Eurasia Daily Monitor — The Jamestown Foundation
Tuesday, April 25, 2006 — Volume 3, Issue 80
IN THIS ISSUE:
*Belarus prepares for grim Chernobyl anniversary
*Ukraine’s MFA steps into regional leadership’s role at CIS conference
*Bakiyev seeks Russian advice on foreign policy
POLITICAL CONFRONTATION DETRACTS FROM ACUTE CHERNOBYL PROBLEMS IN
BELARUS
As the 20th anniversary of Chernobyl approaches in Belarus, and the
opposition forces plan a final protest march on April 26 in the
aftermath of the presidential elections, there is no sign that the
country has come close to overcoming the profound health, social, and
environmental problems caused by the 1986 nuclear accident.
The issue has been clouded by two factors. First, there is the
politicization of the Chernobyl event as a symbol of the confrontation
between the president and the opposition, particularly the united
democratic forces behind candidate Alexander Milinkevich. Second, there
has been a rather unseemly international dispute as to the health
effects of Chernobyl, and particularly the long-term mortality rates
from radiation-induced cancers.
President Alexander Lukashenka marked the last two anniversaries with
visits to the Chernobyl zone, which were marked with intensive TV
publicity and the overall message that if the area was dangerous, then
the president of the country would not be visiting there. Though parts
of the zone — especially Homel region — have been depopulated,
students and migrants are being used to cultivate land that remains
contaminated with radio-nuclides, particularly Cesium-137 and
Strontium-90. Lukashenka has detained several scientists whose findings
contradict the official position that the accident in Belarus has been
largely overcome, and using the forces of the government without outside
assistance.
The government of Belarus did not agree with some of the findings of the
Chernobyl Forum Report, issued in September 2005. That report, the most
comprehensive to date, demonstrated the enormous health and
psychological impact of the accident in Belarus. About 90% of the
republic was irradiated with short-lived radio-nuclides, deposited by
the “radiation cloud” that was formed after the two steam explosions at
the fourth reactor unit of the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the early
morning of April 26, 1986. The reaction of the republican authorities
was delayed by the lack of information about what had happened from both
the Soviet authorities in Moscow and the Ukrainian party leadership in
Kyiv.
The radioactive iodine (Iodine-131 with a half-life of eight days) was
to take a serious toll and has resulted in some 4,000 cases of thyroid
cancer to date, almost a quarter of them in young children, and in most
instances contracted after 1989. Long-term effects are equally serious.
Over the 17-year period 1986-2003, surgery had been carried out on
almost 2,000 young adults and children, and 19 have died as a result of
the progression of the tumors. About 23% of Belarus was contaminated
with Cesium and Strontium, and about 2% of the territory affected with
Plutonium radio-nuclides (half-life 24,000 years). Many of the affected
regions did not take any preventive action until 1989, when it was
revealed officially that they formed part of the contaminated zone.
Belarus lost a quarter of its valuable forests.
Today about 1.5 million residents of Belarus are provided with medical
assistance as a result of the 1986 disaster. Among those Belarusians who
took part in the cleanup operations — they are referred to today as
“liquidators,” a term reminiscent of the Stalin era — there were
registered more than 2,800 first-time cases of cancer, and in 73% of
these incidences it occurred among those working in the zone in 1986-88.
Over 300,000 children continue to reside in the most affected regions of
Homel and Mahileu. They suffer from a rise in frequency of sicknesses of
all types, but particularly respiratory diseases, digestive problems,
and childhood diabetes. Among the age group 10-14, for example, newly
formed cancers in the Chernobyl zones exceed those in the “clean” region
of Vitsebsk by 1.5 times, and the incidence of endocrinal pathology is
double the average in clean areas.
This disturbing picture has been partly concealed by an international
dispute over the “true” health effects of Chernobyl, and the number of
long-term mortalities. Two reports are now extant: the Chernobyl Forum
Report (CFR) and the Greenpeace Report. The latter raises the number of
long-term victims to over 90,000, and reports some 34,000 deaths to date
among liquidators. However, the dispute is largely contrived. It derives
from the unfortunate and misleading press releases issued by
representatives of the Chernobyl Forum, which do not reflect accurately
the contents of the CFR. The issue of 4,000 long-term deaths is even
belied by the CFR itself, which includes a table indicating some 9,000
long-term deaths.
Even that figure pertains only to a small fraction of the lands
contaminated by Chernobyl, namely the republics of Russia, Ukraine, and
Belarus. Neither report really disputes that the Chernobyl-linked cancer
deaths will be in the tens of thousands. The Belarusian government,
which is listed as one of the authors of the CFR, would have been
content with the misleading press release (less than 60 current
casualties and under 4,000 long-term), but not with the figures within
or in the heated Greenpeace Report, comprised mainly from the research
of Ukrainian scientists.
For the 1.5 million individuals still requiring medical attention from
the disaster, such arguments are largely irrelevant. Most of then have
lived off contaminated land for the past 20 years, their benefits now
reduced, and their concerns dismissed as “psychological stress” and
“dependency.” The impact of Chernobyl has not dissipated after two
decades.
