ARMENIAN STUDENT CREATES LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES
BYU Newsnet, UT
Aug 3, 2006
By Elizabeth Watts – 3 Aug 2006
Vahe Babayan loves gettin into his work. In his second semester in
the BYU Bookstore framing department he mostly enjoys working with
the customers and his fun boss.Hearing students grumble about the
walk to campus from home or distant parking lots is not uncommon, but
Vahe Babayan was grateful to be able to walk from University Avenue
to Utah Valley State College without fear of being arrested.
“For three days I walked to UVSC, where I was going to school at that
time, and then I would walk home after class,” said Babayan, an
Armenian BYU student who spent years in Russia. “All I knew was that
I lived by the mountains, so I walked toward them to find the house I
was staying at until I got used to the area.”
After growing up in a country where he was not always free to go
where he wanted to go; this long walk was refreshing to
Babayanbecause it meant he had more freedom.
Over the past 25 years of his life, times have not always been easy,
but Babayan learned from his experiences and is grateful for what he
has been given. His gratitude toward the U.S. continues to grow from
experiences and the life perspective he has developed from them.
“Life is a beautiful thing. You don’t have to be beautiful to live
life,” Babayan said, “What eyes you see life with depends on you.”
After receiving his I-20 visa to allow him to attend school in the
U.S., Babayan moved here on Jan. 3, 2004 – a date he will always
remember because it was a major day in his life when many
opportunities were opened to him.
He said the U.S is a great country and he would like to work with the
government after finishing school in order to allow others to have
the freedoms he has experienced. He is very passionate about the U.S.
and the freedoms he has been given while being here.
“Great people came to the U.S. and created what it is now,” Babayan
said. “I am appreciative that people like me can come here to create
my own life and I will do what ever I can to defend it.
Babayan is originally from Yerevan, Armenia. However, at age 15 he
moved to Moscow to attend school and play soccer.
Moscow gave Babayan a greater opportunity to gain an education and
provided better living standards, but it also had its difficulties.
In Moscow there is a lot of prejudice resulting from conflicts
between Russia and other countries. Babayan said the police in Moscow
would think he was a terrorist because of his darker skin. The legal
system has some corruption there and he was arrested at least twice a
week for suspicions the police had.
“To avoid being arrested, I would try to be home before dark and knew
the areas the police would always be at,” Babayan said.
Babayan was first introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints after his father met missionaries for the church on
the street in Moscow and invited them to his house. Babayan was
baptized into the church along with his mother and brother when he
was 17.
Babayan later served in the Romania Moldova Mission for the church.
While he was on his mission, he formed relationships with many of his
close friends now at BYU who influenced him to come to the U.S.
BYU student Ryan Divine met Babayan in Moldova where they served
together. Divine said Babayan did not speak English and had just
started serving his mission, so he did not speak Romanian well
either. They did not have a common language to speak to each other,
but they bonded from the start.
In order to communicate they would use hand gestures and show each
other pictures of what they were talking about.
An experience Divine remembers from the mission was on a preparation
day during lunch when they were playing soccer. Divine watched as
Babayan walked away from the soccer game to talk with two young boys
and give them the three oranges they had for their lunch.
Babayan said when he saw the boys he remembered being young and not
having much. He felt that he could relate with the boys.
Finding oranges in Moldova was hard and they were expensive. He knew
the boys had not had an orange before, so he wanted them to be able
to have the oranges.
Divine said he was able to learn from Babayan’s actions and told
other missionaries playing soccer with him, “We will learn more from
him than we will ever be able to teach him.”
Coming from a different culture helps Babayan to stick out in Provo.
Everyone around where he lives knows him. Divine said the reason for
his popularity is that Babayan is a fun person to be with, but he is
also refreshing to be around, since he has a different view point of
the world.
A friend and past roommate of Babayan has known him for two years,
and said he feels it a pleasure to know him.
“He leaves an impression and is infectious,” said BYU student Shane
Mount. “Vahe would do anything for someone who needs help, but will
not ask anything of you.”
When moving into the apartment, there were not enough beds for
everyone. Babayan put his bed in Mount’s room before he moved in and
made himself a bed on the floor that he slept on for the rest of the
year. Mount said Babayan refused to take the bed back.
“Vahe has such a good example of integrity and everyone should get to
know him, everyone,” Mount said. “He is that good of a guy.”
From: Baghdasarian

