Author: Zakarian Garnik

HAJI MAMMADOV: IF I HAD KNOWN RICH ALI INSANOV, I WOULD HAVE KIDNAPPED HIM

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 9 2007

Court hearing on the appeal against the verdict on Haji Mammadov,
gang leader, former official of Crime Investigation Department of
Interior Ministry and other members of the gang, who face charges of
brutal manslaughters, kidnapping and other serious crimes continued
in the second half of the day in Baku Appeals Court.

APA reports that Haji Mammadov gave testimony on the case of kidnapping
of chief of Azersigorta State Company Mammad Mammadov’s son Ahmad
Mammadov.

"I should have kidnapped Mammad Mammadov, not his son. Then I would
have got more money. Mammad Mammadov says everywhere that Haji Mammadov
ruined him. No one in the world took money twice for kidnapping a
man. But I did it," he said.

Haji Mammadov commented on former Health Minister Ali Insanov’s
statement that he is held in National security Ministry.

"Ali Insanov says Haji Mammadov has been held in National Security
Ministry for two and a half years, while he is sent to Bayil. Ali
Insanov took money from the poor. I never robbed the poor. If I had
known rich Ali Insanov, I would have kidnapped him and demanded a
lot of money," he said.

Haji Mammadov also commented on ex-interior minister Isgandar Hamidov’s
reports about him.

"He has no right to call me a coward. Why did Rovshan Javadov beat
him, if he was so brave? I have not sold Karabakh. I have committed
crimes and admit all of them," he said.

Haji Mammadov said he several times tried to commit suicide.

"I tried to commit suicide. I do not know whether I will come here
tomorrow or not. I tried to hang myself a few days after my arrest
and I was in comatose state for two days," he said.

Haji Mammadov also mentioned Javadaga Sultanov, former deputy chief
of Baku Main Police Office.

"There were two criminal gangs in Azerbaijan. Every time when Javadaga
Sultanov was dismissed for his shortcomings, I thought he would be
arrested, but on the contrary he was promoted. He will possibly be
promoted again," Mammadov said.

Haji Mammadov said he writes book about his life.

Judge put off the trial, as Haji Mammadov’s lawyer Samad Aliyev
missed it.

The process will continue on October 10.

The Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Haji Mammadov, Musa Dabiyev, Eldar
Rehimov, Farhad Mammadbeyov, Aslanbek Chintamirov, Malik Mammadov,
Husain Abdulvahabov (with confiscation of property), Zakir Nasirov
(with confiscation of property, deprival of state title and awards),
Kamil Sedreddinov (with confiscation of property, deprival of state
title) and Yagir Mammadov to life imprisonment.

Other defendants – Nizami Abdullayev (confiscation of property),
Sidek Abdulvahabov, Rovshen Agayev were sentenced to 15 years,
Naile Guliyeva (with confiscation of property) to 13 years, Edalet
Asadullayev, Novruz Nuriyev to 12 years, Aligulu Guliyev, Nishad
Ismayilov (with confiscation of property) to 10 years, Faig Guliyev,
Elchin Aliyev (with confiscation of property) to 9 years, Mehman
Hasanov, Fariz Hamidov, Elshen Mirzayev to 8 years in jail. Agil
Huseynov got two-year suspended sentence (on condition not to hold
any post). Azer Huseynov also got two-year suspended sentence. /APA/

"IT IS NOT RIGHT TO DISMISS COLLABORATORS OF ‘HAYPOST’," RA MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION BELIEVES
Author: Tonoyan Susanna Editor: Eghian Robert

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 9 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. "Professional people, who have worked
in the system of "HayPost" for many years and have a great working
experience, should not be dismissed from work. And if they have made
mistakes, the latters should be corrected and not people be punished,"
Andranik Manukian, the RA Minister of Transport and Communication,
declared during the event organized on the occasion of the World Post
Day: October 9.

It should be mentioned that over 170 collaborators of the "HayPost"
company have been dismissed from work for the past few days, as the the
management of the company has not prolonged the terms of their working
contracts. The Minister was not aware of the reason for which they
have been dismissed from work, however, he will claim from the manager
of the company to present clarifications concerning their dismissals.

Lara Cholakian and Kirk Odabashian, the deputy heads of the "HayPost"
company, who were present at the event, refused to make commentaries.

Referring to the national philatelistic exhibition organized between
October 9 and 13, Andranik Manukian mentioned that they have been
trying to develop the patriotic philately for the recent years, as
it becomes possible to present the Armenian culture, nature to the
world through stamps.

ACCORDING TO DIASPORAN ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN, ARMENIA HAS ALL PREREQUISITES FOR BECOMING REGIONAL EXPO-CENTER FOR EXHIBITION AND SALE OF CIGARS
Author: Editor: Eghian Robert

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 8 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia has all prerequisites for
becoming a regional expo-center for exhibition and sale of cigars,
Garo Buldukian, the owner of Garo Habano Fine Cigars enterprise
operating in the city of Santiago (the Dominican Republic) expressed
this opinion during a talk with NT correspondent. He said that it will
be possible to develop this sector of economy only through import
and sale as there are no favorable climatic conditions for growing
raw material for cigars in Armenia.

