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ASBAREZ ONLINE
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06/27/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Georgian Officials Claim Javakhk Autonomy 'Not going to be created' 2) Too Early to Speak of Armenian, Azeri Presidents' Meeting in St. Petersburg 3) Political Tensions Hurting Turkey 4) Turkish Foreign Ministry Responds to Karekin II 5) Preparations for Millennium Challenges Foundation Program Coming to An End 1) Georgian Officials Claim Javakhk Autonomy 'Not going to be created' Georgian Prime Minister Zorab Nogaideli, in response to the Armenian Javakhk non-governmental statement claiming autonomy for Javakhk and promoting the Armenian language at the state-level said, "We already have autonomous republics and a new autonomy is not going to be created." Georgian Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze has also stated that these crude and absurd demands are creating tension in the region. According to Burjanadze, such statements are not in favor of Armenia's or Georgia's interests. Meanwhile, the Javakhk Organization announced that they intend to protest and put more effort towards autonomy for Javakhk. 2) Too Early to Speak of Armenian, Azeri Presidents' Meeting in St. Petersburg YEREVAN (YERKIR)Spokesman for Armenian President Victor Soghomonyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter that a meeting between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev within the G8 summit in Saint Petersburg will be too early. During his latest interview with leading Armenian TV channels Spokesman Soghomonyan reminded that Kocharian agreed to the opportunity of meeting President Aliyev within the G8 summit. "It is a rather important factor, and the co-chairs believe, that if it is possible to agree over basic principles of the Nagorno Karabakh settlement before the G8 summit, the international community will do their best to boost implementation of those agreements. The time frames are made to speed up the process," Kocharian said. Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov spoke about the expected meeting of the two presidents in St. Petersburg. In his words, before the G8 summit OSCE MG American Co-Chair Matthew Bryza is scheduled to visit the region. "Only after that visit will the matter of holding a new meeting with the two presidents will become clear," Mammadyarov noted. 3) Political Tensions Hurting Turkey (Zaman)In a 16-page special supplement on Turkey, The Guardian, one of the most prestigious daily newspapers in England, gave an appraisal of Turkey in terms of its economy, history, culture, and tourism industry. The supplement, intended to ease Europe's concerns about the latest political tension in the country dwelled, inter alia, on the state of the economy. To quote the Guardian, "How come a country that only yesterday had run out of hope after crises can become one of the rising stars of today? A certain answer to this question is confidence and stability?" Quoting an anonymous young businessman, "How can he [Erdogan] say it's a stable course? Inflation is out of control and the current account deficit is heading for $50 billion." The Guardian, then, in the article titled "Turkey is Fastest Growing Market in Europe," summarized the accomplishment of the Erdogan government, quoting Erdogan, "We are not the old Turkey that would have been swept away by any wind blowing." The paper also added: "Under Erdogan, Turkey has had four years of stellar growth since the 2001 crisis eroded national wealth by 9 percent and blew the currency to the bottom of the Bosphorusand won premiership status among emerging markets. Growth averaged 7.3 percent a year, inflation was tamed to 8 percent (and still falling), foreign investment rose to $9 billion in 2005, income per head is up to $5,000, privatization receipts topped $9 billion last year, tourism income nudged $18 billion, listed businesses' values are up five times to $150 billionand the government budget deficit has been slashed to 2 percent." Despite the encouraging numbers on the economy, however, the paper touched upon the negative indicators, such as unemployment, income discrepancy between the rich and the working class, current account deficit, and the underground economy, and added: "But, along with this rising-star status, came darkening contradictions. Unemployment, officially 11 percent, stood closer to 18 percent; income discrepancy widened with 10 percent owning 30 percent of national wealth; the current account deficit grew to 6 percent; the black economy bulged to around 40 percent of output." The guardian further quoted Omer Sabanci, chairman of TUSIAD, the main business lobby in Turkey, saying "Market confidence in [Turkey's] political stability and the sustainability of its economy has been shaken." The Guardian also added the words of Mustafa Koc, head of the eponymous holding, "...Older business leaders are politically hostile to the suspected plans of