–David Marples
CIS SPLIT AT MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
The meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the Commonwealth of
Independent States member countries, held on April 21 in Moscow, exposed
a profound split in the organization. Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and
Azerbaijan formed a common front on issues of shared concern, opposing
Russian policies directed against their interests. The four countries
are members of the GUAM group, though they did not act in that capacity
at the conference.
The Ukrainian delegation, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Borys
Tarasyuk, led this group of independent-minded countries in the debate
on most economic and political issues of concern to them. Russia, with
the support of loyalist or neutralist countries whose interests are not
involved in those issues, rejected the four countries’ initiatives with
a high-handedness that can only exacerbate the differences at upcoming
high-level CIS meetings.
Georgia and Moldova submitted separately prepared statements about
Russia’s ban on imports of their wines and other agricultural products
on the Russian market. Describing the ban as politically motivated,
abusive, and unwarranted, the statements underscored the “massive
economic damage” inflicted on the two countries. Georgia and Moldova
regard the ban as an “unfriendly action” by the Russian government, are
asking the Russian government for explanations, and are challenging the
Russian agencies involved — mainly the Consumer Protection Inspectorate
— to show cause for this action. The Ukrainian delegation lodged its
own complaint about recent Russian restrictions on the import of a wide
range of Ukrainian agricultural products on the Russian market.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov handled those
grievances at the concluding press briefing with a dismissive reference
to “some kind of declarations” made during the conference. He warned by
Georgia and Moldova against “politicizing” the issue, as this “will not
facilitate a solution.” Russia takes the position that the issue should
be discussed at the level of technical agencies. Thus, Moscow seeks to
evade political responsibility for a measure undoubtedly ordered by high
political authorities. Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine intend to raise the
issue again at the upcoming CIS meetings of prime ministers (May 25) and
of the heads of state shortly thereafter.
The Russian side also blocked Ukraine’s proposal to discuss the creation
of a CIS Free Trade Zone at the conference. The proposal, nominally
endorsed by Russia as well, is almost a decade old and no member country
seriously expects Russia to actually implement it. In Ukraine, however,
the proposal has become topical again in connection with the
Russia-planned Single Economic Space (Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan, with
Ukraine invited to become a member). Some groups in Ukraine (not only
within the Party of Regions) want the country to join the Single
Economic Space in one form or another — a move that would compromise
Ukraine’s European aspirations. On the other hand, Ukrainian proponents
of integration with the European Union cite the proposal for a CIS Free
Trade Zone as potentially advantageous to Ukraine as well as compatible
with the country’s progress toward the EU. However, Ukrainian
attempts to discuss the free-trade proposal with Moscow shatter against
the resistance of Russian protectionist interests. Thus, the Moscow
conference strengthened the view that the CIS is, at best, useless to
member countries generally and, at worst, actually detrimental to their
interests.
A proposal to discuss the “frozen conflicts” at the conference was also
blocked by the Russian side. Ukraine took the lead in submitting this
proposal with the support of Moldova, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The
obstruction by Moscow and its allies will strengthen the case for
internationalization of the existing “peacekeeping” and negotiating
frameworks on Transnistria, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, as well as
underscoring the value of American efforts to settle the Karabakh
conflict.
Ukraine asked the conference to prepare a proposal for the upcoming CIS
summit to express its attitude to the 1930-33 famine and genocide in
Ukraine (the Holodomor). However, the Russian side orchestrated a
procedural move that eliminated the proposal from the agenda. Belarus,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan voted with Russia against the
proposal. Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan abstained. Moldova,
Georgia, and Azerbaijan voted with Ukraine.
According to Lavrov at the concluding briefing, discussion of the
Holodomor would have “politicized” a historical issue. Lavrov argued —
as Russian Ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin also did in Kyiv — that
Russians and other Soviet citizens suffered equally in Soviet times and
it would therefore be inappropriate to single out any people in this
regard.
This argument is heard regularly from Moscow about the Baltic states as
well: “It was a common pain in the Soviet Union.” Such an argument
constitutes the ultimate expression of a social culture of collectivism.
It also overlooks, first, the fact that Moscow organized the famine and
deportations in Ukraine, the Baltic states and elsewhere; and, second,
that the Kremlin today is actively discouraging the attempts to come to
terms with Soviet Russia’s own totalitarian recent history. While
refusing to assess the actions of the Soviet regime, Russia at the same
time claims prerogatives as the legal successor of the USSR.
The Moscow conference was to have discussed a CIS Executive Committee
report on implementing decisions on CIS reform, adopted by the heads of
state at the August 2005 summit in Astana. A corresponding Russian
proposal envisaged setting up a high-level group on “measures to enhance
the effectiveness of the CIS.” Neither initiative was mentioned after
the conference. In his conclusions, Tarasyuk was scathing about the CIS:
“not a normal international organization,” “unresponsive to situations
that are most sensitive to member states,” “useless,” and “has no
future.”
