Category: News

Armenian religious leader opposed to registration of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Mediamax news agency
15 Oct 04
Yerevan, October 15: The leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II expressed concern today in
connection with the official registration of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
religious sect in Armenia.
The Mediamax news agency reports that at a meeting with the monastery
clergymen and community of the Holy See at Echmiadzin, the Catholicos
described as “wrong and unfair” accusations that the Armenian Apostolic
Church clergymen do not entirely fulfil their spiritual mission.
“Garegin II also described as inadmissible the arguments made in
support of the decision to register the totalitarian sect,” the press
service at Saint Echmiadzin told Mediamax news agency.

ARMENIAN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE AGAINST SENDING A MILITARY GROUP TO IRAQ
A1 Plus
15-10-2004
Youth organizations and young wings of various parties held a round
table discussion to decide – to send an Armenian military group to
Iraq or not?
Mainly ARF young members are the initiators of the discussion. They
are against sending a group to Iraq and think a public pressure must
be exerted upon the present Authorities, making them reject the idea
of sending even a humanitarian group to Iraq.
“Armenian Authorities must not neglect the interests of security of the
Armenian Commune in Iraq and the Armenians worldwide”, Eliza Manukyan,
Press Secretary of Araratian Diocese announced.
“For Science Development” initiative group member Arsen Kharatyan
announced a wide social movement must be started.
We asked if the young people have discussed the positive and negative
results of sending a military group to Iraq at the financial and
economic aspect. Arsen Kharatyan said our national interests and
national security are more important than grants and credits of
various world banks and organizations.
Young people have already addressed a letter to the Armenian President,
Parliament Speaker and Prime Minister. Today the youth have discussed
and decided to conduct signature collecting and prove to our officials
de facto the society opposes the idea of sending a military group
to Iraq, especially that the war in Iraq has no connection with the
fight against terror.
The representatives of youth wings of “Republican Party of Armenia”
and “Land of Law Party” didn’t partake in the discussion.

THERE ARE MANY SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSMEN WHILE THERE IS NO BUSINESS
A1 Plus
15-10-2004
“Procedures of Government and lack of information are the main
obstacles in the way of development of small and medium business in
Armenia”, USA Ambassador to Armenia John Evans said at presentation of
“How to Register Your Business?” book in “Yerevan” Hotel.
After the speech Ambassador refused to answer the questions of
journalists. Instead Chrisantos Miliaras, head of “Micro Enterprises
Development Initiative” program said that the new hand-book
independent from corruptibility of Armenian officials will help all
those initiating a small business to save their time.
As to our observation that business initiators spend not only time
while registering the organizations but also pay great sums for
the services rendered by the officials, irrespective of knowing
the procedures well or badly, Mr. Miliaras said: “In any case,
intimate knowledge of law and awareness help people to overcome
many difficulties. I can’t assess how much the officials of Armenia
purposely complicate the procedures for business registration but I
know that they are rather simple in Armenia. The artificial intricacy
exists in many states.”
“How to Register Your Business?” is a quite successful reference
book. The ways of registering an organization, obtaining a seal,
registration in tax and customs instances are described in a simple way
there. According to the organizers, the hand-book will be advertised
in the districts of Armenia. Those wishing to purchase can buy it
in all the branches of “National Centre for Development of Small and
Medium Business Undertakings.”
Presidential Councillor Seyran Avagyan, who is the supporter of forming
a middle stratum and development of small and medium business, was
present for presentation of the book. We asked him about Parliament
standpoint: is there a favourable field for development of small
and medium business in Armenia, so that a businessman has bases for
setting up in business without registering an organization in vain?
“Institutional systems, which create a favourable field for development
of medium business, were formed during 10 recent years”, he said.
And what about 1 recent year? “During 1 recent year important
instruments such as leasing and hypothec became the subjects for
discussion”, Mr. Avagyan answered.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +3741. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +3741. .562543
Email: [email protected]:
PRESS RELEASE
14 October 2004
Meeting of Minister Oskanian with delegates of the Trusteeship Council
of the Armenian Assembly America
On 14 October, 2004, the Armenian Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian,
met with delegates of the Trusteeship Council of the Armenian Assembly
of America, who have arrived to Armenia for an annual conference.