Erdogan's ruling AKP party to cement its Islamist control by calling elections in November, a year ahead of schedule, and electing him president. Their views are out of kilter with a younger generation of executives who see Turkey inexorably committed to Europe and, increasingly, as the financial hub and power-broker in a region stretching from central Europe via the Caucasus to the Middle East." In the supplement, the Guardian also commented on the financial sector in Turkey, mentioning that, "Foreign investors are rushing to purchase stocks of Turkish businesses. Only recently the National Bank of Greece dished out $2.44 billion to purchase 46 percent of Turkish Finance bank. This points to how distant the crisis is." Touching upon the reforms of the Turkish Government to facilitate the procedures for foreign investors, the Guardian wrote: "Government's efforts helped bring the banking standards in Turkey closer to those of the EU." 4) Turkish Foreign Ministry Responds to Karekin II Turkish "Hurriyet" newspaper reports that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has sternly responded to Catholicos Karekin II's remarks this week at a press conference that the Armenian genocide is fact and not up to debate. According to "Hurriyet", a representative from the foreign ministry, who declined to state his name, said, "We expect that the Armenians, in their turn, look at their history instead of politically manipulating their status as victims and instead of brainwashing their own people with falsified history, should listen to our advice and have the courage to sit on table to see what has happened and what has not." The same official used the word "unfortunate" regarding the Catholicos' statement, "since the statement came from a spiritual leader, who talks about the improvement of relations between the two countries." 5) Preparations for Millennium Challenges Foundation Program Coming to An End YEREVAN (Armenpress)The preparation round of the Armenian program of the Millennium Challenges Foundation is coming to an end. Deputy Minister of finance and economy David Avetisian announced that US representative of the corporation Alex Rassin has arrived in Armenia and will be the permanent resident representative of the foundation. Meanwhile, the administrative council of the program has formed a short list of candidates for the directorial position and has presented it to the Millennium Challenges Corporation. Avetisian said that according to the initial assessments the first disbursement of the promised funds will be coming in August. Until then, a state non-profit organization should be established that will deal with the administration of the program. He also informed that the foundation had some objections connected with the legislation on forming state and non-profit organizations in Armenia. After the sides agree to the changed option the final legislature will be approved by the Armenian president. It is expected that until August the office of the organization is created and the first funds will be directed towards its projecting and furnishing. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

PERSISTENT DROUGHT DESTROYS CROPS IN SYUNIK
Armenpress
Jun 27 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS: Authorities in the southern province
of Syunik say around 27,000 hectares of land under various crops
are endangered by the persistent drought.. Most affected are 8,400
hectares of land under wheat in Sisian region.
Vahram Avanesian, head of a department in the provincial governor’s
office, said they are going to ask the government to set up a
commission to assess the volume of damages and offer a way out. Exerts
fear that if the drought continues for another fortnight local farmers
may lose all their crops.

Turkey Political
by Richard S. Ehrlich
Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand
June 23 2006
ISTANBUL, Turkey — “Ten or 15 years ago, we had Romanian girls in
Istanbul selling their bodies as prostitutes,” said Hassan, an office
worker in Istanbul’s old Sultan Ahmet neighborhood.
“You remember those days?” he asked his colleague, Rasheed, who
snickered at the memory.
“Now Romania can join the EU ahead of Turkey,” Hassan lamented. “Why?
“I don’t believe Romania, or even Bulgaria, are something better than
Turkey. They are also nice countries. But it is only because Turkey
is Muslim that the EU treats us like this.”
Schizoid Turkey, physically split between Europe and Asia by the
Bosphorus Strait, flaunts a bizarre response to such cynical
outbursts.
At Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, atop a stone entrance, the European
Union’s flag with its circle of yellow stars, flaps alongside
Turkey’s Islam-inspired flag with its white crescent moon and white
star on a red background.
The isolated pair of snapping flags may give the false impression
that Turkey is a full EU member.
But rueful Turks express confusion over the hoops their nation still
needs to go through, to join the grouping.