(Interfax, Itar-Tass, Moldpres, Imedi TV, April 21, 22)
–Vladimir Socor
BISHKEK WELCOMES EXPANDED RUSSIAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN KYRGYZSTAN
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev met with Russian President Vladimir
Putin during his first state visit to Moscow on April 24-25. The meeting
began with Bakiyev stating that Kyrgyzstan today needs economic
assistance, which Russia is able to provide. Putin welcomed the idea of
intensifying bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and food
industry with special attention to the development of small and medium
businesses. However, Putin’s announcement that Russia will increase its
military contingent at the Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan with the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) became the focus of the
discussion.
Bakiyev approved Putin’s plans, acknowledging, “The Russian base in Kant
contributes to the provision of stability and security not only in
Kyrgyzstan, but in the entire Central Asian region” (Itar-Tass, April
24). Bakiyev’s support for intensifying security ties with Russia
followed his abrupt request to the U.S. Embassy to increase the rent
paid for the U.S. “Gansi” military base at Bishkek’s Manas airport (see
EDM, April 20). This is the second time since the March 24, 2005, Tulip
Revolution that Bakiyev has publicly pressured Washington over the
status of the U.S. military presence. In July 2005, U.S. Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Bishkek to discuss issues of bilateral
security cooperation following Bakiyev’s demand to establish deadlines
for the duration of the U.S. military presence. However, ten months
after Rumsfeld’s visit, the agreement on the status of the
military base remains without any significant changes.
Putin announced that Russia and Kyrgyzstan will conduct joint
anti-terrorist training in 2006, focusing on efforts to eradicate
transnational crime and the illegal drug trade. Previously Russia
initiated several regional large-scale military training exercises
within the CSTO, which scored high approval ratings among local security
experts. However, these drills were also often criticized for carrying
strong political symbolism, yet few practical applications (see EDM, May
24, 2005).
In summer 2005 Bakiyev proposed placing the Kyrgyz hydro-energy sector
under the management of the Russian government-controlled Unified Energy
Systems enterprise. The president’s proposal was regarded as highly
corrupt, according to representatives of the Kyrgyz energy sector,
because the government sidestepped an open auction to consider other
options for the sector’s development.
Before visiting Moscow, Bakiyev was careful about making any definite
statements about the possibility of Kyrgyzstan’s joining the World
Bank’s Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Although there
is a certain pressure from the international community on the Kyrgyz
government to join the HIPC, many Kyrgyz experts believe this move would
make the country dependent upon Western funds (Gazeta.kg, April 24). In
particular, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Paris Club
creditors would be able to increase their influence regarding the
country’s economic and financial regulations. Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan
would be unable to advance issues concerning its foreign policy, such as
the U.S. military base.
The possibility of Kyrgyzstan joining the HIPC program has prompted wide
discussion in the local media. Some claim that it is an issue of
national dignity, as enrolling in the debt-relief program would mean
joining the ranks of the poorest states in Africa and Latin America.
Kyrgyzstan’s external debt is currently about billion.
Days before Bakiyev’s visit to Moscow, the president’s former political
allies again criticized his government for corrupt politics. Minister of
Industry, Trade, and Tourism Almazbek Atambayev resigned to express his
fundamental disagreement with the actions resulting from the president’s
political alliance with Prime Minister Felix Kulov. He accused the
president of engaging in clan politics and failing to curb criminal
figures’ infiltration of state institutions. Atambayev had been
considered to be one of Kulov’s few supporters, but he has now moved
into the opposition. Former prosecutor-general Azimbek Beknazarov told
Azattyk radio that the Bakiyev-Kulov partnership should be destroyed due
to its dysfunctional nature (Akipress, April 22). Beknazarov commented
that Bakiyev and Kulov are pursuing personal goals in politics and,
“They both are very similar in their strive for power.”
Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz public, as well as the government, are preparing
for the peace demonstrations in Bishkek on April 29 (see EDM, April 11).
The Ministry of the Interior will deploy special security forces to
prevent any acts of civil disobedience. The Kyrgyz Coalition for
Democracy and Civil Society is the lead organizer of the demonstration,
but several parliamentarians and numerous other civic organizations have
expressed an interest in participating. Melis Eshimkanov, Beknazarov,
and a number of other parliamentarians will mobilize their own
constituents at the demonstration.
Bakiyev’s recent visit to Russia is his fourth since the Tulip
Revolution in Kyrgyzstan last year. The president’s visit to Moscow
confirmed the Kyrgyz government’s pro-Russian views. However, the
president’s pro-Moscow tilt creates problems for Bishkek. The
international community has condemned his attitude toward the status of
the U.S. military base. The president also delayed stating his opinion
regarding Kyrgyzstan’s joining the HIPC until after his consultations in
Moscow.
