Category: News

Russian, US leaders congratulate Armenia on independence anniversary
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
21 Sep 04

[Presenter over video of celebration ceremony] Armenia today
celebrates the 13th anniversary of its independence. On 21 September
1991, exactly 13 years ago, Armenian society made a resolute decision
by saying decisive “yes” at an independence referendum.
Celebrations started today by government members’ visit to Yerablur
[monument to martyrs in Yerevan]. The country’s high-ranking officials
led by President Robert Kocharyan laid flowers at the graves of
[assassinated Prime Minister] Vazgen Sarkisyan and Andranik [known to
the Armenian public as Zoravar Andranik, a distinguished leader of the
Armenian national liberation movement in the early 1900s].
[The president of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic, Arkadiy Gukasyan,
captioned, in Yerablur] Armenia’s independence belongs not only to the
Armenians, this is a holiday for the whole Armenianhood. Armenia’s
independence is the basis on which the independence of Nagornyy
Karabakh and the diaspora – Armenia – Nagornyy Karabakh union have
been established. But, as you now, Karabakh’s independence is 18 days
older than Armenia’s independence. We all understand that without free
and independent Armenia there would hardly be the free and independent
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic and it would have been very difficult to
win this war [for Nagornyy Karabakh]. This is natural for
Armenianhood, and this is the greatest and most valuable achievement.
[Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, captioned] Today we have a
combat-ready and strong army which is able to defend our
independence. I think this is the greatest achievement.
[Presenter] US President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir
Putin and Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka have sent
congratulatory messages to Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on the
occasion of the 13th anniversary of independence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory message to
the Armenian president. Our peoples’ historical friendship is based on
Russian-Armenian multifaceted cooperation. I am sure that the further
deepening of Russian-Armenian military cooperation meets our
countries’ interests, which plays the most important role in
preserving and strengthening peace and stability in the Caucasus, the
message said.
US President George W. Bush has also sent a congratulatory message to
President Kocharyan: I send my congratulations to you and all the
Armenian people on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of Armenia’s
independence. Today, independent Armenia is one of the most important
partners of the USA. My special thanks to Armenia for its special
support to the USA in the antiterror fight. The USA will continue
supporting the Armenian government and people to achieve economic
development and settle the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. I hope that
cooperation between our countries and friendly relations between our
peoples will strengthen, the message said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian president to visit China from 26 Sep
Xinhua news agency
21 Sep 04
(New China News Agency)
Beijing, 21 September: At the invitation of Chinese President Hu
Jintao, President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Sedrakovich
Kocharyan will pay a state visit to China from 26 to 30 September,
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a regular press
conference here Tuesday [21 September].

HEALTH SPHERE MOST CORRUPT IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16. ARMINFO. The most corrupt sphere in Armenia is
public health, said 19.4% of 1,956 Armenian citizens involved in a poll
conducted by the Armenian Center of National and International Studies.
According to the poll results, the judicial system is second most
corrupt. 10 per cent of the respondents said that Armenia’s armed
forces are the most corrupt body in Armenia, followed by the Taxation
Service, education system, Police and Traffic Police. According to
23.2%, the executive power is the most corrupt in Armenia. 15.6%
of the respondents consider the judicial power corrupt, and 5.7% of
them pointed out that it is the legislative power. According to 5.2%
of the respondents, local government bodies are corrupt. According to
30.7% of the respondents, superior officials force inferior ones to
practise corruption, and 29.4% said that it is nothing but mutually
advantageous deals, inferiors pay to their superiors to retain
their posts. According to 35.9% of the respondents, the authorities’
arbitrary rule is the main reason for corruption. 20.7% said that the
main reason is the priority given to personal or sectional interests in
the country. 12.1% of the respondents said that Armenia’s unspecified
legislation is another reason for corruption.
