Category: News

Eurasianet Organization
4 May 2004
WATCHDOG GROUPS CRITICAL OF MEDIA CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL ASIA,
CAUCASUS
5/04/04
Two media monitoring groups have singled out Central Asia as having
one of the most hostile working environments for journalists in the
world. Media observers also noted that journalists in the Caucasus
countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan experienced an increasing level
of harassment in recent months.
The Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the New
York-headquartered Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) both cited
Turkmenistan as Central Asia’s most repressive nation, where the
totalitarian system built by Turkmen leader Saparmarat Niyazov has
stifled free speech. “The regime controlled all written and broadcast
media and also did everything it could to block news from the outside
world by banning foreign newspapers and blocking access to Internet
websites,” Reporters Without Borders said in its 2004 Annual Report,
which was issued May 3 to coincide with World Press Freedom Day.
Meanwhile, CPJ detailed Turkmen government persecution of freelance
journalists working for US government-financed Radio Free Euope/Radio
Liberty, one of the few independent media outlets that operates in
Turkmenistan. “In September 2003, National Security Service agents
detained a RFE/RL stringer in the capital Ashgabat for two days,
threatened him with 20 years in prison for betraying his country, and
injected him multiple times with an unknown substance,” CPJ said in a
May 3 statement. The group added that Turkmen authorities arrested
two RFE/RL freelancers in February 2004 after one was caught
attempting to smuggle 800 copies of his banned novel. The freelancers
are face charges of inciting social, ethnic and religious hatred.
Media watchers say Uzbekistan, which was the scene of militant
attacks in late March, also tightly controls the press. “Censorship
was officially abolished in 2002, but the media was still being
censored in 2003 and no criticism of President Islam Karimov and his
policies was allowed,” the RWB Annual Report said. Uzbek media
coverage of the recent violence in Tashkent and Bukhara underscored
the government’s heavy-handed control of free speech. State-run media
largely avoided coverage of the attacks, while Uzbek officials
castigated those foreign media outlets and independent journalists
who challenged the official view of events. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
In public comments May 2, Britain’s ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig
Murray, offered a scathing assessment of Uzbekistan’s media
conditions. Murray assailed the government for its censorship
practices, and criticized journalists for being “tame and useless”
and for not working harder to overcome official restrictions.
“It is not that journalists cannot do their job, it is that they will
not do their job. It is time they start it,” Murray said. “Uzbek
journalists are rather parasitical people who do not publish any
truth, don’t seek the truth, don’t try to publish it and really they
are a disgrace to their profession.”
Press conditions are comparatively better in other Central Asian
states. Yet the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
have all taken action to restrict independent media, RWB said.
In Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev recently drew praise
for refusing to sign a restrictive media bill into law. [For
additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At the same
time, media rights groups remain critical of the Kazakhstani
government for its harassment of prominent opposition journalists, in
particular Sergei Duvanov. [For additional information see the
Eurasia Insight archive].
According to RWB, Kyrgyzstan damaged its reputation for having
Central Asia’s freest media by approving constitutional amendments in
early 2003 that impose “further curbs on press freedom.” The RWB
Annual Report also criticized the Kyrgyz government for forcing Maya
Stolitsa, a leading opposition newspaper, out of business. On the
positive side, the report expressed hope that a new US-financed
printing press would facilitate the publication of independent
newspapers and periodicals. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
In Tajikistan, President Imomali Rahmonov recently proposed
substantial tax breaks to stimulate print media development. However,
Tajik broadcast outlets, which enjoy far greater audiences than do
newspapers and periodicals, would not be eligible for the tax breaks.
[For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Despite
Rahmonov’s recent support for press independence, the RWB report said
the Tajik government “continued their extensive harassment of
independent newspapers and refused to issue operating licenses to
privately-owned TV and radio stations.”
The Caucasus has also witnessed a fair share of media harassment.
Observers say politically-related violence in Armenia and Azerbaijan
has prompted authorities in both countries to crack down on its
critics.
Robert Kocharian’s administration in Armenia has come under growing
pressure from his political opponents, who maintain the country’s
presidential and parliamentary elections in 2003 were rigged. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In April, authorities
used force to break up opposition protests in Yerevan, with riot
police apparently targeting journalists for beatings. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. On April 30, an ad hoc
group calling itself In Protection of Journalists appealed to the
government to stop harassing media representatives, the Arminfo news
agency reported. “It is not known why violence against journalists is
continuing and does not get authorities’ adequate assessment,” the
group said in a written statement.
Azerbaijan has long presented independent journalists with difficult
working conditions. Since the disputed October 2003 presidential
election, President Ilham Aliyev has maintained considerable pressure
on opposition-allied media outlets. [For additional information see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. “The hoped-for wave of reform after
Ilham Aliev, son of longtime leader Heidar Aliev, became president
… did not come,” the RWB report said. “Opposition media remained
under broad pressure, there was no diversity in broadcasting and the
regime did not fulfill its international commitments.”
Meanwhile, Georgia received a mildly favorable review from RWB, which
noted that the coming to power of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s
administration in January “raised fresh hopes” that the development
of independent media would accelerate.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Reuters, UK
4 May 2004
Armenians rally to demand president resign