–Erica Marat
The Eurasia Daily Monitor, a publication of the Jamestown Foundation, is
edited by Ann E. Robertson. The opinions expressed in it are those of
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PRESS RELEASE
April 21, 2006
American University of Armenia
40 Marshal Baghramian
Yerevan 375019 ARMENIA
Telephone: (37410) 512-522
Fax: (37410) 512-523
Contact: Diana Manukyan
E-mail: [email protected]
AUA and Nork Marash Medical Center Author a Study on Quality of Intensive
Care
The April 2006 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Asian Cardiovascular &
Thoracic Annals presented findings from a study by lead author Lusine
Abrahamyan, MD, MPH, which demonstrated that quality of care at Nork Marash
Medical Center (NMMC) following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
surgery, measured in terms of post operative complications and ICU stays,
are comparable to those reported by major international cardiac surgery
centers. According to co-author and Surgical Consultant at NMMC Dr. Hrair
Hovaguimian, “This article is an important step toward establishing systems
for outcomes reporting in parallel with international standards.”
AUA/CHSR faculty Anahit Demirchyan, MD, MPH, and Michael Thompson, MS, DrPH,
also co-authors noted, “The study reported here was a small part of a
five-year privately funded collaborative project between the Center for
Health Services Research and Development of the American University of
Armenia (AUA/CHSR) and the Nork Marash Medical Center focused on assessing
and improving the quality of care at NMMC.” Lead author Lusine Abrahamyan,
now a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, noted that “These results
not only attest to the quality of care at NMMC, but also provide important
insights for individual patient counseling.”
“AUA students, graduates and faculty working together with the Medical Staff
of the Hospital undertook a thorough study and evaluation of all functions
and procedures in the hospital with the express purpose of raising its
standards to accepted international norms. To say that the Hospital and AUA
achieved its goals is both an understatement and a tribute to all those who
worked on the project. Their professional expertise and personal commitment
has manifested itself in a higher standard of care, the direct beneficiary
of which is each and every patient that enters the Hospital. My
congratulations to them all,” added Mr. Edward Avedisian, who generously
funded this project.
For further information about this or other AUA/CHSR projects, visit
————————– ————–
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit

PACE President calls for a new impetus for a Europe-Russia partnership
Strasbourg, 26.04.2006 – On the eve of a visit to St Petersburg, the
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE),
René van der Linden, today called for a new impetus for a partnership
between Russia and the rest of Europe.
“When I became President of the Assembly in January 2005, I stressed the
importance of ensuring constructive and friendly relations with Russia.
Now is the time to give this an extra impetus. We must strengthen mutual
trust and confidence, cooperate on an equal footing as the key to
success, build on stability and durability, shoulder our
responsibilities in solving conflicts and consolidate peace. A
partnership is therefore absolutely vital”, René van der Linden said
today.
On 27 April, he will take part in a special session of the State Duma of
the Russian Federation to celebrate its first centenary. On this
occasion, the President will hold a series of bilateral meetings in
particular with the President of the State Duma, Boris Gryzlov, the
President of the Council of the Federation, Sergey Mironov, as well as
with the Speakers of the Parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Moldova. The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, will
also attend this special session which will take place in the
Tavrichesky Palace, where the first State Duma sat from 1906 to 1917.
René van der Linden will deliver his address at 5 pm (the verbatim
text will be available on the PACE website ().
The next day, 28 April, the PACE President will be co-chairing the
“International Conference on European Parliamentarianism: Past and
Present”, to be jointly organised by PACE, the CIS Interparliamentary
Assembly and the State Duma. One of the topics to be discussed at the
conference is “international standards for democratic elections”. The
conclusions of this event will be presented at a press conference at
4.30 pm (Tavrichesky Palace).
This will be the fourth time the President of the Assembly has visited
Russia since his election in January 2005. The visit is taking place
just before Russia takes over the Chair of the Committee of Ministers of
the Council of Europe, on 19 May 2006.
Press Contact : Francesc Ferrer, PACE Communication Unit
Mobile +33 6 30 49 68 22, E-mail : [email protected]
Press Release
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit
Ref: 241a06
Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93
Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34
[email protected]
internet:
The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 315 members from the national
parliaments of the 46 member states.
President: René van der Linden (Netherlands, EPP/CD); Secretary
General of the Assembly: Mateo Sorinas.
Political Groups: SOC (Socialist Group); EPP/CD (Group of the European
People’s Party); ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe);
EDG (European Democratic Group); UEL (Group of the Unified European
Left).

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
Watch the recorded video of the commemoration and the message of His
Holiness Aram I here:

Read the message of His Holiness Aram I in Armenian here:
es/messages8.htm
91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
“APRIL 24 IS NOT A SINGLE DAY FOR US, EVERY DAY IS APRIL 24 FOR US”
SAYS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
Thousands of Lebanese Armenian assembled in the Antelias headquarters of the
Armenian Church (Catholicosate of Cilicia) on April 24 to commemorate the
first Genocide of the 21st century, that of their forefathers. Gathered
around the first Armenian Genocide monument ever to be erected in the world,
they renewed their pledge to remain loyal to the memory of the victims of
the Armenian Genocide and to demand justice for the Armenian nation.
91 years after the bloody massacres and as established by tradition Holy
Mass was held in the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral. His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, then headed a procession towards the Martyrs’
Chapel where the remains of Armenian Genocide victims rest and a requiem
service was held around the chapel.
