AZG Armenian Daily #221, 18/11/2006
Meeting
RA PRESIDENT: SETTLEMENT OF CONFLICTS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS
PRECONDITION FOR ESTABLISHING DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION
Armenia imparts great importance to the regional cooperation,
RA President Robert Kocharian said in his yesterday’s speech in
Bertelsmann Fund in Berlin.
“We believe that the resolution of conflicts itself should not
be considered as a precondition for establishing dialogue and
cooperation. Moreover, the regional cooperation should be considered
as a great trust-building measure, aimed at resolving existing
disagreements. It is obvious, that unsettled conflicts hinder the
process of natural development of the South Caucasus. That is why
we are determined to achieve the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs work hard to bring
closer our positions. Unfortunately, despite active negotiations
underway, there is little room for optimism. Our principle position
is that the people of Karabakh have implemented their right for
self-determination. It has been done in full accordance with the
international law. Many currently independent states came into
existence after former empires perished. Independence of Nagorno
Karabakh was attained during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Moreover, it was the time of the end of the grand ideological
contradictions. Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of independent
Azerbaijan. Through a successful construction of its statehood Nagorno
Karabagh Republic has proved its right for existence. It regularly
conducts democratic presidential and parliamentary elections. We
witness the development of the civil society. A generation has
already grown up, which considers itself to be the safeguard of that
statehood. We do not recall any case of a nation willingly putting it
down independence it has been enjoying for over 15 years. No one has
intention to do it in case of Karabakh. We speak about irreversible
changes that took place in the people’s mentality,” R. Kocharian
said. “In the course of many years Armenia has been consistently
shaping its foreign policy, based on the concept of advantaging
from overlap of interests rather than exploitation of disagreements
existing in our region,” RA President Robert Kocharian said. “This
has allowed us to combine perfect relations with Russia, EU, United
States, and Iran. It is also an important part of transformation of
our country and society. For decades, living in the Soviet Union,
we were trained to watch the world as black and white, representing
enemies and friends. The policy of complementarity also applies to our
security model. Armenia is an active member of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization, and at the same time has done a substantial
progress on its cooperation with NATO. The Individual Partnership
Action Plan has been approved, setting the framework for a long-term
institutional cooperation,” he said. Besdies, he added that Armenia has
to keep on developing the sector of financial services. RA President
emphasized that Armenia has a good potential for shaping effective
banking system, which is being continuously improved. “Although we
see a considerable growth of foreign investments in Armenia, we know
there is still much to do in the near future”, R. Kocharyan said,
having expressed gratitude for the technical assistance and direct
participation of Germany in this sphere of Armenia. “The Program of
technical assistance and financial cooperation, being carried out
together with KFW and GTZ, contributes greatly in this direction”,
RA President said.
Moreover, R. Kocharyan noted that Armenia’s membership to the World
Trade Organization in 2003 contributed to the country’s integration
into the world economy and made the relations with partners more
predictable. In the recent joint investigation of Wall Street Journal
and Heritage Foundation, Armenia has taken the 27th place in the world
by the index of economy openness. “Efficiency of reforms reflects in
digits. The annual GDP growth within the last 6 years has totaled to
12,2%. The volume of foreign investments in 2005 has amounted to $500
mln”, R. Kocharyan said. He stated that the achieved progress allows
the RA Government to start solving the social problems, set before
the society. “I would like to especially mention the Program for
overcoming the poverty, having been developed in close cooperation
of the Government with international financial organizations and
Armenia’s civil society. This experience is used by the World Bank as
an example for the development of such programs in other countries”,
the President said. The processes developing in Armenia since the
proclamation of its independence can be characterized as economic,
social and political reforms, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
said. He added that no single sphere has been left unreformed after the
collapse of the USSR and Armenia’s transition to democracy and market
economy. Armenia has reformed its institutions, revised its policy,
restructured its economy. This processes were hindered by an imposed
war, severe power crisis and continuing blockade, but the Armenian
authorities responded by mobilization of resources, more active
reforms and more effective administration, Kocharyan underscored.