“I am not sure if it will be good, or bad, to join the EU,” said a
Turkish chemical engineer from the capital, Ankara, dining with his
librarian wife.
“It will be bad because we will lose much of our culture in the rapid
modernization when we join the others and become more like them. It
will be good because we will have a better chance to import and
export.”
Supporters of EU expansion claim Christian-majority Europe can win
friends throughout the Islamic world by using the “soft power” of
generously accepting Muslim-majority Turkey.
It would also extend Europe’s influence to Turkey’s frontiers with
Iran, Iraq and Syria.
EU expansionists compare this with the “hard power” America
brandishes through its worldwide war against Islamist insurgents, and
Washington’s liquidating, caging or monitoring anyone perceived as
suspicious.
ADVERTISEMENT
Embracing Turkey in the EU, supporters say, would be a unique method
of defraying fears of discrimination among many of the world’s
Muslims — in a way America cannot, because no Muslim nation can ever
become a US state.
EU membership, however, also depends on a solution to problems raised
by the minority Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
The secessionist guerrillas have been waging a bloody war against
Turkey’s repressive military for more than 20 years.
More than 30,000 people have perished on all sides.
The EU is also observing how Islamist extremists, often through
random terrorist attacks, are influencing Turkey’s government,
described as “moderate Islamist.”
Many Americans, Europeans and others, meanwhile, find this country
safe and friendly.
For example in Goreme, in the heart of Turkey 750 kilometers
southeast of Istanbul, two blonde teenage girls confidently shopped
for souvenirs in a sleepy street market while wearing sweatshirts
emblazoned: “Incirlik High School Class of ’08”.
Incirlik American High School, for US Defense Department dependents
and others, is located at Incirlik Air Base, a key NATO base and home
to the US Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing in southern Turkey.
“While there is no specific targeting of US personnel or resources in
Turkey, there are active terrorist groups throughout the country,”
wrote Lori B. Alves, 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs officer, on
the Incirlik Air Base’s website.
“A notable example of this was in the summer of 2005, when a bomb
threat was received regarding a beach where Americans frequently
visited.”
After an investigation, “two terrorists were killed when the bomb
prematurely went off,” Alves said.
“Although terrorist activity was greater in the cities of Istanbul
and Mersin in 2005, there were 65 incidents of terrorism in the city
of Adana [near Incirlik], according to Turkish National Police data,”
the Incirlik officer said.
Turkey was one of several nations which helped the CIA “in the
unlawful practice of renditions” for secret flights of Islamist
suspects, according to London-based Amnesty International.
Turkey earlier allowed Americans to use its territory in hair-trigger
brinkmanship against the Soviet Union.
Incirlik launched a U-2 espionage plane flown by Francis Gary Powers
over Soviet airspace, which was shot down by the Russians in 1960,
resulting in the pilot’s imprisonment for 21 months as a CIA spy.
Turkey also hosted America’s nuclear Jupiter missiles until 1961 when
a near-apocalyptic “Cuban missile crisis” forced Washington to yank
its Jupiters from Turkey in exchange for the Russians taking their
missiles out of Cuba.
While the American High School teenagers shopped alongside their
family — including two men with blonde buzz-cut hair — several
Turkish men pointed and chuckled.
When gossip turned to Turkey’s EU membership, their mood was less
cheerful.
“The EU won’t happen, that’s definite,” insisted businessman Mehmet
Dasdeler while watching the teens inspect woven cloth illustrated
with Whirling Dervishes.
“America is [governed by] a Christian religious party. England is
becoming a Christian religious party. The EU will never accept Turkey
because Christians are getting closer together, deciding to help each
other. And Muslims are getting closer to help each other.
“Also, Turkey is a very young country, but Europe is old and retired
already, so I would have to work and pay tax to them,” to fund
retirement and other benefits for elderly Europeans.
“Turkey has a big population. The EU is getting many countries from
East Europe, but they do not have the population of Turkey. Remember,
whoever has more population, has more power in the EU,” Dasdeler
said.
Turkey’s 73 million people are governed by Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development
Party.
Erdogan favors EU membership and endorses a secular regime, though he
was imprisoned for several months for reading an Islamist poem at a
political rally.
Turkey’s other vulnerability is its bloody massacre of Armenians —
mostly Christians — at the end of the Ottoman Empire 90 years ago,
which some historians describe as genocide.
Prime Minister Erdogan expressed dismay in May about the draft of a
proposed French law which would make it a crime — punishable by a
year in jail, plus a 57,000 US dollar fine — to deny Turks massacred
up to 1.5 million Armenians.
Many of the Armenians died in 1915 during forced “resettlement”
deportation death marches.
When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently described the
killings as genocide, Erdogan ordered Turkey’s pull out from NATO’s
military maneuvers in Canada.
Germany’s Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, viewed the aftermath of the
Turks’ slaughter of Armenians as proof that the world forgets
atrocities.
According to historians, Hitler told his army commanders in 1939:
“Thus for the time being, I have sent to the east only my Death’s
Head Units, with orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women,
and children of Polish race or language. Only in such a way will we
win the vital space that we need. Who still talks nowadays about the
Armenians?”
Some Turks, however, insist their country is being singled out while
other nations avoid similar censure.
“The West keeps talking about how Turkey killed the Armenians. They
should give up on this subject,” Dasdeler said after the girls from
Incirlik passed.
“We never talk about what happened to the American Indians. We don’t
bring this subject up again and again.”
*****
Copyright by Richard S. Ehrlich, a freelance journalist who has
reported news from Asia for the past 28 years, and co-author of the
non-fiction book, “HELLO MY BIG BIG HONEY!” — Love Letters to
Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews. His web page is

GLOBAL GOLD MINING INTENDS TO EXPLORE URANIUM RESERVES IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The company Global Gold Mining
(GGM) intends to explore uranium reserves in Armenia. GGM Armenian
subsidiary director Ashot Poghosian told reporters on June 23 that
the acquisition of Getik area’s shares pursued this goal as well. To
recap, by purchasing last year shares of the company Atelia Investment
(also engaged in exploration of this area), GGM became the shareholder
of 80% of Getik Mining Company. In the words of A.
Poghosian, it uranium reserves are discovered in this area within
the next three years, GGM will apply to the Armenian government for
permission to explore the amount of these reserves. As regards the
RA Nature Protection Minister’s statement that GGM has no right to
conduct such exploration in Armenia, A.
Poghosian noted that in case of discoveing any mineral, including
uranium, the operating company must inform the government
about existence of this mineral in the given mine within 14
days. A. Poghosian said that it is desirable that relations of mining
companies and state structures took the form of cooperation.

ARMENIA KEEPS HELPING ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL MECHANISMS TO PREVENT GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.06.2006 13:43 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Globalization and electronic media enhance the
level of information and increase responsibility, Armenian FM Vartan
Oskanian said at the opening of the first session of the UN Council
on Human Rights in Geneva. “Entering neighbor’s drawing-room is just
as easy as one’s own. Hearing shouts from the adjacent room and not
respond to them is as difficult, as not noting noise in one’s own
home. The current generation can unite time, skills and resources
to create a new and efficient international system, which will enjoy
not only moral authority, but will also be a long-standing defender
of the weak,” he remarked.
Oskanian underscored that Armenia has been helping to establish
international mechanisms to prevent Genocide and its causes. “These
causes imply not only “cleansing” of a people, living in its historical
fatherland, but also successful attempts to wipe out such facts
from humanity’s memory,” the Minister said, reports the Armenian MFA
Press Service.

33 FILMS PRESENTED IN THE “GOLDEN APRICOT” FESTIVAL
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 15:33
11 full-length films, 6 short films and 16 documentaries of Armenian
cinematographers are presented in the “Armenian Panorama” program of
the “Golden Apricot” international film festival.
President of the festival Harutyun Khachatryan told the journalists
today that there was a wish to include many more films in the program
to provide the opportunity to have a better notion what Armenian
directors in and outside Armenia produce. The election commission,
however, did not include some films in the program. Organizers say
that according to the rules of the festival no explanations are
given in case the films are rejected. These are solely not included
in the festival in case they do not correspond to the standards of
the festival.