The celebrant of the Holy Mass was Bishop Kegham Khatcherian, Primate of the
Diocese of Lebanon. His Holiness Aram I then delivered his message to the
people.
“Today is a day of national struggle and accountability. This is how I
characterize April 24 on our nation’s calendar. We are gathered with the
spirit of accountability and demands. Struggle means accountability. Our
martyrs demand explanation from us today,” the Pontiff said.
“Is the Armenian student ready to give account? Is the Armenian youth ready
to explain that it is strongly committed to the eternal legacy of our
martyrs in its everyday life?” he asked.
His Holiness said: “Our martyrs remind us that we should demand
accountability from criminal Turkey that executed a government planned
Genocide against our nation in 1915. If criminal Turkey continues to deny
the Genocide committed by its ancestors, there are proofs, even in the
criminal’s drawers, that witness to this crime committed against humanity.
Where is justice, where is respect for human rights, where is the unfolding
of truth? we ask. But we will continue our national struggle, accounting to
our martyrs and demanding accountability from the criminal.”
“April 24 is not a single day in our calendar. Every day is April 24 for the
individual who considers himself Armenian and lives as an Armenian. Today we
renew our pledge from Armenia to Antelias gathered around the remains of our
martyrs. In all the corners of the world we renew our pledge to walk down
the path of our martyrs, remaining true to their legacy; walk down the path
that will lead us to justice, because that is the road that leads to the
truth,” added the Spiritual Head.
The thousands of Armenian listening to the message then watched the
placement of wreaths by various Armenian organizations and parties and the
mass then started a march towards the municipality stadium in Bourj Hammoud,
where a special event was organized on this occasion.
##
View photos here:
es57.htm
ctures58.htm
s/Pictures59.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

From: Khatchig Mouradian
Subject: Commemorating the Armenian Genocide
ZNet | Europe
m?SectionID=74&ItemID=10142
Commemorating the Armenian Genocide
by Khatchig Mouradian; April 23, 2006
`Today I bow down before the memory of all Armenians who lost their lives
and look forward to the day when the souls of their grandchildren will
finally be at peace. In order for our souls, however, to be at peace, and
for this country [Turkey] to account for this crime against humanity, I
guess people have to make many more journeys to the past to see the truth,’
says Turkish Human Rights activist Nese Ozan. She is referring to the
deportation and massacre of the Armenians in the dying days of the Ottoman
Empire, a genocide commemorated every year on April 24 by their descendents
around the world.
Although the Armenian Genocide is acknowledged by most genocide scholars and
many parliaments around the world, the Turkish state continues to vehemently
deny that there was a state-sponsored annihilation process that took the
lives of approximately 1.5 million Armenians living in their ancestral
lands. The Armenians were, it argues, the victims of ethnic strife or war
and starvation, just like many Muslims living in the Ottoman Empire during
WWI. Moreover, according to the official historiography in Turkey, the
number of the Armenians that died due to these `unfortunate events’ is
exaggerated.
Ozan, a metallurgy engineer by education, recounts to me how two years ago,
she embarked on a `journey to the past’ to find what is left of the Sourp
Sarkis Church and the Mesropian School, two of the countless reminders in
modern day Turkey of the destruction that befell upon the Armenians in 1915.
`When you asked me to write what I feel about April 24, I remembered how we
stood watching, engulfed in a deep sorrow, the ruins, hiding in them the
memory of the long lost lives,’ says Ozan.
A growing number of intellectuals and activists in Turkey are, like Ozan,
speaking up about the importance of facing the past and recognizing the
horrors committed against the Armenians. In a country shaped with a
predominantly nationalist ideology, in a country where human rights
violations and oppression of minorities had become the norm for the better
part of the 20th century, speaking about one of the greatest taboos in
Turkey could get one in all sorts of troubles. Examples abound. In 1994, for
the first time in Turkey, a book affirming the Armenian Genocide was printed
by publisher Ragip Zarakolu. Soon afterwards, his editorial office was
bombed. More recently, world renowned Turkish author Orhan Pamuk was taken
to court for `denigrating Turkish identity’ by telling the Swiss newspaper
Tages-Anzeiger in February 2005 that `30,000 Kurds and one million Armenians
were killed in these lands [Turkey].’ The court case was eventually dropped.
Many similar cases, however, are pending, and many others have concluded in
prison sentences and fines. Turkish scholars like Halil Berktay and Murat
Belge, who publish and speak in Turkey about the mass annihilation of the
Armenians, are bombarded with hate-mail and are subjected to slanders by
Turkish nationalists.
Mujgan Arpat, a Turkish TV reporter and Human Rights activist, also
commemorates the Armenian Genocide. `For me too, April 24 is the date
marking the start of the Armenian Genocide planned by the leaders of
Committee of Union and Progress (CUP),’ she tells me.