According to the Transparency International organization, Armenia
tanks 78th in the list of 133 countries, followed by Romania, Russia,
Moldova, Kazakhstan. The neighboring countries, Azerbaijan and Georgia
rank 124th and 127th respectively.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The last of the Armenians
MADHURIMA NANDY
The Times of India
TIMES NEWS NETWORK TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 03:15:04 AM
Eighty-three-year-old Charles Sarkies misses his friends who used to join
him for a quick game of bingo at the Armenian Club on Park Street. “There
are no births, weddings or engagements but only deaths of Armenians in the
city now.
The few left are just waiting to get six-feet under. Even the Armenian Club
is nearly non-functional,” reminisced Sarkies, who lives with 15 Armenians
at the Sir Catchick Paul Chater old-age home near Park Circus.
Sadly, even the much-popular Armenian rugby team in Kolkata has ceased to
exist now. Earlier, older students of the Armenian College who used to play
the game, along with professional players from abroad, are no more there.
“Unfortunately, the college had closed down for four years and that’s how
the team ceased to exist. I’ve managed to reopen the school in 1999 and
hopefully in the next two years we will get back our rugby team,” said Sonia
John, honourary manager of Armenian College and chair person of the Armenian
Church. The Church that was built in 1724 is possibly the oldest in the
city. Incidentally, there are about 100 Armenian students who now come from
Iran and Armenia to study here on scholarships.
It may be a forgotten history, but Armenians were the first hoteliers in the
city who set up landmark hotels like Grand, Kenilworth, Carlton and
Fairlawn, to name a few. They were known for their great communication
skills and fine sense of cuisine. John, who once owned Carlton Hotel in
Chowringhee, said, “Most of us sold our hotels off or just closed them down.
But like the Swiss, who were unparalled as the first confectioners in the
city, there is no match for Armenians in the hotel industry.”
Interestingly, of the 100-odd members of this community who remain here
still, only five are probably true blue Armenians who still speak in the
Armenian language. “Most Armenians have had inter-community marriages
because they couldn’t find partners from their community here. As a result,
the community is not very close-knit anymore,” said John. The Armenians, who
came here at the end of the 16th century, were as many as 20,000 in number
before Independence. However, post-Independence, moneyed Armenians started
migrating to USA, Europe and Australia.
From: Baghdasarian

HHS Announces $2.3 Million to Help Refugees Settle in U.S.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ — HHS Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson today awarded a $3.2 million grant to the Catholic Charities
of Louisville to provide medical care, job training and other services
to 2,000 recent refugees to the United States.
The Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Kentucky Wilson-Fish Program
will use the grant to help refugees integrate into American society by
offering cash and medical assistance, helping them learn English, and
providing social services such as job training.
“Kentucky compassionately opens its arms to refugees from around the
world,” Secretary Thompson said. “This grant is another example of
President Bush working with our nation’s faith-based communities to
ensure that new refugees’ arrival in the United States is as smooth as
possible.”
Administered by HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, the
$3.2 million grant will allow the Kentucky Wilson-Fish Program to
serve 2,000 refugees, asylum seekers, or victims of human
trafficking. More than 1,300 of the refugees who will be served
recently arrived in the United States, while 640 of the refugees have
been in the United States for a longer period of time but will be
served by the programs.
“As a faith-based community, Catholic Charities has had a long history
of collaborating with the federal government to provide social
services to the greater community,” said Steve Bogus, executive
director of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Louisville. “Catholic
Charities is honored to accept this award which will allow us to
practice the precepts of our faith on a daily basis, Catholic social
teaching, and to fulfill our commitment to faithful citizenship.”
The Kentucky Wilson-Fish Program, one of the largest of its kind in
the nation, provides day-to-day assistance to refugees to help them
better integrate into American society and sets a goal of finding jobs
for refugees within four months of their arrival in the United
States. The program assists refugees from such countries as Ethiopia,
Sudan, Congo, Liberia, Togo, Rwanda, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan,
Kosovo, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, the former Soviet Union, Armenia, Vietnam
and Columbia.
The grant is part of President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community
Initiative, which enables some of the most effective social service
providers in American to compete for federal funding to make a
difference in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens — without
compromising the provider’s religious character and independence.
As part of this initiative, HHS’ Compassion Capital Fund was created
three years ago and has awarded more than $150 million to support
efforts in local communities provide services to our neediest
neighbors. President Bush’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2005 would
increase support for the Compassion Capital Fund to $161 million.
—
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials
are available at
Contact: ACF Press Office, 202-401-9215
09/20 18:51

A.R.F. ZAVARIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION (Z.S.A.) CONFERENCE OPENING CEREMONY
The 5-day pan-Armenian student conference entitled “Armenian students facing
the challenges of the 21st century”, which is organized on the occasion of
the A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association’s centenary, by both the A.R.F.
Bureau Youth Office and the A.R.F. Z.S.A., is going to be held until the
25th of September, 2004 in Beirut, Lebanon.
The opening ceremony took place on the evening of September 20 at the
Aghpalian Sports and Cultural Center. Speakers included the A.R.F. Bureau
representative and a member of the A.R.F. Central Committee of Lebanon. The
Z.S.A. representative conveyed to the audience the official congratulatory
letter of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY), received on the
occasion of the association’s 100th anniversary.
The ceremony ended with the projection of a documentary presenting the
biography of Simon Zavarian, founder of the A.R.F. Zavarian Student
Association.
It is worth mentioning that students representing various youth and student
organizations from Armenia, Karabakh, Javakhk, Russia, Iran, Iraq, France,
Canada, Germany, Greece, USA (East and West coasts), Syria and Lebanon are
taking part in the before mentioned conference. Earlier in the day, the
participants visited several places, including the Z.S.A. office, in the
area of Bourj-Hammoud, which is known as being populated mainly by
Armenians.

Fredericksburg.com
ACROBATIC ARTS
Kids flip over acrobatic troupe
By KELLY HANNON
Date published: 9/21/2004
There’s no better way to get 1,300 children to sit still than to hire
acrobats to do everything kids are not supposed to do: wave sticks, run
indoors, tumble and play with swords.
The Henan Provincial Children’s Art Troupe from China bounded into the
University of Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium yesterday, thrilling
students with gravity-defying stunts and synchronized Kung Fu fighting.
Students sat in awe as children close to their age walked out precariously
onto the stage, spinning plates on top of sticks.
The local students may not have even realized they were soaking up history
lessons, culture and Standards of Learning material.
The troupe’s tumblers, who range from 10 to 19 in age, were limbered up
after performances this weekend in Washington and Fairfax. They’re used to
it–they spend six hours a day rehearsing before and after school in China,
said member Liu Mu Qing, 16.
The training is necessary to learn the complicated routines, which include
spinning multiple plates while tumbling and performing cheerleaderlike
pyramids.
The female tumblers performed mostly acrobatic moves, while the males did
coordinated fight scenes, banging sticks on the floor in a rhythmic beat. At
times, it looked as if a video game had come to life as the boys kicked,
twisted and churned through the air with their limbs.
In the audience, children roared when a performer executed a particularly
complicated flip, or recovered after a minor bobble.
Third-grader Gabby Pullen from Smith Station Elementary in Spotsylvania
said, “I liked everything. They did their best not to do anything wrong.”
Her teacher, Allison Gerber, said the performance was an excellent
opportunity to review the history of ancient China with her students, who
will be tested on it on their Standards of Learning exams.
The only problem, she said, would be preventing students from attempting to
perform some of the moves on the bus ride home.
To that end, Xavier Richardson, president of the Festival’s board of
directors, told students, “Please do not go home and try any of this,” he
said.
The show was sponsored by the Fredericksburg Festival of the Arts, which
brings a foreign group to Fredericksburg every year to perform for area
schoolchildren. Past groups have traveled from Russia, South Korea, Sweden,
Armenia and Mexico.
“Through the program we feel as if we’re doing our small part to help keep
alive the cultural diversity that keeps the world so interesting,” said
Susan Mullane, the Festival’s executive director.
Mullane counted on part of the program’s appeal being the age of the troupe
members.
“I think it adds excitement to see performers who are their age perform
these amazing feats,” Mullane said.
Some students tried to communicate with the troupe members, albeit in the
wrong language.
“Hola! Hola!” the group shouted repeatedly, waving and smiling. Finally, a
classmate explained why they weren’t getting a response: “That’s Spanish.”
The cost to attend the program was minimal for students, and the Festival
paid for anyone who couldn’t afford to attend.
Marilyn Butters, principal of Rockhill Elementary, said she’s brought her
students to the Festival’s shows for several years.
“They get to see a live performance, which is something most of them
probably don’t get to do that often,” Butters said.
But Mullane and the rest of the Festival organizers hope yesterday was the
beginning of a lifelong love of culture and the arts among students.
“We hope it opens their minds to things that are different to them,” she
said.
To reach KELLY HANNON: 540/374-5436 [email protected]
Date published: 9/21/2004

Armenian Mirror-Spectator
9-10-04
Expanded Guide to Armenia, Karabagh
Stresses Ecology, Brims with New Info
By Daphne Abeel
Mirror-Spectator Staff
If you are traveling to Armenia and Karabagh or just want to browse
through an informative description of the region, the new and expanded
Stone Garden Guide to Armenia and Karabagh should be on your reading
list.
Even if you own a copy of Matthew Karanian and Robert Kurkjian’s first
guide, Edge of Time, you’ll want the current edition, which contains
much more information, additional colorful maps and photographs and
important information on Armenia’s ecology.
Karanian and Kurkjian have spent 10 years traveling in Armenia and
Karabagh. As the Foreword notes, `They have traveled, eaten and slept
at virtually every location they recommend, and their individual
educational backgrounds allow them to make excellent and insightful
commentary about the environmental issues within Armenia.’
Ronald Suny’s introductory chapter presents a concise history of
Armenia from 6000 BC, the earliest times, when the country was ruled
by kings, up to the present day, when Armenia exists as an
independent, democratic republic. Readers will also find brief
descriptions of the economy, architecture, politics, population and
religion.
Basic information, such as airlines, national holidays, embassy
locations, public transportation, safety, are covered in the chapter
on `Essentials.’
A special feature of the book is the chapter titled `Ecology,’ which
notes the consequences of independence and development which have
hampered Armenia’s environmental policies. Nevertheless, Armenia has
passed a number of laws to protect its water, air, flora and fauna and
to fight global warming.
Eco-tourists will welcome directions to Armenia’s forests, parks and
birding areas and the list of ecological tours and hiking
expeditions. At the same time, the authors make the point that
Armenia’s resources need more protection.
Diaspora organizations such as the Armenia Tree Project are helping
reforest the country, but, the authors point out, the Armenian
government also needs to champion conservation. There is a helpful
list of ecological organizations in Armenia at the end of the book.
The book is divided into several sections, beginning with Yerevan, and
covering central Armenia, the Lake Sevan area, northeastern Armenia,
northwestern Armenia, southern Armenia and Karabagh. Each section is
packed with up-to-date facts about what to see, how to get there,
restaurants and where to stay.
Whether you want to visit museums and more, you’ll find what you are
looking for here. Every map and brilliant color photograph contributes
to the reader’s knowledge.
Each section of the book contains highlighted paragraphs of
information on commonsensical aspects of Armenia that the reader and
traveler will want to know. For example, bring bottled water on long
trips, and pedestrians should be especially watchful of cars.
Karanian and Kurkjian have turned what was a basic, skeleton guide
into a full-fledged and researched and illustrative volume that is a
must for anyone considering a trip to the region. And it will still
fit into a handbag or coat pocket.
For further information on Armenia, Karabagh, contact Stone Garden
Productions, PO Box 7758, Northridge, Calif. 91327 or email
[email protected].
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Gomidas Institute (UK)
Garod House
42 Bythe Road
London W14 0HA
UK
Email: [email protected]
DATE: 21 September 2004
New Publication United States Records on the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917
Makes Debut in Los Angeles
Brentwood, CA – The Gomidas Institute marked the Western United States
debut of its most recent publication, United States Official Records on
the Armenian Genocide 1915-1917 at a community sponsored event in Los
Angeles, California. The new book was presented on 29 August 2004 at the
home of community activists Zaven and Sonia Akian, whose generous
support made the publication possible. The event took place in the
presence of graduate students, journalists, politicians and supporters
of Armenian lobbying organizations — the Armenian National Committee of
America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) and the Armenian Assembly of America
(AAA).
According to Ara Sarafian, the editor of the volume, the intellectual
value of this work lies in the fact that it is composed of eyewitness
accounts of the Armenian Genocide, as well as discussions of these
materials by US Ambassadors in Constantinople, Henry Morgenthau and
Abram Elkus, during the events in question. These accounts informed
American officials about the Armenian Genocide and ultimately led to the
Department of State supporting a clandestine relief operation in the
Ottoman Empire to save victims wherever possible. These efforts led to
the creation of the Near East Foundation by an Act of Congress in 1919.
The book clearly demonstrates that the American government was keenly
aware of the Armenian Genocide while the killings were taking place and
constitutes an invaluable resource for historians today.
Several speakers at the Los Angeles release stressed the political
significance of this work. Erin Prangley, District Director for
Congressman Brad Sherman stated that the new book was of immense value
to United States legislators working for the reaffirmation of the
Armenian Genocide by the United States government. “This [760 page] book
lays the essential facts we need about the Armenian Genocide at our
fingertips. It will make our job supporting the Armenian case much more
effective” she said.
Prangley also presented the Zakian family with a letter from Congressman
Sherman personally commending their contribution to the efforts to seek
official U.S. reaffirmation of the historical reality of the Armenian
Genocide. ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian welcomed the
new work and pointed to the growing momentum in the United States for
the official reaffirmation of the Genocide in Washington DC. The new
book by Gomidas Institute clearly adds to that momentum. Kassakhian also
disclosed that the ANC is already using United States Official Records
on the Armenian Genocide for effective lobbying purposes. Maria
Armoudian, legislative consultant to Senator Richard Alarcon thanked Ara
Sarafian and Vincent Lima of the Gomidas Institute for their continued
good work in Armenian Studies today. Other distinguished guests included
Lonnie Sanders (Congresswoman Dianne Watson’s Field Representative),
Haig Khartounian (Rep. Adam Schiff’s District Representative), Kirk
Cartozian (Mayor of the City of Downey), Paul Krekorian (Vice President
of the Burbank School Board), and Raffi Hamparian (ANCA-WR Chairman).
Zaven Akian, Ara Sarafian and Vincent Lima were also awarded
certificates of special recognition of their “outstanding and invaluable
service” from the offices of Congressman Adam Schiff and Senator Richard
Alarcon.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: United States Official Records on the
Armenian Genocide 1915-1917 comp., ed. and intro. by Ara Sarafian, with
a preface by U. S. Congressmen Pallone and Knollenberg (Gomidas
Institute: Princeton and London, 2004) xxxvi + 706 pp.
The Gomidas Institute is an independent academic institution
specializing in modern Armenian Studies. The Institute has offices in
Princeton (USA) and London (UK). For more information about the Gomidas
Institute please contact [email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Interfax, Azerbaijan
Sept 21 2004
Azerbaijan-Armenia-Turkey meeting postponed
Baku. (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan,
Turkey and Armenia have decided to postpone their trilateral meeting
on ways to put an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and bring
Armenian-Turkish relations back to normal, which was due to take
place on the sidelines of this week’s session of the UN General
Assembly in New York.
“The parties decided to postpone the meeting due to the fact that the
ministers will be in New York at different periods of time,” the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s press service told Interfax on Monday.
The countries’ diplomats will negotiate a new date for the meeting,
the press service said.