PRESS RELEASE
MISSION EAST – Values in Action
Saryan 6, apt. 4
Yerevan, 375002, Armenia
Tel.:(374 10) 52.15.34, 566718
Email: [email protected]
Contact: Raffi Doudaklian
November 17, 2006
For Immediate Release
Mission East Welcomes New Country Director to Armenia
Armenia – Mission East hosted a reception on November 16, 2006, in
honor of Dr. Kim Hartzner, new Country Director of its Armenia office.
More than 120 guests from local and international organizations
attended the event to welcome the new Director and get acquainted
with Mission East.
Hartzner, the organization’s Managing Director in Denmark, recently
moved to Armenia with his wife and three sons for a year, to lead
the local office’s programs.
Kim Hartzner is a medical doctor who co-founded Mission East with
his father in 1991. Since 1999, he has served as Managing Director,
overseeing the organization’s country programs, which have since
expanded to include other countries of Eastern Europe and Asia.
“You don’t know what is happening in a country until you live there
for a long time. By living here, you have the ability to understand
the problems on all levels,” Hartzner said.
Mission East, a Danish international relief and development
organization, has been active in Armenia since 1992, when it
established a hospital. It subsequently provided relief aid,
distributing thousands of tons of food to poor communities in the
Syunik region and beyond during some of the country’s most difficult
years. In 1998, Mission East began to focus on children’s institutions,
with the purpose of improving education for children with learning
difficulties.
“Thanks to Mission East and its local partner organization Bridge of
Hope, we have systematically and consistently been able to provide
equal opportunities for children with learning difficulties, both
to raise the level of their education and facilitate access to the
educational system,” stated Bagrat Yessayan, Deputy Minister of
Education and Science. He praised Mission East for the work done
in the special education sector, specifically the leading role that
Mission East and its partner organizations played in the adoption of
the Special Education Law and the national special education curricula.
Recently, Mission East also initiated a health project to promote
the rights of disabled children in Armenia, seeking to help change
social attitudes and healthcare practices.
For further information on Mission East and its programs, please
contact us at the coordinates below.
For additional information, please visit our website at
Mission East is a Danish international relief and development
organization that works to help the vulnerable through humanitarian
relief aid and development assistance, as well as support for
increasing the capacity of communities to organize and assist
themselves.

STRENGTHENING THE “EASTERN VECTOR”: ANKARA HOSTS TURKIC SUMMIT
By Igor Torbakov
Friday, November 17, 2006
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Nov 17 2006
Leaders of Turkic nations are meeting today, November 17, in
Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya. This first summit of
Turkish-speaking peoples in five years appears to reflect Ankara’s
ongoing rethinking about its international identity. Increasingly
frustrated with the mounting hurdles on the path of its European
integration, Turkey seems to be turning its strategic gaze to the
east – the Caspian Basin and Central Asia – which is home to the
energy-rich Turkic republics of the former Soviet Union.
The presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
high-level representatives from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be
attending the Antalya gathering. It was unclear whether the Russian
republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan will be represented.
The November 17-18 event is the eighth meeting of Turkic leaders since
the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The last such summit, however,
took place in Istanbul in 2001. The gatherings of the leaders of Turkic
countries are the brainchild of the late Turkish President Turgut Ozal,
who organized the first such meeting in 1992 in Ankara. The current
summit convened after intense lobbying by the Turkish government
following the September convention of the Turkish-speaking peoples
(see EDM, September 22).
A statement posted on Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s website says
the summit participants will sign a joint document called the Antalya
Declaration. There was no official word ahead of the gathering on
the nature of the document. Some analysts predict that the Turkish
government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will continue
its efforts to forge a Turkic Commonwealth that could significantly
enhance the Turkey-led Eurasian bloc on the world stage.