In 1908, the CUP gained control in the Ottoman Empire, with promises of
sweeping reforms and equal rights to all peoples of the empire. However, in
1913, the nationalist faction of the CUP, keen on cleansing Turkey from
non-Muslim peoples, gained control of the CUP and, under the guise of World
War I, embarked on the deportation and the massacre of the Armenians living
in the Empire. `The Armenian Genocide was largely a by-product of the First
World war -as far as its successful execution is concerned. But the
preconditions were already created through an ideology that aimed at
transforming the troublesome heterogeneous social structure of the Ottoman
Empire into a more or less homogeneous one,’ explains Taner Akcam, the first
Turkish Scholar to publicly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, in his book
`From Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide’ (
Zed Books, 2004).
However, this was not the first round of mass- killings against the
Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. As Arpat recounts, `In the
pre-Genocide period, the perpetrators of the 1894-96 pogroms and 1909
massacres, also known as `Hamidiye massacres’, had gone unpunished and this
was one of the factors that encouraged the perpetrators of the Genocide.’
`What stands in the way of Turkey’s confronting its past is the fact that
the Turkish Republic was founded by the very same figures who were in
leading positions in the Committee of Union and Progress,’ notes Arpat.
According to many historians, the Turkish Republic was built on genocide and
the Turkish state understands that recognizing the Armenian Genocide would
shake its foundations. In an interview, Turkish sociologist Fatma Muge
Gocek, an Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Michigan,
agrees with them. However, `If there is a foundation and you know there are
problems with it, would you live in that house?’ she asks. `You would know
that at one point, it’s going to cause trouble. You know you’ll eventually
have to fix the foundation. Otherwise, the whole thing will collapse,’ she
notes.
Gocek herself had the following to say to the Armenians commemorating the
91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide this year: `I want you to know
that as an ethnic Turk I am not guilty, but I am responsible for the wounds
that have been inflicted upon you, Armenians, for the last century and a
half. I am responsible for the wounds that were first delivered upon you
through an unjust deportation from your ancestral lands and through
massacres in the hands of a government that should have been there to
protect you. I am also responsible for the wounds caused by the Turkish
state’s denial to this day of what happened to you back then. I am
responsible because all of this occurred and still occurs in the country of
which I am a citizen. Yet I want to tell you that I personally travel every
year to your ancestral lands to envision what was once there and what is not
now. When I am there, I realize again and again how much your departure has
broken the human spirit and warped the land and the people. I become more
and more aware of the darkness that has set in since the disappearance of so
many lives, minds, hopes and dreams.’
Ayse Gunaysu, an activist from the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights
Association of Turkey, wrote the following when I asked her about her
thoughts on the Armenian Genocide: `Asia Minor never found peace, happiness
and well-being after the Armenian Genocide. A big curse fell upon this land.
The settlements where once artisans, manufacturers, and tradesmen produced
and traded goods, where theatres and schools disseminated knowledge and
aesthetic fulfillment, where churches and monasteries refined the souls,
where beautiful architecture embodied a great, ancient culture; in short, a
civilized, lively urban world was turned into a rural area of vast, barren,
silent, uninhabited land and settlements marked by buildings without a
history and without a personality.’
Gunaysu continued that, `Governments brought highways and electricity and
water supply systems, which are the symbols of civilization but the land
didn’t even become half as civilized as it was a century ago. The history of
the homeland of Armenians since then has always been marked with bloodshed.
Kurdish uprisings, their violent suppression, massacres never ended. No
democracy prevails; no hope for the future is nurtured. Yes, the Armenian
Genocide left these lands damned. Only agony, deprivation, conflicts,
killings, unsolved murders, disappearances under custody, rapes linger.
Bloodshed continues. It will continue until the day Turkey surrenders to the
call of conscience, sense of justice, and honest confrontation with its
past.’
Unfortunately, 91 years after the Armenian Genocide, there are very few
survivors of the horrors of 1915 who are still alive and who could be
comforted by the words of courageous Turkish-born individuals who
acknowledge their suffering and apologize. The descendents of those
survivors, however, will lay wreaths on genocide memorials around the world
today, knowing that a minority of Turks are also commemorating– in their
own way– with them, in a country that will, hopefully, one day build its
own memorials of the Armenian Genocide.
Khatchig Mouradian is a Lebanese-Armenian writer, translator, and
journalist. He is an editor of the daily newspaper Aztag, published in
Beirut. He can be contacted at [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church
4125 Fessenden St. NW
Washington, DC 20016
Contact: Fr. Vertanes Kalayjian
T: 202.363.1923
[email protected]
ACYOA Leads Vigil; Secures Location for `System of a Down’ & Genocide Rally
Church Group Stands Ground in Face of Police and Turkish Pressure
Washington, DC. – Members of the St. Mary Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA) secured the front entrances and
property in front of the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC in
preparation for an annual April 24 genocide rally while leading a
91-hour vigil in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian
Christians from the Washington, DC area were participating in a 91
consecutive hour prayer vigil when United States Secret Service
(Uniformed Division) officers, and later a representative from the
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), attempted to
displace the Armenian group from the area that it had already occupied
for over 3 days.
