Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

FUJITSU SIEMENS CONSIDERS UZBEKISTAN AS BRIDGEHEAD IN THE REGION
Asia Pulse; Jul 01, 2005
TASHKENT, July 1 Asia Pulse – Uzbekistan is a bridgehead for Fujitsu
Siemens Computers the expansion of its presence in Central Asia and
Caucasus, a top manager of Fujitsu Siemens Computers said at a press
conference dedicated to the end of the financial year.
Toni Razvadovski, Vice-President of Eastern Europe Department of
Fujitsu Siemens Computers, said that Fujitsu Siemens Computers
considers Uzbekistan as bridgehead for expansion of its presence
in the region as its sales of professional computers and servers
are increasing.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers recorded 62 per cent growth of sales in the
region, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Around half of that growth was
attributed to Uzbekistan.
Nuron, Avers and L&M are partners of Fujitsu Siemens Computers in
Uzbekistan. Nuron is only authorised service partner of company in
the country.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers implemented several large projects in
Uzbekistan. The company supplied 25 servers and 540 computers to
Internal Affairs Ministry and 4 servers and 300 computers to Hamkor
Bank in Andijan.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers also won a tender for the supply of computer
equipment within a programme for the modernisation of the education
system.
The company will equip 14 colleges in Uzbekistan with computers,
laptops and servers. The corresponding agreement was signed between
company and Uzbek Higher and Secondary Education Ministry on 24 June.

Officials visit Tsalka
The Messenger, Georgia
June 30 2005
Head of the parliamentary committee for human rights Elene Tevdoradze
and Deputy Ombudsman Bacho Akhalaya visited Tsalka region in eastern
Georgia on June 29.
Their mission is to study the situation in the region and find
out causes for the confrontation between the local ethnic-Armenian
population and special forces of internal affairs ministry deployed
in Tsalka last May.
The committee plans to hold a special meeting dedicated to the
situation in the region.
“We are not going neglect the problems of Georgian citizens who are
not ethnic Georgians,” Tevdoradze said prior to leaving.
Forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been deployed in the
region since last year due to the conflicts between the rejoins many
ethnic groups.

Azeri FM says Armenians to be re-settled if peace accord signed
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 28 2005
Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh region will be re-settled if Azerbaijan
and Armenia sign a peace accord, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
said.
Mammadyarov said that relevant provisions were reflected in the report
prepared by the OSCE fact-finding mission that visited Nagorno Karabakh
in February to look into the illegal settlement of Armenians in the
occupied Azerbaijani regions.
The Minister noted that the report indicated that Armenians have been
illegally settled in the occupied areas that Azerbaijani residents
were ousted from and should therefore be resettled. Azerbaijan’s
position on the issue is supported by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs and the international community, he added.

“TURKEY IN A NEW GEOPOLITICAL SITUATION: EXPECTATIONS IN ARMENIA”
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 27. ARMINFO. A Round Table Discussion “Turkey In A
New Geopolitical Situation: Expectations In Armenia” Will Be Held At
Congress Hotel In Yerevan On June 28. The Organizer Is The Center For
Strategic Analysis SPECTRUM. The Event Is Sponsored By The Friedrich
Ebert Foundation With Support Of German Embassy In Armenia. Dr.
Gayane Novikova, Director Of The SPECTRUM, H.E. Ambassador Heike
Peitsch, Germany (Confirmed) H.E. Ambassador Armen Baibourtian, Deputy
Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of RA (Confirmed) Will Make Welcoming
Speeches. Well-Known Armenian Politologists, Scientist-Historians
And Economists Are Expected To Speak At The Roundtable Discussion.

Free Artsakh, free elections
Editorial
Yerkir/Arm
June 17, 2005
These days, issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
parliamentary election scheduled for June 19 are in the public
focus. The political life of the republic is almost entirely
associated with the elections, and despite the pre-election fever, the
environment is peaceful.
Because the Karabakh conflict has not yet been settled, the election
has not only internal significance, but also — and even more– a
foreign policy impact.
For years, the politicians and statesmen of the both Armenian states
as well as the Diaspora have been pointing to two circumstances when
dealing with international community and organizations evolved in the
peace talks. Firstly, Nagorno Karabakh Republic is an established
state, there are well-established public and political institutions
and this society is on a much higher level in respect with development
and democracy than Azerbaijan, which is moving toward totalitarianism.
Secondly, a normal existence of a democratic Artsakh within
totalitarian Azerbaijan is absolutely unimaginable since these two
have noting in common and are incompatible in terms of ethnicity,
government, and culture.
This thesis is about to be seriously tested. In case a free and fair
election is conducted in Artsakh, regardless who wins, the entire
Armenian people will win. But if the election is manipulated hurting
the NKR image, the whole nation will loose no matter who gets how many
seats in the parliament. Free Artsakh needs free and fair elections.