According to G. Buldukian, Garo Habano Fine Cigars has 300 employees
and produces 0.5 million cigars a year. He added that it is envisaged
to increase production to 1 million cigars soon. The whole production
is exported to the US and Europe.

The Diasporan Armenian businessman noted that 4 types of cigars made by
their enterprise were presented to the Armenian consumer at the "High
Smoke 2007" international festival held in Yerevan in September. "Now
we are waiting for responses, and in case of the respective offer we
will cooperate with cigar importing and selling companies of Armenia,"
he said.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA
By Hasan Kanbolat

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 8 2007

Should the border-gate with Armenia be opened?

The Armenian lobby was not satisfied with the remarks of US President
George W. Bush, who used the terms mass killings and forced deportation
instead of genocide in reference to the events of 1915 in his regular
April 24 statement.

The Armenian dossier is now on the agenda again, six months after
these remarks.

The draft resolution (No. 106) on the Armenian genocide, with
discussion initiated by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, will be
reviewed and voted on the in the US House of Representatives Committee
on Foreign Affairs on Oct. 10. Committee Chairman Tom Lantos will make
a decision about whether it will be referred to the House floor. A
Democrat from California, Lantos, who is known for his opposition to
the resolution, does not have many options. The draft is expected to
be voted on one week later on the basis of simple majority. AK Party
deputy Egemen Baðýþ will stay in Washington during Oct. 7-11 in an
effort to prevent the adoption of the draft resolution.

The fact that the said draft was taken onto the agenda for review and
discussion does not necessarily mean it will be adopted. Turkey will
seek ways to slow down the process by which the draft is adopted. On
Sept. 25, eight former US secretaries of state (Madeline Albright,
James A. Baker III, Warren Christopher, Lawrence Eagleburger, Alexander
Haig, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell and George P. Shultz) sent a
letter to Pelosi in which they drew attention to the possibility
that American interests might be undermined if the resolution is
adopted. In March 2007, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent similar letters to Pelosi.

What is the problem between Turkey and Armenia? Should the border gate
with Armenia be opened? We should seek answers for these questions.

The total length of the Turkish-Armenian border is 325 kilometers.

There are two currently closed gates through this line, the Alican
border gate and the Akyaka Railway border gate. The Alican gate is
situated in the Alican village of Iðdýr while the Akyaka gate is
located in Akyaka of Kars. Sixty-six kilometers away from Kars, this
gate is commonly known as the "East Gate," whereas the Armenians call
it "Ahuryan Gate." In addition to a railway, the gate also involves
a village road.

The European Union views the closed border gates as an obstacle before
Armenia’s integration with the union because of the strong emphasis
on this country within the context of wider Europe. Armenia, which
is currently seeking ways to increase pressure on Turkey, asserts
that the current state of affairs inflicts damages on the economic
situation in the country. The Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) estimates that the embargo imposed on Armenia by Turkey and
Azerbaijan costs the Armenian economy $570-720 million every year. If
the borders are opened Armenia’s exports will double and the gross
national product (GNP) will increase by 30-38 percent.

According to World Bank data, Armenian savings will reach $6.4-8.4
million in transportation, $45 million on energy consumption and
exports will increase by $268.9-342.4 million. The cumulative benefit
will be around $320-400 million. Armenians assert that the opening of
the border gates will be a diplomatic defeat for Azerbaijan and Armenia
will secure an important success in regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue. Furthermore, Armenia will become an important transit point
in the transportation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Central Asian
countries. Thanks to the use of Black Sea ports, railroads and highways
of Turkey, free movement of goods will be secured and Armenia will
be integrated with the European economy.

Following the Azerbaijan-Armenia war that lasted through 1994,
40,000 people from Nagorno-Karabakh — occupied by Armenia — and
700,000 from the other seven provinces of Azerbaijan had to leave
their homes. Therefore, because of the invasion, 13 percent of the
Azeri people became migrants in their own territories. It was for this
reason that Turkey closed the border gates with Armenia in April 1993
and airspace in 1994. However, the issue on the border gates between
Turkey and Armenia is not limited to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Armenia asserts that the 1920 Gumru and 1921 Kars treaties that
determined the border with Armenia are no longer in effect. In the
independence declaration adopted on Aug. 23, 1990, Armenia described
Turkey’s East Anatolian region as "West Armenia." Furthermore,
the state’s coat of arms described in Article 13 of the Armenian
constitution contains Mt. Ararat (Aðrý), which undisputedly belongs
to Turkey.

Despite the hostile attitude of Armenia, Turkey became the second
country after the US to recognize its independence on April 16, 1991.