GDP GROWTH RATE IN CIS REPORTED
RosBusinessConsulting, Russia
Aug 3, 2006
RBC, 03.08.2006, Moscow 19:00:06.The average GDP growth rate of the
CIS countries was 6.5 percent in January-June 2006 compared to the
same period in 2005, the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS
reports. Azerbaijan and Armenia showed the highest GDP growth rates
of 36.3 percent and 11.9 percent respectively. The GDP growth rate
in Belarus reached 10.1 percent, Tajikistan’s growth rate was 7.1
percent, Russia’s growth rate amounted to 6 percent while Ukraine
saw a 5-percent growth and Kyrgyzstan’s GDP rose by 3.1 percent.

BOLTON-BACKING SENATOR BLOCKS ANOTHER AMBASSADOR
Raw Story, MA
Aug 3, 2006
RAW STORY
Published: Thursday August 3, 2006
A Republican senator who has called on Democrats to give President
Bush’s controversial pick for UN Ambassador John Bolton an up or
down vote is now voting to block the nomination of another ambassador
picked by President Bush, RAW STORY has learned.
Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota announced his intention to vote
against recommending confirmation of Richard Hoagland to be President
Bush’s ambassador to Armenia. Coleman intends to block the nominee
because he refused to term Turkey’s early 20th century of Armenians
living in the country a ‘genocide.’ Coleman declared in an interview
with the Associated Press “My problem isn’t with Hoagland…I continue
to be troubled by our policy that refuses to recognize what was a
historical reality.”
The article goes on to explain that the US will not call Turkey’s
killing of Armenians in the early 1900s an act of genocide, a position
Hoagland hewed to during his confirmation hearing in June.
Senator Coleman has been a loud voice in favor of Ambassador John
Bolton’s confirmation by a Senate vote. In one statement on Tuesday,
Coleman declared that “Blocking the nomination of Ambassador Bolton
is a case study in partisan excess….We must have an up or down vote
on Ambassador Bolton in the Senate.”
During Bolton’s confirmation hearing last month, he also said “if
you really look at the opposition at times to this nomination…it’s
opposition to U.S. policy.” He then added “But I think what we do
fundamentally agree with is the belief that the president has the
right to have his voice and his representation, somebody he trusts,
representing us at the United Nations.”

ANIMALS FLOWED FROM AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED TERRITORIES HAVE NO DANGEROUS ILLNESSES
TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug 3, 2006
The State Veterinary Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of
Azerbaijan announced the final results of the laboratory examinations
held on base on the specimens taken from the territories of Tartar,
Agdam and Beylagan to define the danger level of animals flowing from
Azerbaijan’s territories occupied by Armenians in result of fires.
The investigations didn’t show any dangerous illnesses, Trend reports
with reference to the State Service.
The specimens were taken by the specialists of the state service.
Besides, during the observations, the epidemic and epizootic
situation of the territories located on border with Armenia was also
investigated. The specialists of the Health Ministry also participated
in the taken measures.

