Category: News

Sydney Morning Herald
March 12 2004
Georgia poaches foreign minister
President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has chosen France’s
ambassador in Tbilisi to be his foreign minister, saying he had
cleared the appointment with the French President, Jacques Chirac.
Mr Saakashvili said Salome Zurabishvili, a descendant of a
19th-century Georgian writer, Niko Nikoladze, was a diplomat of
international standing whose family had migrated to France early in
the 20th century.
He told a news conference on Thursday that he believed the
appointment was “unprecedented in the history of diplomacy”.
Diplomats are normally expected to remain loyal to their own country
and not take up jobs in foreign governments.
He said he would grant Ms Zurabishvili, 51, Georgian citizenship in
addition to her French passport, a dual status the constitution
allowed in special circumstances.
Ms Zurabishvili has worked in the US, the European Union and NATO and
headed the international department of France’s national security
general secretariat until taking up her post in Georgia.
After the fall of communism many people whose families had migrated
to Western Europe and the US returned to their eastern European
roots. An American lawyer, for instance, served for a short time as
foreign minister in Armenia in the 1990s.
Mr Saakashvili, 36, is a US-trained lawyer who led a bloodless coup
in November that brought down the veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze,
a former Soviet foreign minister.
Mr Saakashvili won a landslide election victory in January and
promised to integrate the republic into NATO, the EU and the European
mainstream.
Almost everybody who went to the polls voted for him, after he had
led what he called the Rose Revolution – the peaceful removal of Mr
Shevardnadze from the presidency after 12 years.
The young new president can answer questions in rapid-fire English,
Russian and French as well as Georgian.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 12 2004
ARMENIA CAN HELP GEORGIA’S RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
YEREVAN, March 12, 2004 (RIA Novosti) – Georgia is trying to improve
its relations with Russia today, and Armenia can promote this process
because it has close and friendly relations with Russia, Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili said in an interview with the Second
Channel of the Armenian television and the Azg newspaper before his
departure for Armenia.
“We have long-standing ties and a common historical background with
Armenia. Besides, Armenia is the most acknowledged country of the
region. Armenia has maintained friendship with the West and Russia
for many years. All this should serve the interests of the entire
region,” the Georgian president said.
At the same time, Mr. Saakashvili stressed that Georgia was ready to
take an active part in the establishment of effective relations
between Armenia and Turkey.
In his opinion, Turkey is well aware that relations with Armenia
should be developed for the sake of peace in the region.
“I think not only Armenia can promote relations between Georgia and
Russia, but Georgia as well can assist Armenian-Turkish ties,” said
Mr. Saakashvili.
The Georgian president will visit Armenia on March 12-13.

IRNA Iran
March 12 2004
Georgian armenians take part in Iranian armenians spring games
Isfahan, March 12, IRNA — Head of Isfahan`s Ararat Sports Club
Robert Shyjanian told IRNA of Friday the the Georgian armenians will
take part at the 13th Athletic Competitions of the Iranian armenians.
Shyjanian added, “The Georgian armenian athletes will participate
with one five-member team at the Iranian armenians` spring games,
competing only in track and field competitions.”
The five-day 13th Athletic Competitions of the Iranian armenians,
sponsored this year by Isfahan`s Ararat Sports Club will begin on
March 18th.
The games, also known as the Iranian armenians spring athletics,
are held in two main sections of men and women`s athletes, in which
the athletes compete in football, basketball, field and track,
volleyball, and table tennis contests.
The men`s games include football, basketball, table tennis and
field and track events, and the women`s games include basketball,
volleyball and field and track competitions.