Armenia Now, Armenia
June 24 2005
Natural High: Odzun marries beauty and history in spectacular fashion
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
To feel the Lori area in your palm, to merge with its sky and nature
one should go up to the village of Odzun, 1,150 meters above the sea
level, off the highway running from Vanadzor to Alaverdi.

Wonder world: the houses of Odzun are built on the edge of ravine
Ashot Dzavaryan, who drives a minibus between Odzun and Yerevan,
says: `Those visiting the village for the first time always have a
question – What were the people thinking when they decided to settle
down here? But they answer it themselves when they look around: here
is a wonder of the world!’
Odzun is situated on a high plateau near the ravine on the left bank
of the river Debed. In front of it are the Chatin Dagh mountains
(meaning Difficult Mountains) while above Odzun are the mountains of
Tsengo, Salart and Golurt covered with virgin forests. To the right
of the village is the well-known Mount Lalvar, which means the flower
mountain.
`I would go to other countries only to be able to compare them with
our nature and countryside. Ours is the best,’ says 65-year-old
locksmith from Odzun Seyran Hovasapyan.
One of his ancestors, priest Hovasap, was a builder of Odzun’s domed
basilica church (6th Century). His ashes are located near the
northern gate.
Construction of the church was started by the Zakaryan rulers, who
are considered Odzun’s first residents. Seyran says that the village
consisted of 30 tribes, of which only 7 or 8 remain now. During the
Russian-Persian war in 1765, some people from Karabakh settled in
Odzun.
Today, 5,000 people live here. Villagers say that Odzun’s name means
`to consecrate or sanctify’. A villager, Arsen Titanyan, says it was
also called Uzunlar.
`The houses were built in a direct line to the edge of the ravine,
like a string,’ he says.
Seyran says that life here warms up in summer as the village fills
with tourists. During Soviet years, they exceeded the local
population by 1.5 times. Now again, tourists visit often and pay to
stay overnight in villagers’ houses. Many prefer to stay in the Odzun
guest house two kilometers from the village near a forest. From
there, guests have a full view over the village.
`The guests of our village are reluctant to leave. The local
mountains, countryside, waters, air – it’s a different world!’ says
the minibus driver.
Monuments from different ages can be seen everywhere in Odzun and
surrounding areas. A sculpture to Smbat Bagratuni stands in the
center of the village near the church, and there are two medieval
cemeteries with numerous tombstones and khachkars.
One of Odzun’s treasures is its life-giving waters. One source is in
the forest in front of the holiday hotel. Hotel worker Andranik says
that many sick people come here and recover with the aid of these
waters. Seyran says people from as far as America and Australia come
for the water and take it home in vessels.
Still today clay pipes are preserved in the village through which
centuries ago the people of Odzun channeled the water from the
mountains to the village. They discovered its curative properties in
this way:
`Sixteen hundred years ago, Queen Parandzem was passing by with a
large army. The army made a stopover in Odzun and an epidemic broke
out. They began to drink water from Odzun’s springs and the epidemic
stopped. Queen Parandzem prayed and said: `Thanks God, you have
bestowed life-giving water on us.’
The guest house’s 42-year-old chef Geghetsik Hovhannisyan says that
besides water the area is rich in various useful herbs – thyme, mint,
cat thyme, motherwort, milfoil.

