AFFORDABLE RESORTS MAKE GEORGIA ATTRACTIVE IN SUMMER OR WINTER
By John Bordsen
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
San Jose Mercury News, USA
Posted on Mon, Sep. 18, 2006
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
What’s it like to live in a far-off place most of us see only on a
vacation? Foreign Correspondence is an interview with someone who
lives in a spot you may want to visit.
Rusudan Kbilashvili, 26, is editor of the English edition of The
Georgian Times, a newspaper in Tbilisi, the capital of the republic
of Georgia. Georgia is northeast of Turkey and south of Russia – in
Eurasia, between the Black and Caspian seas. Kbilashvili is a native
of Tbilisi (“ta-ba-LEASE-ee”).
Q. Georgia is high in the Caucasus Mountains, and Tbilisi looks to
be in the middle of the country. What do you see out your window?
A. I am in an office close to the capitol, in a historical part of
Tbilisi where past merges with the present. You can pass buildings
with carved-wood balconies and enjoy the shadow of mountains in the
hot summer.
Tbilisi offers softness and quiet – softness of the light, of Tbilisi’s
warm red and green colors, the quietness of the city, and the calm
way people walk in the street.
Q. Georgia is an ancient country. What are the best historical
attractions?
A. You will not see even one hill without an Orthodox church or old
castle proudly erected on it. Bagrat Cathedral in Kutaisi, the western
part of Georgia; Gelati Monastery; and the historical monuments of
Mtskheta – close to Tbilisi – were the first Georgian sites included
in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Mtskheta was a capital of the kingdom of Georgia in the days of
ancient Rome.
Upper Svaneti was added to the list later. That was a site of Orthodox
culture during Georgia’s “golden age” around the year 1200.
Vardzia, a cave city in southern Georgia, near the border with
Armenia, was built in the 12th century by Queen Tamara. During much
of its history it was used as a monastery. The city was built high
in the cliffs to make it safe from invading Persians. Uplistsikhe,
the town carved out of sandstone in ancient times, is east of Gori
on the banks of the Mtkvari River.
Georgia is an ancient country with an ancient culture; it is also
a cradle of the first Europeans: Two little hominid skulls, about
1.8 million years old, were found during archaeological excavations
in Dmanisi
Q. What is the best season to visit?
A. Swimming season at seaside resorts starts in spring and ends in
autumn. Winter resorts can host visitors from late autumn till early
spring. So come whenever you like.
Q. Given the mountain terrain, is skiing popular? If so, what are
the top resorts or slopes? Are they expensive?
A. There are 340 resort places in Georgia. If you are casting about
for the ideal place to spend a ski winter, Georgia could be a true
skiing Shangri-La.
There are two developed ski areas in Georgia, and they are radically
different from one another.
Gudauri, in winter months, turns into a breathtaking fairy tale at
sunrise. It has guaranteed snow cover November to May. The average
depth is 1-5 meters (3.28-16.4 feet). Though high in the mountains,
warm, sunny and calm weather is typical for Gudauri. It has always
had the best slopes, but about a dozen years ago, Austrians came in
and completely rebuilt the lifts and turned Gudauri into a better
ski mountain.
Bakuriani remains popular because it has more resort features than
just skiing.
If you book through a travel agency, prices at hotels and sanatoriums
at the famous Georgian resorts start at $20 and go to $150, meals
included. But if you prefer to rent a room or house on your own, you
can get a bed for $2 to $7 and up to $10-$15, depending on amenities.
The travel agencies say the most popular places to relax in summer
season are the Black Sea coasts, though mountain resorts also do not
lack visitors.
Q. What is Georgian food all about?
A. Georgian cuisine uses familiar products but varies the amounts
of obligatory ingredients – such as walnuts, aromatic herbs, garlic,
vinegar, red pepper, pomegranate grains, barberries – and other spices.
You’ll find all possible kinds of meat, fish and vegetable hors
d’oeuvres, various sorts of cheese, pickles and pungent seasonings,
the only ones of their kind.
A “supra” is a table laid with traditional Georgian dishes; it is a
ritual with everlasting toasts. In a new book called “Post-Soviet
Feasting: The Georgian Banquet in Transition,” a German author,
Florian Muehlfried, says that when he arrived in 1996, there were
supras wherever he went: “Everywhere that men gathered, there was
always food and drink on the table. Even if there were just two
people at the table they would still choose a `tamada’ (toastmaster)
and make toasts.”
