CIS FORCES STAGE DRILL AT NUCLEAR PLANT SECURITY IN ARMENIA
People’s Daily Online, China
Sept 27 2006
Security forces from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
started an exercise on Tuesday in Armenia which focused on ensuring
the security of nuclear power plants.
The drill, code-named Atom Anti-Terror 2006, aimed “to reveal and
destroy sabotage groups that infiltrated the territory of Armenia and
seized a nuclear power plant in the city of Metsamor,” Boris Mylnikov,
chief of the CIS Antiterrorist Center, was quoted as saying by the
Itar-Tass news agency.
The exercise is being conducted at the Armyanskaya nuclear power
plant and runs through Friday.
Forces from the Armenian National Security Service and Russian Federal
Security Service’s special task center will act as “terrorists”
secretly moving in Armenia with plans to seize the Armyanskaya plant,
Mylnikov said.
When the “terrorists” were spotted, an Armenian motorized infantry
battalion and special forces would join hands to free the “seized”
nuclear power plant, he said.

TURKISH GENERAL INSISTS ARMY HAS ROLE IN POLITICS
Ian Traynor
The Guardian, UK
Sept 27 2006
A leading Turkish general issued a stinging attack on the centre-right
government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan by warning that the danger of
Islamism in the country was reaching “alarming” levels.
Defying EU demands for the military to keep out of politics, General
Ilker Basbug, chief of land forces, warned the Erdogan government that
the top brass still saw itself as the ultimate arbiter of Turkey’s
secularist constitution.
“The Turkish armed forces have always taken sides and will continue
to do so in protecting the national state, the unitary state and the
secular state,” he told a ceremony for cadets at a military academy
in Ankara. Islamists were “patiently and systematically” seeking to
erode the secularist order.
The robust defence of the military’s role in Turkish politics is
certain to affect an EU assessment of Turkey’s bid to eventually join
the EU.
The European commission is to issue a report card on Turkey in
November, delayed from next month, and is concerned about curbs on
freedom of expression, persecution of the large Kurdish minority
and the military’s interference in democratic politics, as well as
Turkey’s dispute with the EU members Greece and Cyprus over trade.
Other incidents yesterday showed Turkey ignoring EU criticism,
suggesting a rise in hostility ahead of elections next year.
Prosecutors filed new charges against the Turkish Armenian editor Hrant
Dink for “denigrating Turkishness”, an article in the penal code used
to muzzle writers and journalists and which Brussels wants scrapped.
In the largest Kurdish city in Turkey, Diyarbakir, the state put 56
Kurdish mayors on trial for appealing to Denmark to allow a Kurdish
exile television station to keep broadcasting.

INTER RAO UES BECOMES OWNER OF ARMENIAN ELECTRIC POWER GRID
Itar-Tass News Agency, Russia
Sept 26 2006
YEREVAN, September 26 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s Inter RAO UES has come
to stay in Armenia, a country of economic growth, Chairman of the
Board of Directors Andrei Rappoport said on Tuesday.
The company has become the owner of the Armenian electric power grid,
which regulates the national distribution and selling of electricity.
Some 36,000 kilometers of power lines make deliveries to over 913,000
clients. The company is one of the largest taxpayers in Armenia.
“Inter RAO UES has made enough investments to feel comfortable,”
he said. Apart from the renovation of power lines and equipment, the
company will draft a program of future investments and a development
strategy.
Being the owner of a large part of the Armenian energy system, Inter
RAO UES will guarantee the stable deliveries of electric power,
he said.
“The skills and experience of Inter RAO UES in Russia and CIS countries
will upgrade the energy security of the republic,” Armenian Deputy
Energy Minister Iosif Isayan said.
Inter RAO UES acquired the entire stock of the Armenian Electric
Power Grids from the British-based Midland Resources Holding for $73
million. The Britons were in control of the Armenian company for the
past four years. The collection of electricity payments increased
to 99.4%, while electricity losses reduced from 21 to 16.1% over
that period.
The Unified Energy System of Russia (UES) owns 60% of electricity
facilities in Armenia, including the Sevan-Razdan cascade of hydropower
plants, company general director Yevgeny Dod told Itar-Tass. The
board of directors has approved the investment of $20 million in the
Armenian electric power grids.