Alpine air and pure springs make natural food of Odzun especially
delicious
`We always treat our guests to Odzun’s famous thyme khashlama. It was
handed down to us by our forefathers. It is best made of lamb. We cut
it into pieces, pour cold water on it and put it on the fire. Then we
add tomato and pepper. Five or ten minutes before taking it off the
fire, we add thyme,’ explains Geghetsik.
She gets down to her job and cooks meals from clean natural rural
products. Butter, eggs, matsun, vegetables, cheese, sour cream – all
this is purchased from the village. Many tourists come to buy things
from villagers.
Home-baked bread is sold everywhere in Odzun. Unlike other regions of
Armenia, lavash is not baked here. Shop assistant Lusik explains:
`This bread is baked in special bakeries made of bricks. Every house
has a `bakery’. They bake 15 bread loafs at a time and eat them for
several days.’
The gate of Odzun’s domed church is closed. The watchman, 50-year-old
Garnik Davtyan, comes out of the house next door and unlocks the
gate. He also acts as a guide.
`The church was reconstructed in the 8th Century by Hovhan Odznetsi,
and during the Soviet times it was turned into a storehouse. My
mother worked as the manager of that storehouse. I remember I was a
little kid and they took out the parchments and burned them in the
yard,’ says Garnik.
Generally, the church is open on Sundays when a priest comes from
Alaverdi. Garnik says it has a secret tunnel, used to protect priests
against enemies.
The secret 1.5-kilometer path towards the south-east of the village
leads to the Surb Nshan Church on the plane near the ravine. Arsen,
standing at the edge of the ravine, points to numerous holes in the
rocks. He says that descending the ravine is dangerous, but there are
special village guides who serve tourists.
Garnik recalls that last year a group of tourists wanted to go
through one of the openings, but after 30 or 40 meters they backed
off as the way was closed.
Surb Nshan’s day is marked on the first Sunday of November, when
people come on a pilgrimage and at night make 15 to 20 fires. Seyran
says that Surb Nshan was a brave warlord and that it was in honor of
his victories that the church in his name was built in the ravine.
The monastery of Horomair was built later in the upper parts of the
ravine.
`They were built in places difficult of access, even when you look at
them from a distance you become terrified. But it was done for a
reason, to characterize the dauntless spirit of our people,’ says
Seyran.
The Chatin Dagh mountain range in front of the monastery where there
is Kuletavank monastery. Seyran says that it is difficult to go up
there, but during the medieval wars they communicated from Kuletavank
with Surb Nshan using colored flags.

Basilica church of 6th century
Besides forests the surroundings here are covered with motley carpets
of flowers. White ox-eye daisies add splashes of white under the sun
and it looks as if snow fell in certain places on the slopes of Lori
mountains.
>From the heights of the holiday hotel, one can watch the sunset
falling on the village, mountains, and forest. The perfect
combination of nature is divine.
Geghetsik says: `Early in the morning and in the evening the air
become twice as clear. The air here is very sharp; we have villagers
who cannot stay at this height.’
White clouds gather on Lalvar. They say here that Stepanavan’s
airport decides on flights according to the weather on the mountain.
It begins to rain, but the sunset proudly continues to preserve its
colors. Silence falls, colors become denser, only the outlines of
mountains and clouds embracing each other are visible. Somewhere in
the distance a cuckoo continues its call unabated.
`Every day here is different. It is a fairytale which ends and begins
anew,’ says Geghetsik.
;ned=ca&q=armenia+OR+armenian+OR+armenians+OR+karabakh+OR+Qarabagh+OR+Garabagh+OR+karabagh&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&sa=N&start=0

ANONYMOUS PERSON WARNING ABOUT BOMB ALLEGEDLY PLACED UNDER
GOVERNMENTAL BUILDING IN ARMENIA ARRESTED
YEREVAN, JUNE 24. ARMINFO. The author of a false call warning about a
bomb allegedly placed under the Armenian Government building yesterday
proved to be an “unbalanced female” having two previous convictions.
The press-service of the Aremnian National Security Service informs
ARMINFO that due to joint operative measures of the NSS and Police,
the anonymous person was detained. A criminal case has been initiated
on he case, with investigations being underway. The source reports.
To note, June 23 approximately at 14:00 the prime minister’s reception
hall received the aforementioned call, which proved to be false.