`After speaking to the Secret Service and DC Metropolitan Police itwas
clear that they preferred that we move from our designated location.
When the ATTA representative arrived he attempted to relocate us as
well so that they would be able to use that space for their denial
campaign. But we had been stationed in front of the Embassy for over
75 hours and weren’t about to give it up to the Turks,’ remarked
Sarine Zenian, a spokesperson for the St. Mary ACYOA. `The police
ultimately sided inour favor and worked tirelessly and professionally
throughout the duration of the vigil and rally to ensure public
safety.’
Soon after, members of the Washington/Baltimore Armenian community, as
wellas others from around the country, rallied in support of the
recognition ofthe Armenian Genocide. Over 400 participants from
several local Armenian organizations and institutions including: the
ACYOA Central Council, the Armenian National Committee, the Armenian
Youth Federation, Hamazkayin Cultural Association, Homenetmen Scouts
and Athletic Union, Soorp Khatch Armenian Church, St. Mary Armenian
Church, and others; gathered together to call on the Turkish
government to admit its crimes, repent, and give the Armenian
peoplethe justice they deserve.
Special guests at the rally were members of the popular rock band
`System of a Down’ represented by band members John Dolmayan and
SerjTankian. Their presence added a unique element to the rally and
attracted Armenian-Americans to the annual rally in record numbers.
After the rally ended, the 91-hour vigil resumed through the night
ending at 10am on Tuesday, April 25, 2006. St. Mary ACYOA Chairman
Sevan Ohanian explained, `This vigil, and the 90-hour vigil of 2005,
sends a powerful message to the American people and the Turkish
government. We remained present on the street around the clock to
witness to the truth of the ArmenianGenocide.’ Vigil organizers
estimate an average of 50 vehicles drive past the Turkish Embassy each
minute during rush hour traffic. The vigil, which spanned 5 days,
exposed over 30,000 Washingtonians, including Turkish diplomats and
embassy staff, to the facts of the Armenian Genocide and thegreat
suffering that the Armenian people endured at the hands of the Ottoman
Turks.
Vigil participants endured inclement weather, cold nights, and
torrential rain during the first 50 hours and were repeatedly heckled
by area Turks and genocide deniers among the American community.
However, the vigil also provided an opportunity to engage pedestrians,
one on one, to discuss the issue and enlighten them about Armenia and
Armenian history. Muslims on their wayto the neighboring National
Islamic Center and Mosque offered insightful and often inspirational
views about humanity, human suffering, and mankind’s cruelty to
mankind.
Evenings at the vigil brought about opportunities for reflection and
prayer. Vigil spiritual leader, Dn. Zaven Kalayjian of Yerevan, led
the group in daily requiem services and group prayer focused on the
need for God’s grace and wisdom to be imparted on to the Turkish
people so that truth mayprevail over denial and ignorance in Turkey.
Vigil participants humbly prayed for God’s blessings on the martyrs of
the Genocide as well as the survivors and their legacy.
# # #

From: Embassy of Armenia
Subject: Third Armenia Diaspora Conference in Yerevan in September 2006
PRESS RELEASE April
26, 2006
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected] ;Web:
Third Armenia Diaspora Conference to be Held in Yerevan in September 2006
The Third Armenia – Diaspora Conference will convene in Yerevan on September
18 – 19, 2006. The objective of the Conference is to discuss, review, and
assess the Homeland – Diaspora relations and cooperation and to determine
the main directions and prospects for their further development.
The Homeland Diaspora Conference will have three main sessions:
– on September 18, the agenda will include general issues of
Homeland-Diaspora relations and cooperations;
– on September 19, the Conference will discuss the Program for Development
of the Armenian Rural Communities;
– additionally, a forum on Armenian identity will be held during a separate
session.
In addition to the invitations extended to representatives of the Diasporan
organizations and Armenian activists, all individuals and organizations
interested in participating in the Conference can contact the Embassy of
Armenia at 202-319-1976 or via email, [email protected].
For additional inquiries about the Conference, please contact the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia:
Mr. Jivan Movsisian, +374-10-544041, ext. 234, [email protected]
Ms. Salpi Ghazarian, +374-10-544041, ext. 234, [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: 818-248-7737
Fax: 818-248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
www.westernprelacy. org <; PRELACY P. R. COMMITTEE ORGANIZES A BOOK PRESENTATION The Western Prelacy Public Relations Committee, under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, has organized a book presentation event to be held on Sunday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m. at the `Armenak Der Bedrossian' Hall of St. Mary's Church in Glendale. The book that will be presented was a lost manuscript of Diana Apcar, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Japan during the first Armenian Republic (1918-1920), titled `From the Book of One Thousand Tales, Stories of Armenia and its People, 1892-1922'. The manuscript was found and published by Lucille Apcar, granddaughter of Diana Apcar, who will make the presentation. Diana Apcar, besides her diplomatic career, was a renowned writer and author of several books. In the 1920's, the building she lived in collapsed due to an earthquake and the manuscript for the aforementioned book was lost in the rubble. Many years later, the manuscript was found and her granddaughter Lucille Apcar published it into a book. The Western Prelacy Public Relations Committee has invited Lucille Apcar to Los Angeles to present her grandmother's recovered manuscript and to tell the public more about her grandmother's role in and service to the Armenian Community from the far away land of Japan. Following the official program there will be a reception and book signing.