Batumi News, Georgia
March 12 2004
NGO presents `Torture prevention and victims rehabilitation in
Georgia’
The NGO `Ex Political Prisoners for Human Rights’ presented the EU
financed project on `Torture prevention and victims rehabilitation in
Georgia’.
N. Kakabadze, leader of the organization, told journalists the
project stands as more significant presently than it was during the
forerunning Govt.
When we were working on the project it was very up – to time and of
paramount importance.
The outlook of the recent developments makes it stand as even more
important. Presently, the torture cases have take shape of a routine
and frequency exceeds indices for 2003, Kakabadze said. Kakabadze
said the organization’s watchdogs visited the pre-trial detention
cells, and held seminars for policemen. The watchdog reported on the
torture cases, bringing instances over 20 unwarranted acts of the
policemen.
Kakabadze points to the absence of fundamental human rights’ defense
basis in Georgia; absence of the adequate political, social and
psychological environment and commitment to the task to reach the
strategic goals: to have the independent and unbiased court, NGO-s –
free from prejudice, and to uproot venality among state officers,
power avidity among high ranks, oppression of the independent mass
media and social assistance to the poverty – stricken state.
Leader of the NGO laid stress to the dramatic dwindle of the number
of NGO-s is dwindling.
“NGO-s are either politicized or keep indifference. Georgia had
better image compared with Azerbaijan and Armenia with its freedom
and independence of the NGO activities; We can not boast the same
however’, – Kakabadze said.
Kakabadze pointed to the cases of independent media oppression:
`Banning programs in various TV companies which were tribunes for
democracy is diminishing of independence rate”- Kakabadze warns.

ArmenPress
March 12 2004
6-th SESSION OF EU-ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMISSION TO
BE HELD IN YEREVAN MARCH 15
YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS: The sixth session of EU-Armenian
parliamentary cooperation commission will open in Yerevan on March
15, to be moderated by Armen Rustamian, the chairman of an Armenian
parliament committee on foreign relations and Ursula Schleikher
(People’s Party of Europe, Germany).
EU representatives will meet the same day with parliament speaker
Arthur Baghdasarian and heads of parliament factions and also with
the chairwoman of the pan-Armenian Hayastan Fund Naira Melkumian.
Germany’s ambassador to Yerevan, Hans Wulf Bartels, who represents
Ireland, the EU presiding country, the head of the European
Commission Delegation to Georgia and Armenia, Torben Holtz and other
EU ambassadors to Armenia will hold a news conference and meet later
with Vladimir Pryakhin, the head of the OSCE in Yerevan.
The session will continue March 16. EU representatives will also
meet with Karabagh parliament speaker Oleg Yesayan, US and Russian
ambassadors to Armenia, the protector of human rights Larisa
Alaverdian. On March 17 EU representatives will be received by
president Kocharian, foreign minister Oskanian and prime minister
Margarian.

ArmenPress
March 12 2004
GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS: On March 12-13, 2004, the President
of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili paid an official visit to the Republic
of Armenia by an invitation extended to him by the President of
Armenia Robert Kocharian. The delegation of the Georgian president
consists of Georgian ministers for energy, infrastructures and
development, members of Georgian parliament, representative of
Georgian president in Javakheti province, other officials, reporters.
After a ceremony of greeting, held at the residency of Armenian
president, the private conversation between the two presidents was
held, which was followed by the enlarged Armenian-Georgian
negotiations.
The Presidents of Armenia and Georgia noted the high level of
relations between Armenia and Georgia, which are based on the
centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Georgian people,
reported the press office of the Armenian president. During the
negotiations, the sides discussed the current state and the future of
the bilateral relations, as well as some current international and
regional issues of mutual interest. The Presidents of Armenia and
Georgia reiterated their determination to continue to strengthen the
friendly relations and to develop mutually beneficial cooperation
between the Republic of Armenia and Georgia.
The parties noted that the large number of existing bilateral
agreements and documents is aimed at deepening the mutually
beneficial cooperation across the whole spectrum of bilateral
relations. Both presidents of Armenia and Georgia expressed
satisfaction with the fact that, during the visit, they exchanged the
ratification documents of the October 23, 2001 Agreement on
Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security between the Republic of
Armenia and Georgia, thus reiterating Armenia’s and Georgia’s desire
to provide a fresh impulse to the further development of extensive
cooperation and friendly relations based on mutual respect and
consideration for each other’s interests.
Having emphasized Armenia’s and Georgia’s commitment to
integration with European institutions, the parties noted the need
for closer cooperation in their relations with the European Union, as
well as within the framework of the UN, the Council of Europe, the
OSCE, the CIS and other universal and regional international
organizations.
The Presidents of Armenia and Georgia reiterated their readiness
to cooperate more actively within the framework of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation organization and noted the importance of closer
cooperation in various regional initiatives, such as TRACECA and
INOGATE.
Taking into consideration the obligation to address various modern
challenges and threats, such as international terrorism, organized
crime, weapons and drugs trafficking, the sides noted the need for
increasing the effectiveness of bilateral and multilateral
cooperation and coordinating the joint efforts in those areas. The
presidents noted that it is possible to create a favorable climate
for resolving the conflicts in the region by deepening the regional
cooperation and bridging the interests of the countries of the
region. They reiterated once again their commitment to the principle
of non-interference with each other’s internal affairs, mutual
respect for self-rule, territorial integrity and inviolability of
borders, as well as respect for basic human rights and liberties.
The Armenian side expressed confidence that the constitutional
changes, the reforms in the Executive and Legislative branches of
power and the March 28, 2004 parliamentary elections in Georgia are
aimed at strengthening the democracy and stability and ensuring
economic development in Georgia, which is not only in Georgia’s
interests, but also in the interests of Armenia and the region as a
whole. The Parties noted the special role of the high-level
Armenian-Georgian political dialogue in ensuring the dynamic and
constructive nature of the bilateral relations. Kocharian and
Saakashvili emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen the
inter-parliamentary ties, and noted the need for deepening the
bilateral ties on all levels. They noted the need for regular
consultations between the executive and legislative branches of power
in both countries.
The sides noted the need to make the work of the Armenian-Georgian
intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation more active, and
expressed confidence that the committee’s productive work would
promote bilateral trade, cooperation in various sectors of the
economy and mutually beneficial cooperation in transport and
communication programs, in tune with international standards and
economic realities. The parties reiterated the need to continue the
work on demarcation of the state border between the Republic of
Armenia and Georgia.
The visit took place in a constructive, cordial and friendly
atmosphere. The President of Georgia expressed his gratitude to the
Armenian side for the constructive dialogue and hospitality, and
invited the President of the Republic of Armenia to pay an official
visit to Georgia at any convenient time.

