Category: News

Associated Press
Oct 7 2004
Family will travel to Armenia in search of answers in killing of
Minnesotan
Five months after Joshua Haglund was stabbed to death in Armenia, his
family plans to travel there in search of answers.
No one has been arrested in the killing of Haglund, 33, who graduated
from high school in Mounds View and had traveled the world after
graduating from the University of Minnesota. His landlady found him
May 17 on the street outside his apartment in the Armenian capital,
Yerevan.
“We haven’t seen a police report, autopsy – basic information,” said
Haglund’s brother, James, who planned to leave for Armenia on
Thursday along with his mother and two other siblings. “We’re told
this is a highest priority to the Armenian officials, but we’ve had
no direct contact with them. I think it’s a lack of closure and
that’s a very important part of our healing process.”
Haglund was gay, and his family has wondered if his killing was a
hate crime.
The family plans to spend 10 days in Yerevan meeting with local court
officials and Joshua’s friends and colleagues.
Haglund was fluent in Japanese, Spanish and Hindi and taught English
courses in several countries. He moved to Yerevan last year to take a
job at the state-run Linguistics University through an exchange
program overseen by the U.S. State Department.
State Department spokeswoman Kelly Shannon said officials have issued
weekly reports to the family including all information available.
They also paid for the return of Haglund’s body and personal effects,
and helped arrange the family’s trip to Armenia. She stressed that
local police are handling the case.
“We can’t make the outcome of the investigation different,” Shannon
said. “Just like in the United States, some crimes remain unsolved
when police cannot go past a certain point.”

EurasiaNet Organization
Oct 7 2004
ARMENIAN PILOTS TRAPPED IN AFRICAN MERCENARY PLOT
Emil Danielyan 10/07/04
Difficult economic times have forced many Armenians to search for
work abroad. For most, especially the large number of Armenians in
Russia, a foreign job means leading a relatively Spartan
lifestyle – the main aim being saving enough to send money back to
loved ones at home. For the six-man crew of a charter cargo jet,
however, what appeared at first to be a routine assignment has turned
into an ordeal in which they stand accused of participating in a
failed coup attempt in the African nation of Equatorial Guinea.
Ashot Karapetian and his five-man crew departed in their heavy
Antonov-12 transport jet from Yerevan’s international airport in
January. They, along with dozens of other Armenian aviators, had
taken on many jobs in the past shuttling cargo across Africa, and had
no reason to believe that their current assignment would be any
different than others.
They were mistaken.
The six Armenians found themselves under arrest last March, accused
of participating in an international plot to overthrow Equatorial
Guinea’s longtime president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Their trial in
Equatorial-Guinea’s capital, Malabo, began August 23. The trial had
been slated to resume October 4, but was postponed with no new
resumption date set. If convicted, the six Armenians face long prison
terms.
The aviators vigorously deny involvement in coup preparations. They
enjoy the strong support of the Armenian government, which insists
that they are innocent and which has lobbied hard to secure their
release. President Robert Kocharian has personally appealed to Obiang
to release the Armenian detainees.
Obiang, whose regime is seen by the United States as one of the most
repressive in the world, has been in power ever since overthrowing
his uncle and predecessor Macias Nguema in a 1979 coup. The
impoverished former Spanish colony began to attract Western interest
in the mid-1990s with the discovery of substantial hydrocarbon
reserves off its Atlantic coast.
According to British news accounts, a group of South African and
London-based businessmen, including the son of former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher, sought to grab their share of the oil
riches by plotting to topple Obiang and install an exiled opposition
leader in his place.
The reported conspiracy was uncovered in early March. The arrests of
the Armenians and other foreigners in Malabo were announced a few
days later. The accused ringleader is Nick du Toit, an apartheid-era
soldier who ran a mercenary firm in South Africa until it was banned
in 1999.
Prosecutors in Malabo have not provided details on the Armenian
aircrew’s supposed role in the coup. Their Soviet-made Antonov-12
aircraft belonging to the Yerevan-based firm Tiga Air was chartered
to carry out flights across the region by Central Asian Logistics
(CAL), a German airfreight company.
CAL’s representative to Equatorial Guinea, Gerhard Eugen Merz, was
also among the foreign detainees. Merz died, officially of cerebral
malaria, in Malabo’s notorious Black Beach prison just days after his
arrest. The human rights group Amnesty International said he was
tortured to death.
The director of Tiga Air, Boris Avagian, insists that his company’s
contract with the Germans only envisaged the transportation of
“civilian goods and equipment.” He also claims to have never known or
dealt with the reputed South African mercenary du Toit.
“The charges against our pilots are groundless,” Avagian said in a
recent interview. “They are honest professionals who went to
Equatorial Guinea to do their job.”
CAL chief executive, Thomas Rinnerd, speaking in a telephone
interview, denied any connection between his Frankfurt-based company
and the alleged coup conspirators. “The Armenian pilots are 200
percent innocent. So are Mr. Merz and our company,” he said. He added
that the Armenian cargo jet had been hired by CAL to ship various
supplies to oil companies operating in the African country
Officials in Malabo announced in early September that a team of
investigators would travel to Armenia to probe possible links between
the Armenian transport firm and the alleged coup plotters. Armenian
authorities have maintained that they have no information about such
a mission. But, a person close to the arrested aviators’ families
claims that a visit did take place, and that the Guineans told the
relatives not to talk to journalists.
The pilots, for their part, have testified at the trial that they
carried out only one flight from Equatorial Guinea, bound for the
Democratic Republic of Congo. They said the Congolese airport they
were bound for was closed and they returned to Malabo with nothing in
the hold.
Du Toit’s court testimony did not explicitly implicate the Armenians
in the coup preparations, a fact that the Armenian government says
proves their innocence. “These are quite serious ground for
optimism,” Sergei Manaserian, Armenia’s ambassador to Egypt who has
repeatedly visited Malabo since March, told the official Armenpress
news agency on September 7.
The saga of the Antonov-12 crew is somewhat symbolic of the overall
state of Armenia’s civil aviation sector. During the Soviet era, the
small South Caucasus republic operated 13 airports and a possessed a
fleet of commercial aircraft that employed more than a thousand
pilots and technicians. Today, 0nly Yerevan’s Zvartnots international
airport now functions at full capacity.
The post-Soviet economic decline coupled with government corruption
and mismanagement is taking a heavy toll on the sector. Last year’s
scandalous bankruptcy of Armenian Airlines, the state-run carrier
flagship, left more than 300 pilots and flight engineers out of work.
The luckiest few of them found new jobs with local small companies
like Tiga Air that carry out charter flights in Asia and Africa.
The Armenian aircrews are cheap labor for the foreign firms that pay
them a fraction of what they would spend on Western pilots. Aviation
experts say they also run additional health and safety risks in third
world countries. Two Armenian planes have already crashed in Iran and
Sudan under mysterious circumstances.
Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.