It is hard not to notice that Ankara’s Turkic initiative coincides
with Turkish opinion polls showing diminishing popular support for
European Union membership. According to a recent poll by the Pew
Research Center, Turkish support for the EU has fallen to 35%, down
from almost 80% three years ago.
Two important developments further underscore the Turks’
disillusionment with the West and their growing irritation at the
perceived snub by the Europeans.
First, five former Turkish foreign ministers, including several
staunchly pro-EU ones, have recently aired a common view on the
country’s NTV news channel, arguing that it could be best if Ankara
unilaterally suspends membership talks with the bloc to allow for
a cooling-off period in what is becoming an increasingly tense and
acrimonious relationship. “There can be no better indication of the
growing frustration with the EU and no better explanation for the
dramatic decline in support for [Turkey’s] membership in the Union,”
one Turkish commentator noted.
Second, Turkey has just suspended military relations with France in a
dispute over the controversial issue of the mass killings of Armenians
during the twilight of the Ottoman era. The move was the latest
backlash against French legislation that, if approved by the French
Senate and president, would criminalize any denial that the World War
I-era killings of Armenians in Turkey qualified as genocide. France
and Turkey, both NATO members, have had close military ties, and
Turkey has been an eager buyer of French-made military hardware. But
on November 15, Turkey’s land forces commander, General Ilker Basbug,
told reporters in Ankara that “relations with France in the military
field have been suspended.”
As Ankara’s relations with the EU become ever more problematic, a
growing number of Turkish pundits argue that Turkey needs to expand
its strategic thinking and get rid of the “unhealthy fixation”
on Europe. The contemporary world is not unipolar or centralized,
they say, adding that a group of Eurasian countries including Turkey,
China, India, as well as some Central Asian states has a “much more
viable future in the developmental terms used by economists than do
many countries in the EU today.”
The urgent task, then, according to some Turkish strategists, is to
explore the possibilities for regional integration and cooperation
among the Eurasian countries. “The need for cooperation among us and
other regional powers is obvious,” asserts Ali Kulebi, the head of
Turkey’s National Security Strategies Research Center, in a recent
policy paper.
But other analysts remain skeptical about Ankara’s eventual success
with Eurasian integration, including its efforts at building a bloc
based on a kinship with Central Asia’s Turkic peoples. There are two
main reasons for such skepticism. First, the Central Asian states
will likely be wary of Ankara’s intention to play the role of “big
brother” in the prospective commonwealth. Second, these countries
have not been terribly successful so far in resolving some crucial
regional problems – such as the delimitation of the Caspian Sea or
competition over water resources.
(Anadolu, Akipress, November 16; AP, November 15; Turkish Daily News,
November 16, 14, October 22)

The Alliance of Civilizations and the Pope’s Visit
By HUSEYIN GULERCE
11.17.2006 Friday – ISTANBUL 19:44
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 17 2006
The 4th High-level Group Meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations
held last Monday at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul also pointed out
the importance of the visit to our country 12 days from now by Pope
Benedictus XVI.
The Alliance of Civilizations initiative was begun by the efforts
of UN General Secretary Kofi Annan. Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero
and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan were named as co-chairmen of
the organization. The enterprise has a High Level Group. After the
September 11th terrorist attack in the US and the occupation of Iraq
by the Bush administration using Saddam as an excuse and the Lebanese
attacks in which Israeli massacres directed towards civilians once
again appeared on the agenda of world public opinion, hostility and
tension between the Western world and the Islamic world can only be
prevented by dialogue efforts among countries and country leaders.
We see that Turkey has become a very important country in respect
to both efforts. Turkey’s EU membership candidacy increases this
importance even more. With the reality of “Turkey as an EU member,” it
can be seen that the West hasn’t rejected Islam and doesn’t see it as
the “new enemy” and, therefore, that it is possible to have dialogue
and tolerance among members of different religions for the sake of
permanent peace. If not, it is inescapable that interpretations will
be strengthened to the effect that the Holy Crusades are continuing
with ways and means compatible with this era.