ArmenPress
March 12 2004
URUGUAY PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS: The lower chamber of Uruguay’s
parliament approved a bill on March 10, which indirectly recognizes
the Armenian Genocide. The bill calls for April 24 to be “the
commemoration day of Armenians martyred in 1915,” and obligates the
state owned media to “cover those events” on that day.
There is no reference to “genocide” in the wording of the bill,
though parliament speeches in favor of the bill did not avoid calling
the genocide, a “genocide.” The resolution will become a law with the
president’s signature.
In 2000, Uruguay’s Senate unanimously passed a resolution marking
“April 24 a national day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.”
In 1965, the Armenian National Committee of Uruguay advanced the
passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution in Uruguay’s
parliament–to mark the first time a country officially recognized
the genocide of Armenians.
At the time, the author of that resolution Senator Dr. Alberto
Sid, said that the bill aimed to register Uruguay’s official position
on the Armenian Genocide as a crime against humanity.
Interestingly, the world’s first April 24 demonstration also took
place in Uruguay, in 1964.

ArmenPress
March 12 2004
KAZAKHSTAN SHOCKED BY BRUTAL MURDER OF ARMENIAN OFFICER IN BUDAPEST

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS: Foreign minister of Kazakhstan,
Kasimzhomart Tokaev, sent a letter to his Armenian counterpart Vartan
Oskanian to convey his condolences over the brutal murder of an
Armenian officer, Gurgen Margarian, by an Azerbaijani classmate on
February 19 in Budapest.
“The news about the gruesome murder of the Armenian officer in
Budapest has shocked Kazakhs. We condemn the barbaric act of violence
and think that such crimes cannot be justified,” the message runs.

ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Friday, March 12, 2004
GEORGIAN PRESIDENT VISITS ARMENIA
Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili arrived in Yerevan this Friday for
his first-ever official visit to Armenia. On the first day of a two-day
visit, Saakashvili met with President Robert Kocharian and other senior
officials, and visited the Armenian Genocide memorial.

The 36-year-old Saakashvili led a popular revolt against President Eduard
Shevardnadze last November. Saakashvili has since been elected President
with virtually no opposition, collecting over 95 percent of the vote. The
Armenian President’s political opponents said they would try to force
Kocharian’s resignation by emulating events in Georgia [see the next story],
but most observers believe that circumstances in the two countries are not
similar enough for this to happen.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Kocharian, Saakashvili praised
Kocharian as “a very active president, well aware of the problems [he
faces],” and that Armenia was “lucky to have such a president and the
Government.” He added that Georgia had much to learn from Armenia,
particularly from the experience of its armed forces and law-enforcement.