AZG Armenian Daily #116, 24/06/2005
People
‘THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO TRY NOT TO REMIND YOU OF YOUR PAST’
Former Prisoner Gevorg Koshkarian Publishes a Newspaper
47-year-old Gevorg Koshkarian spent part of his life in jail. In 2004, after
11 years in prison, he decided to start a new life, to become a full member
of the society. He entered Pedagogical Institute and married a few months
ago. He established a non-profit organization for former convicts and launch
publication of Veradardz (return) magazine.
“I spent many years behind bars. Jail is a tough place. The first fruit of
theft seems sweet but it’s bitter in fact and you feel sorry all your life.
I will not forget my friend telling in jail with tears in his eyes that his
daughter quitted school as children said that her father is a thief”,
Koshkarian wrote in one of the issues.
Why did the former convict decided to publish a paper? “Newspaper is a means
to share your pains. It will help us to cover the issues of former prisoners
and to make the authorities hear their voice. They face dozens of problems
once out of prison”, he says. His magazine and the organization he runs will
try to relieve lives of returnees and of the families the prisoners leave
behind.
“There are children of convicts who do not attend school having no shoes to
wear. Some of them have never been at circus or at children’s theatre.
Thanks to some artists, those children also laugh. All children are born
with equal rights and should enjoy same blessings. A child should not feel
that his parent is temporarily isolated from the society”, Koshkarian says.
Gevorg Koshkarian and a few other returnees live in rooms provided by the
9th school of Vardashen. Koshkarian is thankful to the school headmaster,
prosecutor of Nubarashen, businessman Gurgen Arsenian and all those who help
or even listen to former convicts.
Koshkarian says that he would like to start a business for the returnees.
“We have good building commodities but have no tools. We hope that someone
will lend support to begin production of doors and windows. Now, we bake
bread that goes to several families of prisoners”. Koshkarian is sure that
social condition is the key factor that incites to crime. “If people get
their daily bread, crimes will diminish”, he says.
How does the society receive those returning form jail? “There are people
who feels sorry that you life got distorted, others try not to remind you of
your past and few show hostility. What else should we expect from someone
whose home was burglarized? But a man will easier get changed once forgiven
than constantly reminded of his past”. He points out that there is almost no
innocent person in prison. “There are case when a person should not have
been isolate but simply fined. Should one appear in jail once, it becomes
kind of a habit. Many people feel better in prison”, Koshkarian says.
Editor-in-chief of Veradardz notes with pain that the children of the
imprisoned often break up psychologically. Koshkarian tells with pride that
several well-known people help and cooperate with them. “Head Helsinki
Committee Avetik Ishghanian is kindly working with us and is an honored
member of our organization. Any one may become member of our organization.
You don’t have to visit prison to join the organization”.
By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PREMIER INFORMS SPEAKER OF NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENT OF AUTHORITIES’
POSITION ON ARMENIA-EU RELATIONS
YEREVAN, June 22. /ARKA/. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
informed Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament Jorgen Kosmo of the
Armenian authorities’ position on the Armenia-EU relations. Premier
Margaryan pointed out the importance of involving the South Caucasian
countries in the New Neighbourhood program, as well as of the European
Commission’s proposal for the development of relations with Armenia by
means of an individual program approved by the EU Council.
Speaking of regional cooperation, Margaryan stated that Armenia agrees
with the EU’s position that conflicts hinder stable development of the
countries of the region. According to him, Armenia’s position is that
the settlement of conflicts is greatly facilitated by various
cooperation programs implemented by all parties without any
preconditions. The RA Premier added that in the context of its
regional policy Armenia is consistently trying to improve its
relations with all its neighbours, including Turkey, without any
preconditions. In his turn, Speaker Kosmo stressed the importance of
international cooperation in meeting present-day challenges,
particularly international terrorism, organized crime and
corruption. He pointed out that as a country of centuries-old
Christian traditions Armenia can make its worthy contribution to the
development of international cooperation. P.T. -0–

A1plus
| 19:28:55 | 20-06-2005 | Politics |
USA SEES TRANSPARENCY IN KARABAKH
The June 19 Nagorno Karabakh elections were held in an atmosphere of
transparency. This was the conclusion of the `Social International Right and
Political Fraction’ American non-governmental organization observers
observing the elections in 22 electoral areas.
Executive director of the NGO James Ruper announced during today’s press
conference in Yerevan that they have come to a conclusion that the NGR
authorities have made serious efforts to hold the elections up to democratic
standards. According to the observers, the elections passed peacefully. As
observer Spenser said, there were only minor errors in the electoral lists
in some villages.
By the way, the observers left Stepanakert today at 12 a.m. when the results
of the elections had not yet been announced; besides, that have not received
complaints from any political party, for instance from the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation. Asked if the democratic elections will contribute
to the recognition of the sovereignty of NKR the American observers laughed.
Then Mr. Spenser said that the democratic government is necessary but it is
not a precondition for recognizing the sovereignty.
The observers hope that «the nations and states will hear their voice» and
these democratic election will affect the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict positively.