YEREVAN, May 4 (Reuters) – About 6,000 Armenians braved heavy rain on
Tuesday to demand the resignation of President Robert Kocharyan in
the latest in a series of mass protests in the capital.
The Armenian opposition, which accuses Kocharyan of rigging last
year’s presidential election, has hoped to emulate the example of
neighbouring Georgia, where protesters overthrew the president last
November in a bloodless revolution.
“We must decide in what country we want to live: in an isolated one,
ruled by force; or in a developed democratic country,” Stepan
Demirchyan, leader of the Justice Party and runner-up in the
elections told the rally in Yerevan.
“The size of this meeting in such weather shows that we support
democracy,” he said, while supporters waved flags and chanted
“Kocharyan resign”.
Kocharyan has dismissed any suggestion that Armenia might follow
Georgia in overthrowing its leader. The authorities used water
cannons to disperse a similar meeting last month.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
May 4, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:
Armenian Programming Contest and Summer School
Background
Enterprise Incubator Fund has been established in the framework of the World
Bank Enterprise Incubator project. The key role of the Incubator is
developing a more coherent and effective framework for IT business support,
as part of the Government’s commitment to raise productivity, increase
competitiveness and support the creation of a modern IT cluster in Armenian
economy.
One of the primary roles of Enterprise Incubator Foundation is to create
Institution – Employer link models which would ensure a sustainable and
permanent supply of qualified technicians and managers for companies as well
as to provide extensive knowledge support to newly emerging business
entities.
Based on the successful implementation of Armenian Programming Contest (APC)
in May 2002, which was planned to be held on a regular basis, as well as
acknowledging the extreme interest in the IT community toward such kind of
competitions, the organization of the second Armenian Open Programming
competition is proposed.
The main objective of the Contest will be to determine the professional
level and skills of ICT young professionals both in the country and Diaspora
for distinguishing the training and educational needs to be addressed in the
future to insure the provision of extensive knowledge support to newly
emerging business entities and specialists.
The competition will provide young IT specialists both form Armenia and
Diaspora with an opportunity to demonstrate and sharpen their
problem-solving and programming. The contest will foster creativity
innovation in building new software programs, and will enable the
participants to test their ability to perform under pressure. It will gather
the best programming talent in Armenia and provide a platform for ICT
Industry and academia to encourage and focus attention on the next
generation of computing professionals as they pursue excellence.
Competition Structure
The event will be comprised of three stages:
–Individual Competition
–Summer School
–Final Contest
The first phase will be organized as on-site competition in Armenia
(Yerevan) and Diaspora centers worldwide (see Annex 1) to allow local and
Diaspora young professionals to resolve a number of programming tasks.
The contest is individual based. Eligibility to participate in the contest
will be restricted only to age limitations: all participants should be under
30. The language of the Contest is Armenian and English.
Special Professional Board, comprised of leading ICT specialists and faculty
will develop a set of tasks to be delivered to each of the contest locations
one hour before the contest beginning. Contests in all locations (with
possible deviations due to time differences) will be organized on the same
date and time to secure equal conditions for all participants. Special
Professional Board will also define assignment duration and evaluation
criteria. The same Board will complete winners’ selection.
At the second stage, winners will get an opportunity to participate for free
in 5-days Summer School organized jointly with one of world leading
IT/High-Tech companies (such as Lycos, Sun, Cisco, Ericsson, etc.) with
advanced curricula. Upon completion of the School, participants will get
certificate of attendance. Summer School will allow local and Diaspora young
professionals to study and to work together on the group assignments, which
will provide excellent networking opportunities as well as sharing
experience and competence. The Summer School is to be located at one of the
country’s resorts.
At the third stage, by the end of the Summer School, final competition is to
be held. The final contest is team-based. Each team should be comprised up
to three people.
Contest Timetable
Event Date
Individual Competition June 1
Summer School June14-18
Group Competition June 18
Annex 1. Organization of Programming Contest in Diaspora Centers
1. Participants
The contest is designed for young IT professionals under 30 years old. As
the contest tasks are to be in the area of programming (see attached samples
of tasks to be solved during the contest, which were developed for the first
programming contest), the participants should be prominent in the area of
programming and software development.
2. Contest Procedure
It is expected that the embassies will identify IT professional company
which will organize the contest and will work directly with the relevant
organization in Armenia to get instructions of contest tasks, procedure,
evaluation criteria, other professional issues.
The tasks will be developed in Armenia by a group of experts. The tasks will
be delivered to the company responsible for organization of the contest at
the Diaspora location one day ahead the actual date of the contest via
e-mail. All contest participants are to be invited to the premises, where
the contest is to be held, and delivered with tasks, which have to be solved
within several hours (the duration of contest will be identified by the
group of experts in advance).
Local Evaluation Committee, comprised of IT professionals, should select up
2 winners.
Before the day of Contest, 1-week preparation work on the identification of
IT company/organization responsible for administration and implementation of
the contest as well as for forming Evaluation Committee should be completed.
The preparation work should also include:
–contest announcement
–identification of location equipped with computers
–organization of applications procedure
–formation of Evaluation Committee
–identification of winners to be sent to Armenia to participate in Summer
School and the final contest together with Armenian winners.
3. Summer School
Winners will be invited to take part in Summer School to be held in one of
Armenian resorts, where they will get a chance to meet with their Armenian
colleagues and to learn together during a week. By the end of the Summer
School, all the participants will grouped in teams (up to 3 persons per
team) and participate in the final contest (the same structure: programming
tasks to be solved within several hours).
The costs of winners round trip to Armenia will not be covered by EIF
resources.

