Category: News

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee
San Francisco – Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: (415) 387-3433
Fax: (415) 751-0617
[email protected]
Contact: Roxanne Makasdjian (415) 641-0525
US AMBASSADOR VISITS THE BAY AREA ARMENIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
“I will today call it the Armenian Genocide”
()
Saturday, Feb. 19, 2005, UC Berkeley – U.S. Ambassador John Evans, on a
tour of Armenian-American communities throughout the United States,
spoke plainly about the importance of Armenian Genocide recognition.
“I will today call it the Armenian Genocide,” said Evans, who has
studied Russian History at Yale and Columbia universities and Ottoman
History at the Kennan Institute.
During a public gathering hosted by UC Berkeley’s Armenian Studies
Program Executive Director, Prof. Stephan Astourian, Ambassaador Evans
told community members he had studied the Genocide, having read Prof.
Richard Hovannissian’s work on the Armenian Genocide, the compilation of
US newspaper accounts of the Genocide, a book about the Germany’s
involvement in the Genocide, and the recent Nobel Prize winning book “A
Problem from Hell”, about the US response to 20th century genocides.
“I informed myself in depth about it,” said Evans, “I think we, the US
government, owe you, our fellow citizens a more frank and honest way of
discussing this problem. Today, as someone who’s studied it… There’s
no doubt in my mind what happened.”
Evans said he had also consulted with a State Department lawyer who
confirmed that the events of 1915 were “genocide by definition.”
Various past and present US administrations and officials have avoided
using the word “genocide” for the Armenian case, using various
descriptive phrases and euphemisms, instead. Noting that “No American
official has ever denied it,” Evans nevertheless said, “I think it is
unbecoming of us as Americans to play word games here. I believe in
calling things by their name,” but he pointed out that the official
policy of the US has not changed.” In the case of Turkey, there are old
NATO ties, particularly in the military sphere.”
Evans also emphasized that he believed that the International Convention
on Genocide, an agreement approved by the United Nations in 1948
condemning and indicating punishment for the crime genocide, applies
only to events occurring after 1948. “We do not dispute the facts, but
these treaties are meant to apply to future events,” said Evans.
“The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century,” said
Evans, remarking that since it was the first occurrence, the world
wasn’t equipped to respond appropriately. “We made many mistakes after
WWI. They sowed the seeds of WWII.” He said he’s proud that Colin
Powell courageously called the recent massacres in Darfur, Sudan genocide.
“I pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this
issue,” said Evans.
Regarding the U.S. relationship with Turkey, Evans said, “We’re having a
very hard time with Turkey,” and “What we all want to see is evolution
in Turkish society. Let’s hope we’ll all see the day when there will be
a change of heart in those areas where there needs to be.”
The Ambassador’s comments about the Armenian Genocide were greeted with
sustained applause from the audience. “We welcome the Ambassador’s
honest approach to Armenian history, “said Roxanne Makasdjian, of the
Bay Area ANC.
“Although we believe that there are many international laws and
agreements, including the Genocide Convention, which are clearly
applicable to the Armenian Genocide, we are impressed and gratified by
Ambassador Evans’ straight-forward discussion of the historical facts.”
At the Berkeley event and at a lunch meeting at KZV Armenian School with
representatives of various Bay Area Armenian-American organizations,
Ambassador Evans also discussed the Karabagh conflict and US aid to
Armenia, presenting a 14-minute DVD about the many initiatives being
carried out by the United States Agency for International Development in
Armenia.
In response to questions about U.S. policy towards independence for
Karabagh, Evans compared the prevailing government view in the 20th
century against secessionist movements to the 19th century societal
taboo against divorce. He said that the U.S. does not favor
non-secessionist policy over secessionism, saying, “It’s ultimately the
presidents who will make the political move forward.” He said currently
there might be a slight cause for optimism in the Karabagh settlement
process because neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan is nearing an election,
at time “fraught with risk.” Evans indicated that although the U.S.
follows a policy of territorial integrity of nations, that “Everybody
realizes that Karabagh can’t be given back to Azerbaijan. That would be
a disastrous step,” Evans said. “If Yerevan and Baku work out a
settlement, I hope that everyone will pull together to support them. If
they reach a settlement, we cannot undermine it.”