From: “Armenia Fund, Inc.”
Subject: Armenia Fund Reconstructs Nork-Marash Hospital
Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206
T | 818-243-6222
F | 818-243-7222
E | [email protected]
For Immediate Release
April 26, 2006
Armenia Fund Reconstructs Nork-Marash Hospital
Brazilian Affiliate Finances Project
Yerevan, Armenia – Armenia Fund is proud to announce that its Brazilian
affiliate – Fundo Hayastan – will finance the second stage
reconstruction of the Nork-Marash Infectious Diseases Hospital located
in the Republic of Armenia. The healthcare facility is unique in its
kind and serves the entire population of the republic, since no other
facility exists for the treatment and diagnosis of various types of
infectious diseases. The hospital’s staff recently underwent extensive
training to counter threats from the avian bird flu – H1N1 strain, which
recently appeared in Armenia’s neighboring countries. The program will
primarily focus on the hospital’s intensive care and recovery unit – a
critical department of the facility. The project is slated for
completion later in 2006.
Built in 1956, the hospital is a Soviet era structure lacking serious
maintenance and repair. It was poorly designed – creating healthcare
programmatic challenges and seriously falling below Western standards
and protocols.
In 2004, financing provided by the Brazilian affiliate, allowed Armenia
Fund to proceed with critical reconstruction works at the first floor of
the hospital. Among various renovations, the first stage project
installed lavatory units in each patient’s ward – significantly reducing
the spread of diseases from one patient to another. The former plan had
one lavatory unit for the entire floor. Additionally, a new roof was
constructed to withstand the harsh winter climate of the republic. Most
importantly, the first stage solved all heating issues, with the
installation of a modern heating system. Complementing this plan was the
placement of new windows and doors to prevent unnecessary heat loss from
the building.
With the completion of the first stage, the Brazilian affiliate will now
move to the second phase with reconstruction works focusing on the
second floor and the rehabilitation department. Armenia Fund and its 19
international affiliates from all continents continue to rally the
financial and moral resources of the Diaspora for critically needed
development projects within the fledgling republic. For more
information, please visit or call 800-888-8897.
Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan”
All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected]
Website;
April 25, 2006
* * *
Primate Galstanian Makes an Appeal to the Government of Canada On
Monday, April 24, 2006, His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate
of the Armenian Church Canadian Diocese, sent a letter of appreciation
and gratitude to The Right Honorable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of
Canada.In his letter, Bishop Galstanian thanked the Prime Minister for
his courageous action and pressed forward to urge the Harper
government to pass a law condemning all Genocide deniers.
The faithful of our Diocese and Armenian communities of Canada should
note that His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian met with The Right
Hon. Stephen Harper on March 21, 2006 in the office of the Prime
Minister in Ottawa. The purpose of the meeting was to thank
Mr. Harper for his past support of Bill M-380 in the House of Commons,
and use the opportunity to further the discussion on the Armenian
Genocide. On this occasion, Bishop Galstanian also presented a letter
from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians.
The Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, in Montreal, is pleased
to go on record to express its gratification that the accelerated pace
of efforts of the Diocese for recognition of Medz Yeghern has been
successful. This diligent and conscientious process has brought about
a timely and concrete statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mr. Harper signed and sent the statement to Armenian organizations
across Canada on Wednesday April 19, 2006, days leading up to the 91st
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Following is the letter of
appreciation of Serpazan.
No 2006.102
April 24, 2006
The Right Hon. Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0A2
CANADA
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
The Canadian Armenian communities throughout the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of Canada are commemorating the 91st Anniversary of
Medz Yeghern. This is a solemn time of observance and reflection, as
we honour the memory of our ancestors, who perished in the Armenian
Genocide. This is also a period of renewal and resolution for all
Armenians. We have kept the faith and continue to believe that the
future will bring further understanding of the events of 1915.
It is a true privilege and honor to offer you my highest appreciation
and gratitude upon your statement of acknowledgement of the Armenian
Genocide. Indeed, in our meeting together, only short weeks ago in
your office, you greatly impressed upon us that you are a principled
leader of genuine convictions and beliefs. During our visit, I was
deeply moved to learn of your profound knowledge of our history and
the central issues that concern the Armenian community of Canada.
Honorable Prime Minister, your words of support for the Armenian
Genocide has reaffirmed Canada’s strong commitment to human justice
and universal peace. Following this auspicious occasion, we appeal to
your government to continue in the path of truth and pass a law
condemning all Genocide deniers.
I extend greetings to you from Jerusalem where I am currently on an
Easter pilgrimage. On behalf of our Diocese and all Canadian Armenians
please accept our highest respects for your forthright and steadfast
support. Prayerfully,
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian
Primate of the Armenian Church of Canada.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress