Category: News

Iraqi priests defy bombers in half-empty churches
By Matthew Green
BAGHDAD, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Priests thundered defiance on Sunday at
attackers who bombed Iraqi churches a week ago, but fears of more
strikes ensured they were preaching to half-empty pews.
Blasts at five churches in Iraq killed 11 people during evening
prayers last Sunday — inspiring dread among some of Iraq’s 800,000
Christians and invigorating the faith of others.
“We have paid the price of love in Iraq with our blood,” Catholic
Archbishop Antoine Atamian said at Baghdad’s Armenian church, where
the scorched wreckage of a car tipped on its side by one of the blasts
still lay in the street.
“We’re not worried about physical death, we fear the death of the
principles of love and compassion that make up the soul of Iraq,” said
Atamian, who represents the Armenian denomination, one of several
Christian communities in Iraq.
Above him, shards of stained glass dangled from a high window
shattered by the explosion — although the solemn figure of an
Armenian saint in the panel had been spared destruction.
Worshippers at the church said about a third of the usual 600 people
attended mass on Sunday, a major break with tradition for Iraqi
Christians who pride themselves on a much stauncher level of devotion
than in many European countries.
Leaving the church, built with solid arches and an imposing bell
tower, locals said nowhere was safe in Baghdad, where the sound of
mortars and rockets starts soon after sundown most days.
“What can you do?” shrugged May Yousif, 46, who designed the stained
glass damaged in the blast. “At home all night we hear bombing, it’s
the same everywhere.”
Dwarfed by a mainly Muslim population of 25 million, Iraq’s Christians
have been gripped by anxiety since last year’s U.S.-led invasion
toppled Saddam Hussein, who had largely left them free to worship as
they pleased.
Last week’s blasts crushed any hope Christians had of avoiding the
kind of attacks on mosques staged in the past year in apparent
attempts to stir sectarian strife among Muslims.
“THEY WANTED TO KILL PEOPLE”
Divided into various close-knit denominations — such as Armenians,
Assyrians and Chaldeans — many members of the various Christian
communities share a growing sense that they might be targeted for
their religion.
At the Syrian Catholic Church, where workmen gathered to repair damage
caused by another car bomb blast, only about 70 of the usual
1,000-strong congregation made it to a makeshift mass held on Sunday
in a nearby hall.
“They won’t come as they used to before,” said Reverend Raphael
Kutaimi, one of the senior clergy. “They wanted to kill people in the
church, of course this will affect our members.”
Priests have urged Christians to resist the temptation to quit Iraq to
join their brethren in countries such as neighbouring Syria, fearing
an exodus of hundreds of their co-religionists will sap the life force
of their community.
“We will not flee Iraq, our blood was mingled with the blood of Iraq’s
martyrs,” said Peter Haddad, at the church of Mary in Baghdad, where a
good deal of bare wood from pews was visible during his
thinly-attended service.
“We, Muslims and Christians, are united in our efforts and hearts in
this country and over this land,” he said.
For Christians like Leon Terzian, 72, an architect who designed the
Armenian church to echo temples of pre-Christian fire-worshippers, the
attacks simply reinforced his faith.
“After each difficulty, a person goes to God and prays,” he said,
speaking near an altar adorned with vases of red roses. “Christians
never ask for revenge, just for forgiveness.”
(Additional reporting by Omar Anwar and Seif Fuad)
08/08/04 09:11 ET