Following the recognition, Turkey also granted humanitarian assistance
to this country, including food and electricity. It also allowed use
of its territory for transit purposes to carry humanitarian aid by
other countries. Turkey invited Armenia to act as a founding member
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on June 25, 1992, and
Armenia was allowed to appoint a permanent representative affiliated
with the organization in Ýstanbul. Armenian airlines are allowed to
hold flights between Yerevan-Ýstanbul and Yerevan-Trabzon. Turkey also
opened the H-50 air corridor for international airlines operating on
the Armenia line. There are regular bus services from the eastern Black
Sea through Georgia and Armenia, which uses the port in Trabzon for
export and import purposes. The restrictions on admission into Turkey
were removed through the visa regime introduced on Jan. 10, 2002 and
100,000 illegal Armenian workers have been allowed to stay in Turkey.

Armenian citizens are allowed to take part in international sports
and culture events held in Turkey. There are ongoing commercial
activities between Turkey and Armenia through Iran and Georgia and
about 20 companies founded by Turkish and Armenian businessmen are
currently in operation. According to unofficial data, bilateral trade
volume increased from $30 million in 1997 to $200 million in 2007.

In conclusion, Armenia’s integration with the West and democratization
depends on its regular relations with democratic Turkey. Armenia,
which has been illegally controlling Azeri territories under occupation
for a decade, rejects most decisions and peace offers by the United
Nations, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). For this reason the state of war
with Azerbaijan still continues. In legal terms, Armenia is still an
aggressor country. There is no plausible explanation for the occupation
of the Azeri territories by making reference to the situation in
Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the cease-fire having been honored for
many years. This is why it should be admitted that it is time for
Armenia to give positive responses to Turkey’s moves. The prevalence
of democracy and reason in Armenia and the end of repression of the
Armenian people will be the beginning of the desired resolution.

–Boundary_(ID_mO3aDnOwFQADC4GZFt71ow )–

DIVIDED BY RELIGION, UNITED BY EU AIM
by Lara Marlowe

The Irish Times
October 3, 2007 Wednesday

Inside Turkey: Three educated, high-profile women offer conflicting
opinions on politics, the role of Islam, and their country’s future

They are three upper-middle class Turkish career women, with degrees
in sociology, economics and international relations. They have lived
in Europe or America. All refuse to apologise for what they call the
"tragedy" in which hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed by
Turks in 1915, and reject Kurdish demands for independence.

But the well-known columnist and television presenter Mine Kirikkanat,
the newspaper correspondent Belkis Kilickaya, and Suna Vidinli, a
Harvard graduate who may soon work for Turkish prime minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s government, are deeply divided over the nature of the
ruling AKP (Justice and Development) party and their country’s future.

Kirikkanat is the self-styled passionara of secularism who was fired by
Radikal newspaper two years ago for writing a column that portrayed AKP
supporters as backward peasants. She lives between Paris and Istanbul,
where her talk show on Kanal Turk, a hardline secularist independent
television station, is largely financed by the EU and has a European
flag on the set.

"It’s them and us now" was the recent headline on Kirikkanat’s column
in Vatan newspaper. By "them" she means not only the Islamists whom
she accuses of sending her repeated, sexually explicit threats by
e-mail, but the ruling party. Kirikkanat says the AKP government is
Islamicising Turkey by, for example, preventing the teaching of the
theory of evolution in Turkish schools and moving to lift the ban
on women wearing headscarves at university. She deplores government
tolerance of the Islamist newspaper Vakit, which has several times
published photographs of secularists who were then murdered.

The headscarf question is obsessing the country. "If you let women
wear the veil at university, then you have to allow it in primary
and secondary schools," says Kirikkanat. "Girls as young as three or
four are wearing veils now. A girl who wears a veil to class won’t
sit with the boys. Teenage boys will start growing beards, carrying
prayer beads. Then who’ll tell students to keep studying when the
muezzin makes his prayer call five times a day?"

Kilickaya, who covers Europe for Sabah newspaper, says the AKP has had
five years to Islamicise Turkey if that was what it wanted. Sabah is
Turkey’s second best-selling newspaper, but was put under government
control when it went into receivership because of sloppy management.

Though her background is left-wing, Kilickaya says she refuses to
fear the AKP. "When I was growing up, we were told to be afraid of the
leftists, then the Alevis [ a liberal Muslim sect], then the Kurds, and
finally the orthodox Muslims [ the term she prefers to Islamists]. I
refused to be afraid, because the army needed internal enemies to
justify its power. You mustn’t be afraid of your own compatriots."

Kilickaya believes the benefits of allowing headscarves at university
outweigh the risk that some women will be forced by male family members
to do so. "If you refuse to let veiled girls go to school, they’re
obliged to marry a man chosen by their father. If the secularists
want to give them a chance, they should let them go to university,
so they can achieve economic independence."

Vidinli (30) was the youngest candidate for the Turkish parliament in
the July election. Though she did not win a seat, she considers it a
victory that 40,000 votes were cast for a young woman in a provincial
town. A former head of communications for Turkey’s two largest press
groups, and a former presenter for CNN Turk, Vidinli defended the
AKP’s record almost nightly on television.

