Category: News

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 7 2004
MEETING AT MILLI MAJLIS
[July 07, 2004, 21:26:31]
On the same day, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Murtuz Alasgarov
received at the Parliament’s Heydar Aliyev Hall European Union
Commissioner for Enlargement Janez Potocnik.
During the warm conversation, the Speaker noted that since
independence, Azerbaijan has been closely cooperating with all the
international structures including the European Union, which also
keeps the successful implementation of the reforms initiated by
nationwide leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev in the
limelight.
He further pointed out that the Agreement on partnership and
cooperation between the European Union and Azerbaijan had played a
key role in follow-up development of the relations. The Milli Majlis
is also closely cooperating with the European Parliament, Mr.
Alasgarov said.
The Speaker has touched upon the conflicts in the Southern Caucasus,
and informed the guest in detail on the roots and hard consequences
of the Armenia-Armenia conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, fair stance of
Azerbaijan with respect to the conflict’s resolution and documents
adopted in this regard by the UN Security Council, the Council of
Europe and other international organizations.
Commissioner for Enlargement Janez Potocnik announced that after the
EU’s recent enlargement, it had prepared a number of new projects
covering Turkey and Southern Caucasus including Azerbaijan. He noted
that the European Union highly appreciates the official Baku’s
support for the new neighborhood policy. According to him, the
relevant documents reflect development of market economy and
democracy in Azerbaijan, communications, border problems and the
issues related to reconstruction and improvement of infrastructure.
Mr. Potocnik stressed that the European Union stands for peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and added that as soon
as its fair solution is found, the organization would be very
actively evolved in restoration of the territories released from the
occupation.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Milli Majlis Chairman Ziyafat
Asgarov, Chief of the Milli Majlis Administration Safa Mirzayev,
other parliamentarians and the EU Special Envoy for Southern Caucasus
Heike Talvitie.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Raleigh Biblical Recorder, NC
July 7 2004
Seminary grows church planters
By Tony W. Cartledge
BR Editor
ASHTARAK, Armenia – The Theological Seminary of Armenia stands on a
high ridge above the village of Ashtarak, about 20 minutes from the
capitol city of Yerevan. From the windows of its dining room in the
dormitory building, one can look above the roofs of nearby apartment
buildings to gaze upon snow-capped Mount Aragats, more than 14,000
feet tall. From a window in the chapel of the classroom building, one
can see the biblical Mountains of Ararat rising beyond a scattered
forest of power lines.
The view, like the seminary itself, is inspiring. The school’s first
classes were held in 1998, in facilities at Central Baptist Church in
Yerevan. On June 26, the seminary graduated its second class of
pastors.
Seminary students pose outside the dormitory as they look toward
graduation. Rector Asatur Nahapetyan and faculty member Gagik
Tarrerdyan are front and center.
The seminary does not accept a new class of students each year, as in
American schools. Rather, a single class is recruited and trained for
three years, building close relationships among the students and
simplifying the class schedule. After graduation, another class
begins its course of study.
The degree programs are more professional than academic. Most
students have a high school education, though some have more, and
some less.
The three-year track for pastors typically includes about 20
students. A two-year Christian Education program of about 30 students
trains additional workers for the churches.
Armenian culture expects men to serve in the role of pastor,
according to Asatur Nahapetyan, who is rector (equivalent to
“president” in America) of the school. The Christian Education
program, however, is predominantly composed of female students, and
Nahapetyan acknowledges that the churches depend heavily on the
contributions and informal leadership of women.
Women, in fact, make up at least 80 percent of the membership in most
Armenian churches. A large percentage of those women are elderly or
unemployed, contributing to the difficulty of churches becoming
self-sufficient.
The seminary budget of just over $50,000 annually is funded almost
entirely by donations. Most students attend on scholarship, and also
receive funds to facilitate travel to their church assignments on the
weekends. Although Armenia is no larger than the state of Maryland,
poor road conditions require some students to ride public buses for
eight hours or more to reach their church field.
Seminary facilities consist of two primary buildings. A three-story
academic building contains classrooms, offices and a small chapel. It
was constructed in 2000 with funds raised by a former International
Mission Board missionary. In 2002, N.C. Baptist men constructed a
companion building to provide dormitory rooms and kitchen/dining
facilities.

Armenian minister notes importance of Russia’s role in Caucasus
Arminfo
6 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The mechanism of preserving stability in the South Caucasus will be
more effective if it includes the direct neighbours of the region and
the world’s power centres involved in its development, according to
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, the press service of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry has told Arminfo news agency.
He said that in this context, Russia’s involvement in the regional
processes needs to be seen in two spheres. On the one hand, as a
direct neighbour of the South Caucasus, Russia, just like Iran and
Turkey, acts as a regional power and protects its interests in the
region. On the other hand, like the Council of Europe and the USA,
Russia views the South Caucasus in a wider geopolitical context and is
interested in its further development.
The Armenian foreign minister noted that one of the main factors in
the development of Armenian-Russian interstate cooperation is the
historical and cultural relationship that has taken shape between the
two peoples for centuries. The ample opportunities of cooperation in
the cultural, scientific and educational spheres are due to the unity
of their development in the Soviet period.
The Armenian foreign minister said that the driving force of this are
Russian and Armenian political organizations, intellectual circles,
creative associations, Armenian communities of Russia and Russian
communities of Armenia. Their contribution to the development of
Armenian-Russian relations will grow in parallel with the further
establishment of a civil society in the two countries, Vardan Oskanyan
said.

Armenian president on private visit to Komi
Mediamax news agency
7 Jul 04
YEREVAN
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has paid an informal, private
visit to the Russian Republic of Komi.
Quoting Kominform news agency, Mediamax news agency said that the
visit took place at the personal invitation of the head of the
Republic of Komi, Vladimir Torlopov.
The Armenian president arrived in Syktyvkar in the evening on 4 July
after the CIS leaders’ informal summit in Moscow.

Armenia denies reports on return of occupied districts to Azerbaijan
Noyan Tapan news agency
7 Jul 04
YEREVAN
Reports that Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan talked during
the Istanbul meetings [on 29 June] about the possibility of returning
seven districts controlled by the Armenian armed forces – not
including Nagornyy Karabakh – are wide of the mark.
Commenting at the request of Noyan Tapan news agency on reports by the
Azerbaijani and Turkish media about Oskanyan making such a statement
during his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, the
press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Gamlet Gasparyan,
said: “Nothing of the sort has happened, this is wide of the mark.”
Such a report was published, for example, in the Turkish newspaper
Zaman which quoted Gul as saying this.

Azeri soldier dies after fire exchange with Armenia
ANS Radio, Baku
7 Jul 04

The Azerbaijani army has lost another soldier. Soldier Ramil Vaqif
oglu Bagirov, 19, who was wounded when the Azerbaijani positions in
the village of Cocuq Marcanli [near Iranian border in southwestern
Azerbaijan] came under fire from the Armenian positions in the village
of Horadiz on 7 June, died yesterday [6 July]. Bagirov was in a coma
for a month.
To recap, the chief of a battalion, Capt Zaur Ismayilov, 28, was
martyred at the time. Peace be upon him.

OSCE, Armenian officials discuss ways to avert funding of terrorism
Mediamax news agency
7 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The OSCE office in Yerevan organized the first national working
meeting on money-laundering and financing terrorism today.
The main objective of the meeting was to familiarize Armenia with the
experience European states have accumulated in fighting
money-laundering and financing terrorism, the head of the Yerevan
office of the OSCE, Vladimir Pryakhin, said.
Armenian Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan said today that no crimes
related to funding of terrorism have been registered in Armenia. Yet
he said that one of the shortcomings of Armenia’s new Criminal Code is
that it lacks a separate clause envisaging punishment for financing
terrorism.

Azeri general reportedly becomes police chief
Yeni Musavat, Baku
7 Jul 04
The Interior Ministry’s special commission has finished an
investigation into the incident which occurred during the Armenian
officers’ visit to Baku [for a NATO planning conference]. The chief of
the Nasimi district [of Baku] police department, Bagir Bagirov, has
been dismissed and several police officials given a severe reprimand
for a failure to ensure the security of the NATO-organized conference
participants.
Let us recall that members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization
picketed Hotel Europe, the venue of the conference, on 22 June.
[Passage omitted: Bagirov becomes deputy head of the Interior Ministry
main public security department]
PS: According to information received at a later hour, [chief of the
Interior Ministry department to combat organized crime] Vilayat
Eyvazov, who has recently been promoted to general, was appointed the
chief of the Nasimi district police department. You will read our
comments on this appointment in the context of relations within the
power-wielding circles in tomorrow’s issue.

Nationalist “confesses” to ordering the killing of Russian anti-fascist
RTR Russia TV, St Petersburg
27 Jun 04

[Presenter] There was a ceremony to bid farewell to Nikolay Girenko at
the scientific centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Thursday
[22 June]. The murder of the ethnologist became one of the main
subjects of the past week. An investigation team has established the
basic facts. Tatyana Aleksandrova reports all the details.
[Unidentified men marching with torches, chanting] Clear off from
here. Russia is for Russians. We do not need Khachiks [an ordinary
Armenian name].
[An unidentified boy of around 13 with shaven head] We beat up
non-Russians.
[A man’s voice] How often?
[The unidentified boy] Nearly every day.
[Correspondent] Girenko was a Russian with a Ukrainian last name. He
was killed by a shot from a sawn-off rifle through the door after
asking politely: What do you want? The senior researcher at the
Institute of Anthropology and Ethnography, African-philologist
candidate of historical sciences was 64. His public activities
prevented him from defending his doctoral thesis. He worked as
anti-fascist campaigner for the last 20 years.
[Yuriy Chistov, director of the Petr the Great Institute of
Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera, collection of curiosities)]
In general, it seemed to us all that Nikolay Mikhaylovich was doing
extremely important work, but it [turned out to be] so
dangerous. Touch wood, there have [until now] been no cases of the
sort that people were killed so insolently and openly for their
expressed opinion.
[Correspondent] The extremist groups knew Girenko by sight. He was an
expert in nazi ideology who gave evidence in court hearings. Nazis
have openly confessed to having murdered him.
[Vladimir Popov, captioned as the leader of the Russkaya Respublika
(Russian Republic) organization] The verdict has been carried out at
my command. I do not know who carried out it, and nobody is likely to
know it. We shall erect a memorial to an unknown hero.
[Correspondent] There is the signature of this frail young man at the
end of verdict No 1 of the tribunal of the self-proclaimed Russkaya
Respublika. Popov is not trying to escape even following his
confession on the Internet.
[Nikolay Vinnichenko, St Petersburg prosecutor] We have in practice
not had this sort of situation before. On the one hand, this all
resembles farce. On the other hand, I shall reiterate, since the
information is rather serious, that our attitude to it is appropriate.
[Correspondent] The verdict against the murdered professor contains a
list of all the cases he was involved in, including this one accusing
the [chief] editor [Pavel Ivanov] of the Russkoye Veche nationalist
newspaper of inciting ethnic discord. It was brought to court thanks
to scientific evidence given by Girenko and the firm position of the
city prosecutor].
[Valeriy Zheltkov, Velikiy Novgorod prosecutor] Through this sort of
incitement – I quoted examples in my speech, the events started in
Sumgait [now Azerbaijan] and the Fergana valley [now Kyrgyzstan and
Uzbekistan] here [in the Soviet Union] at the end of the 1980s –
large-scale massacres happened on the basis of peoples’ ethnic origin
or religion. Everything starts precisely from all this. This is basic
incitement.
[Correspondent] But the [court] victory turned out to be illusory: a
R10,000 [345 dollars] fine instead of four years in prison. A court
appeal cancelled the ban on journalistic activity. Pavel Ivanov has
replaced a typewriter with a computer, and he is continuing to expose
the world-wide Zionist plot.
[Pavel Lepshin, lawyer] It is best of all that the leader of a nazi
group gave an order in written form. So-and-so is to beat up
watermelon seller [Mamed] Mamedov by such-and-such a date. Pupkin,
Khryapkin [imagined names] and others are to be commissioned to kill
Mamedov. Their titles in the hierarchy of their nazi community should
be mentioned – I forgot, their membership cards as well.
[Correspondent] All this is not an invention of legal theorists but
ordinary legal practice. A few years ago local TV gave extensive
coverage to an event which occurred in one district of the city. A
candidate for a seat in parliament [Denis Usov] handed out leaflets in
the whole constituency, which had the programme’s statement: I want to
evict blacks.
The prosecutor’s investigation found the canvassing to be absolutely
legal.
[Olga Anisimova, acting prosecutor in Frunzenskiy district, St
Petersburg] He said that according to the encyclopedia, there are red
and black cockroaches and he called [on people] to engage in cleaning
the city of black cockroaches. He did not mean anything else but
zoological points.
[Correspondent] Girenko’s colleagues admit that he may have been the
only expert in the country who could create a scientific method to
expose fascist propaganda. He decided to use the method since he
understood the source of the danger unlike those people who pass by
swastikas on the walls with indifference.
[Girenko, archive footage from Russia’s TV St Petersburg in 2002] If
society follows their way of doing things, society will collapse. It
will be the deepest delusion of those who will have contacts with them
to think that they are fools, uneducated people who simply have
nothing to do.
[Unidentified marching men] [We say] Yes to Russians and no to
(?foreigners).
[Video shows the words being typed: The world Judaic plot. The black
Egyptian priesthood; a leaflet saying, The deputies of the (?15th)
municipality have initiated a programme of the eviction of people of
Caucasian ethnicity from the district. We are honest, kind and open
people. They were brought up differently. Signed: Denis Usov; The
rhymed graffiti reads, The Jews are at the Kremlin, but were are in
shit; another graffiti goes, The crematorium is waiting for the Yids]

Armen Press
July 7 2004
NO ROAD SURRENDERED TO AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIAN DEPUTY DM SAYS
YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS: Deputy defense minister Mikael
Harutunian denied on Tuesday allegation of some political figures
that a road connecting two Armenian towns of Ijevan and Noyemberian
was surrendered to the Azerbaijani side. “The road (built in Soviet
times) was working and will be working,” Mikaelian told a group of
journalists, whom the ministry took to the northern province of
Tavush, bordering with Azerbaijan and where a string of heavy
skirmishes between the two rival nations’ troops were reported last
month.
The road stretching along the border was the scene of surprise
attacks on Armenian vehicles, buses and local farmers. “We have taken
appropriate measures to ensure the road’s security,’ Mikaelian said.
The reporters were then driven along five Armenian villages, located
on the border, which are supplied with water from Jokhaz water
reservoir.
The latest skirmishes erupted after Azerbaijani troops tried to
occupy a hill near the regional town of Ijevan which overlooks the
water reservoir. Mikaelian said Armenian forces responded by moving
their positions forward in order to defend the water pumping facility
supplying irrigation water to five nearby villages. Mikaelian said
the location is being now reinforced, adding also that any such
attempt in future will be retaliated .