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
August 9, 2004
DATEV INSTITUTE: A SCHOOL FOR ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN FORMATION
NEW YORK, NY-“There is something about the evening service that is so
moving. It offers a chance to reflect, a time to meditate. Every day, as
night sets in, I look forward to this special time to communicate with God,”
said Krista Guzelian (a 17-year-old Datev Institute participant from North
Andover, Massachusetts). In the morning around 7:15, groups of teens begin
filing from their dorms towards the chapel, a long driveway away. It is a
sight to behold! This happened every day, every evening and every morning,
for seven days.
Worship framed the communal life of the 76 students from 13 parishes
gathered for the 18th St. Gregory of Datev Institute at St. Mary of
Providence Center in bucolic Elverson, Pennsylvania from June 27 to July 4,
2004, sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) of the
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the directorship of
Vicar General Very Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian.
Sandwiched between morning and evening services, the day was packed with
educational events (8:30am-12: 30pm and 7pm-9pm) and recreational activities
(1:30pm-5:30pm). Through interactive presentations, lectures, discussions,
Bible studies, panel discussions the curriculum exposed the participants to
a range of the essentials of Armenian Christianity, from Bible and creeds,
sacraments and chants, feasts and saints, personal and communal prayer,
language and history, to ethics and moral living.
Nora Palandjian, a second year student from Providence, Rhode Island,
captured the spirit of Datev when she said, “Prayer, education and
fellowship-these are the reasons why I come to Datev.” Granted, not everyone
attends Datev with these objectives in mind, or in that order. But they
leave with those three objectives etched in their minds, because they have
been formed and shaped by the prayers and hymns of the Armenian Church, by
the essential elements of the Armenian Apostolic Christianity, and also by
new and renewed friendships. (Visit the Prelacy web site for more
impressions at )
The St. Gregory of Datev Institute is a four-year faith-based, youth program
(one week each year). Those who complete the 4-year program may return for
postgraduate classes. All five levels of study take place concurrently. In
addition, this year the Institute had pre-Datev classes for students ages
10-12. There were 6 pre-datev students, 18 first-year students, 14
second-year students, 11 third-year students, 11 fourth-year students
(graduates), and 16 post-graduates.
The participants enjoyed the presence of the Prelate, His Eminence
Archbishop Oshagan, who took time out of his busy schedule to be with the
Datevatsies, accompanied by Hon. Judge Sarkis and Ardemis Teshoian. Judge
Teshoian delivered the evening lecture telling the students about the
importance of being Armenian in our society and what it means to be an
Armenian American. Utilizing experiences from his own life, he advised the
students to be good citizens and meet the challenges ahead. “Don’t think
that others are better than you, or that you are better than others,” he
said. He told them that participation in both Armenian and American society
is very important. He also stressed the importance of education and the
knowledge of other languages, not only Armenian and English. “In this age of
globalization,” he said, “the one who knows more will be hired and will
advance up the ladder of success. Remember that just as you get happy when
you read about a successful and famous Armenian, someday an Armenian
youngster will read about you and your success and become happy.”
The weeklong program came to a close with the celebration of the Soorp
Badarak at St. Gregory Armenian Church in Philadelphia on Sunday, July 4,
followed by luncheon, graciously provided and served by the Artemis Chapter
of the Armenian Relief Society.
THE EDUCATORS
The instructors of the Institute were: Very Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian,
Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Tashjian, Rev. Fr. Khoren
Habeshian, Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian, Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian, Rev. Fr.
Gomidas Baghsarian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, and Dn. Shant Kazanjian. In
addition, the following postgraduate “datevatsies” taught several classes:
Dn. Nishan Baljian, Dn. Dr. Arsen Mekaelian, Barbara Baljian, Nayiri
Baljian, Martha Mekaelian, Jeanette Nazarian.
This year the Institute was privileged to have three guest lecturers: Very
Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian (Media Relations Officer, Catholicosate of
Cilicia), Hon. Judge Sarkis Teshoian, and Prof. John Barnett of St.
Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, NY).
A WORD OF THANKS
Archbishop Oshagan praised the Datev program and thanked the dedicated
teachers who manage to make the entire Datev experience exhilarating,
enjoyable and educational. “I was so pleased to be able to spend a day with
the Datev students and their teachers. I found the caliber of the
participants to be exceptional. “The atmosphere was joyful and very
respectful,” the Prelate said. “I told the students that they are part of
our family and they have the love of God and our Church in their hearts.”
As Archbishop Oshagan noted, a program of this scope is made possible
through the collaborative efforts between AREC and parishes, parents,
volunteer workers, and a number of organizations and individuals. It is meet
and right to acknowledge and thank them for their support and contributions
to the work of the Institute. In the first place, the Institute wishes to
thank the instructors for their labor of love and the parents for entrusting
their children to the Institute for a week of spiritual formation. The
Institute would like to express its gratitude to the following datevatzies
for their invaluable services as supervisors and counselors: Dn. Nishan
Baljian, Dn. Dr. Arsen Mekaelian, Ms. Barbara Baljian, Ms. Nayiri Baljian,
Mr. Arek Hamalian, Mr. James Haddad, Mr. Harout Khatchadourian, Mrs. Martha
Mekaelian, Mr. Mikhail Mekaelian, Ms. Jeanette Nazarian, and to ANEC
director Gilda Kupelian for conducting the Datev Jeopardy program. Many
thanks to those parishes that subsidized a portion of the expenses by
providing scholarships.
The Institute extends its appreciation to the Pashalian Family Education
Fund for the donation of $2,750. The Institute thanks the following generous
supporters: The Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG), the National Association of
Ladies’ Guild (NALG), the Artemis Chapter of the Armenian Relief Society,
Mrs. Asdghig Kazanjian, and Mr. and Mrs. Noubar Megerian. Thanks also to the
following donors: Mr. and Mrs. Hrant Jilozian, Mrs. Sirvart Kaloustian, Mr.
and Mrs. Zaven Oranjian.
A photo gallery of the 2004 Datev Institute is on the Prelacy web page,