The Russian company also manages finances of the Armenian nuclear
power plant. The power plant has overcome a crisis and become profit
making with the Russian company’s help, Dod said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

POPE’S VISIT TO TURKEY: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY?
Zenit News Agency, Italy
Sept 26 2006
Interview With Bishop L. Padovese, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia
ROME, SEPT. 26, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The apostolic vicar of Anatolia
believes that Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey in November might be a
unique occasion to give a clear address on relations between Islam
and Christianity.
In this interview with ZENIT last Friday, Bishop Luigi Padovese, 59,
an assiduous scholar of the Church in Turkey, sketched a picture of
the state of that country, destination of the Pope’s fifth apostolic
trip abroad.
As apostolic vicar of Anatolia, he has been threatened and, four
months ago, a motorcyclist tried to run over him. He now has a police
escort when he goes out, which the Italian ambassador requested from
the governor of Antioch.
The bishop’s region of Anatolia is where an Italian missionary,
Father Andrea Santoro, was slain last February.
Q: What is the situation in Turkey?
Bishop Padovese: Turkey presents a composite picture, where the
presence of nationalist groups and the growing phenomenon of
Islamization, triggered by an economic situation that has been
degenerating, has fueled a closed attitude both in regard to
Christianity as well as to Europe.
We might think that in Turkey everyone is in favor of [the country’s]
entry into Europe, but instead, I am beginning to see that it isn’t
like that.
There are Muslim groups that believe that Turkey’s rapprochement to
Europe might make it lose its Muslim identity. In Turkey today, to be
a good Turk means to be a good Muslim. For such people, Turkey’s entry
into Europe might mean to be a good Turk but no longer a good Muslim.
Q: Do you think Muslims fear modernity?
Bishop Padovese: They use the instruments of modernity, but fear
losing their national identity, fruit of the work of conquest of
[Kemal] Ataturk [the first president of Turkey].
In my opinion, Turkish democracy, deep down, does not accept other
voices: It is democratic but in unison. This is explains why, all told,
minorities are hard-pressed to be accepted and recognized.
Q: And what is the situation with the Orthodox?
Bishop Padovese: The relationship with the Orthodox is quite good
because we are experiencing the same problems.
There is a certain accord linked to common problems, though I must
say that in regard to the Pope’s visit, the Ecumenical and Armenian
patriarchates have taken a stance that seems almost like a distancing
— an action justified for reasons of prudence, because in Turkey
there is no inclination to subtleties and no distinction is made
between Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. Seen from outside, it
looks like a desire to wash one’s hands; seen from within, it is a
way of shielding the community from dangers and threats.
Q: What can be said about the Catholic community in Turkey?
Bishop Padovese: The Catholic presence is very limited and concentrated
in great centers: Istanbul, Smyrna, Mersin and Ankara, especially
among diplomats. There are parishes here and there, but frequented
by a few hundred faithful.
There is a Latin, Armenian-Catholic, Chaldean-Catholic and
Syro-Catholic Christianity. They belong to the Tradition and the
expressions of the different rights are kept, though in numerical
terms they are few.
Q: How do you assess the Holy Father’s forthcoming visit?
Bishop Padovese: The Holy Father’s visit is delicate — not problematic
due to questions of an ecumenical character, because from this point
of view an accord has already been reached. Moreover, there will be a
joint declaration by the Bishop of Rome and the patriarch of Istanbul.
The more complex questions regard the relationship between Christianity
and Islam, and what the Pontiff thinks of Turkey’s eventual entry into
Europe. Turkish media criticized the then Cardinal Ratzinger because,
according to them he is not in favor of Turkey’s entry into Europe.
Q: What do you think of the reactions to the lesson Benedict XVI gave
at the University of Regensburg?
Bishop Padovese: I fear that some in Turkey might wish to organize
a protest in view of the Pope’s arrival. For the fundamentalists it
is a very tempting occasion.
I read a statement of the person in charge of Turkish religious
affairs, who specified that Turkey will receive the Pontiff but as
a head of state, which means that the figure of the religious leader
fades into the background.
There are those who would prefer that the Pontiff not go to Turkey;
however, it is no longer an issue of opening a window to the Muslim
world but a balcony, to deliver a clear address on relations between
Islam and Christianity.
I am convinced that what was a problem might become an unrepeatable
occasion, a unique opportunity, because all the media of the Arab
countries will focus on what the Pope says. Some won’t be happy,
but at least they will refer to what the Holy Father affirms.
