Category: News

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Nov. 4, 2004
Russia Proposes South Caucasus Joint Venture to Restore Railway
Russia proposed the setting up of a joint railway venture with the
South Caucasus states in order to unite efforts in restoring a railway
connection in the region.
`The development of transport links will speed up the settlement of
political problems. The Presidents of the South Caucasus countries
think that the restoration of the railway will encourage the resumption
of talks [over conflict resolution], which were suspended long ago,’
the press office of the Russian Transport Ministry quotes Transport
Minister Igor Levitin as saying.
Levitin visited Tbilisi on November 1 and held talks over the rail link
via Abkhazia with the Georgian leadership.
At a news briefing in Moscow on November 3, the Russian Transport
Minister said that he has offered a proposal to set up a joint
Russian-Georgian-Armenian-Azerbaijani company, which will restore
traffic on the Trans-Caucasus Railway that ceased functioning after the
conflicts in Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 90s.
Meanwhile, the chief of the state-run Russian Railway Company Genadi
Fadeev, who visited Armenian on November 3, signed an agreement with
his Armenian counterpart over the setting up of a joint venture in an
attempt to unite efforts to restore the railway communication in the
region, RFE/RL reported.
“The countries’ presidents, transportation authorities and business
representatives have expressed support for this project, which will
revitalize transport links between our countries,” the Russian
English-language daily Moscow Times quoted Igor Levitin as saying at a
news briefing on November 3.
The railway, which stretched more than 2,300 kilometers during Soviet
times, connected Black Sea ports with central Russia, operated
passenger services and handled more than 15 million tons of transit
cargo per year, according to the Moscow Times.
Levitin also said that he has reached an agreement with the Georgian
authorities over setting up a joint group which will work over the
issue of restoring the railway via Abkhazia.

Arlington Advocate, MA
Nov. 4, 2004
Couple revamps shop into cozy eatery on Massachusetts Ave.
By Brooke Leister/ Staff Writer
With dishes such as hot borscht, herring fillets, Armenian lamb shish
kebab and blinis with caviar, Café Levonya offers a taste of a world
few ever have the opportunity to visit.

Husband and wife team, Levon Ovassapian and Anya Kagansky, serve
traditional Russian and Armenia cuisine at their cozy, welcoming
restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue.

`The best compliments come from people from that part of the
world. They say, `That’s my borscht! That’s how I cook it,” Kagansky
said.

The pair, who have been married for three years, bought the space
four years ago when it was a Russian grocery store. The space has
slowly evolved from the store to a small sandwich shop to its current
incarnation as an intimate restaurant with bright, cheery orange walls
decorated with colorful artwork.

`We had a vision for the restaurant. We wanted to do it from day
one when we met each other. We always liked to entertain,’ said
Kagansky, 49.

Often when they entertained, friends would compliment Ovassapian’s
cooking and say, `You should cook for the public, not just for the
house,’ Kagansky said.

Kagansky, who was a choral director in Siberia, moved to the
United States in 1989 with her son Michael, now a medical student at
Washington University in St. Louis. Her husband, formerly a classical
ballet dancer from Armenia, moved to the U.S. 10 years ago.

`I love the U.S.,’ said Ovassapian, 40. `Everything is for the
people. (Everyone) can do something.’

Soon after moving to Los Angeles, Ovassapian found himself running
Lavash Bakery. He was later transferred to Watertown to run a bakery,
by the same name, there.

For both, food has played an important role in their lives,
especially when they were growing up.

`If you got lamb and were cooking shish kebab, it had to be cooked
outside. You had to share with your neighbors. His (Ovassapian’s) shish
kebabs are outstanding. It’s very good, very different. He makes it
with lots of love,’ she said.

When they began making plans for the restaurant, the pair
envisioned a cozy, elegant and romantic space with music playing. All
has been accomplished in the restaurant, which seats up to 30.

`It’s almost like throwing a party in your house. If you put heart
into it, they’ll love it,’ said Kagansky, who also owns Anya’s Spa in
Lexington.

The recipes were all adapted by Ovassapian to suit his tastes.
While Kagansky, who calls herself an expert in borscht, supplied her
recipe, her husband adjusted it to his taste. Same with the blinis. He
adds a bit of sugar to offset the saltiness of the salmon and caviar,
which often accompany it.

When they decided to go into business together, Kagansky said they
shared the same vision. Since opening the restaurant, Kagansky has
learned to be patient.

