Author: Vanyan Gary

RA MINISTER OF DEFENSE SERGE SARGSYAN TO LEAVE FOR BRUSSELS

YEREVAN, June 8. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan will
leave for Brussels tomorrow to participate in the session of Ministers
of Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. According to the
RA Minister of Defense Press Secretary, Colonel Seiran Shakhsuvaryan,
June 10 Sargsyan will meet the NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer, whom he will hand on behalf of the RA President Robert
Kocharyan the Presentation document on an individual NATO-Armenia
activities partnership plan. The Armenian delegation will return to
Yerevan on June 11. A.H.-0–

A1plus

| 14:36:45 | 07-06-2005 | Politics |

NEW CHURCH TO BE BUILT IN US

During his visit to the US Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II
consecrated the foundation of the Armenian Church of the US Western Diocese.

The Church will be constructed thanks to the funds donated by 20 Armenians,
citizens of the US.

After the ceremony pigeons were let out to the sky as a token of peace and
then priest Hovan requested the Catholicos to bless the congregation.

Garegin II noted that the Church will become the spiritual and prayerful
center, which will unite the flock.

Armenpress

REPUBLICAN PARTY WINS LOCAL ELECTIONS IN THREE YEREVAN DISTRICTS AND IN
SPITAK

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS: Mayors of three Yerevan’s Malatia-Sebastia,
Nork-Marash and Davidashen districts were reelected in June 5 community head
elections. In Nork-Marash Varazdat Mkrtchian from prime minister’s
Republican Party was reelected by 5,040 ballots while his non-partisan rival
Mikael Arushanian received only 11 votes.
In Davidashen Surik Ghukasian beat his rival Ruben Gevorkian receiving
ballots of 6,311 voters. Gevorkian received 5,396 votes.
Aghvan Grigorian won the election in Malatia-Sebastia community with
21,220 ballots, his non-partisan rival Samvel Hovsepian received 4,675
votes.- Another member of the Republican party, Vanik Asatrian, was
reelected mayor of Spitak town in Lori province in June 5 polls. He received
4,272 votes and his main rival, Varazdat Danielian collected 1,807 votes.

RA PRESIDENT AND US SENATOR DISCUSS REGIONAL PROBLEMS AND REFORMS CARRIED OUT IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues concerning extension of
Armenian-American interrelations were discussed at RA President
Robert Kocharian’s meeting with Chuck Hagal, US Senator, and Charles
Wald, Deputy Commander of US European Command. RA President said
that Armenian-American relations develop dynamically giving new
opportunities for cooperation. Senator Hagal said that really great
progress was fixed in our bilateral relations during the previous
several years and attached importance to provision of continuation
of this process. Noyan Tapan was informed from RA President’s Press
Service that the American party once more emphasized the importance
of assistance rendered by Armenia in struggle against terrorism and
mentioned that Armenian peace-makers fulfil their mission in Kosovo
and Iraq with great responsibility. During the meeting the parties
exchanged opinions about regional problems, as well as touched upon
the reforms carried out in Armenia.

CONSTRUCTION OF GAFESJIAN MUSEUM STARTS IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The construction work of the Gafesjian
arts museum has started in Yerevan, in connection with which seven
sculptures of the Gafesjian collection – the Welsh sculptor Barry
Flanagan’s “Acrobats” and “The Hare on the Bell”, “Open Window” by
Czech sculptors Stanislav Libenski and Yaroslava Brikhtova, Fernando
Botero’s “The Roman Soldier”, the British sculptor Lynn Chedvick’s
“Stairs”, “Two Observers” and “Sitting Forms” – have been brought to
Armenia. The Gafesjian museum spokeperson Madlen Minasian told about
this at the June 1 press conference. According to her, until now 8
sculptures of the Gafesjian collection has been brought to Armenia,
whereas the remaining part will arrive at the time of opening the
museum. M. Minasian informed reporters that the construction will
finish in 2007, as a result of which the main building of the museum
will connect Tamanian Park and the Cascade Hill by the external stairs
and escalators. The construction is estimated at about 25 mln USD. The
Gafesjian collection contains over 100 items, including sculptures
and other works of art, and is worth 25 mln USD.