Batumi News
May 4 2004
Adjara still imports power from Russia
The AS Telas stopped the import of power from Armenia since May 1.
the company is supplied with power from the local power generation
stations, what is sufficient only for the permanent power provision
for the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi.
The totally consumed power by the Georgian capital is 6.1 million
kwt. within 24 hours, of which 5 million kwt. Is being purchased by
the Telas from the wholesale market, and 1.1 kwt. from its private
sources.
Notably, the Georgian power generation stations can generate 20
million kwt. Power within 24 hours, while the consumption claims for
22. 3. The only region in Georgia, still imporing power is Adjara,
importing 1.9 kwt. from Russia.

ArmenPress
May 4 2004
ARMENIAN IT COMPANIES TO OPEN REPRESENTATIONS IN CANADA, USA, GERMANY
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Bagrat Yengibarian, the director of
Armenian Enterprises Incubator Foundation (EIF), funded by World Bank
told Armenpress that the government and the Bank have approved the
idea of opening representations of Armenian IT companies in Canada
and the USA. Yengibarian said another project for opening a
representation in Germany is underway.
He said the first representation will open next month in Canada’s
Toronto. He said the EIF is now discussing with Armenia-based IT
companies the ways of cooperation based on contracts to be signed by
the representation, as the Toronto representation is supposed to
resolve initially several priority problems of Armenian companies in
Canada’s IT market.
Yengibarian said Armenian embassy in Canada will help organize the
second online conference between Canadian and Armenian IT companies
in June. He said the previous such conference attracted tens of heads
of Canadian It companies, 70 percent of whom were non-Armenians.
He said the representation in the USA will most likely open by the
end of 2004.

ArmenPress
May 4 2004
CENTRAL BANK ADMITS SALE OF GOLD RESERVES
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: The Central Bank of Armenia has
confirmed today reports that it sold the country’s gold reserves of
about 1.4 tons. The Bank would not disclose the details of the deal,
which took place at the end of last year.
Today Central Bank governor, Tigran Sarkisian, said the decision
to sell the country’s gold reserves was based on an earlier decision
of the Bank that “high correlation between gold and the euro means
that even without gold in international reserves the necessary level
of diversification can be maintained and at the same time the yield
of international reserves can be raised.”
Sarkisian said gold reserves remained unchanged at around 1,396
kg, which on October 1 2003 was estimated at $17.1 million (3.65% of
Armenia’s international reserves of $468.7 million).
Dealers were instructed to sell the entire gold reserves when the
price for one ounce was $380, but the they sold it when the price
went up to $400, bringing Armenia $3 billion Drams in extra profits.
Sarkisian said the deal was very profitable, as all the raised money
went to the budget.
Sarkisian argued that gold reserves are considered as a means of
wealth accumulation, “but Armenia is not in a condition to do so, as
gold reserves yield virtually no profits and in any case Armenia will
have to pay its foreign debt in hard currency.”
Armenia’s international reserves, already without gold, totaled
$512 million on April 1 2004, while the country’s foreign debt has
amounted to over $1 billion.

ArmenPress
May 4 2004
SEVEN NEW CASES OF HIV CONFIRMED
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Seven new HIV cases were reported over
the last month in Armenia, according to the health ministry, bringing
the total number of officially registered people with confirmed
AIDS/HIV to 269. The majority-255 people-are Armenian citizens. Six
of the new cases were confirmed with Armenian citizens, and the one
with a foreigner who came to be examined and receive treatment by
Armenicum, a medicine developed by Armenian scientists, which they
say, improves drastically the condition of AIDS-infected people.
According to health ministry officials, the majority of cases
reported in last years contracted it through narcotics injections.
More than 80 percent are between 20-39 and AIDS was confirmed with
half of all infected people.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved
last year a five year grant for the Republic of Armenia that will
support the National Program on HIV/AIDS and can have a significant
impact on the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Armenia and on the quality of
life of those infected, or affected by the virus.
Although Armenia is a low prevalence country, the extremely high
growth rate of HIV infection makes the HIV/AIDS epidemic a real
danger for the country with a population of 3.2 million. A number of
factors such as the economic crisis, increased poverty, unemployment
and massive increase in individual high-risk behaviors have
contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

ArmenPress
May 4 2004
BURNS SUPPER HELPS SAVE LIVES OF PREMATURE ARMENIAN CHILDREN
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: On Thursday 6 May at 10.30 the British
Ambassador, Miss Thorda Abbott-Watt, and Mr. Mads Beyer, Country
Director of Mission East, will present a Baby Incubator to Tsaghik
Vardanian, Director of Agarak Hospital and Polyclinic. The British
Ambassador will visit Kapan on 5 May to meet the Marzpet and tour the
Kapan Mountainous Enrichment Plant. She will also meet the Mayors of
Meghri and Agarak.
Guests at the Burns Supper, organized by the British Embassy at
the Marriott Hotel Armenia on 24 January, raised US$10,000 in a
charity auction to pay for the incubator. The initiative to provide
the hospital with a baby incubator came from Mr. Mads Beyer, Country
Director of Mission East an international humanitarian organization
which has been implementing primary health care projects in Syunik
Marz since 1997.
The charity auction was generously supported by British
Mediterranean Airways, Hovnanian International, HSBC, the Armenian
Tourist Development Agency, Tufenkian Ltd, the Marriott Hotel
Armenia, the Diamond Company of Armenia, the Yerevan Brandy Factory,
Dolmama’s and many other local companies.
This is the first incubator in the region. It will help save the
lives of premature babies by providing a controlled environment for
special medical care. Of the 140 babies born every year in the
region, 5 – 10 need an incubator and special care to help them to
survive.
The British Ambassador said: having spent my first days in an
incubator, it is a privilege to contribute towards giving others the
same opportunity.
Mads Beyer said: it is a great pleasure to be able to provide this
additional support. We know that Mrs. Vardanian and her staff will
make the most of the new incubator to the benefit of the entire
Meghri region.”

ArmenPress
May 4 2004
ARMENIAN BOXERS WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN POLAND
WROCLAV, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Three Armenian boxers, Hovhannes
Danielian (48 kg), Gabriel Tolmazian (54 kg) from Yerevan and Samvel
Matevosian (69 kg) from Vanadzor snatched gold medals at an
international youth championship in Wrozlav, Poland. Edgar Manukian
(57 kg) came third.
Armenia’s combined team was the first in team fight overcoming
combined teams of England, France, Italy, Czech, Lithuania, Ukraine
and Poland. Samvel Matevosian was recognized the best boxer of the
championship.