In his welcoming speech, Minister Oskanian expressed his gratitude to
the Armenian Assembly of America for its significant contribution to
the development of a close relationship between Armenia and the US,
and for its protection of Armenian interests.
Following his speech, Minister Oskanian introduced to delegates those
achievements that have been made last years in foreign relations
and other arenas. Most notably, he presented recent developments of
the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict resolution as and addressed issues of
Armenian-Turkish relations.
The delegates of the Armenian Assembly of America noted the readiness
of their organization to continue its assistance to Armenia and
protect its interests at the state institutions of the US.
The two parties discussed those concrete fields where assistance
is needed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Vanishing Act of the Church in Turkey
A church worn down by Christian rivalry and Islamic Jihad hangs on in the
land of Nicea and Ephesus.
Collin Hansen
10/15/2004 9:00 a.m.
Christianity Today
Only those who are mindful of history can fully appreciate
the significance of Turkey’s expected admission to the European
Union. The bitterness spawned by centuries of warfare and political
rivalry has now given way to a new era of diplomatic and economic
engagement. Yet, Turkey’s troublesome record of human-rights abuses
remains a considerable stumbling block for a few wary EU nations. In
particular, the Ankara government is still prone to crack down
on ethnic and religious minorities when perceived as a threat to
nationalist identity. A sign of the government’s suspicion: non-Muslim
clergy are still forbidden from training there.
Many Greek and Armenian Christians in Turkey suffer the double ignominy
of religious and ethnic marginalization. Though the government
is officially secular and many Turks are only nominally Muslim,
conversion to Christianity is considered a betrayal of heritage and
homeland. Persecution stemming from this perspective has stunted
church growth and crippled the small Christian community.
But for these Christians, EU admission offers hope. A handful of
Greek Christians remain in Turkey, holdovers from a bygone era of
Hellenistic influence in Asia Minor. Their hope is that increased
trade activity with Europe will invite Greeks to return to Istanbul,
where they can broker business and diplomacy between Western Europe
and the Muslim world.
The hope is different for Turkey’s approximately 45,000 Armenians,
a traditionally Christian people. They believe Ankara’s engagement
with the West will stimulate further reforms in the democratic system,
possibly even allowing the government to admit the murder of nearly
1.5 million Armenians by Turkish authorities during World War I.
In both cases, EU access functions as a sort of reverse “Macedonian
call” for these beleaguered Christians. Acts 16 records a vision seen
by Paul while traveling through Phrygia and Galatiaâ^À^Ômodern-day
Turkey. The vision showed a man from Macedonia (ancient Greece),
begging for Paul to come and preach the gospel in that land..
Of course, far from being historically unreached like ancient
Macedonia, Turkey is home to many of Christianity’s pivotal
events. Present-day Turkey hosted the Christian church’s foundational
church councils, including Nicea, which laid the groundwork for
orthodox theology. The seven churches of Revelation were there. And
one of Paul’s most important epistles, Ephesians, was addressed to
believers in a city on Turkey’s Mediterranean Sea coast.
So how did Turkey’s Christians end up like the Macedonian in Paul’s
dream, begging for help from abroad?
Byzantine collapse While modern territorial spats between Greece
and Turkey occasionally garner headlines, the peoples in these two
regions have been in conflict for millennia. About 1,500 years ago,
the rivalry assumed a doctrinal dimension. In 431, the Council of
Ephesus condemned Nestorianism, followed by the Council of Chalcedon’s
dismissal of Monophysitism in 451. At these councils, the chief
defenders of these theological offshoots represented churches in the
East, ranging from Assyria and Persia (Nestorians) to North Africa
and Armenia (Monophysites). The situation only worsened when the
Greeks attempted to subjugate the Eastern churches by seizing their
monasteries and churches.
The theological denunciation of the Eastern churches coincided with
ongoing ethnic and geopolitical infighting. The Persians warred
with the Aramaeans, Egyptians, Armenians, and Greeks, greatly
destabilizing the Christian territories’ frontier with the newly
Muslim land on the Arabian peninsula. A struggle in the Byzantine
capital of Constantinople between Emperor Phocas (602-10) and his
general Heraclius instigated a military mutiny. Then in 632, Emperor
Heraclius ordered the conversion of the Jews, which resulted in mass
murder and tremendous resentment of his rule.
All in all, there was a great deal of resentment toward the Byzantines,
even among other Christians. Thus, when Islamic Bedouins began raiding
Christian territories, they allied with displaced Arabs and disaffected
local Christians. The Persians and Greeks dismissed these sorties
as common, unsophisticated nomadic activity. But they were wrong. The
first wave of jihad was underway.
The second wave of jihad overthrew the Byzantine Empire
altogether. The key for the Islamic conquerors was enlisting the
support of the recently converted Turks. The Turks were a warlike
group, quick to battle, skilled in the slave trade. Once converted,
the warrior doctrine of jihad motivated them to subdue Armenia and
the Greek territory in Anatolia, where the Turkish capital of Ankara
is today. Osman Ghazi (1299-1326), founder of the Ottoman Empire,
led these Turks in military campaigns against Christians, and his
successors carried on his war against the Byzantine Empire and Europe.
Boasting extraordinary leaders and a ruthless military, the Ottoman
Turks capitalized on Christian weaknesses and rivalries to subdue all
of Asia Minor, conquering Constantinople in 1453. They also captured
the Balkans during the mid-15th century, and even reached the gates of
Vienna in 1683. It was this crisis of encroaching Islam that provided
the backdrop for the Protestant and Catholic Reformations.
Armenian genocide Even while the Byzantine Empire collapsed, however,
the Armenians managed to withstand the Islamic onslaught. Though
part of the Ottoman Empire, they maintained their culture, language,
Orthodox religion, and a large measure of political autonomy. But
some fatal miscalculations and the weight of world events, not to
mention the Ottoman Empire, conspired to nearly annihilate them.
The Armenians desired true freedom from the Ottomans. They hoped to
gain this freedom by earning European sympathy for their plight,
combined with some help from the Russians, who sought to weaken
their Ottoman enemy. World War I upset their strategy. In the middle
of a bloody war, the Ottomans could not afford an insurrection. The
Europeans had no sympathy to offer, given their staggering losses in
the trenches. And the Russians were already fighting two frontsâ^À^Ô
one with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the other with
Marxists.
These factors also provided cover for the Turks to solve their
“Armenian problem” once and for all. The Turks simply shot many of
the Armenians. Others they rounded up and marched toward the Middle
East without food, water, or shelter. For the Muslim crowds along
the Armenian “parade route,” deportation was an opportunity for rape,
pillage, and slave internment. Some women survived by converting to
Islam and immediately marrying a Muslim. But the rest were slaughtered
when they reached their destination in modern-day Syria. Up to 1.5
million Armenians died. This 20th-century genocide motivated Hitler,
who when discussing mass murder of the Jews said, “Who remembers
the Armenians?”
Lessons of a disturbing past The state of the contemporary church
in Turkey, home to so many seminal moments in Christian history,
looks bleak for now. Perhaps integration into the European Union
will galvanize the small Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul and
allow the Turkish government to honestly examine the grizzly fate of
the Armenians.
Hopefully the spread of religious freedom there will ease
hostility toward missionaries and converts from Islam to
Christianity. Regardless, we should heed the warnings of
historyâ^À^Ôbeware the dangers of political infighting between
Christians with earthly interests at heart, and never underestimate
the seriousness of Islamic jihad.
Collin Hansen is assistant editor for Christian History &
Biography. More Christian history, including a list of events
that occurred this week in the church’s past, is available at
ChristianHistory.net. Subscriptions to the quarterly print magazine
are also available.

Armenian premier denies possible deal on Karabakh and power crisis rumours
Aykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
14 Oct 04
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan has denied in a newspaper
interview any plans to return three or four regions to Azerbaijan in
return for concessions on Karabakh. He also denied that parliament
was paralysed because the ruling coalition had not held any sessions
for several months; on this score he said “if there are problems,
they can be settled even in a telephone conversation”. The following
in an excerpt from of Naira Zograbyan’s report in Armenian newspaper
Aykakan Zhamanak on 14 October headlined “There is no crisis within
the coalition”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan answered journalists’
questions yesterday [13 October].
Karabakh
[Aykakan Zhamanak, correspondent] There have been rumours of certain
arrangements in connection with the Karabakh issue, and especially of
the return of three occupied regions bordering Iran. As the Armenian
prime minister, how aware are you of the recent developments around
the Karabakh issue?
[Andranik Markaryan] As you know the negotiations are being conducted
in the format of co-chairmen and two presidents, and the presidents
met in Astana recently. No serious proposals have yet been submitted
to the Armenian party for consideration. All these rumours about the
return of three or four regions are simply suppositions; there are no
such documents and none of the parties involved in the negotiations
officially made such a proposal.
As for the position of the Republican Party of Armenia, we have
repeatedly said that if we have to return something, we certainly need
to know why we gave it away. The price of the return will be the four
preconditions we have talked about many times: Karabakh must never
be within Azerbaijan; the security of Armenia and Karabakh must be
ensured; as a result of the negotiations Armenia must not yield even
an inch of its land; and Armenia and Karabakh should have a common
land border.
[Passage omitted: Republican Party opposes stage-by-stage settlement
in Karabakh]
No confrontation between president and defence minister
[Correspondent] Rumours are circulating about possible personnel
changes in the government. In particular they say that there is a
confrontation between the president and [Defence Minister] Serzh
Sarkisyan which will result in the defence minister’s dismissal. If
this happens, do you not think that the entire government will be
dismissed as a result?
[Markaryan] I do not want to make any conclusions on the basis of
an analysis made by a newspaper. I am sure there is no confrontation
between the president and Serzh Sarkisyan. As for personnel changes,
I always give the following answer: you will know when it happens.
No paralysis in parliament
[Correspondent] Mr Prime Minister, parliament is almost paralysed, the
[ruling] coalition has not held sittings for several months. Everything
testifies to a power crisis. Do you not think that the existing
situation is a result of illegal and rigged elections?
[Markaryan] If the National Assembly has exhausted its agenda in
one or two sittings, I would not say this is the result of bad work
by the parliament. Another problem is that the deputies should be
present at parliamentary sittings and this problem was discussed in
the Republican Party. But this disease is characteristic not only
of the current parliament but also of all the previous ones. So I do
not think that parliament is paralysed.
As for the fact that the coalition does not hold sittings, not
every meeting of the coalition member-parties should be called
a sitting. If there are problems, they can be settled even in a
telephone conversation. So it does not follow from your observations
that there is a power crisis. Of course, if the opposition took part in
the work of parliament, such an impression would not be created. But
even if they do not, it does not mean that there is a crisis within
the ruling powers.
[Passage omitted: Armenia rejects Russian proposal to deliver goods
via Ossetia for security reasons]

Over 32,000 candidates registered in Azeri municipal election campaign
Azadliq, Baku
15 Oct 04
A total of 32,270 people have been registered as candidates to
municipalities, Azar Sariyev, press secretary of the Central Electoral
Commission, has said.
He said that 40,794 people had taken signature forms in order to
nominate their candidacies in the municipal elections. A total of
37,398 of them collected signatures from voters and returned the
lists to territorial electoral commissions.
We should remind you that the registration of candidates will
last until 17 October. The municipal elections will be held on 17
December this year. The elections will be held in 118 of the 125
constituencies. Since seven of the constituencies are situated
on Armenian-occupied territory, it proved impossible to set up
municipalities there.
At present, there are 2,735 municipalities in Azerbaijan and 21,647
municipal members are to be elected (Turan news agency).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS ministers discuss Afghanistan, NATO
ITAR-TASS news agency
15 Oct 04
Moscow, 15 October: A high-level meeting of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization’s [CSTO] member states in Moscow has discussed
post-conflict settlement in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry
announced today.
Deputy foreign, defence and finance ministers and deputy security
council secretaries from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan participated in the meeting.
The discussion concerned “issues of the political and military
situation in the organization’s zone of responsibility and the main
directions for the establishment of dialogue between the CSTO and
NATO”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“The high-level group approved draft documents on the agenda of the
CSTO’s Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defence Ministers
and Committee of Security Council Heads, which are to meet soon,”
the ministry added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lithuania pledges to help Georgia on EU, NATO integration
Lithuanian Television LTV2, Vilnius
14 Oct 04
The Lithuanian and Georgian presidents, Valdas Adamkus, and Mikheil
Saakashvili, have signed a declaration in which Lithuania undertook
to help Georgia on its integration into the EU and NATO, Lithuanian
TV2 has reported. During the Georgian leader’s visit to Vilnius,
both parties also said that the resolution of internal conflicts in
Georgia was conditional on the withdrawal of Russian troops from that
country. The following is the text of a report broadcast on 14 October;
subheadings inserted editorially:
Goals to be achieved in less than decade
[Presenter] Lithuania has undertook to develop a special relationship
with Georgia and support its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. During
the first visit of the Georgian president [Mikheil Saakashvili]
to Lithuania, both states also stated that internal conflicts in
Georgia could only be resolved upon the pull-out of Russian troops
from the country.
[Correspondent] This is the president who has said he would be happy
to accept Lithuania’s assistance . As he started his first official visit to Lithuania, Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili said that his country could by now
have close friends who would represent its interests in European
institutions and make them hear the voice of Tbilisi.
President Valdas Adamkus has proposed that the countries should
cooperate under the formula three plus three, which means three Baltic
states [Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia] and three Caucasus states
[Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan].
However, as it is not giving up the idea of becoming a regional leader,
Lithuania seeks to help Georgia more than the other two Baltic states,
while, for its part, Georgia has much more aspirations to integrate
into the EU and NATO than the other two Caucasus countries.
The youngest European president says that this should happen within
much less than a decade, that is, before the end of his second term
in office. To many, Lithuanian membership [of the EU and NATO] also
seemed an unlikely idea initially.
Saakashvili said that the pace of Georgia’s integration would also
depend on how fast the Lithuanian people, with their hard work,
ingenuity and modern thinking, destroy the stereotypes regarding new
members that are still alive in Europe.
Transition specialists needed
[Adamkus] We have identified the areas of common work, in which we
will be able to share our experience to Georgia as it is pursuing
its goals, primarily to join the European Union.
[Correspondent] The top priority is experts – of the kind needed
by Georgia – who can advise on reforming post-Communist law and the
bureaucratic apparatus.
[Saakashvili, speaking in English with Lithuanian translation
superimposed] We do not need experts from developed European countries
because quite a few of our people have Western education. Eighty per
cent of my cabinet members are Western-trained and we have ministers
who held high posts in foreign governments, for instance the foreign
minister. Thus, it is important not to get [just] experts but to get
experts on transition who know how to proceed with transition from
the Soviet to a more advanced system.
No concessions at cost of independence
[Correspondent] The guest has also given assurances that, although
it is seeking good relations with Russia, it will stand its ground
on the conflict in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
[Saakashvili in Russian with Lithuanian translation superimposed]
Georgia is maintaining a constant dialogue as it seeks to resolve
contested issues. But, certainly, not at the cost of its independence
and its pro-European orientation, and its territorial integrity. This
is a red line and Georgia will never step back from it.
[Correspondent] As Russia is closely following any cooperation with the
Caucasus countries, the two countries’ leaders signed a declaration
on the development of a special relationship. The document also
says that it is only possible to resolve internal conflicts in this
strategic country after the pullout of Russian troops from Georgia –
an obligation Russia undertook five years ago.

Russian minister says border checkpoint to remain closed for 30 days
Mediamax news agency
14 Oct 04
Yerevan, 14 October: “About 30-40 days will be required for
completing the special measures at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on
the Georgian-Russian border,” the Russian minister of transport
and communications and the co-chairman of the Armenian-Russian
intergovernment commission for economic cooperation, Igor Levitin,
said in Yerevan today.
Asked by our Mediamax correspondent, Igor Levitin said that “the
purpose of these measures is to create conditions that will make it
impossible for terrorism-related people and vehicles to infiltrate
the territory of the Russian Federation”.
Levitin named the Astrakhan-Anzali sea route (Russia-Iran) as an
alternative route for transporting cargo between Russia and Armenia,
“This will be cheaper and even faster than transporting cargo through
Verkhniy Lars,” the Russian minister said.
Levitin also recommended that issues of restoring the rail service
between Russia and Armenia through Georgia should not be politicized.
He said that following his negotiations with Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan, he was convinced that Yerevan is ready to restore
the rail service.
“If the Georgian president also demonstrates such readiness, the
issue will be close to its solution,” Levitin said.