Ambassador Evans said there was no need for a retraction of a statement
made recently by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones
during a video conference on U.S. – Russia relations. Jones said, “It is
in Russia’s interest for these areas, for Transnistria, Abkhazia, South
Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, for these areas to be stable, for corruption
to end there, for the criminal secessionists who rule there to be
removed.” Evans said Jones was not referring to Karabagh with the term
“criminal secessionists,” and therefore no public apology was necessary,
beyond the explanation she gave in private discussions with the Armenian
government. He said, “too much was made of the comment, that it had
been exaggerated too much in Armenia, that Armenians may be doing damage
to their national interest by perpetuating the issue. “I think you
should drop it and get on with life,” said Evans.
Commenting on a recent statement by an Azerbaijani official who said
that there would be no Armenia left in 25 years, Evans said, “This was
an outrageous, bellicose statement, and it brought all the bad memories
of Armenians back.” He said the U.S officials often work behind the
scenes to address such problems. “One of our main goals is to provide
for greater stability in the region,” said Evans, “The South Caucasus
does not need another war.”
Evans praised Armenia’s democratic and economic progress, saying,
“Armenia is headed in the right direction in several vectors. Sometimes
progress is not as swift as we’d like, but the basic direction is
right.” Referring to the Millenium Challenge Account, a U.S. government
program which rewards more aid to governments that are taking steps “to
rule justly, invest in the people, and provide the right conditions for
free markets and private enterprise,” Evans said Armenia rated “above
the mean.” Evans said that among all the former Soviet States, only
Armenia and Georgia were deemed eligible for funding, and that he
expects the government of Armenia to put forward a funding proposal for
the program soon.
Although the problem of corruption is still significant, Evans said
Armenia “regularly comes out ahead of its neighbors.” He noted that
this year Armenia will have recovered back to its economic level of
1991, and that 80% of the economy was accounted for by the private
sector. And although poverty is a huge problem, there has been a recent
drop from 52% to the 43% or lower by some estimates, with the level of
extreme poverty dropping from 11% to 7%.
The ambassador said that one of the Embassy’s big initiatives is to help
develop the economy in a “much more broad-based and sustainable” way.
Evans said Armenia has a good constitution but that “implementation is
the important thing.” He praised President Kocharian for his tough
meetings with the tax and customs service administrators, in an effort
to more fairly implement tax collection.
Evans also thanked Armenia for its recent deployment of 50 non-combat
soldiers to Iraq, saying he recognized the fears for the safety of the
historic Armenian community there.
Joining Ambassador Evans on his visit were his wife, Donna Evans, USAID
Mission Director in Armenia, Robin Phillips, and Aaron Sherinian, U.S.
Embassy Political Officer.
###
Picture Caption:
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans and Prof. Stephan Astourian, UCB
Armenian Studies Program Executive Director

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 24 2005
World Bank to allocate $11m to Azerbaijan

The World Bank is expected to allocate a $11 million loan to
Azerbaijan shortly. The funds will be earmarked for improving the
social plight of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs and relevant
micro-projects.
The WB project manager Helen Hamilton has visited Baku several times
to work on developing the new project. It will be forwarded to the WB
board of directors for approval shortly.
During Hamilton’s visits, she discussed and agreed with the Azeri
side on starting the implementation of the new project.
The World Bank disbursed $20 million as a main loan and a $10 million
additional loan later under another project, “Rehabilitation of freed
territories”, implemented in Azerbaijan from July 1998 until December
31, 2004. The goal of this project, executed by the Agency for
Restoration and Rehabilitation of Areas, was to assist in settling
and improving the living conditions of those displaced as a result of
the Upper Garabagh conflict.

La Croix , France
24 février 2005
Les saints du jour. Saint Vartan (Ier siècle). Saint Modeste.
Saint Vartan (Ier siècle). Envoyé par son cousin, l’empereur romain,
à Sanadrouk, roi d’Arménie, pour régler des affaires importantes.
Il se convertit lors de sa rencontre avec saint Jude et est assassiné
par les fils de Sanadrouk pour s’être fait chrétien.
On fête aussi saint Modeste (fin IXe siècle), évêque de Trêves
(Rhénanie).