ARABICNEWS.Com
Iraqi Christians will not leave it
Iraq, Politics, 8/9/2004
The Iraqi churches in Baghdad witnessed a notable decrease in the number of
worshippers who took part in yesterday’s mass, the first Sunday after the
simultaneous attacks which targeted 6 churches in Baghdad and Musil in which
10 persons were killed and more than other 40 were injured.
Seats at ” Virgin Mary” Church were almost empty except for very few number
of worshippers who attended the mass. Under the shock of the attacks of last
Sunday, Iraqi Christians prayed for peace and lit candles.
The audience were also few in the Armenian church where remains of a car
destroyed in last Sunday’s aggressions are there.
Rev Antoine Atamian who chaired the mass in the church where number of
audience receded to one third said that the Christians should not leave Iraq
despite the recent attacks against them. He said:” we have paid in blood the
price for our love to Iraq.” He added ” We are not concerned over physical
death, we are scared of the death of the principles of love and amity and
sympathy which all constitute the spirit of Iraq.”
In the Syriac- Catholic Church in Baghdad, workers gathered to repair
damages inflected by the attack which targeted it. The mass which was held
in a nearby hall was attended by 70 persons out of 1,000 believers used to
attend it. Priest Raphael Qatteimi said:” They want to kill people in the
churches, eventually this will affect our members.”

Chicago Sun-Times
Wis. looks at tourism jobs for locals, not foreigners
August 9, 2004
Summer visitors to Wisconsin may be noticing accents beyond the usual
cheeseland variety as hundreds of foreign teenagers are staffing tourist
magnets like the Dells and Door County.
Now, though, some are saying those jobs ought to go to Wisconsin’s
unemployed.
Wisconsin’s tourism secretary wants to start a new effort to promote the
state’s seasonal tourism jobs to its own out-of-work residents.
Jim Holperin said he has no indication that theme parks and other popular
destinations are intentionally passing over Wisconsin workers, but he said
the state lacks a strategy for matching the jobless to tourism posts, which
often go to foreign workers. A program is in its early stage of discussion.
The state’s tourism industry started recruiting foreign workers — typically
college students — in the late 1990s, when low unemployment created a labor
shortage.
Some in the tourism industry say Wisconsin residents in high unemployment
areas are not willing to move for the summer jobs. Some also say residents
don’t seem to be interested in drudgery jobs.
“Even in desperate times, they don’t want to do housekeeping,” said Joanne
Stanzel, personnel director at Landmark Resort in Door County. She has hired
several college-aged students from Armenia and Romania for such jobs.
Tom Diehl, president of Tommy Bartlett Inc., said he hired about 70 young
people from Finland this summer to work at the company’s water shows and
other attractions in Wisconsin Dells.
Lifeguard Tito Suero of the Dominican Republic earns about $1,000 a month at
Noah’s Ark Family Park compared with the $50 a month he would earn doing
similar work in his homeland. “I feel pretty lucky,” the 23-year-old
medical student said.
Jim Cavanaugh, president of the Madison-based South Central Federation of
Labor, said laid-off factory workers would take the seasonal jobs to get a
regular paycheck. But he suspects the tourism industry is afraid a tight
labor market might return and are hesitant to cut off sources of
international labor.