ENTREPRENEURS OF ARMENIA AND IRAN DISCUSS ISSUES OF COOPERATION IN TABRIZ

TABRIZ, JUNE 1. ARMINFO. A two-day joint conference of Iranian and
Armenian businessmen opens at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
in Tabriz today.

The conference discusses the prospects of development of trade
and economic relations of Iran and Armenia and Tabriz and Yerevan.
Participating in the conference are Iranian Ambassador to Armenia
Ali Reza Khakikyan, President of the joint Armenian-Iranian CCI
Akha Ronyan, the members of CCI of Tabriz and the Armenian economic
delegation. Besides participation in round tables dedicated to the
Iranian-Armenian cooperation, Armenian entrepreneurs will also visit
a number of industrial and agricultural enterprises as well as will
get first hand view of the cultural and historical and tourist sights
in Tabriz and Eastern Azerbayjan, IRNA reports.

Turkey is the Loser
By SAHIN ALPAY

Zaman, Turkey
June 1 2005

I turned on the television to watch the evening news on Tuesday, May
24. The top news item concerned the appointment of State Minister Ali
Babacan as chief negotiator for Turkey in accession talks with the
European Union (EU), due to start on October 3. His appointment was
received generally very positively. Bahadir Kaleagasi, the Brussels
representative of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s
Association (TUSIAD), even described Mr. Babacan as a “chief negotiator
with full EU standards.” The news continued with remarks made by
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek in response to what Istanbul Deputy
Sukru Elekdag of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Aksaray
Deputy Ramazan Toprak of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
said about the conference on “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline
of the Empire: Scientific Responsibility and Issues of Democracy”
(in which I too was scheduled to speak at a panel) organized by the
Bogazici, Sabanci and Bilgi Universities on May 25- 27.

The justice minister was saying: “This is a stab in the back to
the Turkish nation~E In no university in the world can autonomy and
academic freedom be interpreted as irresponsibility~E This conference
is devoid of responsibility and seriousness~E I wish I, as Justice
Minister, had not turned over my authority to prosecute~E I wonder
what the Higher Education Council (YOK) will do about this issue~E We
must put an end to this cycle of treason and propaganda against the
[Turkish] nation by people who carry its citizenship.” I could net
help shouting: “Here is a minister with full EU standards!” I was
dumbfounded by the insulting attacks against a conference that was
organized by some of the country’s most prestigious universities,
even before it started, just because the organizers brought together
people who questioned the official view on the Armenian issue. The
minister not only inviting the public prosecutors to duty, he was
also calling on the YOK to intervene.

I soon learned that the Bogazici University was forced to cancel
the conference. I was deeply saddened. This conference would have
shown the whole world that Turkey is a real democracy, where on every
issue very different opinions can be expressed, where academics can
freely question the official views. It would also have shown that the
“genocide” allegation is not accepted by Turkish civil society. I
felt great pain for Turkey being still governed by individuals who
are incapable of assessing the value of the conference from these
points of view. I felt really bad about the damage Turkey would
suffer in world public opinion as a result of the suppression of
this conference. Turkey was the loser and the “genocide” claimers
were the ones rejoicing.

Let’s turn to the real issue. The incident is a warning about
a fundamental problem which has unfortunately been very much
neglected: Academic freedom in Turkey is restricted to an extent
that is incompatible with a true democracy. What is academic freedom?
Academic freedom means that scientists are able to conduct research
on any topic they desire, using any method they prefer without being
subject to any political, religious or ideological pressure, and
that they are able to freely express and publish the results their
research. It means that university students as well as professors
and scholars have the freedom to pose questions, conduct research,
acquire knowledge and express views about issues. The philosophy
behind academic freedom is the following: Human knowledge is based
on an unending search for truth. All knowledge is open to discussion
and questioning. The truth is not in the monopoly of any institution,
government, party, group or circle. The duty of universities in a
democratic society is to develop knowledge through research, to
examine intellectual traditionals in a critical way, to educate
students as productive – creative individuals, and to share the
acquired knowledge and opinion with society at large. In a country,
where academic freedom with all of its aspects is not appreciated,
there can be no talk of university or science in the real meaning of
the terms.

I hope the canceling of the conference does not lead to further
suppression of freedom of expression and academic freedom, but rather
helps their expansion.

Armenian leader urges diplomats to be keen on protecting national interests

A1+ web site
31 May 05

31 May: President Robert Kocharyan today met Armenian ambassadors
accredited to foreign countries. The ambassadors have arrived in
Yerevan for their annual conference.

The meeting discussed the issues of Armenian foreign policy, possible
options for solving them and other organizational matters.

Kocharyan said that embassies should co-ordinate their work to ensure
maximum protection of the country’s interests in the international
arena.

PRESS RELEASE

ARMENPAC, The Armenian-American Political Action Committee
421 E. Airport Freeway, Suite 201
Irving, Texas 75220
Contact: Jason P. Capizzi, Esq.
Tel: 201-906-4150
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

ARMENPAC EXCLUSIVE WITH CONGRESSMAN PALLONE ON HIS BID FOR U.S. SENATE

Irving, TX – ARMENPAC thanks Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
for granting ARMENPAC Co-Chair Annie Totah an exclusive interview
regarding his current bid for a seat in the United States Senate.
“Despite his very busy schedule, Congressman Pallone, who is considered
every Armenian’s representative in Congress, made the time to candidly
talk with ARMENPAC given his ongoing concern for, and support of,
Armenian-American issues,” said ARMENPAC Co-Chair Annie Totah.

Congressman Frank Pallone is the founder and Co-Chair of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues in the United States House
of Representatives. He is a staunch supporter of Armenian-American
issues and has led countless efforts towards Genocide Recognition,
ensuring foreign aid to Armenia, finding equitable and lasting
peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and, maintaining military
parity between our homeland and Azerbaijan. Congressman Pallone’s
advocacy has been critical in strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations,
and ARMENPAC is grateful for his leadership.

The following is an account of the interview between Congressman
Frank Pallone (“CP”) and ARMENPAC Co-Chair Annie Totah (“AT”):

AT: Why are you campaigning for a seat in the United States Senate
at this time?

CP: As you may or may not know, Senator Jon Corzine is running for
Governor of New Jersey. That Election will be held in November of this
year, 2005. If Jon Corzine wins, which I believe he will, he will be
sworn in as governor in January of 2006. Before being sworn into the
governor’s office, Jon Corzine will resign as Senator, leaving his
seat vacant for the last year of his six (6) year term.

AT: What happens in New Jersey if a United State Senate seat is
vacated? Will there be a special election for the remaining term of
Senator Jon Corzine’s seat; what are some scenarios that may occur
as to how that seat would be filled?

CP: The New Jersey constitution allows for the Governor of the state
to appoint a person to fill the vacant seat for the remainder of
the term. In New Jersey, there is no special election of a vacant
Senate seat. Thus, once Jon Corzine is sworn in as Governor, he will
appoint his successor to the United States Senate. That is why I have
been actively seeking Jon Corzine’s seat in the United States Senate.
My hope is that Senator Corzine will ultimately appoint me to finish
his term, thereby allowing me to run for reelection as the Senator
when the seat is up in 2006.

AT: Why is it important to the Armenian-American community that you
are successful in your run for a seat in the United States Senate?

CP: I am the founder, and Co-Chair, of the 143-member Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, one of the largest Caucuses in the
House of Representatives. Since 1994, I have led countless efforts
towards ensuring foreign aid to Armenia, Genocide Recognition, finding
equitable and lasting peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well
as continuing to build on the strong U.S. and Armenia relationship.
Last year, I helped secure $65 million to Armenia in economic
assistance, and an additional $5 million was allocated in military
assistance. In addition, $3 million was secured for assistance to
Nagorno-Karabakh. Of course, I remain steadfast in my support for
maintaining these levels considering the current situation in Armenia,
and the growth and development that its economy has exhibited over the
last few years. I am confident that I will bring this same energy and
level of commitment with me to the Senate, as I push forth legislation
and initiatives that will benefit Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

AT: The Armenian-American community will be loosing a staunch supporter
of its issues in the United States Senate given the upcoming retirement
of Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD). If elected to the Senate, are you
willing to pick up the reigns and continue to be an advocate of
Armenian-American issues as you have done in the House?

CP: I certainly agree that the departure of Senator Paul Sarbanes will
leave a void in the United States Senate, where he has been a great
advocate on behalf of the Armenian-American community. If elected
to the Senate, I will continue the bipartisan work that I have been
doing in the House and carry on the legacy of Senator Sarbanes by
joining the efforts of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to ensure that
the entire Senate remains active on Armenian-American issues.

AT: As a Co-Chair of the Armenian Caucus in the House of
Representatives, what advocacy initiatives of the Caucus do you think
could be successful in the Senate?

CP: In the last eleven (11) years, the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian issues has spearheaded various initiatives in the House.
It is significant to note that due to the efforts of the Armenia
Caucus, military parity was restored between the levels of aid given to
Azerbaijan and Armenia for 2005. We also passed the Permanent Normal
Trade Relations (“PNTR”) legislation in the last session of Congress.
These types of advocacy initiatives to protect Armenian’s security
in the caucuses region and to improve its developing economy will be
followed up in the U.S. Senate.

AT: If elected to the Senate, what will be your first three (3)
legislative priorities?

CP: As I have done in the House, I intend to introduce Genocide
legislation in the Senate. I would also seek a legislative vehicle to
end the Turkish blockade. Finally, I think it is important to create
greater trade with Armenia through tax incentives and the lowering
of Tariff barriers in certain Sectors.

AT: Congressman Pallone, thank your for taking the time to
discuss these issues with me, which are of interest to all
Armenian-Americans. Also, ARMENPAC thanks you for your continued
leadership on Armenian-American issues, and wishes you the best of
luck with your campaign.

ARMENPAC supports Congressman Frank Pallone’s bid for the United
States Senate given his distinguished leadership and advocacy for
Armenian-American interests in Congress. Congressman Pallone is a
steadfast friend of all Armenians, and will more effectively be able
to advance the concerns of our community as a member of the Senate.
If you would like to make a contribution in support of Congressman
Pallone’s campaign, please contact ARMENPAC Co-Chair Annie Totah
at 301-365-2277 or ARMENPAC Executive Director Jason P. Capizzi
at 201-906-4150.

ARMENPAC is an independent, bipartisan political action committee
established to shape public policy by raising awareness of,
and advocating for, Armenian-American issues. ARMENPAC provides
financial support to federal officeholders, candidates, political
action committees and organizations that actively support issues of
importance to Armenian-Americans. For more information and how to
join ARMENPAC, please visit

AZG Armenian Daily #097, 28/05/2005

Turkey

CHAIRMAN OF TURKISH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SUPPORTS ORGANIZERS OF CONFERENCE

Bulent Arenc, chairman of the Turkish National Assembly, who pays an
official visit to Washington met with Turkish journalists. According to the
May 27 issue of Radikal, the latter reminded him of the delay after
criticizing the conference envisaged in the Bosphorus University. In
response, Arenc said that “the freedom of the speech and thought doesn’t
mean statements on the issues that will receive the applauses of everybody.
Dissent should be accepted naturally.” Radikal stated that by this statement
he supported the organizers of the conference and criticized their
opponents.

By Hakob Chakrian