Glendale News Press
23 February 2005
Father, teen son’s pleas postponed
Torgom and Gayk Gzoyan of Glendale are accused of having attempted to kill a
man on Saturday.
By Jackson Bell, News-Press and Leader
GLENDALE — A Glendale teenager, who faces attempted-murder charges for
allegedly shooting a North Hollywood man in the face and neck Saturday, will
be tried as an adult, authorities said.
The arraignment for Glendale 17-year-old Gayk Gzoyan and his father, Torgom
Gzoyan, 55, was postponed Wednesday. The father and son are accused of
trying to kill 27-year-old Aram Aslanian Saturday afternoon near the corner
of Glendale Avenue and Maple Street. They are scheduled to reappear March 4
in Burbank Superior Court, authorities said.
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Aslanian was still alive in a local hospital Wednesday but “gravely”
wounded, said Glendale Police Sgt. Ian Grimes, who oversees the department’s
robbery/homicide division.
If Aslanian dies, the father and son will face murder charges, he said.
Police pushed to have Gayk Gzoyan charged as an adult for several reasons,
Grimes said.
“This is a serious crimes, and there were a combination of factors, like the
circumstances of the crime and his maturity,” Grimes said. “He’s going to be
18 in May.”
The Gzoyans were driving their car when they spotted Aslanian outside
Express Auto Repair about 4 p.m. Saturday on Maple Street, Sgt. Tom Lorenz
said.
Torgom Gzoyan got out of the car, confronted him, and a “heated” argument
ensued, Lorenz said. The tension culminated when Gayk Gzoyan exited the car
and shot Aslanian twice, Lorenz said.
There was an ongoing dispute between Aslanian and the Gzoyan family, he
added.
Police responded to the scene, and witnesses said they saw a man with a gun
in his hand escaping on foot.
Detectives tracked them to a Pomona truck stop off the Corona (71) Freeway
early Sunday morning. Police spoke with the father and son and convinced
them to return to Glendale, Lorenz said.
“The dad is a truck driver, and that is the depot for the truck that he
drives,” Grimes said. “I believe he went out there to establish an alibi.”
Detectives presented the case to the district attorney’s office Wednesday
morning, and charges were filed, police said.
Gayk Gzoyan remains in custody on $2 million bail, and his father is being
held on $1 million bail, Grimes said.

Greater Iran
Federated commonwealth of Iranian states
February 21, 2005
iranian.com
The purpose of this writing is not to present you with yet another flabby
history lesson about Persia, something which I trust you all to be sick to
death of. Yet the topic of the current article is something which I feel I
cannot ignore writing about, as it seems that nobody these days cares to
sputter about, save myself.
Febuary 21 marks the anniversary of one of Iran’s most darkest days in
memory. On this day in 1828, Haj Mirza Abol-hasan Khan and Asef o-dowleh,
chancellor of Fath-Ali Shah signed a stomach-churning treaty by which:
1. The current republics of Armenia and Nakhjavan joined Georgia,
Azerbaijan, and Daghestan as the newest Iranian lands to be annexed by
Russia forever.
2. Iran promised to pay Russia 5 million Tomans for money spent by Russia in
trying to conquer these lands.
3. Full rights for Russian ships to navigate all of the Caspian and her
coasts.
4. Capitulation rights for Russians in Iran.
In return, Russia promised to support Abbas Mirza to gain the seat of
monarchy after Fath-Ali Shah (which never happened).
Did it end there? Hell no. The Russians were using skulking vermiform
British help in doing the same to Iran in Herat and the rest of central
Asia. Persian Asia, I might add.
OK. Sad story. It was just to refresh your memories.
Now, when the British were kicked out of their own empire, they still
managed to maintain their presence in their “commonwealth” by various means.
They were in Hong Kong as late as 1997. Same goes for the French “La
Francophonie”.
I don’t see an Iranian presence in the “Iranian commonwealth”. Instead of
focusing on the commonwealth of Iranian states, we see a non-plebiscitary
system that demands genuflection in trying to define us as culturally Arab,
sticking its nose into places where it innately does not belong, such as the
Israeli-Arab conflict.
But it gets even worse. While Iran is sucking up to “Muslim brother nations”
like Malaysia for economic opportunities, Malaysia smarmily forbids the
official hiring of Iranian Muslims. And these are not even Arabs.