He found it interesting that he knew all the people sitting at the
table heard the toasts before, but still went through the ritual.
In the book, he emphasizes that the supra was a major way to preserve
Georgia’s oral history, especially in the 19th century and in Soviet
times, when Georgian traditions were suppressed.
Q. We hear stories about crime and corruption in countries that were
once part of the Soviet Union.
Georgia is also a Christian country that borders Turkey and Azerbaijan
– Islamic countries. Is Georgia a safe place for Americans to visit?
A. Georgia is as safe as any place in the world for any nationality,
especially Americans, and this is what tourists themselves say.
Besides, Georgia keeps friendly relations with its neighbors, and
they respect our foreign policy.
Corruption was a major problem in post-Soviet Georgia – a transitional
period – but corruption has noticeably decreased the last couple
of years.
Fighting corruption is a priority of the current government.
Q. The Soviet dictator Stalin was from Georgia. What do Georgians
think of him?
A. Gori, his birthplace, is among the few towns where Stalin’s statue
was not torn down after independence (in 1991). And some elderly
people still toast Stalin when they drink alcohol; they cannot accept
the views of the younger generation.
But these days, the Stalin museum is still a lonely place. Empty,
unheated halls no longer host the schoolchildren and tourists who
flooded the place in the old days.
Q. NBA players Zaza Pachulia and Nikoloz Tskitishvili are from
Tbilisi. Is basketball popular in Georgia?
A. Yes, it’s quite popular.
Q. Are people there aware that there’s a state in the United States
called Georgia?
A. Sure, and when Georgians are abroad, it was always confusing to
others about where Georgia is – the U.S. state of Georgia is far away
from the Caucausus.
The situation changed considerably after our Rose Revolution was
covered worldwide (in 2003, when protestors toppled the government
and a reform regime came to power). People around the world know more
about us now than they did during the Soviet era.
Q. Are people in your nation aware of a very famous song called
“Georgia on My Mind”?
A. Certainly. And foreigners visiting our country do keep it in mind,
and very often come back. Some even buy permanent residences in a
historical part of Tbilisi. They’re enchanted with the city’s beauty.

THE VISIONARY DOCTOR
Express Healthcare Management, India
Issue dtd. September 2006
Dr Alok Roy, Vice President, Fortis’ Centre for Community Initiative,
has to his credit the record of building the maximum number of
hospitals in India. But his heart beats for rural healthcare. He
talks to Sapna Dogra about his life, profession and dreams.
Micro health insurance, telemedicine, HIV/AIDS and corporate social
responsibility are the four areas where the 48-year-old Dr Alok
Roy’s heart lies these days. According to him, weak forces drive the
world because strong forces are very few and they can’t bring in any
change. Therefore, it is important to empower the weak and healthcare
is an intrinsic part of the process. To change the lives of the people
in the hinterland, corporate hospitals won’t really help, says the
philosopher doctor. These four arenas can change the lives of the
people, which is more important than merely providing treatment,
professes Dr Roy.
A Born Leader
Born in 1958 in Allahabad, Dr Alok Roy had a normal middle-class
upbringing. He is the youngest of the five siblings (two brothers and
three sisters), but calls himself the mentor as they all listen to his
advice. His father had a transferable job in the Central Government,
which made the family traverse the entire length and breadth of the
country, including Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai) and Orissa. “I guess
this is the reason that I don’t feel I belong to one region or state
but I feel for the entire country,” states Dr Roy. However, he has
a soft corner for Kolkata because he spent eight important years of
his professional life there and built four hospitals.
Being the youngest in the family, naturally he was naughty and
mischievous, but he was a bright student.
He used to play cricket in school and college, and was a part of
NCC. He was a shooter. He also contested in college elections and
won. “I would take part in each and every competition both at school
and college level,” he remembers. Though no one in his family was a
medico, since childhood Roy nurtured the ambition of being doctor. The
reason was noble. He thought a doctor could have an impact on other
people’s lives besides being respected by all.