Q: In what way can the Western Christian community help the small
Turkish flock?
Bishop Padovese: We are a reality without a voice. The problem, which
the Pontiff also expressed on the occasion of Father Santoro’s death,
is that we are in Turkey without means of social communication.
Protestants have a TV channel and two or three radio stations. We
have nothing. This means that we cannot take a position and are even
unable to rectify anything falsely written or said against us. To
make rectifications I have had to contract a lawyer full time. I have
requested rectifications from two newspapers and they have done so, and
another, to avoid prosecution, will meet with me to present excuses.
Q: How is dialogue with Islam progressing?
Bishop Padovese: The situation is complicated because Islam has an
idea of reality that is all-encompassing and absorbing. And the
absolutism that Muslims advocate does not allow for any form of
dialogue or compromise.
There is a relationship with some people of the Muslim world. The
greatest problem is linked to the difficulty of different levels of
cultural and theological preparation. There are Islamic schools of
theology, but I have the impression that they are not at the level
of our own; we do not meet on the same plane.
The fact is that Islam does not allow exegesis of the Koran, while
Christianity allows exegesis of sacred Scripture.
So it happens that there is no true dialogue, only mutual knowledge.
A gathering of information from one side and the other, what we do
and what they do, but this isn’t genuine dialogue.
There is dialogue and cooperation in charitable and social works, but
when it comes to theological questions, then we are very far behind.
We have organized congresses on the images of Jesus and Mary in Islam,
but there were few Muslim participants — only people of a certain
cultural formation. Those imams with little theological preparation
did not participate. This is one of the big problems.
There is very little theological activity in Islam, which differs
according to the different schools. The difference is that we
Christians have a guiding magisterium; [Muslims], instead, don’t have
it and it is individual theologians who decide.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY PASSES EU-BACKED LAW ON MINORITY SCHOOLS, BUT REMOVES KEY PASSAGE ALLOWING FOREIGNERS TO ATTEND
International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Sept 26 2006
ISTANBUL, Turkey Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday passed an EU-backed
reform bill broadening opportunities for minority schools, but removed
a key passage that would have allowed foreign students to attend,
a move likely to be seen as another setback in Turkey’s progress
toward EU membership.
The deletion ended a heated debate for the moment about whether
allowing foreign students to attend minority schools in Turkey could
lead to the reopening of a Greek Orthodox theology school shut down
35 years ago.
Turkey has been resisting pressure from the EU to reopen the Halki
Theological School on Heybeliada Island near Istanbul, which was
closed to new students in 1971 under a law that put religious and
military training under state control.
The seminary trained generations of Greek Orthodox leaders including
the current Patriarch Bartholomew I, a divisive figure in Turkey, which
does not recognize his international role and rejects his use of the
title “ecumenical,” or universal, arguing instead that the patriarch is
merely the spiritual leader of Istanbul’s dwindling Orthodox community.
The seminary remained open until 1985, when the last five students
graduated.
The passage of the altered bill will likely be seen as another setback
in Turkey’s progress toward EU membership. European officials have
made wide-reaching reforms to improve minority rights in Turkey a
prerequisite if this predominantly Muslim country is ever to join an
expanded EU.
Turkey’s reluctance to concede to demands that it reopen the seminary
stems from a deep mistrust many here feel toward the patriarchate
because of its traditional ties with Greece, Turkey’s historical
regional rival.
The refusal to recognize Bartholomew’s international stature, likewise,
is part of a desire to contain his influence to Istanbul instead
of attributing to him the role of spiritual leader of hundreds of
millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Ultra-nationalist lawyers say they have gained millions of signatures
in Turkey demanding that the patriarch be moved to Greece.
The head of Turkey’s parliamentary commission on education, Tayyar
Altikulac, said the wording of the adopted bill meant the seminary
would remain closed unless the government decided to amend the
constitution to reopen it.
“This bill has nothing to do with the theological seminary. The opening
of the theological seminary is a constitutional matter,” he said.
The adopted bill defines minority schools as “pre-schools, elementary
and secondary schools founded by Greek, Armenian and Jewish minorities”
and specifies that they must be attended by “students originating
from the Turkish Republic.”
The deleted wording had included “foreign students who belong to
these minorities.”
