recalled. And ironically, the descendants of the
victimizers are not allowed to come to terms with the truth.
Nevertheless, we pause today as we begin this 90th
commemorative year to give thanks to all nations and
organizations that came to our aid–but particularly to those
that attended today despite the Turkish government’s campaign
to stop you.
For Turkey’s state sponsored denial effort, having this
event is a defeat. This is a good day for the truth. As
Armenian-Americans, we recall with special appreciation the
leading role of the United States in attempting to prevent
the Armenian Genocide and in aiding those that survived. As
Armenian-Americans, we look to the United States to continue
this proud chapter of American history by reaffirming the
facts of this most calamitous chapter of Armenian history.
There is an inevitability to universal affirmation of the
Armenian Genocide, and America has not and will not be an
exception.
A case in point is the recently concluded visit of U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia John Evans with major Armenian-American
communities across the country. In his public commentaries,
Ambassador Evans repeatedly employed the words “Armenian
Genocide” to properly characterize the attempted
annihilation of our people by Ottoman Turkey.
This is in keeping with President Reagan’s proclamation of
April 22, 1981 where he stated in part, “like the genocide
of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the
Cambodians which followed it–and like too many other
persecutions of too many other people–the lessons of the
Holocaust must never be forgotten”. . .
And also with the thrust of President Bush’s 2001 to 2004
April 24 messages that set forth the textbook definition of
genocide without using the word. Ambassador Evans completed
the thought.
The Ambassador’s characterization also is in keeping with
the public declarations of over 120 renowned Holocaust and
Genocide scholars regarding “the incontestable fact of the
Armenian Genocide”.
Further, Ambassador Evans’ characterization conforms to the
summary conclusion of the International Center for
Transitional Justice on the use of the term Armenian
Genocide. ICTJ stated that “the Events, viewed collectively,
can thus be said to include all of the elements of the crime
of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars
as well as historians, politicians, journalists and other
people would be justified in continuing to so describe
them.”
The Armenian-American community will not rest until the
United States formally and irrevocably reaffirms the Armenian
Genocide. By so doing, we forever advance the special role of
the United States in genocide prevention.
Today, we are here to honor 17 nations who have joined the
movement towards universal affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. You have appropriately remembered this instance of
man’s inhumanity to man. You have stepped forward to combat
denial and revisionism. We will never forget your solidarity.
As Voltaire said, “to the living we owe respect, but to
the dead we owe only the truth”.

____________________

Turkish Press
March 21 2005

Bagis: There are some circles which claim that there is an
anti-American sentiment in Turkey
Published: 3/21/2005
Anadolu Agency

BURSA – Egemen Bagis, chairman of Turkey-U.S. Parliamentary
Friendship Group and a deputy from Justice and Development Party
(AKP), stated that there are some circles which claim that there is
an anti-American sentiment in Turkey.

“Once the U.S. attitude towards the terrorist PKK organization
changes, such a sentiment will reach a new dimension,“ said Bagis.

Bagis attended a luncheon meeting of the Turkish Young Businessmen`s
Association (TUGIAD) Branch in Bursa.

“Turkey and the United States have a past of 200 years. 60 years out
of the total has been spent as strategic partners. The two allies
have cooperated in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Somalia and the Middle
East,“ remarked Bagis.

“Turkey and the United States share the same notions on the
protection of the territorial integrity of Iraq. However, Turkey has
not received the right response to the situation in north of Iraq. In
the past, United States was the country that recognized the PKK as a
terrorist organization. The U.S. decision came at a time when no
European country regarded the PKK as a terrorist group,“ stressed
Bagis.

According to Bagis, the freedom of the PKK terrorists in north of
Iraq hurts the Turks each and every day. “Furthermore, the changes
in demographic structure is a matter of concern. In the past few
weeks, tri-partite meetings between Turkey, United States and Iraq
began, which surely is a matter of positive development.“

Reminded by a journalist about the recent comments made by American
correspondents against Turkey, Bagis expressed that this situation is
identical to a chain-accident. “Action…reaction. Turkish media
says one thing and the U.S. media writes in return. My personal
opinion is that once the U.S. administration reacts to the PKK
presence in north of Iraq, we will cool-off tension between Turkey
and the United States. Countries like Iran and Syria were formerly
accused by the Turkish government for providing shelter to PKK
terrorists. Today, such neighbors are cooperating with Turkey and are
returning PKK terrorists captured in their respective countries.“

Bagis added that a change in the U.S. administration`s stance on the
situation in north of Iraq will break the anti-American sentiment in
Turkey. “Turkish-American ties are so historical and comprehensive
that it would be unfair to base our relations on a single issue of
PKK or Iraq. I believe that our media takes issues more seriously
than its counterparts in the States. There are virtually hundreds of
newspapers and editors in America. One of the American journalists
writes, after encouragement by certain circles, and tries to
establish the agenda for that day. Such articles get coverage on the
first page of certain Turkish newspapers. We must not take these
reports or editorials as too seriously.“

Istanbul deputy Bagis told that Turkey`s European Union (EU) dream
will put an end to all conspiracy theories. “You may think that it
is a joke but often we get two questions from foreign investors in
Turkey: Could a military coup take place again in Turkey? Could
Islamic Law enter Turkish politics? It is my firm opinion that the EU
will remove all these suspicions in Turkey. The EU is a development
that guarantees Turkey`s stability. For this reason, the EU is on top
of our agenda,“ noted Bagis.

Bagis further indicated that, prior to November 3rd, 2002, Turkey did
not have good relations with its neighbors. “In the past several
years, relations with Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Iran and
Iraq have improved. The ties with Armenia are not at the level where
they should be due to Armenian insistence on some borders.“

Bagis commented that Armenians once again have historical
allegations. “If the Armenians cool-off tensions between Turkey and
Armenia, they will surely receive a positive response. In 2004, we
have permitted flights of the Armenian national airlines to Istanbul
four times a week. We have given a hand of friendship to the
Armenians. According to data I have received, there are over 30,000
Armenian citizens working in Turkey. These Armenians are not Turkish
citizens but have come to Turkey for various reasons. About half of
these Armenians look after our children as baby sitters. This
incident itself shows that we have no hatred of any one but love for
all. We share common cultural values.“