As a youngster he used to read avidly since there was no TV then. He
devoured classics by literary luminaries like Premchand, Tarachand
Bandopadhaya et al. “I think vernacular literature is very rich and I
had read all the classics in Hindi and Bangla while I was in school,”
divulges Roy. Currently, he is reading ‘Managing Without Power’
by R Meredith Belbin.
According to him, “It is an interesting book on gender, which says
anything weak will sustain in the long run.”
Beginning Of An Illustrious Career
After class 12, he sat for the medical entrance test and was seventh
in merit for SCB Medical College, Cuttack in 1976. At that time, his
father was posted in Cuttack. In 1983, he joined the AIIMS for PG in
nuclear medicine. After that he did one year DRM from Mumbai. What
made him choose nuclear cardiology? “It was a lesser-known field that
time and I loved challenges,” he reasons. Also, there were limited
options; he wanted to do something different.
He had opportunities to go abroad at that time. “AIIMS was producing
PGs to go to the US,” he says. But the patriot in him didn’t want to
leave India and he decided to stay back because there was so much to
do here.
On May 10, 1988, he got an offer to join BM Birla Heart Centre. “That
time there were not many private hospitals in the country except
for a few like Jaslok Hospital and Bombay Hospital and though I got
a job as Assistant Professor at SGPGI Lucknow, I decided to join
the private hospital, which was a very bold step those days,” he
reminisces. Everyone was against this decision, but his wife Kavita
supported him all the way through.
He helped set up the 140-bed BM Birla Heart Research Institute in
Kolkata in 1989. He also managed the institute for about eight years,
during which period more than 8,000 major heart operations were
performed there. In 1996, he joined Manipal Heart Foundation (MHF)
and was responsible for the turnkey management at MHF, a 200-bed heart
hospital project. “It had six operation theatres to perform 12-14
heart surgeries a day and three cardiac catheterisation laboratories.
The centre performed 6,000 major heart surgeries in a record period
of less than four years,” says Dr Roy.
In the year 2000, he set up the 130-bed Rabindranath Tagore
International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Kolkata for the working
class families of West Bengal in association with the Government of
West Bengal. He has also been successful in setting up the world’s
largest 780-bed super speciality heart hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya
in Bangalore. The first phase of this hospital with 280 beds was
commissioned in April 2001 and has already achieved a path-breaking
record of performing over 4,500 surgeries, over a period of 18
months. He also built Armenian Church Trauma Centre in 2004.
In 2005, Roy joined Fortis Hospital Noida as its CEO and under his
guidance, the hospital has earned a name for world-class facilities
and treatment at affordable rates. “I wanted Fortis to be more than
just a healthcare delivery centre, it should work beyond the realm
of health providers; hence we started telemedicine, micro-health
insurance activities and, health camps,” says the visionary doctor.
Re-engineering of hospitals is Roy’s passion.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi entrusted him with the responsibility of
revamping the 300-bed Sanjay Gandhi Hospital at Amethi in Uttar
Pradesh, which was built in 1984. It is a not-for-profit hospital
which Roy would turnaround so that it can carry out 5,000 OPDs per
month and 6,000 surgeries per month.
Even as he heads a corporate hospital, Dr Roy says, “Corporate
hospitals don’t have the reach nor have the inclination to work for
the people of the hinterland.
If I can create two-three hospitals to serve the rural people that
would really satisfy me.”
Dr Roy has been instrumental in conceptualising and implementing
Asia’s biggest telemedicine initiative, ‘Integrated Telemedicine &
Telehealth Project’ (ITTP).
This network not only covers the entire length and breadth of the
Indian subcontinent, but also extends to other countries like Mauritius
and Malaysia. “The seed of telemedicine was sowed when I used to go
for camps in rural places and found that there was an acute need for
strong communications,” he says.
“I was in Kolkata working with the Rabindranath Centre and there
I thought about telemedicine as a bridge between the rural health
centres to the main hospitals in the city, as putting up more hospital
beds and clinics is obviously not the answer,” he adds.
Telemedicine – doctors advising treatment over the video – will help
a general practitioner in a remote area to hook up with an expert
in a more advanced urban centre. The virtual clinic is the only way
out, he says. It is about taking knowledge to people who need it,
adds Roy. The idea is to create knowledge centres.