After the theological seminary closed, the Patriarchate tried to
train future leaders of the church by sending them to theological
schools abroad after they finished high school in Turkey. But most
never returned, something church officials complain starves them of
possible new leaders.
Under a 1923 treaty with Greece, the ecumenical patriarch must be a
Turkish citizen. That was the condition set by Turkey for allowing
the Patriarchate to remain in Istanbul.
The patriarchate in Istanbul dates from the 1,100-year-old Orthodox
Greek Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when Muslim Ottoman Turks
conquered Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, in 1453.
In a related development, parliament’s justice commission on Tuesday
was also debating wording of a separate draft law aimed at returning
properties of religious minority foundations confiscated by the state
since 1974.
The planned amendments would allow the foundations to acquire and
register properties that have been donated to them, but it was not
clear if they would allow the groups to reclaim property that has
since been sold to other people.
Although the proposed amendments are hailed as a breakthrough, they
still fall short of expectations of minorities since they do not cover
the issue of some other confiscated properties, such as cemeteries
or properties owned by minority schools which are not foundations,
Murat Cano, a lawyer and an expert on minority rights, told private
Haber Turk television channel on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Islamic-rooted government
on Tuesday insisted that steps be taken by Greece in granting more
“rights to Muslims living in Greece” before Turkey would take any
further steps.
Members of Turkey’s small Armenian and Greek minorities criticized
the government’s stance, saying they were being treated as “hostages”
and not “citizens,” Haber Turk reported.
ISTANBUL, Turkey Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday passed an EU-backed
reform bill broadening opportunities for minority schools, but removed
a key passage that would have allowed foreign students to attend,
a move likely to be seen as another setback in Turkey’s progress
toward EU membership.
The deletion ended a heated debate for the moment about whether
allowing foreign students to attend minority schools in Turkey could
lead to the reopening of a Greek Orthodox theology school shut down
35 years ago.
Turkey has been resisting pressure from the EU to reopen the Halki
Theological School on Heybeliada Island near Istanbul, which was
closed to new students in 1971 under a law that put religious and
military training under state control.
The seminary trained generations of Greek Orthodox leaders including
the current Patriarch Bartholomew I, a divisive figure in Turkey, which
does not recognize his international role and rejects his use of the
title “ecumenical,” or universal, arguing instead that the patriarch is
merely the spiritual leader of Istanbul’s dwindling Orthodox community.
The seminary remained open until 1985, when the last five students
graduated.
The passage of the altered bill will likely be seen as another setback
in Turkey’s progress toward EU membership. European officials have
made wide-reaching reforms to improve minority rights in Turkey a
prerequisite if this predominantly Muslim country is ever to join an
expanded EU.
Turkey’s reluctance to concede to demands that it reopen the seminary
stems from a deep mistrust many here feel toward the patriarchate
because of its traditional ties with Greece, Turkey’s historical
regional rival.
The refusal to recognize Bartholomew’s international stature, likewise,
is part of a desire to contain his influence to Istanbul instead
of attributing to him the role of spiritual leader of hundreds of
millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Ultra-nationalist lawyers say they have gained millions of signatures
in Turkey demanding that the patriarch be moved to Greece.
The head of Turkey’s parliamentary commission on education, Tayyar
Altikulac, said the wording of the adopted bill meant the seminary
would remain closed unless the government decided to amend the
constitution to reopen it.
“This bill has nothing to do with the theological seminary. The opening
of the theological seminary is a constitutional matter,” he said.
The adopted bill defines minority schools as “pre-schools, elementary
and secondary schools founded by Greek, Armenian and Jewish minorities”
and specifies that they must be attended by “students originating
from the Turkish Republic.”
The deleted wording had included “foreign students who belong to
these minorities.”
After the theological seminary closed, the Patriarchate tried to
train future leaders of the church by sending them to theological
schools abroad after they finished high school in Turkey. But most
never returned, something church officials complain starves them of
possible new leaders.
Under a 1923 treaty with Greece, the ecumenical patriarch must be a
Turkish citizen. That was the condition set by Turkey for allowing
the Patriarchate to remain in Istanbul.
The patriarchate in Istanbul dates from the 1,100-year-old Orthodox
Greek Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when Muslim Ottoman Turks
conquered Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, in 1453.
In a related development, parliament’s justice commission on Tuesday
was also debating wording of a separate draft law aimed at returning
properties of religious minority foundations confiscated by the state
since 1974.