"I think the AKP stand for a truly centre-right party," says Vidinli.

"Some of the leaders come from religious backgrounds, but they are
comparable to Christian Democrats in Europe. The past five years [
since Erdogan came to power] have been good for Turkey."

Vidinli describes herself as a practising Muslim. "I don’t drink. I
pray. I fast during Ramadan." She does not wear the headscarf, but
believes it is a basic human right to be allowed to do so: "For those
who cover their heads, I have utmost respect, because they do it out
of religious conviction."

Both secularists and Islamists believe their side is under attack.

"People feel they have to choose sides, which is dangerous for a
country," says Vidinli. "Last week, in the middle of Istanbul, in the
Sisli neighbourhood, a crowd forced a girl to take her headscarf off."

Kirikkanat was scandalised that lists naming students who are not
fasting during Ramadan were posted at Erzurum University, in eastern
Anatolia. "I’ll tell you about lists," Vidinli counters. "When the
government came to office, Hurriyet newspaper published a list of
all the MPs whose wives wear headscarves. You don’t polarise people
like that."

Vidinli is often asked how she can be so religious, with her pretty
face, privileged background and western education. "They think people
who feel strongly about their Muslim identity are reactionary and
poor and that they follow the AKP because it gives them money. It’s
not true. It’s a middle- and upper-class phenomenon. The AKP does
want to help the poor, but the deprivation theory isn’t sufficient
to explain their success."

Though they come from opposite ends of Turkish politics, Kirikkanat
the secularist and Vidinli the practising Muslim share a belief in
Turkey’s European credentials.

"Eighty-four years ago, Attaturk [ the founder of modern Turkey]
said our place was in Europe," says Kirikkanat. "In 1923, he changed
our language from Arabic to the Latin alphabet. He banned the turban
and made men wear hats. In the 1930s, Istanbul society was dancing
the tango and the waltz. We listened to Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart.

The Istanbul ballet and the conservatory of Izmir were famous. We’re
not an Arab country, even if we’re in danger of becoming like them."

Vidinli traces Turkey’s western leaning back further. "The Ottoman
empire looked to the West. Its sultans were part of the European
balance of power game." She admits "Europeans think Islam is a threat"
and that Turks are pessimistic about entering the EU. The only way to
give negotiations new impetus, she says, is for the Turkish economy
to continue to flourish.

NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL BE SOLVED ONLY BY KOCHARIAN AND ALIYEV: PACE AD HOC COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 4 2007

France, Strasbourg / corr Trend A.Maharramli / An intreview of Lord
Russel Johnston, the chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) Ad Hoc Commitee, with Azerbaijani journalists
on the implementation of PACE Resolution 1416.

Question: Did your meeting with the speaker Asadov take place today?

What was discussed and what are the outcomes of this meeting?

Answer: Specific outcome. I explained to him that I was anxious to see
the work of my committee continue. That it was necessary to have some
guarantees of cooperation from the both countries. And consequently I
was intending at least to write to both President Aliyev and President
Kocharian. Posibly to see them both, to visit them both. And if so
happens that I am may be in Baku on 9 November, but that is not yet
confirmed. That might be an occasion on which that might turn to
reality depending of course on the president’s schedule. I said to
speaker Asadov that I regretted the fact that the visits that have
been planed both by my committee and the cultural committee had been
cancelled at a short notice. But I hope that the situation could be
reasonably resolved.

Question: We also heard that there was a meeting yesterday in the
subcommittee between the heads of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
delegations. And apparently Armenia is interested in issues that
were discussed at this meeting, And also specifically the Azerbaijani
delegation is proposing to change the formation of these visits and
meetings, meaning to go to the Nagorno Karabakh through the Azerbaijani
territory. If that at all could be called as a change of the formation
of the work of the committee. What can you say about this?

Answer: Well, it did represent a change of the format. As the
understanding was both by me and also by Mr O’Hara at the cultural
committee that there would be an interview in Yerevan. And that was
changed very suddenly and quickly. And that was not a great problem
for me, because the meeting was the next week. But for Mr O’Hara it
meant everything be changed of the week-end with one-day notice. And
that was not really good.

Question: Would these format changes prevent the visit?

As I said before I do not regard my committee as being concerned
to mediate on Nagorno Karabakh. The idea was that we would try and
improve contact and dialog particularly in the first place between
Azeri and Armenian parliamentarians; possibly to hold seminars in
Baku and Yerevan. And try to improve the relationship, but not,
I mean … The Nagorno Karabakh conflict will only solve between
Kocharian and Aliyev in the end.

Question: The last question. There will be a meeting of the PACE’s
monitoring committee on frozen conflicts in November in Berlin. We
assume that you were invited and if so, the question is as follows:
Initially the idea was to have Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations
to discuss the things, but yesterday apparently the Armenian
delegation at the meeting with PACE president proposed to have also
the representatives of the Armenian community of Nagarno Karabakh. So
what do you think about it?