PawtucketTimes.com
Top Stories
City will host R.I. film fest
Joel Furfari 08/09/2004
PAWTUCKET — For the first time since its inception, the Rhode Island
International Film Festival is coming to Pawtucket.
The 100-seat theater inside the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center, 175 Main
St., will host a series of screenings this week as the city plays host to
the festival for the first time.
Herb Weiss, the city’s cultural affairs officer, said officials want to
bring more films into the theater.
“It’s underutilized right now and we’re in discussion with some groups to
see if we can begin bringing in more screenings to the theater,” he said.
Film buffs will be in for a treat this week: The theater will host
screenings on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The film festival’s gala
opening is Tuesday.
At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the film “Parallel Lines” will be screened in
Pawtucket. The documentary, directed by Nina Davenport, covers a road trip
across the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
There will also be a screening of Bruce Dellis’ short filmLincoln: A Life
Embellished,” a satirical take on the Civil War president’s life.
On Thursday, the documentary “Germany and the Secret Genocide” will be
screened at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Providence Jewish Film Festival. The
film recounts the Armenian genocide and the complicity of the German
government in the abuses of the Ottoman Turkish government.
The final screening will be Sunday at 2:30 p.m., when the festival brings
“First Israeli in Space: Ilan Ramon.” This documentary film, directed by
Neil Weisbrod of Israel’s Channel One, chronicles the life of Israeli
astronaut who died in last year’s space shuttle Columbia disaster.
A short film called “Indecision,” directed by Mary DeBarry, will also be
screened. The comedy is about a young woman who can’t make up her mind.
Weiss said the film festival is especially exciting because it serves as a
prelude to the upcoming Pawtucket Arts Festival.
“We’re very excited about this new relationship between the two festivals,”
he said.
The film festival, in its eight year, will feature screenings of 265 films
from across the United States and more than 60 countries. Organizers are
expecting 20,000 movie fans to attend screenings.
Actor Andrew McCarthy, of “Pretty in Pink”fame, is making his directorial
debut at the festival, and actor Zach Braff, who plays a doctor on NBC’s
“Scrubs,” is receiving an award.
George Marshall, executive director and chief executive of the festival,
said the event attracts a lot of filmmakers because it’s the only one in New
England where a film can qualify for an Academy Award. He said five films
screened at the festival in the past seven years have been nominated for
Oscars, and two have won.
Eva Saks, a director from New York, will be showing three of her films this
year, including “Date.”Saks has attended the festival six times, and hopes
to shoot one of her upcoming films in the area. She said she keeps returning
to Rhode Island because she’s drawn to the neighborhood feeling and loves
the architecture.
“I’m kind of crazy into this festival, into this town,”she said. ” I dig
it.”
With AP reports.
©The Pawtucket Times 2004

ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Monday, August 9, 2004
KARABAKH MUNICIPAL ELECTION MARKED BY CLOSE RACE FOR STEPANAKERT MAYOR
The Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) last Sunday held its third nationwide,
local elections since independence. The race for the Stepanakert mayor was
one of the most tightly contested, with the incumbent mayor defeated and two
candidates advancing to the second round. In all, 381 candidates sought the
posts of town and village mayors and 1,591 ran for seats on local municipal
councils. The NKR Central Election Commission reported that over 60 percent
of those eligible voted throughout NKR.

In Stepanakert, Pavel Najarian, former manager of a local state-owned
construction company, led the poll with 43 percent of the vote. Chairman of
the Parliamentary Committee for Social Affairs Eduard Aghabekian was a
strong second with 35 percent. The incumbent Stepanakert mayor Hamik
Avanesian was a distant third with 9 percent, while two other candidates,
businessman Iosif Adamian and lawyer Vazgen Hairapetian won 8 and 6 percent
respectively. The run-off vote has been set for August 22.

Of the two top candidates, the government is said to favor 53-year-old Pavel
Najarian. Although NKR President Arkady Ghoukasian did not publicly endorse
any of the candidates, the pro-presidential Democratic Artsakh Union, which
has the largest faction in Parliament, withdrew its support from the
unpopular incumbent and is backing Najarian. Graduate of the Yerevan
Polytechnic Institute, Najarian worked in construction most of his life,
with the exception of a brief stint as the Deputy Mayor of Stepanakert
(1993) and service in the Karabakh Army (1994-7).

The other top candidate, 40-year-old parliamentarian Eduard Aghabekian, was
trained as a pharmacist at the Yerevan Medical Institute and the University
of California. He is a decorated veteran of the Karabakh war and had worked
as Deputy Minister of Health from 1997 to 1999. Last April, Aghabekian was
one of the initiators of the Movement-1988 organization, which aims to raise
civic awareness and action against corruption. Aghabekian’s candidacy was
endorsed by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which has the second
largest parliamentary faction.

In a pre-election poll of 300 residents conducted by the Artsakh
Journalists’ Union, over 50 percent said they were dissatisfied with the
handling of past local elections and 46 percent said effectiveness of the
local government has not lived up to their expectations. Most respondents
blamed the faulty local self-government law, which they believe fails to
provide local officials with sufficient authority. In 1997, NKR became first
in the Caucasus to elect its local administration officials and is the only
regional entity, where the capital’s mayor is chosen through elections.
(Sources: R&I Archive; ; Noyan Tapan 7-28, 8-5, 9;
Arminfo 8-9; IWPR Caucasus Report 7-30)
ANTI-ARMENIAN RHETORICAL “COMPETITION” CONTINUES IN BAKU
Azeri officials continue their barrage of threats, demands and complaints
directed at Armenia and NKR. Just in the last week, spokesman for the Azeri
Defense Ministry Ramiz Melikov promised to do away with the Armenian state
in “25 to 30 years” and incorporate its territory into Azerbaijan. “This
people has been a nuisance for its neighbors and has no right to live in
this region,” Melikov said.