“Telemedicine has been made possible in the country by the
Government. The Central Government provides satellites connectivity
and State Governments give their hospitals. I feel that public-private
partnership can reform the existing healthcare scenario,” professes
Roy.
He further says there are two major problems in the country: that
is health is either inaccessible or unaffordable. For making it
accessible, Roy says telemedicine is the answer and for making it
affordable only micro-health insurance can help.
Influences In Life
Roy has been greatly influenced by Mother Teresa with whom he
interacted on a daily basis while in Kolkata.
Her compassion and worldly views had an indelible impression on
him. “She was an intelligent lady,” he says. The Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi is his role model. “Here was a man who could have
anything he wanted but he chose to forsake everything,” Roy says
and adds that, “There was a streak of detachment in him that’s very
important for everyone to have if you want to do great things.”
His father, who is also his role model, was democratic in every way
and let his children decide and be whatever they wanted to be. “I
have learnt to be patient and non-judgmental from him,” informs Roy.
Achievements
In physical sense and material gainsterms, the hospitals he built
and the accolades he won could be called his achievements. However,
for Dr Roy it is the people who linked with him and gained from him
made him feel very proud and contented with their achievements. And
he had mentored many a protege in his illustrious career. “There’s an
indescribable pride I feel deep inside me upon seeing their success,”
he says. Incidentally, Dr Roy is the only person to have built 17
hospitals in the country.
Time Off
Roy loves to go to hill stations for vacations with family. He has two
sons; the elder one is studying medicine at Stanley Medical College,
Madras and the younger one is in class 11 in Delhi. His wife works for
spastics children. He says, “My soul is trapped in the hills.” Every
year, for two weeks or so, he goes for trekking in the hills.
He likes to listen to old Hindi songs, but falls asleep after hearing
the first line. He has such busy schedule that he can fall asleep
in a fraction of seconds. “I don’t watch movies and have no clue
about actors or actresses,” says he. Interestingly, he goes for a
morning walk every morning and walks 3.5 kilometers. He also enjoys
horse riding.
Ambitions
Since Roy loves the hills, he feels for the people of the hills and
dreams of building a small 50-bed hospital and training facility
for the people of Uttaranchal. He also harbours another ambition
of bringing skill enhancements into rural health practitioners like
other traditional practitioners and even quacks.
“They consist of a good 50 per cent of the healthcare providers
besides the Homeopathy, Ayurveda etc. And since we can’t wish them
away, it is better to tell them about good and bad practices so they
would be careful while dealing with patients like washing hands,
knowledge of medicines knowledge etc,” says Roy.
“Whenever I visit the hills the resolve gets stronger to do something
for them,” he says assiduously. He is working 24×7 and doesn’t get
tired because as he says, “No one gets a second chance in life so
live every moment to the fullest.” And if given a chance, he would
live the same life all over again.
[email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EDUCATION NOTES
Dallas Morning News, TX
12:00 AM CDT on Monday, September 18, 2006
OF NOTE
UNT Foundation receives $1 million gift: G. Brint Ryan of Dallas, a
University of North Texas accounting graduate who founded Ryan & Co. –
America’s largest independent state and local tax consulting firm –
has donated $1 million to the UNT Foundation. The gift will create a
permanent endowment fund that is expected to generate approximately
$40,000 a year in discretionary spending for the accounting department
in UNT’s College of Business Administration. Prior to his $1 million
donation, Mr. Ryan gave gifts totaling more than $74,000 to the
university and the accounting department.
West End center to be announced: El Centro College will announce plans
to remodel the Paramount building at 301 N. Market St. in the Dallas
West End at 10 a.m.
Friday. The building will house the college’s Center for Allied
Health and Nursing. Plans call for immediate demolition of most of
the building’s internal structure to construct a new state-of-the-art
health and nursing facility that will serve the needs of El Centro
nursing programs and 12 of its 13 allied health programs. The college
expects construction to be completed in time to open the remodeled
building in fall 2007. El Centro, the flagship college of the Dallas
County Community College District, is at 801 Main St., about a block
south of the Paramount building, which dates to 1924.