I don’t want to cover that as I know nothing about it. But if I may ask
a couple of things: the Council of Europe said to me apart from being
very anxious to see a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and
in particular of the occupied territories with the refugees. They are
also concerned naturally about internal policies in both Azerbaijan
and Armenia.

Azerbaijan is fortunate in having huge economic growth. That should
not lead it to neglect basic democratic questions. Our main concern
is about the political prisoners, some of them are very old and sick.

And also journalists freedom. There were seven journalists imprisoned
recently. I just add that as a postscript.

PARUIR HAIRIKYAN TRIES TO SUPPORT SERGE SARGSYAN

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 4 2007

The leader of the National Self-Determination Union Paruir Hairikyan
who initiated the meetings of the leaders of political forces at the
Metelitsa cafe is now trying to set up a union from the forces who
still attend the meetings at Metelitsa. Hairikyan will be trying
to negotiate with Serge Sargsyan on supporting him. In return for
support Hairikyan expects a fair and free election, democratic reforms
and the like. We have learned that one of Hairikyan’s "trump cards"
will be his support to the "common candidate" project in Karabakh.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

October 4, 2007

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL ATTEND
HRASHAPAR SERVICE TONIGHT FOR
CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
The Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, will participate in the Hrashapar
Service tonight at St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City, to welcome His
Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, who
arrived in New York yesterday for a Pontifical Visit to the Eastern Diocese.
The service is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm. A public reception will take
place in Kavookjian Hall following the service.

PRELATE WILL ATTEND AFUSA’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY
Archbishop Oshagan will attend the banquet celebrating the 15th
anniversary of the Armenia Fund USA, Saturday evening, at the United Nations
Delegates’ Dining Room, in New York.

82nd ANNIVERSARY OF NEW BRITAIN CHURCH
Archbishop Oshagan will travel to New Britain, Connecticut, on Sunday
and join the parishioners of St. Stephen’s Church in the celebration of
their 82nd anniversary. His Eminence will celebrate the Divine Liturgy on
Sunday, October 7, and preside over the 82nd anniversary banquet which will
take place at the Marriott, Rocky Hill, Connecticut. During the Liturgy His
Eminence will ordain Sub-Deacon Richard Meyer to the rank of Deacon.

BISHOP ANOUSHAVAN IN VENEZUELA
Bishop Anoushavan departed today for Venezuela where he will participate
in the 40th Anniversary of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in
Caracas. His Grace, who is Vicar of the Prelacy and the Ecumenical Officer
in the United States for the Catholicosate of Cilicia, will preside over the
40th anniversary banquet Saturday evening, October 6, and will celebrate the
Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon on Sunday, October 7.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATORS
A conference for Sunday school teachers will take place October 26-28 at
the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard, a Coptic Orthodox Retreat Center in
Charlton, Massachusetts. The theme of the conference is "Prayer-Personal and
Communal," and will feature presentations by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian,
Rev. Fr. Paul Tarazi, Ph.D., Dn. Shant Kazanjian, and Dr. Mary Olson. A
modest fee of $60 covers all expenses including lodging for two nights, five
meals and refreshments. For detailed information click

N EW SERIES OF BIBLE STUDY AT THE PRELACY
A new five-part series of Bible studies ("from Jesus’ meals with sinners
to the Lord’s Supper") will take place at the Prelacy beginning on October
16 and continue on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, from 7:15 to
8:45 pm. Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC) will conduct the Bible studies. For information and
registration, send email to [email protected] or telephone
212-689-7810.

FIRST OF A SERIES OF BOOKLETS IS PUBLISHED
The first in a series of booklets on contemporary ethical issues was
published this week. The entire series is being written by Vigen Guroian,
the well-known theologian and professor at Loyola College in Maryland. All
of the booklets are written from an Armenian Orthodox perspective.
The first booklet is, "Homosexuality and Same-Sex Union." Forthcoming
topics include: Marriage and Divorce; Procreation and Reproductive
Technology; Abortion; Genetic Screening and Genetic Technology; Suicide and
Euthanasia; Organ Donation and Cremation.
Professor Guroian will make a presentation on this important series, and
specifically on the first booklet just published, on Friday evening,
November 16, at the Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian Reception Hall at the
Prelacy in New York City.
This series of booklets by the Eastern Prelacy’s Armenian Religious
Education Council is being underwritten by Elza and Haig Didizian in memory
of His Holiness Karekin I, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians.

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY IN ANTELIAS
The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, visited the
Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, on Friday, September 28,
where he met with His Holiness Aram I. His Holiness hosted a dinner in the
Archbishop’s honor at the Monastery of St. Mary in Bikfaya. Members of the
Archbishop’s entourage, the Cilician Brotherhood, and the Catholicosate’s
Central Executive Committee attended.

CATHOLICOS ARAM DELIVERS KEYNOTE LECTURE IN BERLIN
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I delivered the keynote lecture at the
International Conference in Berlin in honor of Bishop W. Huber, the
Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Church in Germany. The Pontiff’s lecture
was entitled, "Catholicity: Its Implications and Challenges." He emphasized
the christocentric nature and missionary dimension of catholicity and
challenged the prevailing perception of catholicity considering it as a mere
mark of the church.

HOLY PRINCES SAHAK AND HAMAZASP REMEMBERED TODAY
Today, Thursday, October 4, the Armenian Church commemorates the lives
of two princes: Sahak and Hamazasp. The two holy princes lived during the
reign of Emperior Leo and Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople and during
the pontificate of Catholicos Nerses. It was a time of intense Arab
domination. The governorship had been given to Hamazasp, who was from the
Ardzrouni dynasty. He had two brothers, Sahag and Merouzhan. All three were
considered brave men and dedicated Christians, but there were evil forces
against them. The Arab leader, Harun, summoned them, ostensibly in
friendship. Instead when they came before him, the princes were given a
choice of forsaking their faith in Christ or being tortured to death.
Merouzhan renounced Christ and was given authority to rule over the province
of Vasbouragan. Sahak and Hamazasp remained steadfast. Both were martyred.
"I thank you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has made us worthy of
dying for your holy name and kept firm our hope in you. You gladdened us
with your consoling Holy Spirit that dwells in us. Glory to you, holy and
consubstantial Trinity, who made my brother distinguish himself earlier by
defeating the adversary; you likewise hearten me by means of this
overflowing cup, Sahag’s blood. O Lord, listen to my prayer through the
shedding of your servant’s blood, who willingly took it upon himself to die
for your great and glorious name. Listen, Lord, to the supplication of your
servant and make my blood worthy to be mixed with that of my brother in
honor of the holy blood which you shed for us. For your name is indeed
glorified through the witness of this labor of our martyrdom. For yours is
dominion and glory forever and ever. Amen."
Prayer by St. Hamazasp
Translation from, The Light of the World: Lives of Armenian Saints, St.
Vartan Press, New York.

72 HOLY DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
This Saturday, October 6, the Armenian Church commemorates the 72 Holy
Disciples of Christ. The reference comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter
10, verse 1: "After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on
ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to
go." (Some versions of the Gospel say 72, rather than 70).
The tradition of the church confirms that these disciples remained true
to the Lord and their calling, and spread the Gospel. They were not random
choices, but rather true disciples whose labors carried the message of the
Lord throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. All of the saints are
remembered individually in the liturgical calendar of the church, but this
day is set aside to remember them collectively. The number 70 is also
considered to be a reference to Genesis, which speaks of 70 nations of the
world.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, October 4, are: Wisdom 6:11-21; Jeremiah
17:7-8; Romans 8:18-26; John 16:1-4
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They
shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the
year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click
.

IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click
.
To read the message of His Holiness in English click

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language. In celebration of this
year-long tribute, each week we will offer an interesting tidbit about the
Armenian language and literature:
F. C. Conybeare, the well-known English scholar and a distinguished
armenologist, was deeply convinced of the high value of the Armenian
translation. Speaking of the Old Testament he says: "For beauty of diction
and accuracy of rendering the Armenian cannot be surpassed. The genius of
the language is such as to admit a translation of any Greek document both
literal and graceful; true to the order of the Greek, and even reflecting
its compound words, yet without being slavish, and without violence to its
own idiom. We are seldom in doubt as to what stood in the Armenian’s Greek
text; therefore his version has almost the same value for us as the Greek
text itself, from which he worked, would possess. The same criticism is true
of the Armenian New Testament as well."
A recent study in the text of the Armenian version, done in a most
thorough and masterly fashion, has confirmed the above statement. This time
an Estonian scholar in exile, Arthur Voobus, professor at the Chicago
Lutheran Theological Seminary, has made an exhaustive investigation into the
Armenian version in his imposing work, Early Versions of the New Testament.
He tells us that "The ancient translators and revisers found this idiom.
(i.e. the Armenian language) to be an excellent instrument. To be sure, the
Armenian language is poorer with regard to some verbal forms, and which are
substituted by others; it is also poorer as to the particles and
participles, but it has many advantages. It has three definite articles; it
displays a great freedom in word-order, in some respects its flexibility
surpassing even that of the Greek. This means that this elegant language was
a good instrument enabling the revisers to render the Greek text as exactly
as possible."
>From A Brief Introduction to Armenian Christian Literature, by V. Rev. Fr.
Karekin Sarkissian (1960)

POLITICS AND GENOCIDE A LA WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Wall Street Journal strikes again with a pro-Turkish, anti-Armenian
Genocide editorial in today’s edition. The editorial begins by stating that
the members of the House of Representatives do not know enough history to
"weigh in on a painful chapter of Ottoman history." It then goes on to
describe all the reasons why the resolution currently endorsed by some 226
members of the House should be stifled, and urges Speaker Nancy Pelosi "to
stop the resolution from reaching the floor for a vote." The editorial
describes the letter written by eight former U.S. Secretaries of State last
week, saying that passage of the resolution "could endanger our national
security interests in the region, including our troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia
and Turkey."
The editorial concludes by quoting from an editorial on the same subject
in the same newspaper in October 1984-yes, the WSJ has been writing against
Armenians for more than 20 years-describing the resolution as "a generous
gesture toward Americans of Armenian descent but is hardly an appropriate
signal to U.S. enemies. Or to our Turkish friends."
Actually, the signal to friend and foe alike is that they can commit
genocide and get away with it. This has been proven time and again since the
Armenian Genocide of 1915.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has been engaged in an
effective campaign to mobilize a "phonathon" to our elected Representatives.
Your Representatives need to hear from you. To get to the ANCA web page and
easy instructions click

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

September 27 to November 29-Christian Education classes at Sourp Khatch
Church in Bethesda, Maryland, 8 pm in the church sanctuary. Topic: The
Badarak. Classes held second and fourth Thursdays of each month, except
Thanksgiving week when classes will take place Friday. Armenian and English.
Prior attendance is not a requisite. For information: 301-229-8742.

October 7-St. Stephen Church, New Britain, Connecticut, 82nd Anniversary
banquet, Marriott Hotel, Rocky Hill, Connecticut.

October 7-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, "Hello Ellis
Island," the latest production of The Way We Were Troupe, hosted by the
Ladies Guild, 1 pm. Lunch served. For information 201-943-2950.

October 14-St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City, Celebration of the
Year of the Armenian Language. Cultural program and Book Fair following the
Divine Liturgy. For information 212-689-5880.

October 14-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
commemorative lecture, 3 p.m. Guest lecturer Dr. Abraham Terian, Professor
of Armenian Patristics at St. Nersess Seminary, New York.

October 14-St. Hagop Church, Racine, Wisconsin, 69th anniversary dinner. His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will preside. For information 262-632-2033.

October 16 to December 18-"From Jesus’ meals with sinners to the Lord’s
Supper," a five part Bible study at the Armenian Prelacy will begin on
October 16 and continue on the first and third Tuesday of the month, from
7:15 to 8:45 pm. Conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Armenian
Religious Education Council (AREC). For information and registration, please
send e-mail to [email protected] or call 212-689-4481.

October 18, 19, 20-Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, Annual Food
Festival and Bazaar.

October 19 & 20-Annual fall fair/bazaar, St. Gregory Church of Merrimack
Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts, in newly renovated Jaffarian Hall.

October 21-St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, celebrating the
20th anniversary of the ordination of Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian, under the
auspices of the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan. For information
or 215-482-9200.

October 26-28-National Conference for Christian Educators, a conference for
Sunday School teachers at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard, a Coptic
Orthodox Retreat Center, in Charlton, Massachusetts. Theme: "Prayer-Personal
and Communal." Presentations by Rev. Fr. Paul Tarazi, Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, Dn. Shant Kazanjian, and Dr. Mary Olson. For more information
click

Oc tober 28-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, presents The Way We Were
group in their new musical "Hello Ellis Island!’ by Hourig
Papazian-Sahagian. Immediately after Sunday services. Refreshments served.
For information 718-224-2275.

November 2-3-Golden Jubilee Annual Bazaar, St. Stephen Church, Watertown,
Massachusetts.

November 7-Soorp Khatch (Bethesda, Maryland) Senior Citizens second reunion
and Thanksgiving luncheon.

November 11-37th anniversary of St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley and
ordination of Nishan Dagley to the office of acolyte and stole bearer.
Presided over by His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the
Prelacy.

November 11-St. Stephen Church, Watertown, Massachussetts, 50th anniversary
commemorative concert, 4 pm., church hall.

November 10-11-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, annual
"Armenian Fest," at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island. For
information 401-831-6399.

November 11-Greater Worcester Armenian Chorale and Armenian Children’s
Chorus, 7th annual gala concert and dinner, Armenian Church of Our Saviour
Cultural Center. Advance tickets only. Barbara Baljian, 508-799-6972.

November 16-Introduction to the new series of booklets on Contemporary
Ethical Issues: An Armenian Orthodox Perspective, by Vigen Guroian.
Professor Guroian will speak about the series and the first booklet newly
published, "Homosexuality & Same-Sex Union." 7:30 pm at the Prelacy office
in New York City. For information [email protected] or 212-689-7810.

November 17-Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, 43rd Anniversary
Banquet.

November 18-Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, Divine Liturgy
celebrated by the Prelate Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan.

December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar. For information or 508-234-3677.

December 9-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
dinner dance, Marriott Hotel, Burlington. For information, (617) 924-7562.

December 23-St. Stephen’s Day Celebration, Watertown, Massachusetts. The
Golden Jubilee celebration will come to a close with a commemoration of the
church’s patron saint, the first deacon and martyr, St. Stephen.