That said, it is imperative that every Iranian, from every creed and
ethnicity, at least keep the memory alive, before even the memory
disappears. The memory of Greater Iran.
What is “Greater Iran”?
I. Members of the Greater Iran, a federated commonwealth of Iranian states
Armenia
Separated from Iran by the Turkemanchay Treaty. Our government, as well as
foreign governments, try very hard to encourage Iranian minorities to leave
Iran. That’s sad. St Thaddeus is buried in Iran. So are Prophet Daniel and
Queen Esther. Iran was inherently pluralist to begin with.
Azerbaijan
Turkey is now stepping in to separate Azerbaijan from Iran by claiming
Azeris as Turks, and therefore part of “Greater Turkey”. The vainglorious
ciphers even claim the Safavis as “a Turkic dynasty that ruled Persia”.
Turkic as in non-Iranian. And what do we do instead to make our Azeri
citizens feel welcome in their own home? Make jokes about how dumb “Torks”
are. The definition of hemaaghat.
Afghanistan
The Dari language spoken by Afghanis is Farsi. And if we haven’t been
treating them as equals to ourselves, then shame on us. I have to keep
showing people “Baran” to remind them of this. I wonder what people would be
calling Ebne Sina of he were alive todayÖ. An “Afghani”? What about Molavi?
Would he be riding a Zamyad pickup with a shovel in hand?
Tajikestan
Perhaps one of the most important states of Greater Iran. These people
actually appreciate being a member of the Persian family. We should fully
embrace that. Ah, but Qods Day is more important.
Turkmenistan
Marv is where Yazdegerd finally lost to Omar. It was the capital of Greater
Khorasan. Nisa was the capital of the Parthians. No insignificant detail
there.
Uzbekistan
While western Iran and Fars were enduring the wave of Arabization, the
people of this region were preserving our language. Where were the Samanids
from? Where is Bokhara? Where is Samarqand? Where is Rudaki from?
Kyrqyzstan
Another state inhabited by Iranian tribes such as the Sogdians, whose
capital was the city of Afrasyab. Like the other “SSR” states, they lost
much of their identity during the russification policies of Moscow.
Daghestan
Next time someone ridicules you for this claim, show them the picture of the
best preserved Sassanian castle anywhere, in Darband.
II. States that should be within the Iranian sphere of influence
Iraq
That great vault has been begging for ages to hear Persian poetry recited
under her majestic shadow. And how many of you had a grandfather or great
ancestor that lived in Najaf or Karbala? Kamal-ol-molk loved it there as did
many others. And what about Mashallah and Nowbakht, the Iranian Jew and
Zoroastrian that first designed Baghdad based on Firouzabad? Like it or not,
Iraq is an Iranoid state by nature. Our presence is eternally felt there.
UAE
How many Iranians do we have there? What does a government like Russia do
when it has a minority of its citizens living somewhere, say, like in
Lithuania? Would it act less than aggressive to protect them? Besides,
business is good for everyone. And you see a lot of it in the UAE nowadays.
India
These people are proud of their Mughal heritage. It’s no coincidence we see
Persian poetry in India. No coincidence that The Taj Mahal was built by
Shirazi craftsmen. This should be a point for strengthening cultural bonds.
India has achieved much schtick as a nation that stood on her own feet and
evolved into a democracy. We have a lot to learn from them.
Turkey
If you don’t try to influence them, they will try to influence you. That’s
the rule. Otherwise next thing you know, Tabriz and Qazvin are on their maps
again.
III. States of key importance for Greater Iran
Israel
Like it or not, Israel is here to stay. Secondly, Israel is the only country
in the region that understands “Iranians are not Arabs”. They understood it
during our war against Iraq. They understand it when I go to my doctors, all
Jewish, and all top of their class. We need Israel for stability. And Israel
still sees us as the descendants of Cyrus the savior.
As ridiculous as it sounds, YOU CAN be a follower of Hossein, and be a
brother to a Jew. That is if you don’t think Jews are Najes to shake hands
with, and aren’t stuck in the mold defined by pan-Arabism, nowadays called
“Islam”. Even our hero Morgan Shuster was Jewish for crying out loud.