CALIFORNIA LEADING THE HUMAN RIGHTS CHARGE – AGAIN
California Progress Report, California
Aug 3, 2006
By Assemblymember Jerome Horton
The United Nations has called it the greatest humanitarian crisis in
the world. The United States calls it genocide. For the first time
in world history, the term “genocide” is being applied to an ongoing
tragedy rather than an event in our history books.
More than two and a half years into the crisis, the western Sudanese
region of Darfur is acknowledged to be a humanitarian and human rights
crisis of the first order with as many as 500 people – overwhelmingly
civilians – dying every month. The situation continues to deteriorate
as the international community fails to protect innocent civilians
or influence the Sudanese government to do so themselves.
The need for action has never been greater. It is estimated that since
the beginning of the conflict up to 400,000 people have been killed
and 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes by the government
militia, the “janjaweed”. Currently, 25% of Sudanese children do not
live past the age of five.
Since being placed on the “Terror Watch” list by the Clinton
Administration, the Sudanese government has been supplying us with
information on terrorist activity within their own country, despite
the fact that this information is often outdated and “cherry-picked”
for minimal importance. It is because of these ties that we continue
to avoid confronting Sudan on the issue of genocide. How can President
Bush say that “we cannot ignore” their suffering and then feed the
very beast responsible for their destruction? How can he allow these
fruitless ties to the Sudan take precedent over the lives of the
millions suffering in Darfur? Because steps are not being taken on
the federal level, California must take a lead to prevent this tragedy
from escalating any further.
This year, I, along with Assemblymember Paul Koretz, have introduced
a bill in the State Assembly, AB 2941 (Koretz), to address this
atrocity. This bill would require two of the nation’s biggest pension
systems, CalPERS and CalSTRS, to begin a targeted divestment of
holdings in companies that continue to do business with a government
that slaughters, rapes, starves and displaces their own people. One
would think that after the Holocaust and the genocides in Armenia,
Rwanda, and that of California’s Indian population, we would not
stand idly by while people suffer from such inhumane treatment.
AB 2941 will affect the revenue that the Khartoum government
receives. The Khartoum government has used the funds it receives to
purchase Russian MIGs which have been used in the attacks in Darfur
and to arm the brutal Janjaweed militia. The Darfurians receive no
benefits from the central government, but more significantly, their
destruction is enabled by the wealth of the Khartoum government.
AB 2941 will be heard on Tuesday, August 8th in the Senate Judiciary
Committee. That same day the Sacramento Committee on Conscience
will be holding its 2nd Annual Call to Conscience: Darfur, a rally
in support of the bill. Speakers will include myself, Assemblyman
Jerome Horton, and Assemblymembers Paul Koretz and Joe Coto, as well
as representatives from groups sponsoring the bill, including the
California State Conference of the NAACP.
We in California are in a unique position to affect the direction of
the entire country on yet another important social goal. Although other
states have chosen to divest, none of these states have the holdings
in Sudan that we do, and consequently none of these states could
have an impact as powerful as ours could be. The federal government
is wrestling with the question of how to act, but they have been
reluctant to act due to foreign policy allegiances. It is up to the
states themselves to lead the charge, and while it may be too late
to begin the divestment charge, it is not too late for us to lead it.
Assemblyman Jerome E. Horton was elected in November 2000 to represent
the 51st District. He is the Chair of the Assembly Governmental
Organization Committee.

VASILI ISTRATOV: CO-CHAIRS ARE DOING ALL THEY CAN TO MAKE THE PARTIES REACH AGREEMENT
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 3, 2006
New Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasili Istratov today visited
the Honor Alley in the capital Baku today.
He laid garlands on the tombs of the then President Heydar Aliyev,
his spouse Zarifa Aliyeva and great composer Bulbul. Then he visited
the Martyrs’ Alley. APA reports the ambassador sharing his first
impressions on the Azerbaijani capital with journalists said he
approved this city. “I liked this city very much. I am sure we’ll
have efficient cooperation with the brotherly Azerbaijani people in
all spheres. I am very pleased for my appointment as ambassador to
Azerbaijan and will take up my duties soon. I arrived in your country
just yesterday. I’ll present my credentials to President Ilham Aliyev
soon and assume office after that,” Mr.Istratov said. Assessing the
role of Russia as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group in settlement of the
Nagorno Garabagh conflict, the ambassador said the co-chairing states
do not deal with this issue separately. “The co-chairs are mediating
together and doing all they can do to achieve peace agreement between
the parties to the conflict,” he underlined./APA/

MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS PROPOSE AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN PRAGUE
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 3, 2006
On August 2, 2006, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador
Yuriy Merzlyakov (Russia), Ambassador Bernard Fassier (France) and
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza (USA) met at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris to assess the current stage in
the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The French Embassy told the APA the co-chairs discussed as well
the results of Matthew Bryza’s introductory visit to the region,
in his capacity as a co-chair. Proceeding from the St Petersburg G8
Chairman’s statement on Nagorno Karabakh, the co-chairs considered
different options to achieve its objectives, which will be proposed to
the parties, and await them for their thoughts. Diplomatic sources
told the APA the co-chairs proposed Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign
Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanyan to meet in the
Czech capital, Prague in autumn this year. The Ministers are due
to discuss the options proposed by the co-chairs as well as issues
concerning ending the clash of opinions and agree on organizing
meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents as a result of
these discussions. /APA/

