Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PREMIERS DISCUSS VERKHNY LARS CHECKPOINT PROBLEM

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 4 2006

YEREVAN, December 4. /ARKA/. Armenian and Russian Premiers Andranik
Margaryan and Mikhail Fradkov discussed the problem of the closed
checkpoint in Verkhny Lars. The RA Premier pointed out that this
caused serious losses to Armenia’s economic entities this summer.

Margaryan pointed out the importance of organizing transportation
by means of the Novorosiysk-Poti-Novorosiysk ferry service. He
also drew Premier Fradkov’s attention to the commissioning of the
Caucasus-Poti-Caucasus train-ferry service, pointing out that Armenia
is interested in the construction being completed as soon as possible.

Margaryan also pointed out that Armenian-Russian economic cooperation
is based on direct contacts between Armenian and Russian enterprises.

According to him, a relevant contractual basis has recently actively
been formed.

An Armenian Premier-headed delegation went to Moscow on November 30 to
take part in the official closing of the Year of Armenia in Russia. On
December 1, 2006, the Armenian Premier held a meeting with his Russian
counterpart Mikahil Fradkov. The following day Premier Margaryan went
to Saint Petersburg to take part in the opening of the "History of
Armenia" exhibition at the Hermitage. The same day Margaryan took part
in the official closing of the Year of Armenia in Russia.

REFUGEES FROM AZERBAIJAN SETTLING IN NKR

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Nov 28 2006

Since the beginning of the current year about 240 families (over
600 people) have moved to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic /NKR/ from
RA and CIS countries for permanent residence, Head of Department for
migration of refugees and settlement of NKR Government Pavel Najarian
told DE FACTO agency.

In his words, most migrants are refugees from Azerbaijan of Karabakh
origin. One third of them are children.

The NKR state budget have allocated 1 milliard drams for the
settlement of migrants and refugees, which is 200 million drams more
as compared with the last year’s level. A family is given housing with
all conveniences and personal plots and allowances at a rate of 20,
000 drams per head. Besides, 0, 6 hectares of land are given to each
member of the family and loan to purchase a cow, seeds and diesel
fuel for the sowing.

BACKGROUND: THE DIMINISHING CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN TURKEY

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
November 27, 2006 Monday

DPA POLITICS Turkey Religion Pope BACKGROUND: The diminishing Christian
community in Turkey dpa infographic 3184 available Ankara One of the
biggest issues on the agenda of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey
starting on November 28 will be the state of Christian minorities.

There are no official figures on the number of Christians living
in Turkey but estimates put the figure at no higher than 100,000,
or around 0.15 per cent of the total population. Of these, only a
tiny minority are Roman Catholic.

Those numbers used to be much much higher but events over the past
century have led to sometimes massive decreases, sometimes gradual.

During the First World War Armenian Christians sided with Russia
against the Ottoman Empire and when the Russian armies disappeared
from eastern Turkey following the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, the
Ottoman authorities moved to expel from Turkey Armenians living in
the east of the country.

While Turkey denies that the subsequent massacres actually
constituted a genocide, it does admit that hundreds of thousands were
killed. Armenian historians claim as many as 1.5 million Armenians
died. The numbers may be in dispute, but there is no argument that
the massacres and the subsequent emigration of others completely

changed the religious make-up of the nation. Estimates put the Armenian
Christian population today at just 70,000.

Just a few years later, following the war of independence and
the founding of the modern Turkish republic, came the exchanges of
population with Greece that saw Muslims in Greece sent to Turkey and
Orthodox Christians sent the other way.

In spite of those events there were still sizable Christian minorities
in Turkey but over the years the numbers have dwindled further, both
due to natural emigration but also due to events such as in 1956,
when a pogrom against the 100,000 strong Greek Orthodox community in
Istanbul led to thousands leaving the country.

Today, there are only around 5,000 Greek Orthodox Christians living
in Istanbul.

Despite the minuscule numbers the Turkish authorities still today
are deeply suspicious of Christian minorities. In the past a wealth
tax imposed on minority groups, including Jews, impoverished many.

Today there are still problems for minority religious groups regarding
the owning or repair of property.

The Greek Orthodox Church also complains that the state closed down a
seminary on the island of Heybeli in 1971. Despite repeated calls from
the European Union to allow the seminary to reopen, the government of
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to move on the matter.

Turkish analysts have said that Erdogan’s hands are tied because he
has been thwarted by the fiercely pro-secular military in watering
down restrictions on the wearing of the Islamic-style headscarf in
public offices and universities.

The prime minister’s own daughters attend university in the United
States because they cannot wear the headscarf to school in their
own country.

As for the public at large there is certainly no obvious hatred of
Christians. There are no complaints concerning the behaviour of the
millions of western tourists who flock to Mediterranean resorts each
summer but there have been a number of attacks on Christians in some
of the more conservative areas of Turkey.

In February an Italian Catholic priest was shot dead by a 16-year-
old boy in the town of Trabzon. The exact motive for the murder has
not been revealed, the court was held behind closed doors.

Syrian Orthodox Christians have also complained that Kurdish families
have taken over their properties and churches in south-east Turkey
after they were forced to leave them due to poverty and conflict.

Evangelical protestant groups also complain of harassment by the
authorities.

Christians may not be high in numbers in Turkey but their plight
will be high on the agenda when Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Ankara
on November 28.

OPPOSITION LEADERS LAUNCH ‘PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT’
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Nov 27 2006

Two prominent opposition leaders launched over the weekend what
they described as a broad-based civic movement that will strive to
transform Armenia into a democratic and rule-of-law state.

Vazgen Manukian, a veteran oppositionist who headed the country’s first
post-Communist government in 1990-91, and former Foreign Minister Raffi
Hovannisian held the founding conference of the movement attended by
hundreds of supporters and representatives of other opposition groups.

Both men again insisted that the anti-government initiative is not a
prelude to the establishment of an electoral alliance. They said they
are only trying to end widespread popular apathy which the Armenian
opposition says facilitates erosion of civil liberties and a repeat
of fraudulent elections.

"We want to build a rule-of-law state where the citizen is the king,
where the citizen is free and proud," Hovannisian said in his speech
at the gathering.

"Our aim is to rally the entire society around a number of simple
principles," Manukian told reporters. "First of all, I believe that
there is no constitution in Armenia. We live under a constitution
which has been twice rigged, and disdain for laws stems from that."

The initiative was welcomed by several prominent public figures and
other opposition leaders that attended the conference. "Even in the
most remote village, nobody feels protected by the state," said Larisa
Alaverdian, Armenia’s former human rights ombudswoman. "Human rights
are violated everywhere, on a daily basis and in all spheres."

It remained unclear, however, what concrete actions the movement’s
leaders will take in the run-up to next spring’s parliamentary
elections. Manukian and Hovannisian said only that they plan to hold
rallies and meetings across the country in the coming months. They also
urged other major opposition parties and non-governmental organizations
to join the initiative. "Either we will fight together or will have
no achievements," said Hovannisian.

Today, Azerbaijan
Nov 24 2006

Ibrahim Burhanov: "Georgia should include refugees’ nationality in
repatriation law"

24 November 2006 [10:31] – Today.Az

Refugees’ nationality was not included in the law "Repatriation of
the refugees" passed in a few days in Georgia.

"We demand their nationality to be included in law," the chief of
Azerbaijani representation of Ahiska Turks’ International "Veten"
Society, Ibrahim Burhadov told APA.

UNO Head Assembly has a declaration about the protection of rooted
nations’ rights. "Georgia’s action should be regarded as the policy
of discrimination," Ibrahim Burhanov said.

He stated that Repatriation Fund should be established in six months
after the law is passed and the deportation to realize the
deportation. Georgia is in good terms with Armenians who intend to
establish Republic of Javakhetiya.

He also noted that 70 thousand Ahiska Turks live in Azerbaijan. "Our
aim is to ensure scattered Turks’ return to Georgia."

URL:

Agence France Presse — English
November 23, 2006 Thursday 6:18 PM GMT

Christan Turks stand trial for insulting Islam, Turkish nation

ISTANBUL, Nov 23 2006

Two Christian Turks went on trial here Thursday and risk two to nine
years in jail for allegedly denigrating Islam and the Turkish nation
while doing missionary work, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The defendants, from the Turkish Protestant Church in Istanbul, are
accused under provisions that penalize acts inciting hatred among
people, insulting "Turkishness" and keeping records of people’s
personal information, the agency said.

Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal were charged after prosecutors received
complaints over their missionary activities among school children in
the Istanbul suburb of Silivri.

The indictment accused them of saying that "Islam is a primitive
religion and a fabrication, a source of terrorism," and that "the
Turks, who committed many massacres of Christians in history, are a
cursed tribe and will not rid themselves of barbarism as long as they
stick to Islam."

The defendants rejected the charges, saying they only sought to
spread the message of the Bible, Anatolia reported.

The judge adjourned the trial.

Missionary activities are not illegal in Turkey, a a predominantly
Muslim but strictly secular country, but are usually greeted with
suspicion and hostility.

"Missionaries, hands off our schools and our children," read a banner
a group of protestors brandished outside the Silivri courthouse,
Anatolia said.

The religious freedoms of Turkey’s tiny Christian communities, mostly
Orthodox Greeks and Armenians, are likely to be on the agenda of Pope
Benedict XVI when he visits Turkey next week.

The European Union, which Turkey is seeking to join, is also pressing
Ankara to improve the rights of non-Muslim minorities.

BESIDES ROUND DANCE AND TREE PLANTING

A1+
[07:21 pm] 22 November, 2006

Today the journalists learned about another hobby of RA Public
Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan. The Prosecutor enjoys not only round
dances and tree planting, but also speaking with pupils. Today he
met a group of 8th-10th-form pupils in school N114 and answered
their questions.

The Prosecutor first represented the functions and role of his
office and then answered the questions of the pupils interested in
law. One of the pupils was interested if the judicial, legislative
and executive powers are separated and how the Constitution works,
Aghvan Hovsepyan assured that by the provisions stipulated in the
Constitution the three branches act separately which is very important
for the realization of a legal country.

A teacher asked if the traditions the people follow and the laws
imported from the European countries contradict each other or
not. Aghvan Hovsepyan noted that it is a very important question,
and law-makers must see to it that the laws adopted and the traditions
of the nations are not too far away from each other.

At the request of the pupils Aghvan Hovsepyan also represented his
biography. At the end of the meeting he presented them with his book
about criminal trials.

ARMENIAN MINISTRY DRAWS UP NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Mediamax, Armenia
Nov 21 2006

Yerevan, 21 November: The Ministry of Trade and Economic Development
has drawn up a national strategic programme of stable economic
development in Armenia, the chief advisor of the minister, Meruzhan
Akopyan, said in Yerevan today, Mediamax reports. The programme will be
submitted for the government’s consideration in the very near future.

Meruzhan Akopyan noted that the programme presents the general
approaches on ensuring stable economic development of Armenia. He
said that following the endorsement of the programme, special policies
will be elaborated for each sphere.

Speaking at a news conference in Yerevan today, Meruzhan Akopyan said
that the Armenian exporters continue to face serious difficulties,
caused by the strengthening of the national currency with respect
to the dollar. He noted that some domestic producers were forced to
cancel the dollar contracts which were signed in the beginning of
the current year.

The chief advisor of the trade and economic development minister
suggested that in the present situation the state should assist
exporters. In particular, Akopyan believes that the Central Bank could
have created more favourable conditions for lending to the small and
medium-sized business.

ARMENIAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS STILL HAVE A CHANCE

A1+
[01:44 pm] 21 November, 2006

Armenian Women’s Football team was beaten by the Israeli team 0:1 in
the qualifying phase of the 2009 Europe Cup.

Prior to it, the Armenian football players tied with the Bosnian
team 1:1.

It is noteworthy, that the Bosnian team beat the Latvian team 4:1 in
the second round. The Latvians were also beaten by the Israeli team
0:3 in the first round.

The next rival of the Armenian team will be the Latvian team on
November 23. Provided our team wins, it will have a chance to
participate in the next phase in case the Israeli team beats its
rival from Bosnian.

NEW CONGRESS URGED TO CHANGE STANCE ON MASS KILLINGS OF ARMENIANS

Pasadena Star-News (California)
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California)
Whittier Daily News
November 18, 2006 Saturday

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE Setrak Sheytanian died long ago, the victim of
a mass killing spree that many consider the first true genocide of
the 20th century.

For decades his family tried in vain to collect on his life insurance
policy, issued by New York Life nearly 100 years ago in Eastern
Anatolia, modern-day Turkey. They finally prevailed last year,
capitalizing on a California law that allows heirs of Armenians
killed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I to sue for unpaid
insurance claims.

No such law exists at the federal level, partly because Washington
has never said the mass killings perpetrated against the Armenians
constituted genocide. But that stance may soon change because of the
shift in power on Capitol Hill.

We now have a speaker-elect who supports recognizing the Armenian
genocide, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, who along with San
Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi has co-sponsored legislation that
would officially label the killings as part of a campaign of ethnic
cleansing by the Turks. That is a tremendous ally to have.

The legislation, along with a similar bill sponsored by Schiff,
was moved forward last year by the House International Relations
Committee. Neither of the bills ever made it to the House floor because
of strong opposition from other members of Congress, including outgoing
Speaker Dennis Hastert.

But the stalled legislation has suddenly been infused with new life,
with Pelosi at the helm of a new, Democrat-controlled Congress.

Ms. Pelosi has pledged to support the resolution again in the 110th
Congress, said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for the San Francisco
congresswoman. However, no resolutions on Armenia are included in
Pelosi s list of top priorities for the first 100 days of the new
Congress, he added.

Armenians contend that up to 1.5 million of their countrymen died at
the hands of the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923.

An official government recognition of the Armenian killings is long
overdue, said Martin Marutian, Sheytanian s nephew.

It is very important because we are recognizing genocides in Africa,
the Nazi Holocaust, but not the Armenian genocide, which was the
first one, said Marutian, 91, of La Cañada Flintridge. Newspapers,
including the New York Times, wrote about the genocide at the time.

But it seems like today the U.S. and Turkey have amnesia.

Marutian recounted the story of his uncle, who he said was killed
along with his wife and two small children when the Turks stormed
their small town of Kharpet in 1915. Marutian s mother had left
Turkey a year earlier for the United States to join her husband,
and Sheytanian had given her his policy to take with her.

For years, New York Life ignored the policy. But last year, a group
of lawyers including high-profile attorney Mark Geragos reached a

$20 million settlement with the company on behalf of scores Armenian
families, including the Marutians.

Geragos said federal recognition of the Armenian genocide might open
the way for similar suits over claims outside of California.

Hypothetically, if it were to happen federally, there are a number of
legal options that could open up, said Geragos, who has also recovered
$17 million for claimants from European insurance giant AXA. He linked
the AXA settlement with the recent action by the French Parliament
to formally recognize an Armenian genocide.

Geragos, who is of Armenian descent, also believes that federal
recognition of a genocide could eventually lead to the United States
acting as a mediator between Turkey and Armenia on the issue of land
and monetary reparations.

But others doubt that federal recognition of a genocide would lead
to any substantial results, let alone an about-face by Turkey on the
issue. Vartkes Yeghiayan, another of the lawyers in the New York Life
case, believes passage of the Schiff and Pelosi resolution would be
primarily symbolic.

The House of Representatives passed resolutions in 1974 and 1985 on
the genocide and President Reagan mentioned the genocide in 1981. And
what happened? Nothing, Yeghiayan said. The important thing is for
Turkey to recognize the genocide. I don t care who else in the world
recognizes it.

And even with Democrats in control of Congress, any Armenian genocide
resolution could still face considerable opposition.

We intend to move very quickly on this in the new session, but I
don t want to minimize the difficulty we face, said Schiff, who as
a state senator authored the legislation used by Geragos to sue New
York Life. The Bush administration has opposed recognition, many
in Congress are fighting it and Turkey has some of the best paid
lobbyists available.

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