`I work at the salon where you have to be speedy, but here you can
not be speedy. If a shish kebab cooks for 20 minutes, you can not speed
it up,’ she said. `People don’t mind if they are waiting, if you are
providing good quality… Nothing is pre-cooked here. Everything is made
from scratch.’

Customers hail from many backgrounds, and some days Kagansky said
it seems as if everyone is speaking a different language.

`Russia had such a big influence on other countries,’ Kagansky
explained. `They all say, `Oh my god! My grandmother cooked that.’ You
want to teach your children, your grandchildren. You want to keep that
tradition.’

The couple’s friend Garen Avetissyan, who was visiting from
Armenia, said the restaurant offers Americans a way to experience
another part of the world.

`Whoever walks in here, everyone is just amazed, even people who
are used to this food from eastern Europe. People who have never tried
it before, their eyes pop out of their head. Some people never got
around after the Cold War to get to know this part of the world. Trying
food is the American way of experiencing the world,’ said Avetissyan, a
former Waltham resident.

A1 Plus | 14:08:21 | 03-11-2004 | Social |
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT DRAGGING ITS FEET IN MAKING FINAL DECISION ON
ARMENTEL
Armenian government will convene an extraordinary session on Wednesday
to discuss its further steps on ArmenTel.
The government decided last week to waive its recent order on putting
in force its recent decision on changes in ArmenTel’s license.
It was decided last week to postpone the decision enforcement for 10
days. The government gave time to justice ministry for submitting
proposals.
The justice minister will give a news conference after Wednesday’s
session.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
DAVID KHERDIAN AND NONNY HOGROGIAN TO DISCUSS NEW BOOKS AT NAASR

The acclaimed husband and wife team of author David Kherdian and
author/illustrator Nonny Hogrogian will discuss and read from their
new books on Thursday evening, November 4, at 8:00 p.m., at the Center
and Headquarters of the National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass. This event marks
the couple’s first Boston-area appearance in many years.
Between them, Kherdian and Hogrogian have written, edited, or
illustrated over one hundred books. Their work has encompassed the
Armenian Genocide, life in America as first-generation Armenians,
children’s books, memoirs in verse and prose, folklore, and the
mystical teachings of Gurdjieff.
Acclaimed Poet, Memoirist, Translator
Kherdian is well known as the author of the Newberry Award Winner The
Road From Home: The Story of An Armenian Girl, which detailed his
mother’s experiences in surviving the Armenian Genocide. Read by
students and adults alike, it has contributed greatly to increasing
awareness of the Genocide.
He has been widely recognized as one of the most important and
distinctive voices in Armenian-American poetry for nearly four
decades. The title poem to his collection On the Death of My Father
was praised by William Saroyan as “one of the best lyric poems in
American poetry.” Kherdian has also memorably chronicled his youth
growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, and his experiences as an Armenian
American in such works as Homage to Adana, Friends: A Memoir, I
Remember Root River, The Dividing River/The Meeting Shore, and My
Racine, among many others.
New Book of Ancient Poems
Kherdian’s newest book is The Song of the Stork and Other Early and
Ancient Armenian Songs, a spirited translation of an important
collection of poems first compiled and published by the Mekhitarist
priest and scholar Levond Alishan in Venice in 1850. Kherdian writes
of these songs/poems that “their humility and troubled faith draws a
response from that place in us that is reserved for the essential and
true – from our own unspoiled reservoir of spirit, that understands
what has been lost and can yet be regained.” The book features
illustrations by Nonny Hogrogian.
Award Winning Author-Illustrator
Nonny Hogrogian has twice won children’s literature’s highest honor,
the Caldecott Medal, for her books Always Room for One More and One
Fine Day. Her illustrations to Virginia Tashjian’s Armenian folktale
collections Once There Was and Was Not and Three Apples Fell from
Heaven and her husband’s retelling of the Armenian tale The Golden
Bracelet are beloved by several generations of Armenian children.
Hogrogian’s newest book, Finding My Name, is a memoir of her first
thirteen years growing up in the Bronx, New York. It explores both
her efforts to find herself as a budding artist and the joys and
difficulties of growing up as an Armenian-American torn between two
cultures.
Following the authors’ talk and a question-and-answer period, they
will be available to sign copies of not only their new titles but also
selected older titles as well.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The NAASR Center and Headquarters is
located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post
Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in
adjacent areas.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
November 3, 2004
___________________
AVAKS HOLD RETREAT AT ARARAT CENTER
As soon as the St. Vartan Summer Camp youngsters were gone, it was time
for the St. Vartan Cathedral Avaks seniors group to have a load of fun
with their friends at the Eastern Diocese’s new Ararat Center.
About 30 members from the seniors group traveled to the 65-acre Ararat
Center in Greenville, NY, for a two-day spiritual retreat on September
29, 2004. They were led by Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of the cathedral,
and two deacons.
The overnight retreat included a Bible study and worship service, a
movie and discussion, and plenty of time for fellowship and fun on the
serene Ararat Center campus.
This was the first trip to the Ararat Center for many of the Avak
members. The Ararat Center, located 30 miles south of Albany, NY, was
bought by the Eastern Diocese this past January. While it is the new
home of the St. Vartan Camp, the rest of the year it is available for
use by any groups. Already it has been used as a retreat site by
organizations such as the Association of Armenian Church Choirs of
America, and St. Nersess Seminary.
“The Avaks were excited to be there and fell in love with the facility,”
Fr. Chevian said. “They were glad there was now a permanent home for
our camp program and, more importantly, they were excited to be able to
take advantage of the wonderful respite offered by the rural setting.
They’re eagerly looking forward to going back for another retreat soon.”
All parishes and Armenian organizations are invited to use the
seven-building Ararat Center for events such as retreats, picnics, and
seminars.
“We want all Armenians to feel that the Ararat Center is their home,”
said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese. “For
it was the labor and dedication of Armenians throughout the Diocese that
made this site a reality. And we believe everyone should be able to
come to the Ararat Center to rest, revive, and reconnect with their
heritage and faith.”
For more information on the Ararat Center, contact Frank
Avakian-Stoneson by calling (212) 686-0710 ext. 35 or e-mailing
[email protected].
— 11/03/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Some of the St. Vartan Cathedral Avaks members talk
with Dn. Levon Kirakosyan during their recent retreat at the Ararat
Center in Greenville, NY.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of the St. Vartan
Cathedral, leads a service during the Cathedral Avaks’ two-day retreat
at the Ararat Center in Greenville, NY.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): Members of the St. Vartan Cathedral Avaks group
attend a Bible study during a two-day retreat at the Eastern Diocese’s
Ararat Center in Upstate New York on September 29 and 30, 2004.

ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Monday, November 1, 2004
MEDIATORS, ARMENIA CRITICIZE AZERBAIJAN’S KARABAKH TACTICS
Mediators from the United States, Russia and France last week criticized
Azerbaijan for its effort to force a debate on the Karabakh conflict at the
United Nations’ General Assembly (UN GA). Capitalizing on solidarity from
members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and using a UN
procedural loophole, Azerbaijan was able last week to introduce the Karabakh
issue as an additional item on the UN GA agenda.

UN GA resolutions, unlike those of the UN Security Council, are not
mandatory for member states. The UN consensus is for the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and not UN, to deal with the
Karabakh conflict.

In a deliberately vague memorandum that does not mention either Armenian or
Karabakh authorities, Azerbaijan alleged that unnamed entities were engaged
in “illegal activities” in Karabakh, “in particular by transfer of settlers
in order to create artificially a new demographic situation in those
territories.”

Azeri officials and government-connected entities have made numerous
unfounded accusations against Armenia and Karabakh over the years. Just last
week, Azeri Deputy Parliament Speaker Ziyafet Askerov told British MP’s
that Osama Bin Laden might be hiding in Karabakh. Armenian observers believe
that Azerbaijan chose the “settler issue” to raise at the UN since that
might resonate the most with Islamic countries, on whose support Azerbaijan
is counting, and which are known for their criticism of Israel’s settlement
policies.

Armenia’s Ambassador to the UN Armen Martirosyan accused Azerbaijan of an
effort to scuttle ongoing peace talks and attempt to add a “religious
dimension” to the Karabakh conflict. Martirosyan also repeated Armenia’s
position that should Baku step back from talks on a comprehensive settlement
of the conflict and make efforts to separately address its individual
components, such as raised in its UN proposal, then Azerbaijan should deal
directly with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s (NKR) government. Although
Azeris had negotiated directly with NKR when the sides secured the ongoing
cease-fire, Baku has refused to recognize the existence of Karabakh
authorities since then.

France’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Michel Duclos, speaking also on behalf
of the U.S. and Russia, argued that Azerbaijan’s proposal “would be harmful
to efforts to find a just, lasting settlement” to the conflict. The
Netherlands’ Deputy Ambassador to the UN Arjan Hamburger, speaking on behalf
of the European Union and several candidate countries, opined that the UN GA
session underway was “neither the time nor the venue to pursue this and that
the Azerbaijan initiative may jeopardize the on-going negotiations.”
Ninety-nine countries, including the United States, abstained from voting on
what are typically consensual decisions.

Azerbaijan’s UN envoy Yashar Aliyev admitted last week that his country’s
initiative in the General Assembly was “meeting numerous resistances,” but
indicated that Azerbaijan would press on for a debate. Turkey, Pakistan and
Iran, along with thirty-eight other, mostly Muslim countries, backed
Azerbaijan’s effort. The Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamlet
Gasparian noted, however, that 40 percent of mostly Muslim OIC member
countries did not succumb to pressure from Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Azerbaijan also secured the support of Ukraine after the Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev made an unscheduled visit to meet with the pro-government
candidate facing a tight presidential race there. Georgia did not
participate in the vote.

As part of the UN discussion last week, the three mediators also suggested
sending an OSCE fact-finding mission to the region as a way to address any
concerns about developments there. Armenian officials indicated that they
would welcome such a mission, but noted that it would be up to the NKR
leadership to approve visits to areas under Karabakh’s control and that any
mission should cover both sides of the Line of Contact. Azerbaijan has made
no public comment on the proposal and it had previously opposed similar
missions.

Writing last week, the Azeri daily Zerkalo indicated that Azerbaijan was
deliberately seeking to undermine ongoing talks and that “Baku’s move might
bury pressure exerted on Baku by super powers to make it sign an unfavorable
peace accord.”

Most Armenian observers see Azerbaijan’s latest effort as another indication
that its government is aiming to postpone any settlement. Earlier this year,
President Aliyev stated publicly that he was not “in a hurry” to resolve the
conflict, and that since Baku was anticipating additional revenues from
development of the Caspian oil, the country would soon be better positioned
for a new war in Karabakh.

Armenian officials have in turn warned Azerbaijan of “disastrous
consequences” should its leaders resort to military force as they did in the
early 1990s. (Sources: Armenia This Week 2-13, 4-23, 6-18, 8-2, 8-30; Agence
France Presse 10-20; ANS TV 10-27; UN GA Press Release 10-27, 29; Armenian
Foreign Ministry 10-29; Azertag 10-29; Zerkalo 10-29)
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
E-Mail [email protected] WEB

Russia and Armenia to create railway company
RBC, 03.11.2004, Moscow 17:06:00.In the course of today’s working
meeting in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, Russian Railways President
Gennady Fadeyev and Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian signed
letters of intent to create a joint company using attracted private capital.
The company will deal with cargo transportation between Armenia and Russia,
the press service of Russian Railways reported.
According to Fadeyev, this project will stabilize the transportation
system in the Caucasus. In his turn, Margarian pointed out that Armenia was
interested in participating in the project concerning the north-south
transportation corridor and in widening cooperation with Russia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 19:50:59 | 03-11-2004 | Politics |
ONE DAY DASHNAKS WILL REVEAL SECRETS…
The situation in Armenia, especially slow progress in social and
economic issues solution as well as in struggle against corruption,
was strongly criticized at Dashnaktsutyun party caucus held October 28
to 31.
Despite clear evidence of corruption in the government, the party
declined to give corrupted ministers’ names. Dashnak Armen Rustamyan
says when time come they will be named publicly.

A1 Plus | 20:17:52 | 03-11-2004 | Politics |
DASHNAKTSUTYUN OPPOSED
On Wednesday, Dashnaktsutyun party representative Armen Rustamyan told
journalists the party remained opposed to idea of opening
Armenian-Turkish border. The party is also opposed to Armenian
government decision to send soldiers to Iraq.
The party is critical about Armenia’s state policy on the Armenians
living in Georgian Javakhk province, Rustamyan said.
The party is also unhappy about the constitutional amendments
discussion course as well as about their coalition fellow members’
stance on electoral code. More then that, if consensus is not reached
on amendments proposed by the Dashnaktsutyun, the party can quit the
coalition.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 19:33:09 | 03-11-2004 | Politics |
DASHNAK RUSTAMYAN SPEAKING
On Wednesday, Dashnaktsutyun party board member Armen Rustamyan,
speaking at a news conference, said the party stated at its recent
caucus that the ruling coalition had failed to put into reality a
considerable part of its memorandum.
Dashnaktsutyun is one of Armenian ruling coalition parties.
At the same time, he noted with satisfaction political situation in
Armenia had been brought to normal and the country’s position in the
world strengthened.
It is very important, as there are many challenges coming from the
outside, Tustamyan said. In his words, these challenges can grow more
serious and dangerous. That is why Armenia’s political forces should
reach consolidation, he concluded.