The US
Ever since Howard G. Baskerville became the first American to bravely die
for Iran’s struggle toward democracy, it has become clear that Iran cannot
trust any major power, if any at all, other than the United States. The US
was the only power who ever tried to help Persia, just for the sake of
helping her. Even today, where pro-war neocons reign supreme in Washington,
Iran would still be much better off having America as a friend than having
Europeans. I firmly believe in this.
Without the US, Iran can’t go far in anything it does. Not because Iran is
wimpy and powerless, but because America has so much to offer. Au contraire,
the US needs Iran too. Iran can be a most loyal friend for a well
intentioned United States. It would be very wise for both American and
Iranian statesmen to come to their senses and try coordinating efforts to
reach their numerous shared interests. Just think, when Arthur Millspaugh
and Arthur Pope were helping Iran, what were the Europeans doing? Why do we
have a tomb of Phyllis Ackerman in Isfahan?
Conclusion
Richard Frye once said: “Many times I have emphasized that the present
peoples of central Asia, whether Iranian or Turkic speaking, have one
culture, one religion, one set of social values and traditions with only
language separating them”.
Empires and kingdoms come and go, but the memory of a unified great state
not only continues to inspire folk bards and poets, but also to motivate
political action. It is our duty to defend the memory of Greater Iran from
her enemies, and try hard to preserve the cultural glue that solidifies the
peoples of this great land, whether Persian, Turkic, Afghani, Turkomen, or
whatever, in spite of religion and creed, even if Iran herself doesn’t.
Perhaps future generations will awaken to this reality unlike the current
one.

Burlington Union
Winchester woman brings Armenian treasures to area
By Christopher Rocchio/ Staff Writer
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Gail O’Reilly, a Winchester resident since 1979, has served the community in
a variety of ways over the years. She is a member, and former president, of
the Winchester League of Women Voters. She was also a Town Meeting member
from 1985 to 2003.
Her memberships, O’Reilly said, are an outlet for her sense of civic
duty and she has enjoyed the experiences and people. But while she was busy
serving the community, her father asked a question that impacted her life:
Why don’t you do something for your own people? he said to her.
O’Reilly took her father’s advice, and in 2000, began Made in Armenia
Direct, a business that brings authentic treasures made by Armenia’s most
skilled artisans to the U.S. She said the business idea originated when she
made her first trip to Armenia in 1991. There she took pleasure strolling
through a local park. On weekends, she said many Armenian artisans would
gather to peddle their goods, but appeared to be having a tough time
supporting themselves.
“It broke my heart,” said O’Reilly. “There were very few tourists, so I
was concerned the artisans would leave the country, which in turn would then
lose the skill.”
After another trip in 2000, she decided expose the artisans and their
goods to an American market. The operation began as a Web site. At the time,
she said, Armenians who had lived under communism their whole lives had no
idea about accountability and quality control. O’Reilly said the artisans
never thought of being entrepreneurs, and she was unsure what could be
delivered, in what quantity and how fast. Now she knows, and the system has
grown smoother.
“One of my goals is to be in as many retail stores in the U.S. as
possible,” she said.
Made in Armenia Direct currently works with about 50 artisans and three
cooperatives. Goods include handmade jewelry (pendants, earrings and
bracelets), leisure items (toys, games, dolls, musical instruments,
postcards and books), home decor items (wall hangings, paintings, decorative
plates, vases, candleholders and tableware), apparel and accessories
(scarves, ties, bags, hats and capes) and holiday specialties.
Currently, Made in Armenia Direct goods are sold in 12 retail stores
across the nation, with some as close as Arlington and others as far as
Wisconsin. While she doesn’t mind the Web-based business, she said the work
attracts more attention if sold in retail stores.
“Every artisan is an independent agent,” she said. “They’re not
employed by me.”
O’Reilly said she is very cognizant of child labor laws, and none of
the goods she sells are produced in sweat shops. Also, she doesn’t negotiate
with the artisans, and generally pays them what they ask. If the product
does not sell because the cost is too high, she believes the craftspeople
will understand why she doesn’t order from them anymore.
“I don’t want to compete with third-world countries for goods,” said
O’Reilly.