With the culture of tolerance that Turkey inherited from the Ottomans
and its republican experience that doesn’t clash democracy with Islam,
it has shown that it approves of coming together on universal human
values and of integrating with the world, and that it can succeed in
“sharing” in mankind’s common march.
In spite of voices raised on the inside by those who want polarization,
but whose voices are not proportional to their strength, the Justice
and Development Party experience displayed today in administration
is accepted both by the society and the external world, and it is
hoped that this experiment will be successful. There not yet being
any alternative political party on the horizon according to public
opinion polls emphasizes that it is.
We see acceptance of dialogue and tolerance in society. Dialogue begun
by Fethullah Gulen, a leader of this view, 10 years ago with the
Phanariot Patriarch, Head Rabbi of the Jewish community in Turkey,
and the Armenian Patriarch and later expanded with Gulen’s visit to
Pope Paul VI at the Vatican was well-received by a large mass of the
population, in spite of the protests of certain circles and their
efforts to stir up muddy water. The dialogue dinners during Ramadan
that were initially criticized were later officially stood up for. And
these dinners are spreading today as meetings that build bridges of
peace throughout the world from America to Europe and from Australia
to Africa.
When dialogue and tolerance efforts that are continuing among
peoples both by means of administrations with UN initiatives and the
exertions of voluntary organizations are remembered, the visit to
Turkey by Pope Benedictus XVI from November 28th-December 1st looks
like a milestone. Prime Minister Erdogan’s attending the NATO summit
on November 28-29 should not prevent him from seeing the Pope and
taking advantage of this opportunity. The Pope will be in Istanbul
on November 30th. There is still a possibility for this meeting to
take place. Criticized for his words directed towards out Prophet, the
Pope’s finding an opportunity for self-criticism and his doing this in
Turkey would be meaningful world-wide. An Erdogan-Pope meeting would
be an essential answer to domestic and foreign EU opponents allied
to prevent Turkey’s EU membership. There are important historical
moments that separate statesmen from politicians. The Pope’s visit
to Turkey presents Erdogan with such an opportunity…

Trial on Ramil Safarov starts in Budapest
[ 17 Nov. 2006 17:43 ]
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 17 2006
The trial on the case of Ramil Safarov, sentenced to life imprisonment
for the murder of Armenian Army officer Gurgen Margaryan, for the
claim raised by jailers has started today in Budapesht.
Azeri embassy in Hungary told APA that the officers of the Embassy
will participate in the court. Hungarian lawyer Clara Fisher will
defend his rights on the case.
While being kept in Hungarian prison in 2004, jailers wanted telephone
card from Ramil. But Ramil could not understand Hungarian which led
an incident between them. Eight police officers tied his hands and
used force. Though lawyers for the Azerbaijani lieutenant appealed to
court related to this matter, the court dismissed the appeal saying
there was no evidence. Then the opposite side claimed that Ramil
resisted officials. /APA/

More grounds to grant ex-Soviet regions independence than Kosovo – Kokoity
Interfax, Russia
Nov 17 2006
MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax) – The breakaway regions in three former
Soviet republics have better reasons to seek independence than Kosovo,
President of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity
said at Friday news conference at the Interfax central office in
Moscow.
“We have better political and legal reasons for recognition than
Kosovo,” he said, before accusing “the international community of a
policy of double standards toward all four republics.”
He was referring to South Ossetia, Abkhazia (both de jure part of
Georgia), Transdniestria (Moldova), and the Armenian-speaking enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan).

Zaman, Turkey
Nov 17 2006
France not Invited to 2007 Defense Industry Fair
By Cihan News Agency
Friday, November 17, 2006
zaman.com
France has not been officially invited for the 8th International
Defense Industry Fair 2007 (IDEF ’07), which will be held in Turkey.