Armenian Communist leader appeals to Russia to open Georgian border
checkpoint
Arminfo
6 Oct 04
YEREVAN
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of
Armenia Ruben Tovmasyan has sent a letter to the leader of the Russian
Communists, Gennadiy Zyuganov, in which he asks him to raise the issue
of the situation on the Russian-Georgian border with the leaders of
Russia.
Armenian Communists have asked their Russian colleagues to use every
opportunity available to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation
for this purpose, including the platform of the State Duma. “The
situation in Armenia has begun to deteriorate sharply, the
socioeconomic crisis is deepening and prices for basic goods are
growing. All this is giving rise to justified dissatisfaction among
broad sections of society,” says Ruben Tovmasyan’s letter to Gennadiy
Zyuganov.
The letter also spells out concern about the further development of
Armenian-Russian strategic cooperation. “Pro-western political forces
who are whipping up anti-Russian hysteria are trying to exploit the
current difficulties. Despite requests by the Armenian side at all
levels, the Russian leadership is still not doing anything to try to
resolve the situation and this is giving rise to increasing
incomprehension among Armenian society about such an attitude to its
sole strategic ally in the Caucasus,” the letter says.
We should note that after the tragic events in the North Ossetian town
of Beslan Russia closed the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on the
Russian-Georgian border. As a result a large number of passenger and
other vehicles heading for Armenia has piled up at this section. The
Transcaucasus highway is the sole road linking Russia with the
Transcaucasus.

INTER-REGIONAL VOLUNTEER ACTION “DAYS OF GOOD WILL, GOOD DEEDS AND
GOOD RESULTS” WILL BE HELD IN CAPITAL AND REGIONS OF ARMENIA
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6. ARMINFO. From October 28th to October 29th the
Inter-Regional Volunteer Action “Days of Good Will, Good Deeds and
Good Results” will be held in Aragatsotn, Armavir, Gegharkunik,
Kotayk, Lori, Shirak and Syunik as well as in Yerevan.
The press-service of Center for Community Dialogues and Initiatives
told ARMINFO that the goal of the action, initiated by (CCDI), IFES,
NGOs, local and regional authorities, is to encourage the volunteer
movement and NGOs’ activities as effective means for bringing
communities together to solve local problems. Participating in the
“Days of Good Will, Good Deeds and Good Results”, Armenians will have
an excellent opportunity to be active citizens and to make their
contribution to the community development process, united by the
principle of volunteerism.
This year is the fourth annual “Days of Good Will, Good Deeds and Good
Results” action in Armenia. The previous three actions were held in
autumn of 2001, 2002 and 2003. All of these actions, supported by
different groups of the society, were highly successful: In total,
2,899 events were held, with 278,924 participants. The number of
events and participants increased by over 50% from 2001 to 2003.
The following events are planned for this year’s “Days of Good Will,
Good Deeds and Good Results” action: Visits to schools, museums,
scientific institutions, libraries and cinemas; Aid distribution and
book gathering for schools, museums, and libraries; Visits to the
disabled, refugees, orphanages, homes for the elderly, and hospitals;
Providing free professional consultation and services, such as
Internet access, haircuts, medical exams, and shoe repair; Gathering
and distribution of cloths, shoes, food, books and toys; Sports
events; Meetings with artists, writers and other well-known local
persons; “Round-table” discussions on local problems and how to solve
them; Various cultural events, such as free concerts, exhibitions,
puppet shows, chalk drawings on the street, storytelling to children,
and contests; Visits to state officials; Clean-up efforts at schools,
courtyards, monuments, riverbanks, and the lake shore; Community
improvement initiatives
Events have been conducted by local NGOs, city and regional
authorities, small and medium businesses, schools and universities,
libraries, museums, condominiums, sports clubs, and international
organizations, as well as by individuals and groups of
individuals. Organization committees, composed of representatives of
NGOs, local authorities, mass media, and interested individuals, are
created to lead the works. Each region has from one to five
committees.
All participation or assistance is welcome. It is possible, for
example, to organize events or take part personally in a good deed or
volunteer effort. There are sponsorship opportunities as well. During
the 2003 “Days of Good Will, Good Deeds and Good Results” action, the
organizing committees managed to involve 315 sponsors. Events
conducted within the framework of the action do not necessarily
require a large investment. Many types of sponsorship are possible: in
the past, the action has received not only financial support but also
the donation of resources. In 2002, for instance, a private company in
Abovyan donated a special vehicle for cleaning monuments. In Sevan,
one stationery shop presented stationery supplies for first grade
children, and polyclinics in Lori offered free dental treatment for
kids from local homes for children. Last year a municipality provided
free transportation for those who wanted to participate in the
volunteer actions in the regional center. Some factories provided
candies and juiced to kindergartens. The action encourages all forms
of involvement and assistance.

DESPITE PROTEST OF AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIAN DELEGATION MUST TAKE PART IN
NATO SEMINAR IN BAKU, VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN THINKS
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6. ARMINFO. Despite the protest of Azerbaijan,
Armenian parliament members must take part in NATO seminar
“Rose-Roth”, which will be held in Baku on Oct 27-29. Vice Speaker of
Armenian parliament, member of the bureau of the party ARF
Dashnaktsutiun Vahan Hovhannisian told ARMINFO.
According to him, not taking part in the Yerevan sitting of the
commission for defence and security of CIS Parliamentary Assembly,
Azerbaijani parliament members gave to understand to the Armenian
colleagues that they shouldn’t arrive in Baku for taking part in the
seminar “Rose-Roth”. But the Armenian delegation must take part in the
seminar, despite the efforts of Azerbaijan to turn their visit into a
political show. “The refusal of Armenian parliament members to leave
for Baku will be misapprehended by NATO and put Azerbaijan and Armenia
in the eyes of the international community on the same scale”, Vahan
Hovhannisian said. According to him, this time NATO will more
thoroughly follow safeguarding of security of the participants of the
seminar, and the authorities of Azerbaijan are themselves interested
in that a hair of the head of the Armenian delegation did not fall
down”.
“So, I think that the Armenian MPs must go Baku and defend the
position of Armenia in this seminar”, the vice speaker said, At the
same time, he did not exclude the possibility that the Armenian
deputies will not be given an entrance visa to Azerbaijan, as it took
place during the NATO exercises “Cooperative Best Effort 2004” in
Baku.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT IS POSSIBLE ONLY AT RESPECTFUL
ATTITUDE TO RIGHT OF NKR FOR SELF-DETERMINATION: ANDRANIK MARGARIAN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7. ARMINFO. “My position concerning the settlement of
the Karabakh problem just as the position of the Republican party,
headed by me, has been and remains unchanged and is based on certain
principles. Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Margarian stated in the
interview to the newspaper Noyev Kovcheg.
According to him, the settlement of the conflict is possible only when
respectful attitude to the right of Nagorny Karabakh for
self-determination, on the basis of consideration of historical
realities. “The problem must be settlement only by peace. At the same
time Nagorny Karabakh’s subordination to Azerbaijan must be excluded”,
the prime minister said. It is necessary to ensure the guarantee of
security of NKR and Armenia, Margarian said. And the course of the
process of settlement of the conflict must be implemented by means of
negotiations, direct contacts of the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk
group and leaders of two states with the participation of NKR
authorities at a certain stage.

sportinglife.com, UK
Oct 7 2004
DUO SET FOR ARMENIA BOW
Armenia coach Bernard Casoni has called up two new faces for the
World Cup qualifying double-header against Finland and the Czech
Republic.
The Frenchman, who took over the reins of the Armenian national team
in August, has brought in Aram Voskanian and Edel Apula Edima Bete
for Saturday’s trip to Tampere to take on the Finns and the home
clash with the Czechs four days later.
Cameroon goalkeeper Edima Bete impressed Casoni in a recent Under-19
tournament in Macedonia and has been given international clearance to
play for Armenia.
Roman Berezovski and Artavazd Karamian are injured while Albert
Sargsian is suspended for Saturday’s match but will play in Yerevan
against the Euro 2004 semi-finalists.
Armenia lost their opening two Group One clashes against Macedonia
and Finland.
Squad:
Armen Hambardzumian (Slavia Sofia), Edel Apula Edima Bete, Nikolay
Sargsian (both Pyunik Yerevan); Sargis Hovsepian, Aleksandr
Tadevosian (both Pyunik Yerevan), Karen Dokhoyan (Krylya Sovetov
Samara), Harutyun Vardanian (FC Aarau), Artur Mkrtchian (Daryda
Minsk), Romik Khachatrian (Olympiakos Nicosia); Albert Sargsian
(Alania Vladikavkaz), Artur Petrosian, Yeghishe Melikian (Metalurg
Donetsk), Karen Aleksanian (Pyunik Yerevan), Davit Grigorian (Mika
Ashtarak), Hamlet Mkhitarian (MTZ-RIPO Minsk), Rafael Nazarian
(Daryda Minsk); Ara Hakobian (Metalurg Donetsk), Arman Karamian
(Rapid Bucharest), Andrey Movsisian, Galust Petrosian, Edgar
Manucharian (both Pyunik Yerevan), Aram Voskanian (Yesil-Bogatyr).

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
October 7, 2004
ANEC PARTICIPATES IN PAN-DIASPORA CONFERENCE AT THE CILICIAN SEE
by Gilda B. Kupelian
NEW YORK, NY-” Armenia and the Diaspora must mutually complement and
strengthen each other in all spheres of our life. Otherwise, our nation will
be doomed to polarization. Resting on our laurels will lead us to stagnation
if we do not transform it to vision and commitment to forge our future.”
These were introductory remarks made by His Holiness Aram I, as he addressed
over one hundred educators in attendance at the “Armenian Education Today in
the Diaspora” conference organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia in
Antelias, Lebanon. Held in August, the conference aimed at redefining
Armenian Education vis-à-vis the new challenges and realities of the present
world.
Educators including curriculum designers, textbook authors, seasoned
principals and dedicated teachers from the Diaspora hailed from as far as
Australia, the United States, Canada, Armenia, Argentina, and for the first
time Turkey, truly representing all communities of the Diaspora.
The Pontifical message to approach the pan-Diaspora conference in “a
critical and holistic way” set the tone for the ensuing proceedings.
Evaluation of the current state of Armenian Education in the context of
pluralistic societies with diverse perspectives culminated in identifying
the emerging concerns and perspectives.
Initiated by His Holiness himself, the conference was considered a
steppingstone to developing a pan-Armenian policy on education. Vehapar
predicated that such a policy would have to critically review the present
educational methodologies, strategies and programs; take into consideration
the impact of globalization and aim to make education “more relevant and
credible”. Attending all the sessions personally, His Holiness highlighted
the merging concerns and presented his views and recommendations.
The salient points of deliberations focused on the vision for the future,
the role of the church family in forming Armenian youth; ways to prepare new
cadres of educators; how to change Armenian formation from need to a daily
challenge; the proper use of technology; the issues of textbooks, children’s
literature, pedagogical forums; the important role of the one-day school and
extra-curricular. Presentations were made at several sessions, and Gilda B.
Kupelian, Executive Director of ANEC made a power point presentation on the
latter topics.
Also in attendance at the conference were: Mrs. Hranoush Hagopian, President
of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Armenian Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia; Mr. Levon Ananian, President of the Writers Union of Armenia;
Dr. Zaven Yegavian representing the Caloust Gulbenkian Foundation; and Mr.
Yervant Pamboukian representing the Cilician Catholicosate Central Board.
The visionary and goal-oriented conference qualified as a meeting of the
minds. It was further enriched by the experiential diversity it represented
and motivated by the spirit of cooperation it exuded.
The full text of His Holiness’s opening message to the conference is on the
Prelacy’s web page,

ArmenPress
Oct 6 2004
KARABAGH RIVERS WERE CONTAMINATED BY SOVIET AZERBAIJAN, POLITICAL
ANALYST SAYS
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Few people know that apart from
the so-called Minsk group, mandated by the OSCE to mediate peace
talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno Karabagh conflict,
there is another format, including representatives of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabagh, USA and Russia who have been meeting
regularly behind the closed doors for the last four years to seek a
conflict resolution option that would be acceptable to all.
Little information is made public about how discussions, organized
within the frameworks of so-called Dortmund Forum, go on. The final
conclusion of the Forum is supposed to be presented to the
conflicting sides and peace brokers to help them strike the peace
deal.
Samvel Babayan, a political analysts from Nagorno Karabagh, who
participated in the latest meeting, said to RFE/Rl that discussions
held in Moscow are the sole venue where Nagorno Karabagh
representatives face Azeris.
“Azeris are very sensitive about any contact with Nagorno Karabagh
and because of that the discussions are held behind the closed doors,
however I believe that they will be more open,” he said.
He said the latest meeting was the 7 consecutive but it has not
yet outlined any progress. The Azerbaijani side was led by a former
foreign minister Tofik Zulfugarov, who insist that all Azeri lands
occupied by Armenian troops must be returned, which is not acceptable
to Karabagh.
“These territories are of vital importance for Nagorno Karabagh,
making today some 60 percent of its territory, and only 6-7 percent
of Azerbaijan,” Babayan said, adding that there are other aspects of
the issue. “There are some regions that cannot be given back, such as
Kelbajar, where all Karabagh rivers originate from. During the Soviet
times these rivers were contaminated by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
resulting in drastic increase in the number of cancer cases, though
before the 1970-s Karabagh boasted of its residents’ record live
expectancy in the USSR, and we have all grounds to say that then
Soviet Azerbaijan carried out hydro-terrorism against the population
of Karabagh,” he said.
Babayan said the US and Russian moderates do not offer concrete
proposals, acting as mediators in an effort to help the sides to find
the golden mean, which they have failed so far. According to him, the
Karabagh participants of the discussions may refuse to further
participate because of Azeris stiff position.

ArmenPress
Oct 6 2004
AMBASSADOR OF BELGIUM TO ARMENIA HANDS OVER HER CREDENTIAL TO
PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Today, the ambassador of Belgium
to Armenia Ms. Daniele del Marmol (residence in Belgium) handed over
her credentials to president Kocharian.
Congratulating the diplomat on her new mission, the president said
that Armenia underscores both bilateral relations with European
countries and integration into European structures. Robert Kocharian
expressed his satisfaction with the current pace and effectiveness of
political and economic relations between Armenia and Belgium. In his
words, the two countries also effectively cooperate within
international organizations and European Union.
Speaking on economic partnership, the president noted that Belgium
is the main trade partner of Armenia in the EU. Belgian companies
have made good investment in the republic and the Armenian Belgian
community played its role in this regard. Kocharian said there are
good grounds to enlarge cooperation.
The president of the republic and the ambassador talked also about
regional issues, underscoring the inclusion of South Caucasus in EU
Broader Europe: New Neighborhood program.
The same day Armenian foreign minister received ambassador of
Belgium to Armenia Ms. Daniele del Marmol .