When the business first began, she found artisans by walking through
the park that gave her the idea for the business, and approaching them to
ask if she could market for them. She also knows a few Armenian Americans
who have since moved back to Armenia, and help her identify certain gifted
artisans. Mostly, her search for craftspeople passes from word-of-mouth, and
she almost never returns to the park that sparked the idea.
“Some artisans who used to sell their goods in the park aren’t there
anymore,” said O’Reilly. “It’s because I’m giving them enough business.”
O’Reilly showed off examples of several of the goods that Made in
Armenia Direct sells. She said hand-sewn cards, available only in retail
store locations, were made in an orphanage. O’Reilly said this may sound
like a sweat shop, but explained the children who live in the orphanage are
trained with a skill at 16 years so they will be prepared to enter the world
once they turn 18. The cards are made by teen-agers preparing to leave the
orphanage.
“It fits nicely with one of my goals to keep the artisans in Armenia,
but allow them to work and live with dignity,” she said.
Also, O’Reilly said she worked with college-aged students at a design
school in Armenia to design and create a cape. While the student’s work was
terrific, O’Reilly said the project hit a snag when she realized the
students did not have “American taste” and were unsure what colors, fabrics
and patterns to incorporate in the design. From now on, O’Reilly brings
American catalogs with her whenever she travels to Armenia to show the
artisans the type of things people in this country have a desire for.
“It was a lot of work designing the cape but we all did it together,”
she said.
While she travels a lot with her husband, O’Reilly said they had never
been to Armenia before 1991 when they accompanied the Armenian Assembly of
America. She said a devastating earthquake hit Armenia in 1988, and the
assembly and U.S. government raised a total of $7 million for relief
efforts. Specifically, she said the money was used to build a housing
manufacturing plant to help more than 500,000 displaced Armenians.
“Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the factory is what brought
me to Armenia, and the trip changed my life,” she said.
O’Reilly tells all the Armenian Americans she meets if they visit their
home country – they will not return the same. She saw many impoverished
people, thought of her grandparents and felt how fortunate she was.
“I felt for those people and thought it was my responsibility to take
care of my homeland,” she said.
Made in Armenia Direct products can be purchased at Artwear or
Crossroads Trade, both located on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington. They
can also be found via the Web site

NATO SUPPORTS PRESENCE OF PEACEKEEPERS IN SECURITY ZONE
A1+
24-02-2005
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Caucasus and
Central Asia Robert Simmons does not see any possibility of posting
NATO peacekeeping forces on the territories of security belt around
Nagorno Karabakh today.
When responding to A1+’s question Mr. Simmons stated that such outlook
is possible if the conflicting parties come to an agreement. According
to him,NATO will support similar agreement achieved by the parties to
conflict as well as the dislocating of peacekeeping forces in
future. However he added that it is early to speak of it to date.

AZG Armenian Daily #034, 25/02/2005
Nagorno Karabakh
13 YEARS AFTER KHOJALU TRAGEDY
Heydar Aliyev: “We’ll Benefit from Bloodshed. We Should Not Intervene With
the Events”
On Feb. 25 of 1992 Nagorno Karabakh forces took their stand in the west of
Khojalu and demanded the enemy to leave the village and to guide the
civilians out via the humanitarian corridor they provided. The Azerbaijani
president of the time, Ayaz Mutalibov, confessed to Nezavisimoya Gazeta on
April 2 that “the Armenians provided a corridor for the people to draw
back”.
An American senator said during the World War I that the truth is the first
victim of war. These words may well be applied to Khojalu. No one was able
to answer why the Azeri armed forces reckoning on Shushi and Ghojalu as
bridgeheads didn’t lead civilians out of Khojalu while the Karabakh side
gave them a chance.
Regardless the reasons, what happened in Khojalu was a tragedy that claimed
lives of 613 civilians. 34 Armenians were killed in the battles of February
25-27.
The February of 1992 was the toughest period in Karabakh war for the
Armenians. The Azeri armed groups occupied more than 40 percent of Nagorno
Karabakh’s territory and kept rocketing capital city of Stepanakert from
Ghojalu, Aghdam and Shushi day and night. Hundreds died under ruins as
result of bombardments.
The only airport of Nagorno Karabakh was in Khojalu. In 1992 the Karabakh
forces had not yet opened the Lachin humanitarian corridor and had not yet
liberated Shushi. In fact, air communication between Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh at that time was the only one. Karabakh was squeezed in grip.
Heydar Aliyev, chairman of Nakhijevan parliament of the time, placed all
blame for the tragedy on former Azeri authorities, precisely Ayaz Mutalibov.
“We’ll Benefit from Bloodshed. We should not intervene with the events”,
Azeri Biliq Dunyas agency quoted Aliyev as saying right after the tragedy.
Allegedly, first publications on Khojalu events in the international press
were on February 27 in The Washington Post and The Sunday Times. American
journalist Thomas Goltz, who had an Azeri wife by the way, was the author of
both articles. Goltz wrote about Khojalu while in Baku and visited the
village only few days later as his articles were published.
There were other journalists as well who wrote about Khojalu after the
tragedy but, contrary to Goltz, after having visited the spot. So, The Times
correspondents, Anatol Lieven and Rory Peck, were the first journalists who
visited Khojalu and took pictures. One and half a year ago Peck was killed
in Moscow during the Ostankino events.
French journalist, Florance David, from French TV broadcasted on March 2
that Armenians and Azeris agreed on exchanging bodies of the killed.
Florance saw 100 corpses on the ground while they were being exchanged. In a
short while he noticed an Azeri helicopter with foreign journalists shooting
pictured of the dead from aboard. Florance reported that the Turkish press
and TV represented the scene as “massacre of hundreds of Azeris by
Armenians”.
Czech journalist, Jana Mazalova, interviewed already the former president
Ayaz Mutalibov several weeks later. The latter said: “The scene of massacres
was staged”. In November 13 issue of 1992 Izvastia wrote: “It was possible
to avert Khojalu tragedy”.
Azeri cameraman, Chingiz Mustafayev, who worked in Aghdam from February 28
to March 2, was suspicious over Azerbaijan’s official view that Armenians
carried out massacre of civilians in Khojalu. The journalist had a high
price to pay for honestly accusing the Azeri forces of Khojalu tragedy. Soon
after his publication he was killed in Aghdam which was under Azeris control
at the time.
The former chairman of Azeri parliament, Tamerlan Garayev, said: “The
Khojalu tragedy was perpetrated by Azeri authorities, by someone from
high-ranking officials”. Recently, vice-chairman of the Azeri parliament,
Ziafed Askerov, told Zerkalo that Ayaz Mutalibov and his entourage and the
Peoples’ Front are the ones to blame for Khojalu.
Stepanakert considers that Baku is trying to “veil” the massacres of
Armenian population in Sumgait on February 25-28 of 1988.
By Tatoul Hakobian

AZG Armenian Daily #034, 25/02/2005
Nagorno Karabakh
‘AZERI FAMILIES LIVE IN STEPANAKERT AND ASKERAN, MOREOVER, THEY LIVE QUITE A
NORMAL LIFE’
Journalist Eynula Fatulaev Tells Azeri Press About His Impressions in NKR
Eynula Fatulaev, journalist of Monitor Azeri newspaper, visited NKR and
Aghdam on February 11-20. Returning to Baku, Fatulaev told about his
impressions in interviews to Zerkalo and Ekho. The article published in
Zerkalo in entitled was “Childish Naivety or Treason?”
“I arrived in Yerevan on February 10 and began working in Karabakh the next
day. In general, I should emphasize that the “NKR” authorities implemented
all their commitments. All the conditions were created for my activities
without any limitation. I came across the only prohibition in Aghdam. They
didn’t allow me to take any photo there. I was quite free in my activities
in all the places I visited,” Fatulaev told Ekho.
In response to the question what was the most surprising thing for him,
Fatulaev said: “The development of the civic and democratic institutions
surprised me most of all. They say that such institutes are more developed
in here, than in Yerevan. “NKR President” Arkady Ghukasian said that “the
world would never forgive NKR authoritarian and anti-democratic regime, and
that is why we should develop the civic institutions.”
“I visited the occupied territories 5 years ago, and, to tell the truth,
there have been great changes there. The military-political regime changed
into a semi-democratic one. In general, one can’t call “NKR” a democratic
state, notwithstanding the fact that democratic elections have already been
hold in “NKR.” The opposition representative won the elections of 2004.