Following a statement from the Turkish Land Forces commander saying
that military ties with France had been suspended, a second concrete
reaction to the French parliament’s passage of a controversial draft
bill on Armenian genocide claims came from the Turkish government.
France has not been officially invited for the fair, Turkish National
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told press members on Thursday at a
meeting for the introduction of IDEF’07, which is set to be held in
May 2007.
This move is seen as an apparent reaction to the French National
Assembly’s adoption of a draft bill making it a crime to deny that
Turks committed genocide against Armenians during World War I.
Gonul remarked that, however, an announcement was made for French
companies, adding that the participation of French companies in the
fair was something different.
French Military Attache Jean Claude Gea left the meeting immediately
after Gonul’s statement.
On Wednesday, Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug said
that Turkey had suspended military relations with France, adding that
currently “There are no high-level [military] visits between the two
countries,” he added.

Robert Kocharyan: Formula for Kosovo conflict settlement can be applied to Nagorno Karabakh
Azeri Press Agency, Azeraijan
Nov 17 2006
[ 17 Nov. 2006 16:58 ]
“An aspirant to the EU, Turkey should pursue a more positive policy
in the region.
We have many times proposed to establish diplomatic relations but
have not received a reply do far. We suppose that neighbor states
should build relationships without preconditions and moreover without
advancing the demand of a third state,” Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan said when addressing the Bertelsmann Fund in Berlin,
APA reports.
Touching on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Robert Kocharyan said that
Karabakh gained its independence after USSR collapse.
“The independence of Nagorno Karabakh was obtained after the collapse
of the Soviet Union. Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of
independent Azerbaijan. Successfully building its state system the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic has probed its right to existence. If Kosovo
conflict is solved, the elements of this formula can be applied to
the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” he claimed.
/APA/

27th Plenary Session of Interparliamentary Assembly of Commonwealth
of Independent States in Saint Petersburg
National Assembly, Armenia
Nov 17 2006
On November 16 the 17th plenary session of CIS IPA began its work in
Tavricheskiy Palace in Saint Petersburg. Mr. Sergey Mironov, Chairman
of IPA CIS Council delivered a welcoming speech and assured that the
cooperation has proved its efficiency in free trade, fight against
organized crimes, drug business and terrorism and in development of
different forms of humanitarian cooperation. He also noted, that the
main theme of the 27th plenary session is the 15th anniversary of CIS,
the results of interparliamentary cooperation and the perspectives.
For the first time the Speaker of the Parliament of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan Mr. Mohammad Yunus Qanooni was participating
in the IPA CIS session. From the name of PABSEC, Mr. Mustafa Bash
made a welcoming speech and wished success.
The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Mr.
Tigran Torosyan noted in his speech, that after the collapse of the
USSR the countries turned out to be in a difficult situation and were
forced to create new state and inter-state systems, economic relations,
develop democracy and resolve problems, each of those being a serious
complication for any country. The CIS has been useful in the resolution
of these problems and has helped to work efficiently in creating
legislation and solving the problems caused by the collapse of the
USSR. Now one can record that the CIS is a real operating organization,
which has great achievements. The Presidents of CIS countries work
on reforms of CIS, and necessarily the Interparliamentary Assembly
also has to work on these reforms because new time brings about new
problems. The IPA CIS has been so strengthened, that it can become an
arena for the debate of different issues, and for which new mechanisms
and opportunities have to be created. During these years the countries
have gained a rather big experience, which can be used in the CIS. In
that context there is much work to do, because there are rather high
results in economy, and a new situation is created, which requires
new solutions, so the CIS would work due to time demands. In that
context Mr. Torosyan emphasized the role of IPA CIS, which is of great
significance in the life of CIS and in the establishment of national
legislations, settlement of conflicts and establishment of regional
peace. The President of the National Assembly wished success to the
works and future activity of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly.