Grant to help teacher hopefuls: Aspiring teachers can now receive
monetary assistance to meet their career goals, thanks to a new Fort
Worth Independent School District program funded by the U.S. Department
of Education. The Transition to Teaching grant represents about $1.6
million in tuition and tuition support. The district will work with
Texas Woman’s University to administer the program over the next
five years.
Individuals who take advantage of this program must make a commitment
to teach in the Fort Worth school district for a period of time after
completing the program. For more information, contact Birdie Avant
at 817-871-2237.
DCCCD open house this week: The Dallas County Community College
District will host a design and construction open house for interested
area builders, construction firms, architects and contractors from 4 to
6 p.m. Wednesday at 1505 S. Lamar St., Suite 1015, in Dallas. Business
people will learn more about phase II and phase III projects in the
DCCCD bond program, which was approved by voters in May 2004, and
upcoming bond projects. Refreshments will be served, and complimentary
parking is available. For more information about location and parking
or to make a reservation, contact Dee Crawford at 972-860-7903.
THINGS TO DO
Parent program scheduled: “911 for Parents … Stop Fighting, Whining &
Back-Talk” is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Terrell
Performing Arts Center and is being hosted by Terrell High School. It
is free for parents. “We’re going to teach parents, grandparents
and child-care providers how to effectively manage everything from
the little guys in the family to the teenagers,” said Diana Day,
a child behavior expert.
Media panel set Wednesday: The University of Texas at Arlington will
host a panel of media experts to talk about free speech and the media
from noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday in the sixth-floor parlor of UT Arlington’s Central Library,
702 Planetarium Place. This event, “Power of the Press,” is free and
open to the public.
For information, contact Robert Wright, UT Arlington director of public
affairs, at 817-272-5364 or visit http://
ACHIEVERS
DISD social studies teacher Carolyn Reitz has been chosen for the
2006 Armenia School Connectivity Program. Ms. Reitz, who teaches at
Booker T.
Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was one
of 25 educators nationwide selected for the program.
IN DISD
Student holiday this week: Friday is a staff development day for DISD
teachers and a holiday for students.

TURKEY SEEKS MORE REFORMS, EU CRISIS SEEN AS INEVITABLE
Reuters
Gulf Times, Qatar
Published: Monday, 18 September, 2006, 11:29 AM Doha Time
ANKARA: Turkey’s parliament reconvenes tomorrow, nearly two weeks
ahead of schedule, to pass fresh reforms that the government hopes
will demonstrate its commitment to joining the EU.
But analysts and diplomats say the laws will fall well short of what
the EU wants and will do nothing to avert a looming crisis between
the wealthy bloc and Ankara over Cyprus.
With scant room for manoeuvre over the politically delicate issue of
Cyprus ahead of 2007 elections, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan should
compensate with bolder reforms, for example in the area of freedom
of expression, to disarm his critics and reassure his allies inside
the EU, they say.
“Everyone’s pleased with the (early) parliament recall, but the
government needs to do more to win time over Cyprus,” said a senior
EU diplomat in Ankara.
“What Turkey needs to do is give pro-Turkey countries in the EU
something to bite on, namely by improving freedom of expression or
opening the Greek Orthodox seminary.”
The EU has long urged Erdogan to reopen the Halki seminary near
Istanbul, viewing it as a symbol of religious freedom in Muslim but
secular Turkey. But nationalists oppose such a move.
Erdogan’s ruling centre-right AK Party is expected instead to propose
laws increasing civilian control of the military and improving property
rights of non-Muslim religious foundations.
It is unclear whether Erdogan will bow to EU pressure and scrap or
amend a controversial article of the penal code that makes it a crime
to insult “Turkishness” and state institutions.
Article 301 has often been used by nationalist prosecutors to launch
cases against intellectuals and writers over sensitive issues such
as Kurdish rights and the killing of Armenians under Ottoman Turkish
rule during World War I.
“I think 301 will be amended. The details are being worked on,” said
one Turkish diplomat, adding he expected this would give Turkey some
breathing space from EU attacks.
But as with the Halki seminary, officials say privately, the AK Party
fears a big nationalist backlash if it scraps 301.
Turkish public support for joining the EU has already fallen sharply
since entry talks began last year due to a feeling that the EU demands
a lot but does not really want Ankara to join.
“Article 301 has turned into a litmus test of how serious the
government is about EU reforms,” said Semih Idiz, diplomatic editor
at CNN Turk private television and a veteran EU observer.