National Post (Canada)
May 4, 2004 Tuesday Toronto Edition
A compulsion to create: For artists, the creative process can be
inspired by many things, but for those who obsessively separate their
M&Ms into colours or compulsively pop bubble wrap, a new exhibit
celebrates the results
by Helena Payne
BOSTON – A Boston artist has dedicated a museum exhibit to the type
of behaviour that causes some to separate their M&Ms into colours,
pop bubble wrap until there is no more plastic to crush and focus all
their attention on the most minute detail out of pure obsession.
The exhibit at the Boston Center for the Arts is called OCD — as in
obsessive compulsive disorder. Curator Matthew Nash said it’s not
about an illness but how the creative process can be driven by a
series of obsessions and compulsions.
“You should see my studio,” said Nash, who has shown his art in
Boston, Chicago, New York and Italy.
He is one of the people who separates his Skittles, M&Ms and Reese’s
Pieces into separate containers for each colour. He used the latter
two sugary goods to create his art for the OCD exhibit, which lasts
through May 9 and features artists from New York, Pennsylvania and
Virginia.
Using the Halloween-like colours in the candies, Nash made a grid
that forms the images of soldiers, planes and other war-related
pictures.
“The obsession of this is having bins and bins of M&Ms and hoping
when you’re done it looks like something,” Nash said.
Nancy Havlick has bins with objects separated by colour, but they’re
filled with sugar eggs. In an attempt to fuse her multicultural roots
— English and Armenian — with her American upbringing, she decided
to start her own tradition.
With the sugar eggs, Havlick creates “rugs.” Make no mistake, they
aren’t to walk on.
The eggs are coloured with a mixture of spices and foods often used
in Armenia, including mahleb, sumac, almonds, apricots, paprika and
rosebuds. She organizes them in decorative patterns on the floor.
“I’m deciding my own tradition. Rather than looking backwards, I’m
forging ahead,” Havlick said, laying one of the eggs in its position.
Havlick said she didn’t recognize her obsession with making sugar
eggs until she realized she has been doing it for a decade. But she
has also realized another fixation: carving out an identity from her
multiethnic past.
In her parents’ generation, Havlick said, it was much more common to
assimilate to the American culture rather than celebrate differences.
“My mother wasn’t cooking Armenian food. We were having hot dogs and
hamburgers,” she said.
The sugar eggs have become her own way of bridging the past to the
future and “to control the chaotic feelings” of life, she said.
Many of the exhibitors wanted their art to express something about
both the creation process and the result.
New York artist Jason Dean wanted to conquer bubble wrap after
working for an animation company where he did a lot of packing. So he
decided to make it an art project and see how much time it would take
for him to pop the largest roll of bubble wrap he could find.
That roll and other smaller ones are mounted on a wall of the exhibit
like paper towels above a kitchen sink. There is also a six-hour
video that features Dean’s “popping spree.”
“I kept thinking that they were a lot louder,” he said. “It just
sounded like fireworks and I kept thinking that someone is going to
question this odd sound.”
Joseph Trupia, another New York artist, used office supplies to make
drawings called What I can do in 40 hours and What I can do in eight
hours.
Another work in OCD shows 600 photographs of rear ends.
“It was kind of a silly thing to do at first and it became a document
of the process of looking,” said Boston artist Luke Walker of his
gluteus photography.
Norfolk, Va., artist Jennifer Schmidt became fascinated with the
repetition of filling in ovals on test score sheets.
“The idea of the artwork showing evidence of repeated activity is
something we see in a lot of different forms,” said Martha Buskirk, a
fellow at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in
Williamstown, Mass., and author of The Contingent Object of
Contemporary Art.
The clinical disorder is even more consuming, said Diane Davey, a
registered nurse and program director of the OCD Institute at McLean
Hospital in Belmont.
“Obsessive compulsive disorder is really defined as someone who has
unwanted or disturbing intrusive thoughts and who engages in a set of
behaviours that are meant to sort of neutralize the thought and help
them to feel less anxious,” Davey said.
Davey said an exhibit like OCD might help someone to question his or
her own behaviour and seek help if necessary.
GRAPHIC: Color Photo: Chitose Suzuki, The Associated Press; Matthew
Nash stands in front of his artwork, Children’s War, at the Boston
Center for the Arts. Nash is the curator of an exhibition by artists
with obsessive compulsive disorder.; Color Photo: Chitose Suzuki, The
Associated Press; Nancy Havlick installs her sugar egg rug as part of
the OCD exhibit.