The planned amendments would allow the foundations to acquire and
register properties that have been donated to them, but it was not
clear if they would allow the groups to reclaim property that has
since been sold to other people.
Although the proposed amendments are hailed as a breakthrough, they
still fall short of expectations of minorities since they do not cover
the issue of some other confiscated properties, such as cemeteries
or properties owned by minority schools which are not foundations,
Murat Cano, a lawyer and an expert on minority rights, told private
Haber Turk television channel on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Islamic-rooted government
on Tuesday insisted that steps be taken by Greece in granting more
“rights to Muslims living in Greece” before Turkey would take any
further steps.
Members of Turkey’s small Armenian and Greek minorities criticized
the government’s stance, saying they were being treated as “hostages”
and not “citizens,” Haber Turk reported.

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN EXCHANGE ACCUSATIONS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH DURING UN DEBATE
UN News Centre
Sept 26 2006
Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other during addresses to the
United Nations General Assembly of not being interested in achieving
a lasting peace settlement in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Elmar Mammadyarov, Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, told the Assembly
yesterday that a recent joint environmental operation between the
two countries to tackle major fires inside Nagorno-Karabakh has been
“the only positive development so far.”
“The occupying forces have to withdraw from the occupied territories
and necessary conditions have to be in place to allow secure
and dignified return of the Azerbaijani displaced persons to the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding territories of Azerbaijan,”
he said.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s status can only be defined “through peaceful,
democratic and legal process with direct participation and consent
of both Azerbaijani and Armenian communities,” he said, adding
that the region’s economic development must be strengthened and its
inter-communal relations enhanced.
But “it is difficult to hope for a breakthrough in the negotiations
when Armenia rejects face-to-face meetings and refuses to take a
constructive approach to solve existing problems.”
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said yesterday that “the
people of Nagorno-Karabakh chose long ago not to be represented by the
Government of Azerbaijan. They were the victims of state violence, they
defended themselves, and succeeded against great odds, only to hear
the State cry foul and claim sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Mr. Oskanian said that last December Azerbaijan destroyed or removed
thousands of hand-sculpted mediaeval Armenian tombstones.
“Such destruction, in an area with no Armenians, at a distance from
Nagorno-Karabakh and any conflict areas, is a callous demonstration
that Azerbaijan’s attitude towards tolerance, human values, cultural
treasures, cooperation or even peace, has not changed.”
He added that “one cannot blame us for thinking that Azerbaijan is
not ready or interested in a negotiated peace.”

OSCE OFFICE FACILITATES DISCUSSION ON MEDIA SELF-REGULATION IN ARMENIA
Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

Sept 26 2006
YEREVAN, 25 September 2006 – Media accountability and best practices
regarding self-regulation mechanisms, particularly for public
broadcasters, were discussed at a meeting that took place in Yerevan
over the weekend.
It brought together journalists and managers of the Public TV and Radio
Company of Armenia (PTRC) and other Armenian media, representatives
of international and non-governmental organizations.
They discussed the possibility of introducing an internal
ombudsperson’s institution for the public broadcaster, professional
ethics and the need to develop a professional Code of Conduct in
the PTRC.
“Journalistic ethics and self-regulation play a significant role
in the development of a professional, independent and accountable
media,” said Blanka Hancilova, Democratization Programme Officer at
the OSCE Office in Yerevan. “We hope that this meeting helped to
identify mechanisms for institutionalizing media self-regulation,
which will enhance compliance with professional ethics.”
Boris Navasardian, President of the Yerevan Press Club, added: “Media
self-regulation in Armenia will not only raise accountability of the
different news outlets, but will also strengthen their independence.”
The two-day event, “Introduction of self-regulatory mechanisms in
Armenian media,” was organized by the OSCE Office, the Yerevan Press
Club, PTRC, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization’s Office in Moscow.
Jeffrey Dvorkin, the first ombudsman of the U.S. National Public Radio
and executive director of the Committee of Concerned Journalists,
and Ian Mayes, president of the international Organization of News
Ombudsmen and the Guardian newspaper ombudsman shared their experience.