June 27 to July 6-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, Summer Christian Studies
Program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, organized by the Armenian Religious Education Council. For
more information click

Visit our website at

EMBATTLED BUSINESSMAN LEAVES SPAIN FOR ARMENIAN JAIL
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 3 2007

The owner of a coffee packaging company locked in a bitter dispute
with the government returned to Armenia and was swiftly arrested
early on Wednesday less than three months after being cleared of
fraud charges and released from jail.

Gagik Hakobian, the leading shareholder in the Royal Armenia company,
interrupted his reported medical treatment in Spain and flew back
to Yerevan to risk a lengthy prison sentence sought by the Armenian
customs and law-enforcement authorities.

The latter insisted on their controversial accusations even after
Hakobian and a senior company executive, Aram Ghazarian, were
sensationally acquitted by a Yerevan court on July 16. The two men
had been jailed two years ago after publicly accusing senior customs
officials of corruption.

The Royal Armenia case is widely seen as a litmus test of rule of law
and judicial independence in Armenia. The company and its lawyers say
the government’s handling of the case makes a mockery of its declared
efforts to create a level playing field for all businesspeople and
to make courts more independent.

Hakobian was detained by police at Yerevan airport immediately
after disembarking from the plane. "He arrived in high spirits and
was prepared for his arrest," his defense attorney, Ashot Sargsian,
told RFE/RL. "He had his shaving kit, towel, toothpaste and other
hygiene items on him."

Armenia’s Court of Appeals issued an arrest warrant for Hakobian last
month after he failed to attend any of its hearings on an appeal filed
by prosecutors against the July verdict. The businessmen assured the
court from Spain that he did not flee the country and will return
home soon.

Hakobian, according to his lawyer, hoped to be present at the next
court hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday. However, the high
court adjourned it until October 15, citing trial prosecutors’
failure to attend the session.

The prosecutors were spotted in the court building shortly afterwards,
though. Pressed by journalists, they claimed to have accidentally
arrived late.

Sargsian claimed that the hearing was cancelled deliberately. "The
court knew in advance that the prosecutors will turn up late today
and adjourned the session to make sure that Gagik Hakobian is kept
in detention until October 15," he said. "The judge [presiding over
the trial] will probably relish that."

In a phone interview with RFE/RL last week, Hakobian stood by his
view that the criminal case was "fabricated" in retaliation for Royal
Armenia’s refusal to give bribes to senior customs and public exposure
of rampant corruption within the State Customs Committee (SCC).

The SCC is headed by Armen Avetisian, a figure close to Prime Minster
Serzh Sarkisian and reputedly one of Armenia’s wealthiest men. His
deputy Gagik Khachatrian is also believed to have extensive business
interests. The Royal Armenia owner alleges that Khachatrian personally
offered to give his company privileged treatment in return for sharing
in its extra profits.

Khachatur Sukisian, a millionaire businessman and parliamentarian,
publicly accused Khachatrian of obstructing free enterprise and
fair competition in the country. "When it comes to competition,
that person will trump up everything to make life hard for local,
Diasporan or any other businessmen," Sukiasian charged at the time.

Both Avetisian and Khachatrian have denied the Royal Armenia
allegations, saying that it is the coffee company that broke the law
by avoiding paying more than 1 billion drams ($3 million) worth of
taxes and import duties.

However, a Yerevan court of first instance found the accusations of
tax evasion and other fraud leveled against Hakobian and Ghazarian
baseless, rejecting prosecutors’ demands that the two men be sentenced
to 12 and 11 years’ imprisonment respectively. The defendants walked
free in the courtroom as a result.

Their acquittal was a rare instance of an Armenian court rebuffing
prosecutors. The judge who handed down the ruling, Pargev Hovannisian,
is now facing disciplinary action, ostensibly unrelated to the Royal
Armenia case, and the possibility of dismissal. The Council of Justice,
a body overseeing the Armenian judiciary, is to decide by next week
whether to ask President Robert Kocharian to fire Ohanian or sanction
him otherwise.

ARMENIA PROPOSES PACE TO INVITE NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO CONFERENCE ON FROZEN CONFLICTS IN BERLIN

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 2 2007

YEREVAN, October 2. /ARKA/. Armenia proposed PACE to invite
Nagorno-Karabakh to the conference on frozen conflicts in Berlin.

The public relations department of the National Assembly of
Armenia told ARKA that head of the Armenian delegation of PACE David
Haroutiunian proposed this during his meeting with the representative
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Rene Van
Der Linden.

In particular, Haroutiunian proposed to invite Nagorno-Karabakh
as a conflict side and pointed out that the "participation of
Nagorno-Karabakh will provide balance from the viewpoint of
participation and opinion presentation."

On the initiative of the PACE Monitoring Commission (MC) conference on
"frozen" conflicts will be held in Berlin, November 5.

The issue of "frozen" conflicts was discussed during the session
of the PACE MC held in the city of Skopje (Macedonia) in May 2007,
where the agreement on discussing "frozen" conflicts in Berlin in
November was reached.