“The environment is a nationalist one now in Turkey.
If you concede on 301, it’s fodder to the right wing because they
say why do you throw yourself against the wall and give up our values
and get nothing in return,” said Idiz.
Any last-minute reforms would help blunt criticism in the European
Commission’s annual report on Turkey’s progress due on October 24, but
Turkey’s refusal to budge over Cyprus still makes a crisis virtually
inevitable by the end of 2006, analysts say.
Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 under its internationally recognised
Greek Cypriot government, but Ankara backs a breakaway Turkish Cypriot
enclave in the north of the island.
The EU says Turkey must open its ports and airports this year to Greek
Cypriot ships and planes and Cyprus has said it may block Ankara’s
entry talks if it does not acquiesce.
Last week, Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s position that it will only
act if the EU honours its own commitment to lift long-standing trade
restrictions against the Turkish Cypriots.
“Right now I don’t see a solution on Turkey … I don’t see anything
major happening until the EU summit in December,” the senior EU
diplomat said.
“Like in the past it’s probable we won’t get any real movement (in
the EU) on Turkey until we face a real crisis. Then everyone will
jump in and start real negotiating.”

POLITICAL ANALYSTS: “SETTLEMENT OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT HAS REACHED ITS DEADLOCK”
Today.Az
18 September 2006 [15:29] – Today.Az
“Official Yerevan’s stance on the Nagorno Karabakh problem is
expected. Armenia thinks it has won the war, and Azerbaijan should
make a trade-off. But, official Baku will not award Armenia,” said
Azerbaijani political scientist Rasim Musabeyov while commenting on
official Yerevan’s statement on deviation from the negotiating and
inefficient results.
The political scientist told APA there was only one way of solution
of the Nagorno Karabakh problem, “Super power states should influence
Armenia.
Otherwise, the negotiations will give no results and Yerevan will
continue its unconstructive position as usual,” he underlined.
Another political scientist Zardusht Alizadeh told the APA there are
no real negotiations but only a view.
“None of the parties want to retract their positions.
There is no real ground for a compromise. Official Yerevan
claims independence of Nagorno Karabakh and its unification
with Armenia. Azerbaijan says it will never consent to Armenia’s
occupying any part of its territory. Outside these principles,
there is no serious search for a trade-off and appeal to public
and international organizations in the negotiating process. Taking
surface political interests, both the parties to the conflict and
the co-chairs are trying to find a solution option that will satisfy
certain interests. However, the interests do not coincide. The parties
should make public that they will not make any trade-off instead of
creating a view. The U.S co-chair Matthew Bryza sated this. He said the
parties do not seem to withdraw from the core principles they insist
on. But, one of the parties need to withdraw from core principles in
order to reach an agreement,” the political scientist underlined.
Alizadeh also said there are some strong forces, who are making efforts
for freezing and delaying the conflict. The political expert said the
resolution of the conflict has reached a deadlock and the negotiations
are held only for the sake of negotiations.
Political scientist Vefa Guluzadeh called the processes for the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict nonsense.

ILHAM ALIYEV: “WE’LL NEVER ALLOW ARMENIAN STATE IN AZERBAIJANI LANDS”
Today.Az
18 September 2006 [16:09] – Today.Az
“There exist great political, economic and cultural potential in
Turkish-speaking countries. We become more powerful when all these
potentials are united,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at
the 10th Congress of Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation Congress
of Turkish-speaking Countries and Communities in Antalya, Turkey.
As APA reports, the head of state stressed that Armenia makes claims
against Turkey instead of withdrawing from the Azerbaijani territories
it have occupied.
“We should unite our forces against this to destroy this propaganda
completely. It is high time for us to attack. Turkish-speaking
countries should unite their efforts to attack this ugly
propaganda. We’ll never allow any second, Armenian state in Azerbaijani
territory. We’ll prevent this by mobilizing our political, diplomatic,
legal and military efforts,” Azerbaijani President underlined.
Mr.Aliyev stressed the occupied Azerbaijani lands are certain to
be liberated, “Turkey and Azerbaijan should co-operate in Diaspora
activity for this purpose. We should unite dour powers against
Armenian activity not only in Turkey and Azerbaijan but also in the
entire world.”