AMERIA COMPANY ANALYZES LEGISLATION IN AREA OF ARMENIA’S STANDARDIZATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2006
YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. Ameria is a group of professional
services companies registered in Armenia with the objective to provide
a comprehensive package of professional advisory and assurance
services. Ameria specializes in four major areas of professional
activities: management advisory services; assurance and advisory
services; legal advisory services; investment banking.
Established in 1998, the company has become a leader in the Armenian
market of advisory services bringing an international reach and local
touch to complex issues rising in more than 30 industry sectors.
In the scope of the Public Sector Modernization Programme Ameria CJSC
is contracted by the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development
to analyze the RA legislation in the area of standardization and to
develop a strategy of the adoption of national standards and a state
plan 2007.
After joining the World Trade Organization the importance of
standardization and compliance assessment functions has been even more
emphasized. In the scope of the Programme Ameria carries out a detailed
study of the technical legislation of the RA standardization and
compliance assessment based on the directives of the New European and
Global Approaches and the results of their application in Armenia;
develops the Strategy and Action Plan of compliance of the RA
standardization system with the international and European systems,
as well as the State Plan 2007 of national standards adoption. Ameria
Consultants are also involved in the rationalization of the present
standardization system. The Programme also provides trainings for the
government bodies. The Programme will finish in April 2007.

ARMENIA MUST CONTINUE REFORMS TO REDUCE POVERTY
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2006
YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. Armenia intends to continue reforms
to reduce poverty in the country, RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
stated at the 61st UN General Assembly in New York, USA.
According to him, like other countries, Armenia has the tasks of
reducing poverty and overcoming despair, which remain the saddest
and dangerous challenges to the world.
Oskanyan stated that large-scale reforms in Armenia inspire hopes.
They are irreversible and are producing appreciable results.
According to the Minister, the country will continue reforms to seal
the success achieved over the last 15 years – progress in legislative
and administrative spheres, open and liberal economy and two-digit
economic growth.
Minister Oskanyan said that inspired by this year’s progress, Armenia
decided to implement a consistent policy of poverty reduction in its
rural areas.
He pointed out that to achieve these goals Armenia will apply to
international organizations and friendly governments and, along
with the Armenian Diaspora’s traditional generosity, will start the
construction and restoration of infrastructures, which are of vital
importance for the facilitation of economic development.
The program of poverty reduction in Armenia’s rural areas is an
all-important component of the Strategic Program of Poverty Reduction,
which is the principal component of the Armenian Government’s
activities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AWARDS “KILIKIA” CREW
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2006
YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
awarded medals to the crew of the “Kilikia” sailer, which is back
to Armenia from its voyage according to the sea route of Armenian
merchants of the 13th century.
The RA presidential press service reports that President Kocharyan
thanked the crew members for excellent realization of a daring idea
of a three-year sea voyage.
In their turn, the “Kilikia” crew members handed over to the President
the three-color flag that was flying at the mast of the sailer. The
President also received a souvenir, a model of the sailer.
The “Kilikia” crew members informed the President of their voyage,
telling about the hospitality of the Armenian Diaspora and about the
interest shown in Armenia in foreign countries.
President Kocharyan and the “Kilikia” crew discussed the issue of
the last haven for the sailer.
On September 23, 2006, the RA President issued decrees awarding Medals
for Services to Fatherland, First Class, to the Commissioner of the
expedition Zory Balayan, Captain Karen Balayan and Advisor-Captain
Samvel Karapetyan.
Medals for Courage were awarded to the operator-sailor Samvel Balayan,
Assistant Captain Areg Nazaryan, shift supervisors Hayk Badalyan and
Armen Nazaryan, and to the cook Samvel Sargsyan.
In 2004-2006, the “Kilikia” sailer, which was constructed according
to the pattern of Armenian sailers of the Middle Ages, for the first
time made a voyage according to the route of Armenian merchants,
who maintained close trade ties with European market towns in the
13th century.
During two years, the sailer visited 64 ports in 26 European and
Mediterranean countries. The “Kilikia” sailer was constructed with
the use of materials used in the 13th century. The builders, “Hayas”
club of sea research, spent 11 years on the construction (May 1991
to May 2001). During the following two years the sailer was tested
on Lake Sevan. “Kilikia” is currently in Yerevan, and later it will
be delivered to Sevan and remodeled into a museum.
The sailer was named after a legendary Armenian kingdom of Kilikia
on the Mediterranean coat. The kingdom existed for 400 centuries.