The Defense Ministry spokesman predicted that the “world Armenian cabal”
would face certain ruin. Not just yet, however, as the senior official in
the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmedov dismissed the human rights
criticism of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, alleging that it was
under Armenian influence.

Also last week, the Azeri government, which continually threatens to unleash
a new war in Karabakh, protested the holding of annual maneuvers of the
Karabakh Army. The Azeri Central Election Commission, widely chastised for
rubber-stamping the dynastic power transfer in Azerbaijan last year,
protested the holding of a competitive municipal election in Karabakh. The
state-controlled and scandal-plagued Football Federation of Azerbaijan, in
its turn complained about the plans for holding a soccer competition in
Karabakh.

With aggressive rhetoric continuing unabated, a public opinion poll
conducted in 2003 and published last month found strong public support for
peace in both Azerbaijan and Armenia. 97 percent of Armenians and 93 percent
of Azeris surveyed said they desired peace, while 74 percent of Armenians
and 46 percent of Azeris want inter-ethnic relations re-established.
Significantly, there is greater support for reconciliation among the Azeris
displaced by the war (80 percent) than the general population. The American
University in Washington, DC funded the study. (Sources: R&I Archive;
Armenian-Azerbaijani poll 7-28; AP
8-4; Arminfo 8-4, 9; Zerkalo 8-4, 5)

Visit to read Armenia This Week
issues since 1997.
A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
122 C Street, N.W., Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 393-3434 FAX
(202) 638-4904
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PRESS RELEASE
August 9, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:
Armenian-U.S. Bilateral Defense Consultations Held in Kansas
An Armenian Ministry of Defense delegation headed by Deputy Defense
Minister, Lt. Gen. Arthur Aghabekyan, visited Kansas on August 2-7, 2004, to
participate in the third annual round of U.S.-Armenian Bilateral Defense
Consultations. Armenian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Arman Kirakossian and
Defense Attaché Colonel Armen Sargsyan joined the Armenian delegation for
the consultations. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense James MacDougall
headed the American delegation to the Bilateral Defense Consultations.
The bilateral discussions were held in Kansas because of an active State
Partnership Program between the Kansas National Guard and the Armed Forces
of the Republic of Armenia, commenced in 2003 as part of overall
Armenian-U.S. military cooperation. The consultations addressed the current
state of and perspectives for further military and military-political
cooperation between Armenia and the United States, and other issues of
bilateral interest.
During a visit to State Capitol in Topeka, the Armenian delegation members
met with Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh and Secretary of
Agriculture Adrian J. Polansky, and were later hosted by the Adjutant
General of Kansas National Guard, Maj. Gen. Tod M Bunting in his
headquarters at State Defense Building. The Armenian delegation visited Ft.
Riley and several military installations of U.S. Armed Forces and the Kansas
National Guard, as well as several industrial and national landmarks,
including the Harley Davidson factory, the Eisenhower Presidential Center in
Abilene, KS, and the Truman Presidential Museum and Library in Independence,
MO.
A special meeting with the representatives of Kansas’s tiny
Armenian-American community, held in Kansas City, KS, was an opportunity to
present Armenia’s progress at home and in strengthening U.S.-Armenian
bilateral relations.

Yahoo News
Sports-Soccer
Soccer-Macedonia squad for World Cup qualifier v Armenia
Mon Aug 9,11:10 AM ET
SKOPJE, Aug 9 (Reuters) – Macedonia coach Dragan Kanatlarovski has named the
following 18-man squad for their opening World Cup qualifying match against
Armenia at home on August 18:
Goalkeepers: Petar Milosevski (A.Sebatspor), Jane Nikoloski (Sloga
Jugomagnat Skopje)
Defenders: Igor Mitreski (Spartak Moscow), Goce Sedloski (Vegalta Sendai,
Japan), Goran Stavrevski (Diyarbakirspor), Vasko Bozinovski (Kamen Ingrad),
Pance Kumber (Groclin Grodzisk), Alexander Vasovski (Vardar Skopje)
Midfielders: Goran Popov (Red Star Belgrade), Alexander Mitreski
(Grasshoppers), Mile Krstev (Groningen), Velice Sumolikoski (Zenit St
Petersburg), Artim Sakiri (West Bromwich Albion), Igor Jancevski (Varteks
Varazdin), Vanco Trajanov (Arminia Bielefeld)
Forwards: Goce Toleski (Rabotnicki Kometal Skopje), Goran Pandev (Lazhbio),
Draganco Dimitrovski (Pobeda Prilep).
Apart from Armenia, Macedonia are in a group with Netherlands, Romania, the
Czech Republic, Finland and Adorra.

The Moscow Times
Tuesday, August 10, 2004. Page 11.
A Fond Farewell to My Home in Azerbaijan
By Chloe Arnold
BAKU, Azerbaijan — I am sitting on my suitcase as I write this. I leave
Azerbaijan this week heading east — to Sri Lanka and then to India.
There is so much I will miss about the place that I hardly know where to
begin. I’ll miss the tiny shop at the end of our street that sells boxes of
apples and lemons and buckets of curd cheese and the best homemade yogurt
I’ve ever tasted.
I’ll miss the woman who sits on the pavement outside, her head swathed in a
red and yellow scarf, who sells herbs from a flat wicker basket — parsley,
dill, coriander and mint all freshly picked that morning.
I’ll miss the Caspian Sea, that stinging salty smell tinged with the whiff
of oil, which is the reason Baku has grown to be the most important city in
the Caucasus region. If not for its “black gold,” Baku would still be a
sleepy backwater, not much bigger than the jumble of cobbled alleys and
mosques that make up its centuries-old walled city.
I’ll never forget the friendships I’ve made in Azerbaijan. There was Qyzyl
Quliyeva, who at 131 would have been the oldest woman in the world if only
she’d had a birth certificate.
The day I visited, she had just baked a batch of bread and was in her
orchard feeding the hens. She scaled a ladder to the second floor of her
house and we sat on a giant Persian carpet, sipping tea with her
great-great-grandson, who translated her tales of 19th-century Azerbaijan.
Then there were the Mountain Jews, descended from one of the 10 lost tribes
of Israel. I have an abiding memory of a New Year’s Eve I spent with one of
the village elders and his best friend, a Muslim policeman.
We left them throwing back the vodka, their arms around each other’s
shoulders, laughing and singing into the night. If only Jews and Muslims in
other parts of the world could take a leaf out of their book.
I’ll miss Georgia and Armenia, too. I’ll always remember the day of
Georgia’s Rose Revolution, when I stood on a rickety balcony above Freedom
Square as tens of thousands of people marched on the parliament building to
demand the resignation of the president, Eduard Shevardnadze.
In Armenia, the spectacular drive to Geghard, a church carved into the side
of a mountain, is one I won’t easily forget.
But it’s Azerbaijan that I will be saddest to leave. I worry for the future
of the place — the corruption, the infighting between the clans who run the
country and the hardships suffered by ordinary people.
But most of all I’ll miss it because I’ve come to think of it as home.
Chloe Arnold is a freelance journalist based in Baku, Azerbaijan. This is
her final column for The Moscow Times. We wish her all the best.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/09/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Karabagh Holds Local Elections 2) ARF Central Committee of Mountainous Karabagh Statement on Municipal Elections 3) MKR Leadership Perplexed By CE Secretary General's Statement 4) Pan-Diaspora Educational Conference Comes to a Successful Close 5) Georgia Asks Russia To Drop Support For Separatists 1) Karabagh Holds Local Elections STEPANAKERT (RFE-RL)On Monday, officials in Mountainous Karabagh were tabulating the results of weekend municipal elections angrily denounced by Azerbaijan but touted by the leadership of the Armenian-populated territory as a manifestation of its commitment to democracy. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Mountainous Karabagh Republic, 61 percent of some 85,000 eligible voters cast their ballots on Sunday to choose the heads of administrations and legislative councils in about 200 local towns and villages. The lowest voter turnout was registered in the Stepanakert mayoral electionthe most closely watched race. Preliminary figures showed Pavel Najarian in the lead with 42.8 percent of the vote. His main challenger, Eduard Aghabekian, received 34.5 percent of votes cast and is expected to receive the support by the three other, defeated candidates during the run-off scheduled for August 22. Aghabekian is also backed by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Some local observers believe that this puts Aghabekian in a strong position to become the next mayor of Stepanakert. A former military medic, Aghabekian heads the social affairs committee of the MKR parliament and stands in opposition to President Arkady Ghoukasian. Najarian, on the other hand, enjoys the backing of Ghoukasian's Democratic Artsakh Union (ZhAM) party. The CEC is due to release vote results for the whole of the MKR later this week. Its chairman, Sergei Davtian, said the elections can already be considered a success. "The Central Election Commission has achieved its goal," Dadtian said. "These elections were better organized and more interesting than the previous ones." Davtian added that the CEC did not receive any reports of irregularities from candidates as of late afternoon. However, it is expected that some candidates will complain about material and moral government support given to their pro-establishment rivals during the election campaign. Sunday's vote provoked an angry reaction from Azerbaijan which insists that no elections held in Karabagh that are not under its supervision can be considered legitimate. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev on Thursday again vowed to bring Karabagh back under Baku's control. The outgoing secretary general of the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer, similarly criticized the holding of the polls last week, saying that such "one-sided actions are counter-productive" before the resolution of the Karabagh conflict. The criticisms were brushed off by the Karabagh Armenians. "We don't think that the international community and the European organizations in particular would be interested in the absence of government in Mountainous Karabakh," they said in a statement on Friday. Armenia, for its part, lashed out at Azerbaijan, accusing it of exploiting the polls as well as the ongoing military exercise by Karabagh Armenian forces to "divert attention from its unwillingness to negotiate a lasting peace." Official Stepanakert has said that the ten-day exercise, which began last Tuesday, will test the combat-readiness of the MKR Defense Army in "defensive and counter-offensive operations." In a separate development, the Karabagh authorities announced on Sunday the capture of an Azerbaijani soldier who reportedly tried to cross into Armenian-controlled territory through the heavily militarized frontline east of Karabagh. They said they informed the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe about the detention of the soldier identified as Anad Samedov. No further circumstances of Samedov's capture were reported. 2) ARF Central Committee of Mountainous Karabagh Statement on Municipal Elections On August 8, 2004, municipal elections in the Mountainous Karabagh Republic took place. An official announcement concerning the results of the elections has not yet been made by the MKR Central Electoral Commission. According to early election returns, the winner of the Stepanakert mayoral election will be determined through a runoff. The runoff will be between Pavel Najarian and Eduard Aghabekian. The ARF supported Aghabekian's candidacy and did not introduce its own candidate. Candidates representing the ARF did participate in MKR regional elections. Twelve of the ARF's 13 candidates were victorious in the Hatrut region; both candidates in the Askeran region were elected, while the mayoral candidate was defeated; two of three candidates in Mardouni were elected; in the Kachataghi region, 8 of the ARF's 11 candidates were elected, and two advanced to the second round of elections; 3 of the 8 candidates in Martakert were elected and two advanced to the runoffs; in the Nor Shahoumian region, 7 of the 9 candidates were elected; the ARF candidate in Shushi was not elected. The second round of elections will take place on August 22. Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee of Mountainous Karabagh 3) MKR Leadership Perplexed By CE Secretary General's Statement STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)--Reacting to recent remarks by the outgoing secretary general of the Council of Europe Walter Schwimmer, who criticized Sunday's local elections in the Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) saying they cannot be deemed legitimate before an international agreement on the disputed territory's status, MKR's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement expressing concern and confusion. "The MKR leadership thinks that the election of government bodies on all levels based on the principles of democracy is an important step to the construction of the free democratic society," the statement read. "One-sided actions are counter-productive. The future of Karabagh must be decided through negotiations," Schwimmer had said in a statement from Strasbourg. He pointed to his criticism of elections held in Karabagh in the past. The foreign ministry statement made it apparent that it was perplexed by Schwimmer's remarks, as it was not clear on how the elections may negatively influence the process of settling the Karabagh conflict. "Only the legitimate power may bear the responsibility for the entrusted territories and has necessary authorities for carrying on peaceful negotiations on the settlement of the conflict," it read. Karabagh's ethnic Armenian leadership has hels several presidential, parliamentary, and local elections over the past decade. Official Stepanakert backed by Armenia proper has argued that only elected officials can represent the people of Karabagh in the peace talks sponsored by France, Russia, and the United States." "MKR for over 10 years has lived as a sovereign state, which bears no relation to Azerbaijan and independently organizes its life in the territory that historically belongs to the Armenians of Karabakh. All international structures that come up with such statements render political support to the regime which unleashed the large-scale war against Karabakh and does not refuse from attempts to apply force against the MKR," concludes the statement. MKR President Arkady Ghukasian said on Sunday that the local government elections are an expression of democracy and that the people had an opportunity to elect their leaders, Armenpress reported. "By holding such civil actions, we create more possibilities to be recognized by the international community," Ghukasian said. "We are just electing heads of towns and villages," Ghukasian said. "The alternative to the elections is dictatorship. It is strange that European politicians make such statements that undermine democratic values." 4) Pan-Diaspora Educational Conference Comes to a Successful Close ANTELIAS--Initiated by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and organized by the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, an International Conference on Armenian education, held in the Armenian Theological Seminary in Bikfaya, Lebanon from August 5-7, came to a close. The conference, whose theme was "The Armenian Education in the Diaspora," succeeded in bringing together nearly one hundred participants from various diaspora communities worldwide, with different political, cultural, and religious perspectives, to focus on issues pertaining to the Armenian-Christian formation in today's world. In his opening address, His Holiness Aram I identified the concerns and challenges facing Armenian-Christian education in the context of pluralistic societies. Regarding the issue of defining today's Armenian Christian and how to shape the Armenian-Christian identity for tomorrow, His Holiness stressed the crucial importance of re-evaluating and renewing educational methodologies, strategies, and programs by making them more relevant and reliable. In order to achieve this goal, His Holiness proposed that Armenia and the diaspora must together engage in a process of developing a Pan-Armenian educational policy, with particular attention on the worldwide Armenian diaspora. On the agenda of the conference were topics including: the actual state of education in different continents where Armenian communities live; the implications of globalization on education; the role of the church in Armenian Christian formation; the family as an important educational instrument; the impact of pluralistic societies on Armenian Education; the use and misuse of technology in education; the role of the textbooks and the extra curricular activities; human resources: formation and training; the contribution of the Saturday schools, Sunday schools, and children's camps to education; the importance of new community schools for the Armenian communities established in the West. These and a number of related matters were discussed through papers, panel discussions, and hearings. The active participation of young educators and women provided new perspectives and dynamism to the discussion as they challenged the traditional views and approaches and constantly reminded that in a new world context, a renewed perception and vision of education are imperative. They echoed the challenge of His Holiness that in the present world of globalization and communication, Armenian Christian education must become more responsive. His Holiness personally attended all the sessions, highlighting the emerging views and concerns at the end of each session. The conference, an unprecedented event in contemporary Armenian history, summarized its findings in a declaration, stressing the importance of putting words and thoughts into action. In his closing remarks, His Holiness Aram I identified three words which he said must occupy a central place in Armenian diaspora educational work: relevance, coherence, and integrity. "We are living in different contexts. We must, therefore, develop different educational procedures and strategies. We are citizens of different countries, yet we are Armenians and part of the globalized world. We have our own convictions, values and norms, but we are living in a new environment. Hence, it is vitally important that we develop the kind of educational policy that provides integrity, relevance and coherence to our educational work, at the same time preserving our distinct Armenian Christian identity. This is a great challenge before us and we must take it seriously and responsibly," said His Holiness. 5) Georgia Asks Russia To Drop Support For Separatists MOSCOW (Reuters)--Georgia urged Russia on Monday not to ruin mutual relations by supporting separatists in the provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and called for dialogue. Georgia's suspicions that Moscow is backing separatists in the Black Sea region of Abkhazia and mountainous South Ossetia have soured relations between the two ex-Soviet states ever since the provinces broke away after bloody wars in 1992-93. Tension escalated earlier this year when Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, who came to power in a bloodless coup last November, launched a concerted campaign to restore the territorial integrity of his Caucasus nation. Last week Moscow, which has peacekeepers in both regions bordering Russia, issued a series of angry statements accusing Tbilisi of preparing to seize back South Ossetia by force and threatening the safety of Russian tourists in Abkhazia. "Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not worth Russia ruining its relations with Georgia forever," Interfax news agency quoted Georgian Defense Minister Georgy Baramidze, dispatched to Moscow to negotiate a compromise, as saying. Russia has accused Georgia of building up military force in South Ossetia in violation of a 1992 peace deal and provoking violence in the region, where more than half of the non-Georgian majority have Russian passports. Moscow was outraged when Saakashvili vowed last week to shoot at boats ferrying Russian tourists along the Black Sea coast to Abkhazian resorts. More than 80 percent of Abkhazians also have Russian passports. Georgia in turn accuses Russian peacekeepers of siding with separatists and wants their mandate changed. Top Georgian officials have accused Moscow of using separatism as a card in a political game to retain influence over West-leaning Georgia. Last week Saakashvili, a US-trained lawyer, flew to Washington to seek for support in his confrontation with Moscow. But Secretary of State Colin Powell advised him to continue dialogue with Russia and promised to help with "good offices." In May, Moscow cooperated with Saakashvili when he seized control over the independent-minded Black Sea region of Ajaria, whose leaders had close ties with Russia. Ajaria, populated by ethnic Georgians, had never claimed full independence. Baramidze made clear that Tbilisi could be looking for similar deals on Abkhazia and South Ossetia. "The problem of conflicts in these regions can be solved in the interests of Georgia and Russia," he told Interfax. "If one looks pragmatically at the situation, our countries have common interests." All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.