The head of state offered Baku hosting forum of integration of Turkish
and Azerbaijani Diasporas early in 2007.

LEO PLATVOET VISITS OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI LANDS
Azeri Press Agency,
18 Sen. 2006 15:33
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) rapporteur on
missing persons, Dutch parliamentarian Leo Platvoet today started his
visit to Nagorno Garabagh and Abkhazia, PACE told the APA’s Europe
bureau during the visit till 22 September, Mr.Platvoet will meet
with officials dealing with the issue on missing persons in Khankendi
(Stepanakert) and Sukhumi.
The rapporteur will first visit Armenian-occupied region of
Azerbaijan-Khankendi through Armenia.
Platvoet is drawing up a report “The Missing in Azerbaijan, Georgia
and Armenia”. He visited Azerbaijan and Armenia in June this year.

ARMENIA LOOKS INTO FUTURE NOT GOING TO REFUSE MEMORIES
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.09.2006 13:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within past several years Armenia continued its
complementary policy in the foreign arena, Armenian President Robert
Kocharian stated at the opening of Armenia-Diaspora third forum. In
his words, large mutually beneficial economic programs were launched
with Russia, military and political cooperation is being strengthened,
sustainable and effective relations are formed. At the same time
Armenia makes active steps to strengthen relations with EU, the
Armenian leader added. Talks over the document within the ENP framework
are over. The IPAP with the NATO is already agreed upon and underway.
Within fight against terror Armenia-US cooperation has
expanded. Armenian peacekeepers take part in missions in Iraq and
Kosovo. “I would characterize our policy this way: we are strengthening
our international involvement along with ties with traditional
friends,” Armenian President said. He emphasized that when making
decisions on acute international issues, as well as regional ones,
Armenia takes into account the Diaspora interests.
“Within the foreign policy the Diaspora potential for political
lobbying is an important factor. Armenian organizations, recognized
in the political arena, assist Armenian diplomacy and owing to
them Armenia’s voice is better heard at the international arena,”
Robert Kocharian remarked. Due to joint efforts with the Diaspora,
serious progress is made in international recognition and censure of
the Armenian Genocide. “In this issue the clear wording of Armenia’s
position had an important part: we look into the future not going to
refuse memories and we should sustain this approach,” the President
underscored.

OVER 50 UAR EXPERTS ENGAGED IN DISCLOSING CRIMES AGAINST ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.09.2006 13:52 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian authorities support the Union of Armenians
of Russia (UAR) in disclosing crimes against Armenians and preventing
a tide of violence against foreigners, UAR President Ara Abrahamyan
told journalists in Yerevan. “We organize lectures at schools and
higher education institutions of Russia, aiming at presenting Armenia,
its historical past, current achievements, as well as future goals,”
he explained.
Besides, A. Abrahamyan noted that over 50 UAR lawyers and
experts in cooperation with respective structures of Russia are
engaged in disclosing crimes against Armenians. “one can say for
sure that the arrest of the person guilty in the murder of Vigen
Abrahamyants in Moscow metro is a result of effective cooperation,”
he underscored. Armenians of Russia denounce crimes not only against
Armenians, that became more frequent lately, but also against any
foreigners, Ara Abrahamyan said, reports Novosti-Armenia.

THIRD ARMENIA-DIASPORA ALL-ARMENIAN FORUM OPENED IN YEREVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.09.2006 13:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ September 18 the Third Armenia-Diaspora All-Armenian
Forum opened in Yerevan.
Political party and foreign Armenian lobbyist organizations
representatives, businessmen, public figures and scientists take part
in the forum. When opening the event Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian
wished success to the meeting participants. RA and NKR Presidents
R. Kocharian and A. Ghoukassian, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin
II and Catholicos of Great House of Cilicia Aram I addressed the Forum.
Working out strategy of Armenia’s development in 21st century will
be a major issue on the forum agenda.
During a plenary session under the slogan New Responses to Old
Questions: Armenians in 21st Century theoretical approaches to culture
and self-consciousness elements, opportunities to use these both
in Armenia and the Diaspora will be discussed. Special attention
will be paid to development of rural areas, targeted assistance to
farmers. The forum will work till September 20.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress