Category: News

Georgian president addresses interior ministry staff
Imedi TV, Tbilisi
16 Dec 04
Mikheil Saakashvili has said that the new police and public order
ministry will be a well-funded and well equipped, European-style
agency. In an address to the staff of the merging State Security and
Interior ministries, broadcast by Georgian Imedi TV on 16 December,
Saakashvili said that the new agency, together with the Defence
Ministry, should discourage those who humiliated and trampled on
Georgia in Abkhazia in the beginning of 1990s. Saakashvili said that
the personnel quality in regional police units and the army was not
adequate and called on talented but unemployed people to join the
police force and the armed forces. The following is an excerpt from
report by Imedi TV; subheadings have been inserted editorially:
[Presenter] The Georgian president introduced minister-designate Vano
Merabishvili to the staff of the newly established police and public
security ministry [also described as police and public order ministry]
a short while ago.
Speaking at the new agency, [Mikheil] Saakashvili once again, for
a second time today, stressed the importance of strengthening the
state’s security and combat readiness. Georgia should be strong enough
to defend itself against foreign aggression.
As regards the police, reforms should speed up and, more importantly,
the public should realize that cooperation with law enforcers is the
main guarantor of their security.
Commenting on personnel issues in the merging State Security and
Interior ministries, the president said that professionals would not
be made redundant.
Speaking about the new minister, Saakashvili said that Merabishvili
lived up to expectations as state security minister and would surely
do well in the new job as well.
Restoration of territorial integrity political process
[Saakashvili, addressing staff, with Merabishvili and Defence
Minister-designate Irakli Okruashvili by his sides] I would like to
welcome you all on this very important day. Today we are not only
introducing the new minister to you but also announcing the setting
up of practically a new ministry.
For the second time since gaining independence [as heard] – this
time in a more serious fashion – we are transforming [an existing
agency] into a European-style body. The State Security Ministry
is being transformed into counter-intelligence and [foreign]
intelligence units. I want to stress that this will be a very
strong counter-intelligence unit. It will be much better funded,
equipped and trained. It will be a European-style body, operating
within the constitutional framework. The State Security Ministry’s
anti-crime department will be merged with the Interior Ministry’s
anti-crime department. Both agencies have traditionally had very good
professionals in this area.
After introducing Irakli [Okruashvili] as minister-designate at
the Defence Ministry yesterday, I spoke about the restoration of
territorial integrity. Some people interpreted my statement as an
order to Irakli Okruashvili and the Defence Ministry to restore
[Georgia’s] territorial integrity. I want to say categorically that
the strengthening of Georgia and the restoration of its territorial
integrity is not a military process and should not be done by the
Defence Ministry alone. The restoration of Georgia’s territorial
integrity is a political process.
Aggressors to be met by Okruashvili
Current events in the world, including the events that have taken
place in Ukraine and other countries and the events taking place
throughout the post-Soviet space, are significantly limiting the area
of application of imperialist and aggressive policies and increasing
opportunities for Georgia and the people of Georgia to resolve their
problems peacefully.
We do not intend to use any military force to settle domestic issues.
However, we will build a modern army so that those forces which
incited a conflict in Abkhazia at the time, taking advantage of a weak
Georgia, know full well that if there is another large-scale aggression
against Georgia they will be met by Okruashvili and much more modern,
European-style, combat-ready and civilized Georgian armed forces,
built according to NATO standards.
This will not, under any circumstances, apply to the people of Georgia.
Stability inside the country and the solving of political issues is
a task for the whole of society and the entire government to work
on. Every Georgian citizen, every ethnic Azerbaijani, Armenian, as
well people of other ethnic backgrounds, should know that we should
work day and night to at last put Georgia back on its feet.
Former junior officials should no longer fear arrest
We have done many things at the Interior Ministry from this point of
view. The public like the patrol force. Today over 70 per cent of
the people trust the police, compared to just 6 per cent one year
ago. People like the patrol force and so do we. Therefore, their
minimum wage will be 450 lari, not 400 lari as it has been this
year. Salaries will gradually increase in other departments as well
because those who work well will be paid better. [Passage omitted]
We often hear people saying that arrests should end, that revolution
should end. We do not want this any more, stop arresting people,
they say. By the way, I think that we should not go after former
petty officials because the bigwigs are already either wanted or
under investigation, or in jail, with courts considering their
cases. I do not think that we will go after every single former
customs department official who did something wrong three years ago,
every single former deputy head of a local administration, every former
petty official. This time has passed. We should fight corruption today,
among the present-day officials, in the present-day customs department,
in the present-day prosecutor’s office.
When we are told to end arrests, I say that theft and bribe-taking
should end first. If this happens, arrests will end as well. If there
is theft and corruption, there will be arrests, because Georgian
law, just as every proper state’s law, requires this. In short,
arbitrariness will never return to Georgia. Let every one of us
realize this.
We will set up a very effective agency here. We will equip it very
well. Its financing will improve significantly next year and will be
at an even higher level in the subsequent years. The most important
thing is that the people should feel that you work for them. People
should feel that they can trust you. [Passage omitted]
Public must cooperate with police
I want to say directly that because the human rights situation in
Tbilisi has improved significantly and because society does not
cooperate as much as it should with the police, street crime has
also increased sharply. We will never allow you to extract evidence
by beating up a person or planting narcotics on him. This will not
happen in Georgia again. However, I want to ask society to help us
in eradicating crime in their neighbourhoods, in their surroundings
and among their acquaintances. Please, cooperate with the police when
a crime has been committed so that it is solved. Please, cooperate
with our law-enforcement agency.
New ministries should deter aggressors
It is a fact that those forces who are fed up with us have stepped
up intelligence operations against Georgia. Articles about us are
published every day; programmes about us are broadcast every day. They
meddle in our internal affairs, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, every
day. These forces have stepped up their work inside Georgia. We have
to work against these forces in a different way. They should know
that this no longer is a Bantustan where everyone can be recruited,
everyone can be paid and bought. Everyone must know that cooperation
with the enemies of Georgia is treason and is severely punished under
the law. We will find these people.
Everyone should know that we are ready to cooperate with everyone in
the fight against terrorism, with the Russians, Americans, Europeans,
but we will not allow anyone to create disorder inside Georgia or
muddy the waters as in the 1990s. Did they not smack us on the head
in 1992 and 1993? Did they not humiliate and trample us into the mud
and kick us around? Did they not tell us that we were nobody, that
they could come back whenever they pleased and smack us on the head
again? You and us, the Defence Ministry and others, should behave so
that no scum of the earth, no international opportunist, no matter
how strong they are, how much money they have and how strong their
army is, ever again has a desire and capability to do this.
There is no such thing as a small nation. There are nations who have
a desire to fight for their independence, pride and dignity, and there
are nations who do not have this capability. We are building a nation
which has the capability to defend itself, to defend itself against
intelligence operations, defend itself against foreign aggression,
if it happens, – may God spare us from such a thing – defend itself
against domestic crime and defend itself against people who do not
care about the interests of society.
Trusts his ministers
I count on our police, I count on our counter-intelligence
[department], I count on our small but effective intelligence
department, which is also being set up, and I very much hope that
under the very competent new minister we will be able to improve
the situation.
You know that Okruashvili was a good prosecutor-general. He was a
much better interior minister. He will do even better as defence
minister. This man [Merabishvili] was a very good secretary of the
National Security Council, but he was a much better state security
minister. Now he will be an even better police and public order
minister, or [police and] public security [ministry], whatever
parliament decides to call it.
Until these ministries have merged, we will put them together at the
Interior Ministry. They will be formally merged later as parliament
has to approve constitutional changes. However, this does not stand
in our way and we can start work. It will be called the Ministry of
Internal Affairs for the next month, or a month and a half, whatever
it is. Vano Merabishvili will be the minister. In reality, however,
two ministries will be merged. Then parliament will change the name.
I want you to know one thing, that not a single professional will leave
the system. We will do everything to keep these professionals. We do
not have extra people. Whoever had to be sacked, has been sacked. Now
we need to train these people, facilitate their work, provide them
with equipment, bring in new people and find new people.
Patrol force, army need better personnel
For example, the quality of patrol force in the regions is low. I have
told Batoni [polite form or referring to a man] Irakli [Okruashvili]
to go to universities in Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Gori and speak to the
young people, explain the importance of these institutions so that
the best people go to the police. This is not the police force they
knew. This is a police force serving the people.
The same is true about the army. We are recruiting people under the
train and equip programme, but the people do not know about it and
are not enlisting. We are telling them to demonstrate to the people
that this is a different army, with different barracks, different
conditions, different duties and different responsibilities towards
the country. We need people there as well. Of course, people are
going to the army but the quality of the personnel often is not as
good as we need. We have many unemployed but talented people who have
opportunities to serve their country and people.
I want to call on these people again. I repeat that we are moving
towards modern, European-style agencies. This does not mean that
we do not value professionals. A professional is a professional in
every system. We have idealists and we have new people. I want to
ask everyone to work in a new way.
Thank you very much for your attention.
You can ask questions later, when we are outside.

Azeri leader criticizes Armenia for being Russia’s outpost in Caucasus
ANS TV, Baku
17 Dec 04
[Presenter] President Ilham Aliyev voted together with his family
today in the local government elections at polling station No 6
of Sabayil electoral constituency No 29. After casting his vote,
President Ilham Aliyev made important statements concerning the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
[Aliyev speaking to journalists] If we take a look at the history of
these talks, we will see that a certain new framework has appeared
in the past year. In particular, there is already a process called
the Prague process, and OSCE documents also mention the Prague process.
[Passage omitted: details]
But I also want to draw your attention to one issue. As you know,
the chairman of the Russian State Duma visited Armenia recently. He
said that Armenia is Russia’s outpost in the South Caucasus. For this
reason, we do not know now – we have always thought that Armenia was
a state. It turns out now that it is an outpost. Now should we hold
talks with the outpost or the master of the outpost? If this issue
becomes clear in Armenia, there will be a better situation for the
successful conduct of the talks.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian refugees sue Azerbaijan in European Court of Human Rights
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Dec 04
[Presenter] Four families who were forcibly deported from Shaumyan
[Azerbaijan’s Goranboy District] and Getashen [Azerbaijan’s Caykand
village] have filed a lawsuit against Azerbaijan with the European
Court of Human Rights.
They have filed the suit in connection with the violation of the
property and housing rights of people who lived there and were
forcibly deported.
The Shaumyan-Getashen Union of Patriots, which has initiated this
action, expressed its readiness to defend the interests of thousands
of Armenian families that suffered from the aggression unleashed by
Azerbaijan in 1990.

Armenia urges EU summit to consider Turkey accession demands
Mediamax news agency
17 Dec 04
Yerevan, 17 December: Armenia “welcomes the decision of the European
Parliament calling on the European Commission and the European Union
(EU) to demand that the Turkish authorities recognize the historical
fact of the genocide of Armenians and immediately open its border
with Armenia,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement
circulated in the evening of 16 December in Yerevan.
“Turkey’s EU membership can be beneficial for Armenia and have a
positive impact on the region, if Ankara entirely complies with all
EU demands,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry statement says.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry recalled that Turkey was unilaterally
keeping its border with Armenia closed, had introduced criminal
responsibility for the use of the term “genocide” and was also putting
forward unacceptable preliminary conditions for the normalization of
relations with Armenia.
“Judging by the European Parliament’s decision, the European community
shares Armenia’s concern over the current unacceptable state of
Armenian-Turkish relations,” the statement says. “With all of its
uncertainty this situation is a serious danger for the development
of the South Caucasus as well as European prospects,” the Armenian
Foreign Ministry statement says.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry also said it wished for “the EU summit
to take into account with all seriousness and responsibility the call
of the European Parliament”. Yerevan “is convinced that if Turkey
listens to the calls of the European community, this will make it
easier to overcome all obstacles and ensure lasting stability and
the development of the region”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian border guards in Armenia to pay more attention to Iranian border
Mediamax news agency
17 Dec 04
Yerevan, 17 December: This year officers of the border department of
the Russian Federal Security Service in Armenia detained 119 violators
of the state border – 30 people more than in 2003.
Mediamax reports that Lt-Gen Sergey Bondarev, chief of the border
department, said today in Yerevan that the Russian border guards
are to pay special attention to the Iranian section of the border
in connection with the growth in trade turnover, the start of the
construction of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and the implementation
of a number of other joint economic projects.
Sergey Bondarev also noted a possible increase in the flow of Armenian
refugees from Iraq and Iran, as well as of Kurds form Turkey if the
situation in those countries deteriorates.

Young Armenians against Turkey’s entry into EU
Mediamax news agency
17 Dec 04
Yerevan, 17 December: Several dozens of members of the youth
organization of the Dashnaktsutyun Party held a protest action today
outside the Yerevan office of the delegation of the European Commission
in Georgia and Armenia.
Mediamax news agency reports that the action was timed to coincide with
the summit of the leaders of European Union countries in Brussels,
which is to adopt an official decision to start talks on Turkey’s
accession to the EU.
The participants in the protest action also sent a letter to all the
EU embassies in Yerevan. The letter says:
“Turkey is conducting an extremely hostile policy with regard to
our country, repeatedly violating the principles of international
law. Turkey is destroying Armenia’s cultural heritage. Armenian
youth are worried that human rights violations and restrictions on
freedom of speech are taking place in Turkey. The European Union is a
model for the protection of human rights and main freedoms. However,
the start of the negotiating process on Turkey’s accession to the EU
casts a shadow on this image of the EU. Young Armenians hope that the
EU leaders will deny Turkey accession until that country recognizes
the 1915 genocide of Armenians.”

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
17 December 2004
‘Turkey’s EU entry to help peace among civilizations’
Parliament’s of EU countries have not been making their decisions based upon
the principles of the Bible, and the Turkish Parliament has not been making
its decisions based upon the principles of the Koran either
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Turkish Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II fully supports Turkey’s EU bid, and
said he believes the European Union was not a “Christian Club” and that it
would set a date for the opening of accession talks with Ankara, the
Anatolia news agency said.
Mesrob II said European and Turkish politicians often used religious culture
as a tool in politics.
“Parliament’s of EU countries have not been making their decisions based
upon the principles of the Bible, and the Turkish Parliament has not been
making its decisions based upon the principles of the Koran either.
Integration of the EU and Turkey will be useful both for our region and the
world and for peace among civilizations,” Anatolia quoted Mesrob II as
saying.
Responding to a question concerning suggestions of having Turkey’s
recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide as a precondition for its EU
membership, Mesrob II said he agreed with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan who had earlier said that historians, not politicians, should
discuss the issue. However, he added a dialogue process should be started,
adding, “Facing up to history is important for building the future on a
stronger basis. People do not hug each other without being reconciled with
each other.”
Armenians accuse Turkey of killing as many as 1.5 million of their
countrymen during a 1915 to 1923 campaign to force them from eastern Turkey.
Ankara categorically rejects the charges.
–Boundary_(ID_ZA39LsQzZWgdp7yQDb1m6w)–

AZG Armenian Daily #227, 17/12/2004
Turkey-EU
WAC’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF TURKEY’S BID TO ENTER EU
The European Commission, being EU’s executive body, has officially
announced about its readiness to negotiate with Turkey for its
political and economic integration into the European community. The
leaders of European states have to give their consent to start the
talks over Turkey’s accession to EU at the forthcoming EU summit.
No other EU bid has ever aroused so many controversial responses in
the European public and governments as Turkey’s appeal did. Despite
Turkey’s wide-ranging efforts to enlarge the circle of the supporters,
the polls show that only 1/3 of Europeans is ready to boost latter’s
bid.
Membership in the united family of the European nations supposes
that a country should secure human rights and freedom, follow the
principle of true democracy, peace and good neighborhood.
Yet, the whole history of the Turkish state and the history of its
relations with the Armenian nation give all the grounds to doubt
that Turkey will stick to European principles and values in case
it is admitted to the EU. Unfortunately the fact that the Ottoman
Turkey was once admitted to the family of the civilized nations
for its participation in the Crimean War of 1854-1856 did not turn
Turkey into a country with European civilization. Just the contrary,
Turkey implemented the policy of systematic elimination of enslaved
nations – Armenians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Assyrians, Maronites
and many others.
The present-day Turkey refuses to recognize the fact of the cruelest
crime against humanity, elimination of 1.5 million Armenians in the
Western Armenia, carries on the decade-long illegal blockade of the
Republic of Armenia thus maintaining tension in the Armenian-Turkish
relations and the threat of genocide reoccurrence.
Turkey ignores continual appeals of the European parliament to
recognize the Armenian Genocide and the request to take off the
blockade thus creating a ground for reconciliation and solution
for the Armenian Cause. EU’s this claim should become one of the
preconditions of Turkey’s accession. Turkey is ignoring EU’s other
standards too, particularly in securing social and civil rights
of national minorities, in renouncing its chauvinistic policy and
genocidal practice that are obligatory conditions of the Copenhagen
criteria for EU accession. Turkey’s approaches to justice and
international law should be real and not ostentatious.
The World Armenian Congress considers that Turkey’s refusal to
denounce the crime of Armenian Genocide, refusal to apply international
standards in settling quarrelsome issues with Greece, refusal to submit
to UN’s numerous decisions disapproving of Turkey’s occupation of
Cyprus and division of its territory, refusal to recognize the rights
of Kurdish national minority, continual suppression of individual,
group and religious freedoms make this country unacceptable for the EU.
How is the united Europe going to become a common house for Turkey if
its authorities do not realize the need of following the principals
and standards of a civilized community?
We are sure that the West, particularly Europe, that was putting
morality as a cornerstone in the policy of Bosnia and Kosovo, will
apply the same criterion in considering Turkey’s accession to EU.
Ara Abrahamian, President of the World Armenian Congress, UNESCO
Goodwill Ambassador

Final Positions of Key Member States
Zaman
12.17.2004 Friday
Leaders of European Union (EU) member states decide on Turkeyâ~@~Ys
negotiation process today. The bargaining process continued into the
night yesterday and will expectedly continue up to the last minute.
These are the attitudes of certain countries that have been influential
in shaping the decision on Turkey:
Great Britain: One of the three hegemonic powers in the EU, Great
Britain has been the biggest and most stable supporter of Turkey
within the EU. British Prime Minister Tony Blair himself as lobbied to
begin negotiations with Turkey without delay. London put on pressure
during the Copenhagen Summit in 2002; but Germany and France ended up
rejecting it. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip praised the British
support for Turkey in a speech in Brussels yesterday and qualified
London as the European capital that understands Turkeyâ~@~Ys concerns.
European Christian Democrats perceive British support as a deviation
from the EUâ~@~Ys federal goals. Londonâ~@~Ys strong support for Turkey
is interpreted as by opponents as an indication that the US hand is
wandering into Europe again. Britain strongly objects to the inclusion
of permanent restrictions in the resolution draft and emphasizes that
permanent restrictions would mean second class membership.
Germany: Social Democrats and the Green coalition in Germany
strongly support Turkeyâ~@~Ys EU membership. German Chancellor
Gerhard Schröeder changed Germanyâ~@~Y s policy on Turkey when he
came into power and has provided Turkey with strong support. Berlin
is putting on pressure at the summit for a goal of full membership and
abstinence from any mention of privileged partnership. The support of
a nation that meets one fourth of the EU budget is very significant.
Christian Democrats in France and Germany, one of the EUâ~@~Ys
founding states, have announced that they will do whatever they can
to block Turkeyâ~@~Ys membership if they win the 2006 elections even
if negotiations have already begun. Germanyâ~@~Ys right wing parties
claim that Schröederâ~@~Ys support for Turkey is based on his desire
for the 800,000 Turkish votes in Germany. The government insists that
Turkey â~@~Ys membership is of vital importance to 21st century Europe.
France: Mixed signals are still coming out of France, one of the most
important members of the EU, next to Germany. Despite French President
Jacques Chiracâ~@~Y s open support for Turkey in a televised speech the
other day, Paris still wants an alternative like privileged partnership
for Turkey to be included in the final summit resolution. Paris
urges that a formula be included that ensures the â~@~strongest
possible relations should be established with Ankara in case of a
failure of the negotiations.â~@~] Ankara harshly rejects this demand.
Despite Chiracâ~@~Ys support, his own party is strongly opposed to
Turkeyâ~@~Ys membership.
Although the EU promised at the 2002 Copenhagen Summit that â~@~if
the Progress Report is affirmative, negotiations will start without
delay,â~@~] it is trying to set a date of October or November,
2005 at Franceâ~@~Ys insistence. Chirac thinks that the issue of
negotiation with Turkey will negatively affect the referendum for
the EU Constitution. Thatâ~@~Ys why he wants the negotiations
with Ankara to be left until after the referendum on the EU
Constitution. Moreover, Paris was annoyed that Turkey declared it will
take the so-called Armenian genocide allegations to the table during
the negotiations. France is insistent on the adoption of permanent
restrictions on areas like free movement and common agricultural policy
(CAP), even if Turkey becomes a member. UMP President Nicolas Sarkozy,
who will run as a candidate in the 2007 presidential elections,
criticizes Chirac for his support of Turkey. France was the first
country to declare that it would hold a referendum on Turkeyâ~@~Ys
membership bid in the final phase of the negotiations.
The Netherlands: Mixed signals are also coming from the Netherlands,
the EUâ~@~Ys Term President and the most liberal and tolerant country
in Europe. Although Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende supports
the opening of negotiations with Turkey, he is trying to find the
right balance among the members. Balkenende said in a meeting with
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in Brussels last week: â~@~ As the
game goes on, the rules cannot be changedâ~@~] in a reference to
Erdoganâ~@~Ys earlier remarks. Balkenende has clearly rejected the
proposal by German Christian Democrats leader Angela Merkel that
Turkey be granted â~@~privileged partnership,â~@~] but the killing of
Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh hurt the Netherlandsâ~@~Y multi-cultural
texture which was appreciated worldwide. The Van Gogh murder decreased
public support for Turkey. One of the former members of the EU
Commission, Frits Bolkenstein is the only commissioner objecting
to Turkeyâ~@~Ys membership. Bolkenstein claimed that Turkeyâ~@~Ys
membership would Islamicize Europe and make the â~@~1683 Vienna
Victoryâ~@~] meaningless.
Italy: Italy is one of the five largest countries to continuously
defend Turkey. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and
Britainâ~@~Ys Prime Minister Tony Blair had supported that negotiations
be started at the 2002 Copenhagen Summit. However, the Northern League,
one of the partners in Berlusconiâ~@~Ys government coalition, wants
Turkeyâ~@~Ys membership bid to go to a referendum. Rome, which will
not be taking the EU Constitution to a referendum, is not expected
to hold a referendum on Turkey either.
Austria: Vienna was surrounded twice by the Turks in 1536 and 1683
and is the EU member that most severely objects to negotiations
with Turkey. Austrian Prime Minister Wolfgang Schussel steadily
requests that a privileged partnership be given to Turkey instead
of membership. Austria insists on permanent restrictions and says
Turkeyâ~@~Ys membership will turn the EU into an economic union.
Greece: After hindering Turkeyâ~@~Ys EU adventure for many years,
Athens has been supporting Turkey since 1999. By insisting that
recognition of Greek Cyprus is a provision, Athens sends the message
to Greeks that they should blow up the process.
Greek Cypriot Administration: Although the Greeks were granted EU
membership despite voting â~@~noâ~@~] on the Annan Plan in the April
24th referendum, they have continued to threaten to use their veto
power right up to the last hours. Greek leader Tasos Papadopulos
claims that if Turkey does not recognize them diplomatically, they
will veto the start of negotiations. If Ankara gets what it wants at
the summit, including Greek Cypriots in the 1963 Ankara Convention
including could be a declaration of interest that embraces new ten
countries. Turkey has said several times that it is unacceptable to
recognize the Greek administration officially until the problem on
the island is solved.
12.17.2004 S. Gultasli, A. Ihsan Aydin, Basri Dogan Brussels
–Boundary_(ID_MUasjtFnldrjitamAmK6eQ)–

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NEWS
Tragic Deaths: Family of five seeking warmth instead succumbs to poisoning — 18 total dead from bad heating
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
All five members of the Ghahramanyan family were found dead at their home in Echmiadzin on December 14 because of an
apparent gas leak.
Armen Melkonyan, senior aide to the prosecutor of Armavir region, says that the prosecutor’s office has instituted a
criminal inquiry centered around the use of a gas burner fitted to a home-made furnace in the family’s apartment.
The Ghahramanyan family moved to Echmiadzin from Jrarat village in the region. Volodya, 34, worked in the cemetery as
a stone dresser. He and his wife, Lianna, 29e had three children – Amalia, aged nine, Armenak, seven, and David, who
was three years old.
Yesterday the director of HayRusGazArd held a press conference in which he told that 18 people throughout Armenia have
died already this winter as a result of gas leakage connected with poor quality heating. Among the latest dead was a
couple discovered last week in Gyumri.
“When we opened the gate and entered the yard, the lights in the house were on. It was strange, because nobody had
seen them since Sunday. We thought they’d gone to the village. It turned out that they’d been dead at their home for
two days. Their beds were not made up, the children were in nightgowns,” says a neighbor, who could barely hide her
distress.
The family, who struggled to make a living, heated their apartment by burning gas in a furnace intended for wood. To
get the maximum warmth at minimum expense, Volodya placed a netlike partition inside the furnace pipe, so as to retain
the heat as long as possible. As a result, the gas was not completely burned, causing a build up of poisonous carbon
monoxide fumes in the apartment.
“Today, many people are using this method by placing partitions inside the pipes. As a result, they play with human
lives. Carbon monoxide gas can’t be felt in any way, can it?” says 40-year-old Armen Lazarian from Echmiadzin.
The head of Echmiadzin’s gas-supply service Sashik Lazarian says that they cannot give any explanation until they
have the findings of an expert examination.
While an ordinary gas leak produces a clearly recognizable smell, carbon monoxide has no smell, taste or color. People
succumb gradually until they slip into unconsciousness and death.
“We found Volodya near the door, clutching his baby, he must have felt what had happened and wanted to get outside,
but he didn’t manage to do that. If only the door was open. He had very bright children,” said a neighbor, who didn’t
want to say his name for fear of investigation.”
Expert examinations by forensic medical and technical commissions have been ordered as part of the criminal
investigation, which continues
Loose: Two dig out of maximum security facility in Goris
By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
For the first time since the Soviet era, there has been an escape from Armenia’s maximum security facility for
criminals.
Earlier this week, it was learned that Mher Yenokyan and Soghomon Kocharyan had slipped out of the Goris prison
sometime last Friday, apparently by digging through the lockup’s 1.5-meter thick wall.
The men, both serving life sentences for murder, remain at large and a reward has been offered for information leading
to their capture. Roads leading out of Goris are now tightly patrolled and cars going out of the area are subject to
search by police.
Ministry of Justice press secretary Ara Saghatelyan says an investigation is underway to determine how the men managed
to escape.
Kocharyan, 38, was sentenced in 1995 for killing an Iranian national and stealing his car. After eight years in other
prisons, he was transferred to Goris last year.
Yenokyan, 29, was sentenced in 1996 for killing a classmate in the third-year of studies at a Yerevan medical
institute. An accomplice, Aram Harutyunyan, was sentenced to 15 years.
Varduhi Ohanyan, Yenokyan’s mother, said the escape was an action of protest since her son’s appeal to review his case
has been ignored.
The family of Iosiph Aghajanov, Yenokyan’s victim, says they are very worried, knowing Yenokyan is at large.
Minister of Justice David Harutyunyan called the incident a “pitiful case”.
“Unfortunately such things can’t be prevented 100 percent,” Harutyunyan said. “We still have old buildings that are
poorly protected. The Goris prison has been built in 1890 and has spared its resources as such.”
City for Sale: Echmiadzin mayor makes questionable deal on public museum
By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Mayor of Echmiadzin has sold the premises of the city’s Folk History Museum after giving assurance that the city
property would not be among properties being let in a series of business deals swung by the mayor.
As previously reported in ArmeniaNow Mayor Hrachik Abgaryan has been criticized by some residents of Echmiadzin for
selling public libraries to private enterprises, including those to which the mayor has connections. (See ????)
Now, the sell of the museum is expected to create more discontent among residents of the city and Seat of the Holy
See.
Director Hasmik Hakobyan was assured that the museum was not going to be sold and, a month ago Abgaryan told
ArmeniaNow that the premises would be kept for public use. But ArmeniaNow has learned that the decision to sell the
property – valued at about $100,000 and sold for $7,000 – was made months ago.
The museum was established in 1964. In 1984 it was relocated to its present territory, which is in the central street
of the town. It has about 12,000 exhibits, of which 500 are on display, including late stone-age pieces – from items
dated the 5th Millennium BC to domestic items used at the beginning of the 20th century. The current and former staff
members say that the museum was built with their hands, the state had not helped with anything:
“This museum is something like a church, after it is destroyed it will take years to restore it to its former look,”
says Hakobyan, who has worked in the museum for 34 years.
Staff members constructed exhibits inside, such as the copy of a round house dated to the 4th Millennium BC (a replica
of the house discovered during excavations), which is laid with bricks and mortar, and a tonratoon (the shed which
houses a tonir – a big jar dug in the earth in which fire is made, used for baking bread) with a special type of roof.
The doors of the museum are made with special wood engravings. Upkeep of the museum has been maintained by staff, with
no government funding.
The museum is to be relocated to the civil registration office, which is situated in the territory of the mayor’s
office (the chief of the civil registration office was still not aware that a museum would be housed there instead of
his office).
“I was very angered when I learned it was sold,” says director of the joint cultural directorate of the mayor’s office
Eduard Hakhverdyan. “The deal was before me, I was not aware. Serzh Sargsyan says that troops need to be sent to Iraq
to protect Armenian cultural hubs, however if they do not protect culture in their own homeland, how will they protect
it in a foreign land? If you go there, please go, but do not speak on behalf of culture.”
The deal was closed by the former director of the joint cultural directorate Benik Shamiryan, who later was appointed
director of the joint educational directorate and made the decision to sell the territories of the libraries.
“The museum is being brought to a more central place (it is about 50 meters from the museum to the civil registration
office), it will be more spacious (the sizes of the new territory are not known),” says Shamiryan. “It is being done
according to the interests of the museum.”
Details of the deal suggest other interests, however.
A territory of 495 square meters plus a 70-square-meter cellar was sold for 3.46 million drams (though the price was
not revealed to the public), about $7,000, which is about 15 times cheaper than the market price.
Although the territory was sold through an auction, it was considered simply formality and the buyer had been known in
advance – businessman Zarzand Karapetyan. It is also known that Karapetyan has also recently bought an apartment,
widely believed to have been handed over to the mayor.
“If we at least knew about the auction, other buyers could have come forward,” says Hakboyan.
No funds are foreseen in the budget for repairs in the new territory.
Staff members say they are cautious against objecting to the sale of the museum and claim that the mayor has
threatened to fire the director if the sale is protested.
FEATURES
Between Iraq and a Hard Place: Government ponders alternative direction for Armenian peace-keepers
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmenianNow Reporter
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense has considered sending an Armenian peace-keeping contingent to Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan said the matter was discussed earlier this month, partly in response to Poland’s
decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
As Deputy Defense Minister Artur Aghabekyan said earlier, “a group of 50 Armenian specialists, made up of doctors,
drivers and sappers, if dispatched to Iraq, will be located in the southern part of this country, which is under the
administrative control of Polish troops”.
However, in September, the Polish authorities declared their desire to disengage their troops from Iraq. Sargsyan paid
a working visit to Warsaw in the same month and a number of experts believe the question of a possible transfer of
Armenia’s peace-keeping contingent to Afghanistan was discussed on his return from Poland.
“If Poland decides to withdraw its troops from Iraq, Yerevan will reconsider its approaches to the issue of sending
Armenian specialists to Iraq,” Sargsyan said on December 8. “It is impossible to be within something that does not
exist. Therefore, in that case, Armenia will simply have to reconsider some positions. The issue of the possible
sending of an Armenian group to Afghanistan has already been discussed in the RA Ministry of Defense.”
At present, the “Iraqi vector” remains the most likely destination for the Armenian contingent. The Afghan option is
not being widely discussed yet. Some specialists observe that the situation was similar when the question of sending
troops to Iraq first emerged.
“Exactly a year ago, in December 2003, information emerged on the start of negotiations between the Ministry of
Defense of Armenia and the Pentagon about possible deployment of an Armenian peace-keeping contingent to Iraq, but
this news did not become a factor of Armenian public-political life,” says political analyst Levon Ghazaryan.
“Neither was this question considered adequately in April when Deputy Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan officially
declared the signing of a corresponding agreement to be a fait accompli. It is obvious that among the factors that
conditioned the passivity of the political establishment of the country on this question, the main thing was the
result of the US presidential elections. That’s why, the issue has been hotly debated only since autumn.
“I do not rule out the possibility that in due course the ‘Afghan question’ will also become a topic of discussions
like the ‘Iraqi question’ is already today. I think official Yerevan still feels like insisting on the Iraqi vector.”
When Sargsyan first revealed the possibility of transfering Armenian specialists to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, the
Constitutional Court of Armenia ruled that the deployment to Iraq was legal, since the provisions of a Memorandum “On
the regulation of management of a multinational division within the coalition forces of Iraq” signed by Poland and 19
other countries did not contravene Armenia’s constitution.
Armenia has not yet acceded to the Memorandum, but if it does, Sargsyan said it intended “to send a note to the Polish
side that restrictions should be applied for the Republic of Armenia armed forces, such as participation only in
defensive and humanitarian actions, and the unacceptability of undertaking joint operations with the Azeri military”.
“Taking into account the presence of a large Armenian Diaspora in this country and also friendship with Iraq, Yerevan
did not take part in the military operations,” Armenia’s Defense Minister said in the Constitutional Court.
“Yerevan has chosen a path of humanitarian involvement in Iraq, especially as it is consistent with the UN Security
Council’s latest resolution N 1546 on Iraq adopted on June 8. Armenia has experience of peace-keeping activities in
Kosovo, and after sending its contingent to Iraq it will also enhance its own international image.”
In this connection, he reported that Georgia and Azerbaijan are going to increase their contingents in Iraq from 157
to 880 and from 151 to 400, respectively.
The National Assembly Vice-Speaker and ARF Executive Council of Armenia member, Vahan Hovhannisyan, also spoke about
the country’s image on December 8. As cochairman of the inter-parliamentary commission on Armenian-Russian
cooperation, he had participated at a session in Moscow and found that “the Russian side showed jealousy” towards
Armenia’s involvement in Iraq.
“The Armenian delegation, in its turn, raised the question of whether Russia’s forgiving a multibillion-dollar debt to
Iraq meant economic support to the government of this country, which is the protege of the “occupying force” – the
United States,” said Hovhannisyan.
Military Science?: Young scientists angered over order to serve in Army
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Young doctors of science in Armenia are furious over a recent decree (issued November 15) by the Government of Armenia
by which candidates for doctoral degrees will face Army conscription.
Various medical associations have offered their assistance to help the doctoral candidates fight the decree, which may
be in conflict with the Constitution of Armenia.
“We don’t object to doctors being called up for military service, but we object to doctors of science being drafted,”
says Parunak Zelvayan, chairman of the Armenian Medical Association. “There are only a hundred young scientist doctors
aged below 35 in Armenia today. I am asking a very rhetorical question – will those hundred people save the health of
our army?”
Young doctors doubt the necessity the government decision, since the meaning of the statement that the armed forces
need medical specialists is unclear.
Zelveyan says: “It is 10 years that the Military Medical Department of the Yerevan State Medical University has had
graduates and the goal of this faculty is to supply the republic’s armed forces with appropriate highly skilled
specialists. It is known that numerous would-be doctors are admitted to that faculty every year and not all of them
join the armed forces later.”
The Association considers that the government must reconsider its decision and stop the conscription of officers of
the first group of reserve medical staff with scientific degrees.
Strong Defense: Sargsyan says army is not worried about spread of religious sects
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan told a group of youth last week that he doesn’t see any threat to Armenia by
religious sects.
Since Armenia adopted laws protecting rights of religious minorities, there has been widespread concern that national
identity and security is at stake.
“The role of sects in our society is exaggerated,” Sargsyan told a meeting at the Ararat Patriarchy. “I don’t see any
danger in it at all.”
Of particular public concern has been the position of Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose beliefs prohibit them from performing
military service that requires using weapons.
During the meeting on “State-Church Cooperation” and “Army-Alternative Service” the young people voiced their concern
about the impact of conscientious objectors on Armenia’s military.
Sargsyan said periodical surveys are being conducted among recruits and soldiers and the greater part of the surveyed
insist serving the motherland is one’s sacred duty and that they are not concerned in this regard.
“I think those who do not want to serve can be a only a burden and dangerous for the army. We should not struggle
against them. We can only convince and spread our ideas, if not, let nothing be done by force,” the Minister
said. “Quantity is not the most important thing. It is better to have 10, 20, 30 soldiers devoted to the motherland,
than 150-200 who are forced, although we do not have a problem of quantity for 6 years as well.”
Sargsyan said those who are against taking arms can serve in the Armenian army by other means.
Referring to recently adopted laws, the Minister of Defense said:
“We have a law on alternative service that gives opportunity to those who do not want to take arms, to serve in an
asylum, take care of the elderly. It is also a service and patriotism. The question is how many will prefer that
alternative.”
To the question of whether the Ministry of Defense is concerned that a large number will seek to avoid service through
membership in a pacifist religion, Sargsyan told the group it is not a simple matter to falsify one’s religious
affiliation.
“Our laws are clear and leave no space for false sect members. They can not come to the military department and say
they are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Such cases are investigated preliminarily by relevant bodies and it is not that easy to
deceive,” said Sargsyan.
The army also, Sargsyan says, pays attention to religion that helps the soldiers.
Since 1997 the Apostolic Church has a spiritual service to keep the soldiers belief alive.
To intensify the cooperation, in September 2000 the Catholicos and the Defense Minister signed an agreement regulating
the spiritual service in the army.
At present some 30 priests serve in the military units of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The presence of priests in the army is a big step,” said the minister. “The soldiers have the opportunity to
communicate, to share their concerns with them. And we should pay attention to everything to escape further
complications”.
Sargsyan says the spread of sects should also be paid attention to, by countering their beliefs with practice of
traditional faith.
History Matters: Critics say Armenian museum in Turkey obscures rather than enlightens
By Ruzanna Amiraghyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The opening of the Surb Prkich Armenian National Hospital Museum in Istanbul presented a controversial message on the
eve of the European Union’s consideration of Turkey’s accession opportunities.
The hospital museum, whose opening was widely covered by the Turkish media, is the first in Turkey to be dedicated to
the country’s Armenian minority. It includes religious artifacts, antique medical equipment and the Ottoman decree of
Sultan Mahmut II on the establishment of the hospital in 1832.
“Anyone seeing the exhibits of the museum will never have any doubts over the history that the two nations created.
Deep in my soul this is also a museum of humanism,” said Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan at the official
ceremony on December 5.
Erdoğan said the museum, whose name means Holy Savior, would serve to shed light on the common history of Armenians
and Turks for current and future generations. He said: “As the Prime Minister of the country I feel obliged to secure
the rights of Armenians as well as other nationalities, to share their happiness and sorrow.”
The EU decided yesteday (December 16) that membership negotiations with Turkey will commence October 3, 2005. The
European Commission issued a report in October recommending that member states authorize accession negotiations. But
it highlighted minority rights as one of the most acute political issues facing Turkey.
Vahan Hovhannisyan, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia and a member of the bureau of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, described Erdogan’s comments as “an attempt to ‘blow smoke’ into the eyes of the
international community and the Armenian people”.
He argued that one should not take “at face value” the Turkish Prime Minister’s recent assertion that ethnic groups in
Turkey are native elements of the country whose interests Turkey had defended and would defend in future.
Erdogan argued that “instead of allowing (museum) pieces such as this to throw light on history, facts are being
distorted through speculation and disinformation”, implying the Genocide of Armenians of 1915-1923 that Turkey’s
authorities continue to deny.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, objected in response by saying: “Mr Erdogan, before you
speak of so called “assumptions” and “misinformation”, you should visit the “Cilicia Museum” of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia in Lebanon. At that museum you would see irrefutable evidence of the Genocide perpetrated by the Turks.
“No one who sees these remains would talk of “assumptions” and “distortion” of facts. They are clear evidence of
Turkish barbarism. Shouldn’t you ask why these are currently in Antelias? Are they there by coincidence? Before
speaking of “falsification” and “misinformation”, you should also visit the relics of our martyrs that lie in a
monument not far from the museum. Where did these human remains come from? History is based on clear facts and not
assumptions. As much as you and others may deny, the Armenian Genocide is a fact of history”.
The new Turkish Penal Code provides for imprisonment of anyone making statements asserting the Armenian Genocide
during the Ottoman era if they are construed by government officials as diminishing the authority of the Turkish state.
ARTS
Actor Honored: Khoren Abrahamyan laid to rest with bittersweet recognition
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Two months ago beloved Armenian actor Khoren Abrahamyan told ArmeniaNow:
“I have so many ideas and thoughts, so many things to say. I feel I am in my 20s and I am confident I will manage to
reach at least the half of the aims I have.”
In his 50 professional years the actor reached plenty aims, among which was to bring his art to a mass audience that
rewarded Abrahamayan with admiration and respect. And his country rewarded him with the distinction of People’s
Artist.
On Tuesday, appreciation of Abrahamyan’s work mixed with grief as thousands honored him by carrying his body through
the streets of Yerevan, to the Sundukyan Theater where he first performed, then laying the actor to rest at the
Komitas Pantheon.
Abrahamyan died of heart attack last Friday in Yerevan.
Among mourners at services in the National Opera and Ballet Theater were President Robert Kocharyan, His Holiness
Catholicos Garegin II, Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan and Mayor Yervand Zarkaryan.
Khoren Abrahamyan’s body was carried on the arms of admirers and colleagues accompanied by the music of his most
famous film “The Song of the First Love”.
At his death, he had been working for three years to produce a sequel. His last stage performance was in the Sundukyan
where he appeared in Qobern’s “Gin Play”, November 21.
“We are a small nation, but we give birth to these kind of great people from time to time,” said a colleague and
fellow People’s Artist, Sos Sargsyan, fighting back tears. “Khorik was a great man of world significance, an
unimaginable actor and person.” (Click to read ?????)
Students from the Theater and Cinema Institute and Yerevan State University formed a protest action following
Abrahamyan’s funeral. They were angered that a party for the pop music group Shicker took place in the theater after
Abrahamyan’s funeral.
Khoren Abrahamyan, like singer and director Tigran Levonyan and writer Hrant Matevosyan left this world insulted. For
10 years he did not have a stage, fired from the native Sundukyan theatre.
“A great man like Khorik, one of the last Mohicans, was asking on TV to give him a stage, a hall to play. I think it
is not a coincidence only we have a saying ‘die and you’ll be loved'”, says playwright Perch Zeytuntsyan. “I am glad
they understood in the end and asked him to return to the mother theater and play at least once. We are gradually
becoming poorer, who will fill this big gap? Will it be those who made award ceremonies and birthday parties on the
day of the funeral?”
Armenia’s “Grammys”: A year of music takes 7 hours to recognize
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
In a strained program that lasted nearly seven hours, the music community learned winners of Armenia’s National Music
Awards last Sunday night.
Top prizes were taken by H2 (Best Entertainment Program of The Year), Ani Kristi (Best New Artist), Arsen Safaryan
(Hit of the Year — “Your Name”), Jazzle (Best Pop Group), Bambir (Best Rock Group) and Hayko (Best Album of the
Year), Andre (Singer of the Year), and Kristine Pepelyan (Female Artist of the Year).
The competition was renewed last year, after a 15 year interruption and guests waited in anticipation to see their
favorite “stars”, who were expected to exit limousines and enter the Sundukyan Theater up a red carpet.
The carpet was there; the stars weren’t. Seems that the invitation reading “evening gowns are a must”, was a bit much
to ask for a December evening in Yerevan. So the celebrities chose to enter as the common, but warmly dressed into the
chilly theater.
Arthur Ispiryan opened the ceremony with a song devoted to actor Khoren Abrahamyan who died December 10, while the
beloved actor’s photo smiled from a stage that otherwise held last year’s decoration. The hall joined in tears and
ovations giving respect to the memory of the actor, not with a minute of silence but with applauses and bravos.
The best of the National Music Awards were represented in 19 nominations and were selected by 60 judges.
One spectator, pianist Narine Manukyan complained the awardees were not excited enough.
“Whoever stepped on the stage seemed to previously know he had won. For instance, why did Nazeli Hovhannisyan, who was
on the stage suddenly appeared in the hall as soon as the best anchor had to be announced so to rise on the stage
again solemnly” said Manukyan.
A judge, politician Paruyr Hayrikyan said “populism” or “rabis understanding” played a part in selection of winners.
“This is us, we make choices here just like we elect a president. But that is life as well,” Hayrikyan said.
Winners in other categories were:
Ani Amiryan (The Future of Armenian Pop)
Avet Barseghyan and Nazeli Hovhannisyan (Best TV Music Anchor)
Hayko (Best DVD)
Hayko (Best Musical Project)
Davit Babayan (Best Video)
Forsh (Tigran Naghdalyan Award)
Fifteen categories were added since last year’s awards. And the long night might have been longer, but categories for
Best Classic Album, Best Folk or Ethnic Album, Best Instrumental Album and Best Composer were withdrawn.
Living for Color: Kapan artist takes a lonely journey through abstraction
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
With a careless walk, wearing shoes that are too big and shabby patched clothes, 43-year-old Husik Stepanyan is the
most unpopular artist in Kapan.
Like him, his paintings have always been odd. Besides traditional painting, Husik does abstract work that is not
easily accepted in a town where art is usually limited to landscapes of Syunik’s most famous mountain, Khustup.
“I don’t even bother explaining to them what abstraction is for here there are few who understand true art,” says
Husik carefully arranging the paintings. “Those who understand can’t afford to buy paintings, so they tap me on my
shoulder, say that it’s very nice and go.”
His studio in the basement of a multistory building on Lernagortsnery Street is a feast of color and emotions despite
the dreadful cold: Husik lives for his paintings and colors, passing his thoughts onto canvas.
The blue, the yellow, the red, the white and the black differ at times according to his mood. Yellow is the color of
overcoming difficult stressful situations, blue the color of comfort, and red of crisis, not a rare thing in the
painter’s life.
Living in extreme social conditions, he cares only for his workshop and the world of color that he has been creating
for three decades. On the blackened walls there is “The Loneliness”, “The Chess Thoughts” and abstract works that have
numbers as if continuing one another.
Some of the paintings have no signature. Husik says they are not finished in his soul.
Between the spiritual and the necessary the painter has always chosen the former. Though he says material questions
have never been important to him, he sometimes tries to conform to people’s demands and accepts orders.
“The demand for the spiritual is very small in this town. Rather there is a demand for simplistic works. I need to
paint things that are in demand from time to time and if in the capital the most often sold pictures are of Ararat, in
Kapan it is the church in front of Mount Khustup.”
“Most of the people in Kapan have a curious way of thinking,” smiles the painter. “I sometimes hardly keep from
laughing; those who buy pictures here pay attention not to the essence and the depth of the painting but to the beauty
of the frame. And I don’t have any opportunity to buy gorgeous frames. That is I can’t provide what people are
interested in.”
Husik, understood by few, goes on living, forgetting and having no opportunity to repair his workshop. There are no
windows as such; neither there are glasses or isolation every other one being covered with paper.
The walls of the workshop are black with the smoke from plastic bottles that Husik gathers in the streets and burns,
having no opportunity to buy fuel and trying to protect his paintings and warming the creating hands.
The most Husik has got for a painting is $300, an exceptional sum for a town like Kapan. The buyer, a foreigner who
was fascinated by Husik’s art, bought the painting without haggling and left Kapan happy.
Artists in Kapan say Husik has always incited interest among specialists. His works were recently included in an
exhibition in Yerevan.
“I had no opportunity to be present there (for financial reasons), but the organizers and those who were present said
all the famous artists were interested in me and my paintings. But there is no opportunity to present oneself to
anyone, that has been the way for me,” says the painter. “There have been offers that I rejected because of the lack
of means.”
Husik also rejects all those who try to take advantage of his hardship and buy unique paintings for a very low price,
either to resell in Yerevan or to give as presents.
“My paintings cost a lot,” he says. “I know that some day this will be known to many. Art that is created in one’s
soul and has power cannot have a price.”
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