According to the member of the creative council of the festival
Arthur Bakhtamyan, the palette of the “Armenian Panorama” is rather
multicolored and diverse this year. The only common thing is that
all the movies were filmed by Armenians.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF SLOVAKIA HAS GOOD EXPERIENCE OF JOINT WORK WITH FIVE OF SIX PARTIES ENTERED NATIONAL COUNCIL OF COUNTRY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 20 2006
BRATISLAVA, JUNE 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The
Social-Democratic “Smer” party won at the elections of the National
Council of Slovakia held on June 17 as a result of what serious changes
are expected in this counrty. The left came to take the place of the
previous coalition of the right orientation. The coalition authorities
proposed by the left must still be affirmed by the President of the
country. The Christian-Democratic Party cooperating with the local
Armenian community also gathered the necessary votes, and it will be
clear during the coming days if it will have a place in the coalitional
government or will become opposition after the eight-year power.
Ashot Grigorian, the Chairman of the Armenian community of Slovakia
informed in the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent that five of
the six parties entered the National Council “has a good or very good
experience and results” of the joint work with the Armenian community
and its Chairman. But, according to A.Grigorian, it is very desirable
to see in the coalition “especially the Christian-Democratic Party
(KDH) and the “For Democratic Slovakia” (HZDS) movement, joint work
with which promises wider horizons in the sphere of solution of
Armenian issues.”

HEAD OF ARMENIAN CHURCH DEPARTS ON PONTIFICAL VISIT TO TURKEY
Armenpress
Jun 20 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS: The head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, has departed today for Istanbul, Turkey for a seven-day
Pontifical Visit. The press office of the Church said His Holiness
is traveling to Turkey upon the joint invitation of His Beatitude
Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople; and
His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
During this first Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Karekin II to
Turkey, the Catholicos of All Armenians will visit Armenian churches
and holy shrines, extend his pontifical blessings to the Armenian
community of Istanbul, and meet with Armenian intellectuals and young
men and women. On Sunday, June 25, His Holiness will celebrate a
Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Patriarchate’s Cathedral
of the Holy Mother of God.
For two days during the trip, His Holiness will also be the guest
of the Ecumenical Patriarch in a fraternal visit. His Holiness will
have a number of ecumenical meetings in the Armenian Patriarchate as
well. Also planned is a meeting between the Pontiff of All Armenians
and the Governor of Istanbul. His Holiness is scheduled to return to
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on June 28.

BOOK “KARABAKH: FACTS AND TOTALS” DISTRIBUTED AT 33RD SESSION OF OIC
Author: R.Abdullayev
TREND. Azerbaijan
June 19 2006
The presentation of the book “Karabakh: facts and totals” was held
June 19 in Baku. The presentation was organized by Youth forum of
Islamic conference for dialog and cooperation that has a member’s
status in OIC, Trend reports.
The book is the first edition in “Humanitarian tragedy and problems in
Islamic states” series and it was distributed today among participants
of the 33rd session of OIC in Baku.
Performing at the presentation, secretary general of the forum Elshad
Iskenderov stated his regret on insufficient awareness of contemporary
problems of OIC countries. He said this edition is the first in Arabic
purposed for broad public and consists of 5 sections.
The book narrates about the history and totals of Armenia’s aggression
against Azerbaijan. Authors used archive materials to show the very
horror of Armenian terror.
The said forum was organized in Baku in December 2004; it unites 35
youth NGOs of OIC countries.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO MEET IN VIENNA
ArmRadio.am
19.06.2006 14:42
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are expected to meet in Vienna, Russian
Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov told “Trend”Agency.
The meeting will be held in the framework of the sitting of the OSCE
Permanent Council. Mattew Bryza will replace Steven Mann as US Co-Chair
of the Minsk Group. He will be officially presented in Vienna.
Merzlyakov noted that it will be possible to make any comments on
the current situation of the Karabakh conflict settlement and the
further steps only after the meeting in Vienna.