Eduard Aghabekian, main opponent of Ghukasian became a mayor. Besides, there
is independent mass media in Karabakh. I got acquainted with the journalists
of the oppositional press. They are rather strictly criticizing “NKR”
authorities and that gets on one’s nerves, but they are tolerant,” Fatulaev
said.
Fatulaev got the impression after the meetings with Arkady Ghukasian, NKR
President, Arman Melikian, NKR foreign minister, as well as with other
officials and political figures that the Armenian side will never return
Lachin and Qelbajar. “That is why they are inhabiting these regions,” he
said.
“Lachin, the regional center, is inhabited for almost 80%. Schools, medical
centers, hospitals have been constructed, in one word, all the substructures
of the region are restored. The composition of Lachin’s residents is rather
interesting. Armenians from Iraq, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Lebanon are
dwelling there. There are many Armenians from Spitak who lost their homes as
a result of the earthquake,” Fatulaev said and added that in the course of
the 11 days he spent in Karabakh the electricity was never switched off. The
whole population of Karabakh has natural gas.”
Azeri journalist met his compatriots, as well. “Azeri families live in
Stepanakert and Askeran, moreover, they live quite a normal life. There are
10-15 families in Stepanakert and 10 families in Askeran. I took interviews
from them for Monitor magazine. For example, Tofik Rasulov invited me to his
home. He is from Ujar region. He moved to Askeran with his family in the
60s. In 1989-90 he returned to Ujar because of the well-known events. But he
failed to live there and returned. He and his family members live a serene
and natural life in Askeran,” Fatulaev said.
In particular, Zerkalo got annoyed at the fact that Fatulaev used the name
Stepanakert instead of Khanqendi, as well as at the approach the journalist
applied when representing his impressions that were fair and passionless.
Fatulaev came to think that Arkady Ghukasian and Arman Melikian are “open
people,” as a result of the meetings with these officials. “Ghukasian
mentioned in the conversation with me that he doesn’t call for the
authorities of Azerbaijan to speak Armenian with them, just like Saakashvili
spoke with the Ossetians and the Abkhazians their native language. It was
emphasized that if Azerbaijan considers the Armenians of Karabakh its
citizens, why does it speak to them from the positions of a power.
Principally, I got the impression that they are ready for a dialogue. As a
high-ranking NKR official told me, today they do not exclude the possibility
of establishing horizontal relations with the official Baku within the
framework of one state,” he said.
“At present, a generation grows up in Karabakh that has got accustomed to
the idea that Karabakh is a separate administrative unit and isn’t in the
structure of Azerbaijan. In few years, this generation will come to the
policy, business and find its place among the society of Karabakh. It will
be much more difficult to agree with those people, than with the today’s
ruling group. In this connection, the Karabakh authorities emphasize that
they are ready to hold negotiations with the representatives of Azerbaijan,
even on the level of the ministers,” Fatulaev said.
By Tatoul Hakobian

AZG Armenian Daily #034, 25/02/2005
Meeting
ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN BUILDING A JURAL STATE
On Feb. 23 Femida NGO invited Ashot Mkrtchian, head of the Anti-Drug
Department, and Sayat Shirinian, head of Department for Public Relations of
the RA Police, to meet the media within the frameworks of European
Commission’s “Role of Mass Media in Building a Jural State” program. Mr.
Mkrtchian gave a brief overview of the anti-drug campaign in the republic
and noted that the drugs are the most serious problem that the world faces
today. In comparison with the European states, situation in Armenia “is
better and is still amenable to control”. Being situated on the crossroad of
drug trafficking countries, Armenia will face serious problems if turned
into a transit country.
Concerning woman trafficking, Mr. Mkrtchian stated that this phenomenon has
a 10-year history in Armenia and noted that a number of NGOs and mass medias
exaggerate figures”. “There are souteneurs who organize this work, but they
are not many”, he said. According to the police figures, 22 prostitutes left
Armenia in 2000 to work abroad, 19 in 2001, 26 in 2002, 21 in 2003, 32 in
2004. Two of them were engaged in human trafficking. There were 13 Armenian
prostitutes in Arabian Emirates; 9 more ponces in UAE are wanted.
By Marietta Makarian