Interviewed by Armenian journalists on the eve of the visit, Saakashvili
offered his vision of economic integration between Georgia and Armenia. “It
is the [elimination] of all customs obstacles, setting common tariffs,
cutting them down and full cancellation in certain cases… It is
[ridiculous] that people have to wait 40-60 minutes at the border to cross
from Armenia to Georgia. It is unacceptable, unserious; it is a leftover of
feudalistic regime. We need free transit of both people and goods. (For
this) we need a common legal system… Today each one of our countries,
taken separately, is weak, for the market needs expansion, larger space.”

Saakashvili suggested that he would try to advance settlement of the
conflict with the breakaway republic of Abkhazia through economic
cooperation and specifically through opening of the Georgia-Russia railroad,
which is also of strategic importance to Armenia. Saakashvili also argued
for coordination of Armenian and Georgian policies towards Europe, Russia
and the United States. He suggested that Armenia could play a role in
improving of Georgian-Russian relations, while Georgia could do the same
with Turkey.

Turning to the problems faced by the Armenian community in Georgia,
particularly in Javakhk, Saakashvili pledged to improve the regional road
infrastructure, clamp down on corruption and secure European loans to
jump-start the local economy. According to the recent Georgian census, in
the last decade close to one-third of the 440,000-strong Armenian community,
centered in Javakhk and Tbilisi, has emigrated. But the community continues
to maintain 154 schools, 13 churches, 4 newspapers and a state-funded
theater. (Sources: Armenia This Week 1-16, 30; Arminfo 3-11, 12; Azg 3-12)
ARMENIAN POLITICAL SEASON BEGINS
Armenian opposition parties have begun preparations for what they hope would
become a “popular revolution” leading to the early ouster of President
Robert Kocharian, whose term in office expires in 2008. The three main
groups led by Parliament members Stepan Demirchian, Artashes Geghamian and
Aram Sargsian, have so far acted largely independent of each other, holding
separate public meetings in small towns and villages and telling people that
Kocharian would soon resign under public pressure.

Meeting with students of Yerevan universities this week, Kocharian defended
his record in office, pointing to the strong economic recovery of recent
years and dismissing opposition claims that the country was in the middle of
a political crisis. Meanwhile, Kocharian’s ally Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian ordered a counteroffensive, sending members of his cabinet to hold
public meetings in the economically hardest-hit towns and villages
previously toured by the opposition.

A recent survey conducted with U.S. funding found that the overall poverty
level in Armenia decreased from 55% in 1996 to just under half of the
population in 2002. The share of “very poor” people decreased from 27 to
13%. The study also found that there was more poverty in urban (53%) than
rural areas (45%) and that there was even stronger disparity between Yerevan
(44%) and smaller towns (62%).

The opposition’s tactic appears to be to mobilize the latent popular
discontent over economic conditions and official corruption into mass street
rallies in Yerevan to mirror last year’s protests in Georgia. One of the
world’s foremost political risk experts, the Economist, predicted last week
that while political tensions in Armenia will remain high, opposition’s
efforts will be frustrated by their own disunity and positive economic
trends. “We therefore expect Mr. Kocharian.. to remain in power through
2005,” it concluded. (Sources: Armenia This Week 2-6, 20; The Economist
Intelligence Unit 3-4; Arminfo 3-10, 11; “Social snapshot and poverty..,”
the National Statistics Service, 2004)
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

Toronto Star
March 12 2004
Entertainment: spotlight
[parts omitted]
Vocal Recitals will return to RTH this fall
Toronto’s highest powered vocal series, Roy Thomson Hall’s
International Vocal Recitals, returns in the fall with a four-event
lineup, opening Sept. 26 with a performance of Franz Schubert’s Die
Winterreise (Winter Journey) cycle sung by the German-born baritone
Matthias Goerne, already hailed as the “Prince of Lieder.” The
popular American mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade returns Nov. 10 in
her first Toronto recital in five years, followed by the Italian
tenor Salvatore Licitra, Jan. 22, 2005. One of Canada’s fastest
rising singers, Armenian-Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, closes
the series, May 8, 2005.