Other Presidents of Parliament of member countries also had speeches
at the IPA CIS plenary session.
After the debate of the theme “Fifteenth Anniversary of CIS: Results
of Inter-parliamentary Cooperation and Perspectives” the participants
of the plenary session discussed issues concerning the adaptation of
national legislation in the sphere of security. The participants of
the session were presented recommendations on “Ensuring Legislative
Regulation of Migration Processes in CIS member nations,” on Model
Environmental Code, Water and Education Codes and other issues. These
and other draft laws were approved at the IPA CIS session and will
be used in elaborating national legislations.
The works of the 27th plenary session of IPA CIS were summed up at
a joint press conference.
The President of the National Assembly Mr. Tigran Torosyan had a
tete-e-tete talk with the Chairman of the Federation Council of the
Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Mr. Sergey Mironov, during
which they touched upon the works of IPA CIS, the meeting of four
Caucasian countries and the forthcoming official visit of the President
of the National Assembly to the Russian Federation and other issues.
On the same day the meeting of four Caucasian countries took place,
with the participation of the Presidents of Parliament of Armenia,
Russian Federation, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Fresnan had farming in his blood
By Jim Steinberg / The Fresno Bee11/17/06 04:43:29
Fresno Bee, CA
Nov 17 2006
More informationKeith Harry Avedisian
Born: June 18, 1949
Died: Nov. 13
Occupation: raisin grower
Survivors: wife Linda; daughters Stacy and Laurie Avedisian; son
Michael Avedisian; mother Eleanor Avedisian
Keith Harry Avedisian of Fresno carried on the raisin-growing tradition
that his family planted in the rich soil near Fowler after escaping
Ottoman massacres of Armenians early in the last century.
Mr. Avedisian died Monday of cancer after what his family called an
inspiring effort to survive. He was 57.
He was diagnosed in September 2005, when he was told to expect only a
few months of life. More than 100 people – family and friends – joined
recently to help celebrate his full year of life after his diagnosis.
Mr. Avedisian was born in Fresno to Harry and Eleanor Avedisian.
Harry Avedisian’s father, George, had fled Armenia for the San
Joaquin Valley. He began farming, as his ancestors had done in the
old country. Mr. Avedisian carried the family name and farmed the
family land.
“It is very important to old-time Armenians,” daughter Stacy Avedisian
said. “The one with the name gets the farm. He had a brother who wasn’t
interested at all. My father loved everything about farming. He took
high school agriculture classes, pruning classes. I think it was just
something in his blood.”
Mr. Avedisian had worked earlier for a bridge construction company
but knew his heart remained in working the soil, Stacy Avedisian
said. He married his wife, Linda, in 1977 and quit his construction
job the next year.
The Avedisians lived in the first home built in their area of Selma,
but the construction of more homes left Mr. Avedisian feeling too
urban.
“He felt cramped,” his daughter said. “He didn’t like city life”
in Selma.
“He needed to be on the farm. He loved that. He was not one to lie
out on the beach. He could lie out in his field.”
Mr. Avedisian’s aunt Ruby Abajian said the family came first to
Lonestar, then to Fowler, where they farmed from 1910 on.
Mr. Avedisian had a great-uncle who farmed near Lonestar.
“They had done farming in Armenia,” Abajian said. “It was familiar,
and they picked it up in the United States.
“When our family started out, we had no tractors. We used horses. It
was primitive. Years went by, and we put in wells. They used to dig
wells by hand, just one fellow with a shovel and a pipe of some kind.
It was hard, but they made it.”
Mr. Avedisian’s brother Darrell, an Ivanhoe pharmacist, died in July
2005. Their father died on July 30.
“I’ve had my share of crying,” Abajian said. “I’m just trying to
be strong.”
A service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday in Immanuel Lutheran Church
in Easton.
The family requests that any remembrance be sent to the church,
5955 S. Elm Ave., Fresno, CA 93706, or to a favorite charity.