Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

DVIN: THE TINY RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN RESTAURANT
By Stefanie Ellis
Special To The Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO
March 9 2006

Whenever I go to Dvin, the tiny Russian-Armenian restaurant in
Webster Groves, I feel like the guest of honor. Once I step inside, an
otherwise quiet dining room suddenly comes alive with the intoxicating
sound of Russian folk music. And the owner, who is often reading a
magazine at a table in the front of the restaurant, rushes off to
the kitchen, as if to position herself for the preparation of my meal.

Slowly, my shoulders begin to move to the music, and the next thing I
know I’m dancing in my seat. And when the owner’s daughter, a pretty
girl with long braided hair, brings me my menu, I’m smiling, dancing
and greeting her all at once.

“Do you have meat blintzes tonight?” I nervously ask. “Yes,” she says
quickly, with a smile. Then, and only then, can my night truly begin.

And began it did, on a recent visit, with an order of sweet red peppers
($3.95), which came dressed in oil, garlic and a dash of vinegar,
and topped with crumbled feta and chopped black olives. The peppers,
though more tart than sweet, were soft and buttery, and nearly melted
in my mouth.

The spinach pie ($4.95), however, didnt exactly melt, as it was a
bit weathered, indicating, perhaps, that it was no stranger to the
inside of a microwave. Still, it was quite good. And though the menu
said it had cheese in it, I only tasted spinach and a bit of onions,
but it was a perfect match for the still-buttery phyllo. In fact,
I liked it better without cheese. Even in its dilapidated state,
it was one of the better spinach pies I’ve tasted.

As an entre, I was hesitant to select the dolmas ($6.75), grape
leaves stuffed with ground beef, pork, chicken, carrots and rice,
served in a butter sauce. But everything was perfectly balanced.

The sour cream was also more than compatible, if not perfectly so,
with the meat blintzes ($7.75), steaming pillows of spongy, slightly
sweet pancakes, filled with ground chicken. There are no bells and
whistles to this dish and no fancy sauces – just perfectly seasoned
meat tucked inside a golden buckwheat blanket.

I’ve heard that in Russia, the thinner your pancake, the better
your skill as a cook. At Dvin, the blintzes are the thinnest of any
variation on the crepe I’ve seen, yet possess a surprising density,
leaving you full but not stuffed. And in my case, deliriously happy.

For dessert, the frozen berry cake ($4.25), layers of sponge cake and
tart berry mousse, was topped with an icy assortment of raspberries,
blueberries and lingonberries. Considering that lingonberries,
other than those found in jams, aren’t typically available in area
supermarkets, it was a special treat. It was also the perfect finish
to a lovely meal.

And that’s the thing about Dvin: every visit is, in its own way,
perfect. Whether it’s the restaurant’s cozy feel and personalized
attention to background music, or blintzes that can quiet even the
toughest critic, this is a place worth checking out. What you do with
your shoulders is up to you.

Dvin

Address: 8143 Big Bend Boulevard

Phone: 314-968-4000 Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 5 to 11 p.m.,
Monday-Saturday Credit cards: Major cards accepted Smoking: No
Wheelchair access: Fine

Armenpress

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS URGE ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
TO PREPARE THEIR PUBLICS “FOR PEACE NOT WAR”

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: The three co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with the conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh, have issued a statement
regretting the lack of forward movement in the recent
negotiations and calling upon Armenia and Azerbaijan
to “work vigorously” to achieve a result in 2006.
Their statement reads: “The Co-Chairs of the OSCE’s
Minsk Group, Ambassadors Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia,
Steven Mann of the United States, and Bernard Fassier
of France, joined by Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the
Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, met in Washington on 7 and 8 March
to discuss the latest developments regarding the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to assess the future
direction of mediation efforts. The Co-Chairs reviewed
the discussions that took place in Rambouillet on 10
and 11 February and expressed again their gratitude to
the President of the French Republic for making that
meeting between President Robert Kocharian and
President Ilham Aliyev possible.
Assessing the current state of affairs in the
region, the Co-Chairs reaffirmed their belief that a
great deal of progress has been achieved in the past
year and a half. They regret that the process has not
moved forward in recent weeks though, despite ample
opportunity to do so. They urged both parties to build
on the basic principles for a future settlement that
have already been developed in order to achieve an
agreement in 2006.
Referring to their joint statement at the OSCE
Permanent Council on 2 March, the Co-Chairs continue
to believe that objective conditions make 2006 a
highly favorable year for substantial progress, and
they call upon the Governments of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to work vigorously to achieve this result.
The Co-Chairs further call upon the Government of each
country to take steps with their publics to prepare
them for peace, and not for war. The Co-Chairs will
decide on their next trip to the region after further
assessment of the readiness of the parties. Their next
meeting is planned for 20 March in Istanbul.”

Daily Nation , Kenya
March 12 2006

Mercenaries: Tell us the truth

Publication Date: 03/12/2006

The strictest definition of a mercenary is a soldier who fights or
engages in warfare for money with no regard for ideological,
political or national considerations.

Ever since the raid on the Standard Group nearly a fortnight ago, the
air has been thick with the talk of a squad of mercenaries that is
allegedly in the country at the behest, or at least with the
knowledge of, the government.

Langata MP Raila Odinga last week was the first to come out in the
open on the issue of these alleged soldiers of fortune.

After the Russian Embassy in Nairobi disassociating itself from any
such activity, Mr Odinga came out and said that in fact he had been
mistaken, the mercenaries were not Russians but Armenians. He even
displayed copies of their passports and visas to Kenya.

Mr Odinga’s claims might have the ring of believability about them.

It is known that ex-soldiers from what was called the Eastern Bloc
are widely available for hire throughout the world.

Mr Odinga is obviously keen to make as much political capital as he
can on what are, so far, unsubstantiated claims.

His foes have rubbished the allegations, and the whole matter is in
danger of degenerating into a slanging match and a political
point-scoring contest.

It does not help that divisions in the police force between the
Commissioner and the Director of the CID could be hampering a proper
investigation of the matter.

It is important that the matter be investigated thoroughly and
impartially.

If rumour and innuendo and gossip is allowed to continue, then the
country could find itself in a situation where fear and despondency
are engendered amongst the general public.

If indeed mercenaries are found to officially operate in Kenya, then
they and their high level connections must be exposed and brought
swiftly to justice.

On the other hand if there is no truth to the story, then the matter
should be brought to a rapid close.

It should surely not be difficult for the police and the Immigration
department to get to the bottom of the worrying matter.

PanARMENIAN.Net

CD with Songs Having Lyrics in Hamshen Dialect of
Armenian Language Released in Krasnodar

11.03.2006 22:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ First Hamshenian CD, which was
released in the Krasnodar Territory, has collected
together most popular musical compositions, performed
in the Hamshen dialect of the Armenian language,
reported the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of
Russia. Compositions are performed by Caravan band
with organizational support of Armenian Hamshen
Scientific, Information and Cultural Center and
material assistance of local philanthropists.

In 2006 Hamshen Scientific, Information and Cultural
Center plans urgent research of the regions, where
Hamshen Armenians live, working out the structure of
Hamshen Encyclopedia, publishing scientific bulletins
on issues of Hamshen Armenians, forming a web-site of
the organization, forming ideas and script for a
documentary, issuing Hamshen library book series,
creation of Hamshen folklore theater, organization of
all-Hamshen cultural festival, etc. According to
experts, up to 250 thousand Hamshen Armenians
compactly live in Kuban, Adygeya and Abkhazia. They
come from Hamshen region of Western Armenia (now
territory of Turkey). They moved to Kuban in the
middle of the XIX century and early XX century after
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. They speak a special
– Hamshen -dialect of the Armenian language.

EurasiaNet, NY
March 11 2006

SOUTH CAUCASUS: SLOW PROGRESS ON PLANS FOR CLOSER EU TIES
Ahto Lobjakas 3/11/06
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

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Officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were in Brussels in
recent days for another round of talks on “action plans” for closer
EU links. Although it is now a year since the European Commission
first proposed the “action plans,” there is no end in sight to the
process. EU officials say the talks have proven complex. It also
appears Azerbaijan must overcome a spat with Cyprus over its ties to
Northern Cyprus before the “action plans” can be formally approved by
the EU.

The Commission tabled its proposals for the “action plans” for the
three South Caucasus countries in March, 2005. The plans detail the
assistance the EU will offer Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
next few years.

All three countries are keen to pursue closer ties with the EU. Yet
their second round of talks with the EU this week did not prove
conclusive.

European Commission spokeswoman Emma Udwin told RFE/RL that the EU is
moving as quickly as possible.

“We are hoping to be able to conclude consultations on the action
plans for all three countries of the South Caucasus as rapidly as
possible, and consultations up to this point have gone very well,”
Udwin said. “We’ve just completed the second round — the first was
held just before Christmas — and we are making very good progress.
We are narrowing down the number of topics that still have to be
tackled.”

However, Udwin said a third round of talks will be needed. Commission
sources say these may take place in the second half of May.
Commission officials refuse to elaborate on the details of the talks,
saying it could have a negative impact.

Udwin said there was no political motive behind this extension of the
“action plan” talks, and no technical difficulties holding things up.

“There is no delay as such; we started a little later than some had
hoped, but the consultations, now they are under way, are going
extremely well,” she said. “It’s important to understand that the
action plans that we’re talking about cover a very wide range of
policy areas and each of the difficult chapters has to be tackled and
they have a number of very precise points within them.”

Georgia’s Many Goals

Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Valeri Chechelashvili told
journalists in Brussels two days after his round of talks on March 7
that there is agreement with the EU on about three-quarters of the
contents of the “action plan.” He said the round of talks in May
could prove to be the last.

Chechelasvili said Georgia would like the “action plan” to contain a
reference to the prospect of free trade with the EU. He said Georgia
is preparing to unilaterally give up trade restrictions for the
entire world, but understands that the EU is not keen to tackle the
issue within the framework of the present talks. Georgia would also
like the EU to ease its visa regime, having itself unilaterally
lifted its visa requirements for EU citizens.

EU sources have told RFE/RL, however, that the bulk of Georgia’s
diplomatic energy is currently focused on securing greater EU
involvement in conflict resolution — something the “action plans” do
not encompass beyond a reference to the EU’s readiness to assist with
postconflict rehabilitation.

The Georgian minister for conflict resolution, Georgi Khaidrava, was
also in Brussels in recent days. According to diplomats, he was
lobbying EU member states to join the Joint Control Commission —
which is tasked with monitoring the situation in the South Ossetian
conflict zone and is comprised of Georgia, the breakaway republic of
South Ossetia, Russia, and the Russian republic of North Ossetia —
to contribute peacekeepers for the breakaway republic of South
Ossetia, and to agree to set up a border monitoring mission.

Azerbaijan-Cyprus Spat Delaying Matters?

The EU itself is at the point of dispatching a formal reply to an
earlier letter from the Georgian government for assistance.

Armenia’s main sticking point in the “action plan” talks appears to
be the future of the Medzamor nuclear plant. Yerevan is keen to
secure more financial EU support for the decommissioning of the plant
and securing alternative energy supplies.

Azerbaijan’s main problem regarding the negotiations is with Cyprus.
The EU member state has, in the course of the past year, put the
brakes on EU-South Caucasus progress over Baku’s apparent willingness
to pursue ties with Northern Cyprus. The internationally unrecognized
government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus relies on
backing from Turkey. Ankara is also a close ally of Baku.

EU officials say Azerbaijan has only allowed one commercial flight to
take place in violation of the policy of isolation followed by the EU
with regard to Northern Cyprus, but refuses to commit itself
unequivocally to ruling out any further flights. Similarly, Baku
refuses to take steps to close down a cultural exchange center in
Northern Cyprus, which it says is operated privately.

The Azerbaijani-Cypriot spat may partly account for why the EU is
content to put off the conclusion of the talks on the “action plans”
by a few more months.

EU officials say that Cyprus is likely to prevent the South Caucasus
action plans from coming into effect unless Azerbaijan clearly
renounces links to Northern Cyprus.

ADA EXPECTS TO RECEIVE CREDITS OF 2 MLN USD FROM WORLD BANK FOR SECOND PROGRAM ON DEVELOPMEMT OF ITS CAPACITIES

Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 10 sitting of the Armenian
Development Agency (ADA) Board, the draft second credit program on
development of the ADA Foreign Investment and Export Facilitation
(FIEF) capacities with World Bank (WB) resources was approved. ADA
Director General Vahagn Movsisian announced it at the March 11
press conference. According to him, the cost of this program to be
implemented in 2006-2009 will make 2 mln USD. It was noted that the
World Bank recognized the first 3-year credit program on development
of the ADA FIEF capacities as the best implemented program. During
the implementation of this program in 2003-2005, the WB allocated
credit resources of 1 mln USD to the agency. V. Movsisian said
that the spheres of high technologies, information technologies,
fine organic chemistry, exact architecture and biotechnologies, in
which intellectual work accounts for large part of production cost,
were selected as spheres for investment making within the program’s
framework in 2003. Database on possible 7 thousand investors was
created during the program. Information propaganda campaigns were
conducted in the US and European countries, now the second campaign
in the US, as well as propaganda campaigns in the Scandinavian and
Far East countries are underway.

According to the ADA Director General, in the course of these
propaganda campaigns, 30 companies either made investments in Armenia
or expressed an intention to do so. Among these comanies are Microsoft,
Sonix, IBM and Erikson, as well as the German airline Lufthanza. The
ADA created a website with the list of
5 thousand combinations developed in the country for the purpose of
attracting investments to the sphere of fine chemistry in Armenia. This
website, as well as presentation of the Armenian fine chemistry’s
potential in various countries contributed to the fact that the the
eneterprises of the sphere have received orders for synthesis of
500 combinations.

Representatives of 32 foreign companies will visit Armenia in 2006 in
order to become acquainted with the investment opportunities in fine
organic chemistry and biotechnologies spheres of Armenia. According
to V. Movsisian, as a result of developing the ADA capacities,
175 companies were set up in Armenia with foreign capital in
2003-2005 through the agency. Prior to launching the WB program,
the ADA received an average of 300 visitors annually, whereas in
2005 this index increased to 1,350. In the period of 2003-2005,
the ADA organized 40 exhibitions and 32 business forums.

REP. PALLONE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED OVER REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 13 2006

Co-Chairman of Congressional Armenian Caucus Demands Explanation
from the Secretary of State Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
Co-Chairman of the Armenian Issues Caucus, yesterday expressed his
extreme disappointment to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over
reports that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, is
being forced from office based upon truthful and forthright statements
last year about the Armenian Genocide.

In a March 10th letter, Rep. Pallone shared with the Secretary that
he is “outraged that the State Department is recalling Ambassador
Evans as retaliation for statements he made in recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.” He added that, “it is simply wrong for the State
Department to punish Ambassador Evans for statements he made that are
factually correct. Accordingly, I am asking you for an explanation as
to why Ambassador Evans was removed from his post. This is the wrong
message to send to the world. I look forward to a timely response
from your office.”

Speaking last year to an Armenian American gathering at the University
of California at Berkeley, Amb. Evans said, “I will today call it
the Armenian Genocide. I informed myself in depth about it. I think
we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank
and honest way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone who
has studied it. there’s no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened
. . . I think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games
here. I believe in calling things by their name.” Referring to the
Armenian Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said:
“I pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this
issue.” Amb. Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with a legal
advisor at the State Department who had confirmed that the events of
1915 were “genocide by definition.”

Within days after his remarks and the conclusion of a speaking tour of
Armenian American communities, Ambassador Evans was apparently forced
to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the Armenian
Genocide were his personal views and did not represent a change in
U.S. policy. He subsequently issued a correction to this statement,
replacing a reference to the Genocide with the word “tragedy.”

Later last year, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA),
in recognition of his honesty and commitment to principle, decided
to honor Ambassador Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,”
recognizing creative thinking and intellectual courage within the
Foreign Service. Sadly, as Washington Post staff writer Glenn Kessler
revealed on June 9th, AFSA withdrew its award following pressure from
“very serious people from the State Department.”

ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a letter sent to Secretary Rice earlier
this week, wrote that, “the prospect that a U.S. envoy’s posting – and
possibly his career – has been cut short due to his honest and accurate
description of a genocide is profoundly offensive to American values
and U.S. standing abroad – particularly in light of President Bush’s
call for moral clarity in the conduct of our international affairs.”

The ANCA letter also urged Secretary Rice to respond in a timely manner
to the series of written questions on this matter submitted on February
16th by Congressman Adam Schiff during her testimony before the House
International Relations Committee. Among these questions was a specific
request that the Secretary assure the Committee that the Department
of State has not taken – and will not take – any punitive action
against Ambassador Evans for speaking out about the Armenian Genocide.

ARMENIA USES EVERY OPPORTUNITY OF NATO MEMBERS AND PARTNERS TO TRAIN STAFF

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 21:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Dozens of Armenian officers are trained at US
military education institutions, Deputy MOD Head, lieutenant general
Artur Aghabekyan stated.

“Today we consider the US-Armenian military cooperation program, which
provides for retraining of Armenian officers in US military education
institutions, an important achievement,” he said. In Aghabekyan’s
words, within the context of the cooperation two linguistic centers
are operative.

“Another similar center operates in interaction with the British
Council,” he reported. “We appreciate the military cooperation with
Greece, within which 100 Armenian specialists were trained,” the
Deputy Minister stated, adding dozens of Armenian officers continue
their education in that country. We use all opportunities of NATO
member and partner states to train our staff,” Aghabekyan remarked,
reports RIA Novosti.

ARMENIA READY TO RECEIVE AZERI AND TURK ENVOYS WITHIN NATO EXERCISE

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 00:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NATO Rescuer 2006 exercises will be held in late
June in Yerevan, Armenian Deputy MOD Head, lieutenant general Artur
Aghabekyan said. In his words, participants from 20 countries,
including those of the region, will arrive in Armenia. “Armenia
has always been for cooperation with neighboring states, based on
Partnership for Peace principle, and is ready to receive envoys from
Azerbaijan and Turkey,” he said. Aghabekyan also remarked that the
conference on final planning of Rescuer 2006 exercises will be held
in April. Within the Armenia-NATO cooperation 110 events are planned
in Armenia this year.

U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE AND SPECIAL NEGOTIATOR FOR NAGORNO-KARABAKH VISIT ARMENIA

Armenpress
Oct 18 2005

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS: The US Embassy in Armenia said today
Daniel Fried, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs, visited Armenia on October 18 as part of regional
travel that included stops in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

It said joining Assistant Secretary Fried’s delegation was U.S. Special
Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh and Eurasian Conflicts, Ambassador
Steven Mann. As part of their visit, they met with representatives
of the Armenian Government, including President Robert Kocharian,
National Assembly Speaker Arthur Baghdasarian, Minister of Defense
Serzh Sarkisian and Minister of Justice David Harutunian.

In addition, they met with civil society leaders, journalists,
and representatives from the full spectrum of local political
parties. During these meetings, Ambassador Fried and Ambassador Mann
discussed a number of issues, including U.S.-Armenian relations,
democratic reforms in Armenia, U.S.-Armenian defense cooperation,
U.S. Government Assistance programs in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans hosted special
roundtable meetings on the topics of “Constitutional Reform and
Armenia’s Political Outlook” and “Preparing Civil Society for a
Post-conflict reality.”

Commenting on the visit, Ambassador Evans said, “The Assistant
Secretary’s visit reinforces the high-level of interest that the U.S.

Government has in helping build peace and prosperity in the South
Caucasus.

The visit comes at an opportune moment as Armenia prepares for an
historic referendum on its constitution and begins planning now for
free and fair elections in 2007 and 2008.”

This trip was Ambassador Fried’s first visit to Armenia since his
appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs in May 2005. Prior to this position, Ambassador Fried served
as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European
and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council (biographical
notes attached).

The U.S. Government has dedicated over $1.6 billion worth of assistance
to the people of Armenia since its independence.