ATTEMPT TO RESTORE SHATTERED LITERARY BRIDGES
AZG Armenian Daily
20/09/2006
At the initiative of the Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR), Russian
writers paid a two-day visit to Armenia and met on September 18 their
Armenian colleagues at the Writers’ Union of Armenia (WUA). Time
was short and the get-together did not turn into a relaxed powwow of
friends. Russian writers informed their Armenian colleagues about the
situation, approaches and tendencies in the literary world. Armenian
and Russian writers emphasized the importance of restoring the former
literary bridges and mutual visits. Levon Ananian, chairman of the WUA,
thanked Ara Abrahamian (UAR) for organizing this meeting.
All Russian writers were somehow connected with our country for whom
the Armenian culture is not a terra incognita.

“KARABAKH ISSUE IS A STAKE IN THE HANDS OF SUPERPOWERS”
A1+
[05:11 pm] 19 September, 2006
“The Karabakh issue is a stake in the hands of superpowers. Armenian
officialdom refers to the Karabakh issue only when the inner political
procedures activate.
But the conflict regulation is independent of the will of the
Karabakh, Armenian and Azeri authorities,” said Galoust Sahakyan,
leader of Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) in the club “Mirror”
today. Mr. Sahakyan is convinced that the Karabakh conflict won’t
be regulated in 2006. He doesn’t exclude that it won’t be regulated
by 2012.
David Shahnazaryan, member of Armenian National Movement, advised our
authorities not to connect the regulation of the Karabakh conflict
with the elections. As for Sahakyan’s statement that the Karabakh
issue is a stake in the hands of superpowers, Mr. Shahnazaryan said,
“We must confess that the Karabakh conflict has become an uninteresting
and useless toy for superpowers.”
“The country’s foreign policy in connection with Karabakh resembles
a lost game. The issue is quickly replaced before the UNO. The RA
Foreign Ministry announces that if Azerbaijan puts the issue in the
UNO agenda, we shall cease the negotiations. Next day we come to know
that the issue of the Azeri territories occupied by the Armenian side
was put into the agenda.
For the first time Armenia accepted the issue of the occupied
territories,” noted Mr. Shahnazaryan. He claims that the Armenian
authorities could have put the issue of the ruined Armenian monuments
in Nor Jugha and in Nakhijevan into the UNO agenda instead.
“I am convinced that the RA authorities will disagree with me saying
this issue is UNESCO’s consideration.”
Mr. Shahnazaryan is convinced that the announcements about the NKR
involvement into the negotiation procedure will be in vain, “These
announcements will never be taken for granted as Robert Kocharyan has
announced many times that he represents both Karabakh and Armenia. The
Karabakh authorities must distinctly announce that Mr. Kocharyan
doesn’t represent Karabakh but they cannot do it. The suggestions of
Karabakh conflict regulation have been the same since 1997.”
This resembles the same phase version with a few slight changes.”
Galoust Sahakyan added that he appreciates that rough position in
the NKR issue but they are inadmissible for him.
Mr. Sahakyan’s announcement seemed weird to us as at the beginning of
the meeting he said that the Karabakh issue is a stake in the hands of
superpowers and then named those superpowers, “USA, Russian Federation,
France, etc.” Thus, we see that he noted the names of the OSCE Minsk
group member countries.

SADOYAN DIDN’T COME TO THE MEETING
A1+
[06:06 pm] 19 September, 2006
Today Arshak Sadoyan, NA deputy and member of “Justice” faction called
a meeting opposite the Commission Regulating Public Services (CRPS).
The deputy fixed the date and time of the meeting in accordance with
the consultation in CRPS, where the application of ArmenTel on price
changes is presently under consideration.
Arshak Sadoyan’s invitation to the meeting was accepted by a few
residents of Northern Avenue whose number didn’t outnumber 15 – 20.
But Sadoyan was not among them. He had entered the hall of CRPS a
bit earlier after saying, “I thought there will be public hearings
that’s why I invited people here. But it turned out that they will
have an ordinary discussion.” The citizens waited for the deputy for
a long time but in vain.

TURKISH POLITICAL FORCES SPEAK OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
A1+
[06:58 pm] 19 September, 2006
Hrant Dink, Armenian editor of Turkish “Akos” newspaper (published
in Turkey) has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
The representatives of the Turkish judicial system accuse Hrant
Dink of slandering Turks. “I am not a racist and I haven’t committed
any disgraceful act. I merely use the term genocide which is but a
reality,” announced Mr. Dink during his meeting with journalists in
the club “Mirror” today.
In case the European Court doesn’t recover the editor’s rights, he is
going to leave Turkey. “If they don’t respect me and consider their
enemy, I cannot live in that country any longer.”
Hrant Dink claims that the Turkish authorities are seriously
concerned as the 1915 genocide has become the theme of consideration
and contemplation even among the Turkish intelligentsia. “This is why
Turkey started to teach pupils of elementary and secondary schools that
in 1915 Armenians massacred Turks and not the vice versa.” The Turkish
authorities started to pursue Dink after his announcement in which Dink
said that all Armenians all over the world speak of the 1915 genocide,
whereas the Armenians living in Turkey don’t even venture to show their
respect towards the innocent victims of April 24. Hrant Dink mainatins
that ordinary people in Turkey are unaware of the events of 1915,
and the authorities do their best to distort the reality. Mr. Dink
thinks that the Armenian genocide can be recognized by Turkey only in
two cases; either under the pressure of the international community
or by the demand of its people. In his opinion the two countries under
question may come to an agreement provided the second version works.

A PARTY TICKET FOR A TITLE
A1+
[07:32 pm] 19 September, 2006
RA defense Minister was granted honorable citizen of Gyumri and Vardan
Ghukasyan, the mayor of Gyumri, joined the Republican Party of Armenia.
Today Gyumri celebrated the Day of the City for the fourth time. In
this connection the monuments of Jivani and Sheram were unveiled and
Expo-2006 was held. A number of high-rank officials, ministers and
guests from Diaspora visited Gyumri today.
Galya Novents, Vladimir Abajyan, Hakob Jivanyan and Zaven Koshtoyan
were awarded “Master’s orders.”

SPEAKER SAYS TIME TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
Panorama.am
14:27 19/09/06
Tigran Torosyan, Speaker of the Armenian parliament, indicated at the
Third All-Armenian Forum “Armenia-Diaspora” that there is a need to
pass to the solutions of problems instead of just mentioning them.
In his words, only the statehood can create the bases of national
originality and the existence of Diaspora plays significant role in
this process. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia had
neither experience nor skills. Exactly at that time, the presence of
Diaspora played an important role in the establishment of post-Soviet
Armenia. In the words of the speaker, that support was much more
valuable than financial aid.
Torosyan praised the role of Armenian Apostolic Church. He said
foreigners attach greater significance to our church than we
ourselves. Therefore he said, “This example indicates that we have a
long way to go till the national self-consciousness which needs to
be modernized. It will be difficult to solve tasks in front of use
without that,” the speaker indicated.

NEW ENVELOPES AND STAMPS PRINTED TO 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIA
Panorama.am
14:29 19/09/06
The Hay Post pavilion made a presentation of an envelope and
stamp dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Armenian statehood at
the sports concert hall Tuesday. These new postal items will be
functional starting today. Andranik Manukyan, minister of transport
and communication, sealed the first envelope. Edward Kurjinyan, postal
items department head at Hay Post, told that 100,000 envelopes and
stamps are printed. The envelope is sold at 480 Armenian drams and
the stamp – at 280 Armenian drams at the pavilion. The prices are
written on the envelope and are not subject for change, Kurjinyan
said.

HHK WELCOMES ANM AS CONSTRUCTIVE AND GOOD OPPOSITION
Panorama.am
15:56 19/09/06
“We will have a constructive and good opposition in the face of
All-Armenian National Movement (ANM),” Galust Sahakyan, Armenian
Republican Party (HHK) faction head at the parliament, told a debate
with Davit Shahnazaryan, ANM board member. Sahakyan said so after a
discussion running on Karabakh conflict settlement and interpolitical
situation.
Shahnazaryan said there can be no interpolitical situation in the
country until Karabakh conflict is resolved. Moreover, he thinks the
current authorities do not want to find settlement to the conflict. “If
until the year 2006 the processes in Karabakh conflict settlement were
bad for us after 2006 the situation sharply changed into very bad,”
Shahnazaryan said.
Sahakyan did not share the pessimism of Shahnazaryan and said that
Karabakh conflict settlement depends on the will of superpowers. “We
have become a subject for game for superpowers,” NA deputy said
suddenly stating that NKR conflict will be settled in the year 2012.
Shahnazaryan noted that Azerbaijan managed to include NKR conflict
in U.N. agenda whereas the Armenian authorities failed to raise the
problems of destroyed cross-stones in Nakhijevan and Old Jugha in
the U.N. agenda. Shahnazaryan said, “Armenian authorities look like
a rabbit with such policy.”
Sahakyan softly rejected saying serious progress has been recorded
in Karabakh conflict settlement in the course of few years. He said,
“The whole world considers Karabakh more democratic than Armenia and
considerably more than Azerbaijan.”

GALA-CONCERT TO BE STAGED UNDER OPEN SKY
Panorama.am
16:55 19/09/06
A gala-concert will be staged under the open sky near the ruins of
ancient temple of Zvartnots September 22-23. In the words of Aram
Gharabekyan, chief director of State Chamber Orchestra of Armenia,
some 120 people of art will take part, among them Aida Amirkhanyan
(USA), student of legendary Morris Bejar, and soloist – drummer Dmitri
Desilas (Greece). The concert will symbolically unite Armenia and
the West, Gharabekyan said. Twelve cameras will video the show and
the recordings will be disseminated throughout the world to the 15th
anniversary of independence.

REPLICA OF 13TH-CENTURY SHIP COMES TO LANDLOCKED ARMENIA
International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Published: September 19, 2006
YEREVAN, Armenia A replica of a 13th-century trading ship has gone
on display in the main square of the landlocked country’s capital as
a reminder of the era when Armenia stretched from the Mediterranean
to the Caspian Sea.
The “Kilikia,” which was built by Armenian craftsmen following
traditional techniques, came to Yerevan after a series of sea voyages
in which it visited ports in 26 countries.
The display in Yerevan’s main square is part of the commemorations
of the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s declaration of independence from
the Soviet Union, which will be marked Thursday.
Next spring, the “Kilikia” is to be taken to Lake Sevan, where it
will be anchored