ARMENIAN FEST SLATED IN GLENVIEW AUG. 12 AND 13
Pioneer Press Online, IL
Aug 3, 2006
On Aug. 12 and 13, the Armenian All Saints Church, 1701 N. Greenwood
Road, Glenview will host its 3rd Annual Armenian Fest. Hours are noon
to 10 p.m. Aug. 12 and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 13.
One special festival feature is the ancient ritual of the Blessing
of the Grapes, slated for 4 p.m. Aug. 13. A service performed by
priests and deacons across the world in August, the gestures welcome
autumn and prayers are for a bountiful harvest. For centuries, farming
Armenians in the small region depended on prosperous crops to survive.
Food featured will include shish kebobs, hummos, flaky spinach pies,
Armenian meat “pizza”, pilaf and desserts ranging from paklava to
flat breads made of sweet tahin. Carry-outs will be available.
Free Armenian dancing shows by the local cultural organization and
live Armenian music by the Chicago-based The Mideast Beat are slated
from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12. The Beat, all self-taught from
age 13, have been playing Armenian music together for 30 years.
A kids’ tent will feature a moonwalk, ethnic crafts, carnival games,
face painting and clowns throughout the weekend. Uncle Raffi’s Petting
Zoo Sat at 6:30 pp.m. Aug. 12 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 13, will feature
animals typical in the Armenian region — goats, lambs and donkeys —
along with other animals kids can pose with and pet.
Ethnic novelties and mementos, arts and crafts will be sold at the
Armenian bazaar. Visitors also can sign up for daily Armenian card
or backgammon tournaments.
Admission and street parking will be free. In case of rain, the event
will be held indoors in spacious hall. For more information, call
(847) 437-4937 or e-mail [email protected].
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Regnum, Russia
Aug 3, 2006
Karabakh human rights activist: “There are no Azerbaijani prisoners
of war in Nagorno Karabakh”
“The Azerbaijani authorities have been exaggerating the subject
of Azerbaijani prisoners of war in Karabakh captivity to conceal
the true number of its Army losses in the war imposed upon Nagorno
Karabakh. Instead of cooperating with Armenian and Azerbaijani NGOs
in solving this humanitarian problem, Baku is politicizing it,”
Karen Ohanjanyan, head of Helsinki Initiative ’92 organization,
commenting on a report by TURAN news agency, which says that allegedly
“Azerbaijani prisoners of war are being exploited in tunnels of gold
mines in Kelbajar District.”
“Since May 12, 1995, there has been no prisoners of war and hostages
in Nagorno Karabakh. All of them were extradited to Azerbaijan. Today
there are only separate cases of Azerbaijani servicemen becoming
prisoners of war because of their attempts to carry out subversive
activity, however, Nagorno Karabakh authorities immediately inform
Stepanakert Office of the International Red Cross Committee and in
two or three months these prisoners are extradited to the Azeri side
with the Red Cross assistance,” Karen Ohanjanyan stressed.
It is worth mentioning, recently, a regional conference on issues of
missing people with participation of Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian
and Nagorno Karabakh representatives initiated in the framework
of The Yellow Tulips Project with support of The Interchurch Peace
Council (the Netherlands) was held in the Nagorno Karabakh capital,
Stepanakert. The reporters spoke on carious aspects of the missing
people problem, gave a brief on history of cooperation of the Helsinki
Citizens Assembly in South Caucasus, role of mass media in solving
the problems of missing, attitudes of the governmental institutions
to the problem of missing.

A FAMILY WAITS – WHITE LAKE RESIDENTS TRAPPED IN LEBANON
Milford Times, MI
Aug 3, 2006
By Aileen Wingblad
STAFF WRITER
When Jack Chopjian’s wife, Karine, and their two young sons left for
an overseas trip to visit family in May, he said good-bye with the
intent of joining them there at the end of August.
Chopjian was to fly in for a huge celebration with friends and
relatives in honor of their little boy’s baptism, followed by a
few weeks of vacationing with Karine and the kids – Christopher, 4
and Armen, 2. Chopjian, a White Lake resident and owner of Milford
Jewelers in downtown Milford, was to enjoy with the family days of
sunning at the beach, splashing in the sea, enjoying the beauty of
the surrounding mountain range, reveling in the seemingly endless
nightlife and the other wonders the country holds.
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The beloved country of his and Karine’s childhood, Lebanon.
More specifically, the rural village of Anjar, in a lush and exotic
region of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley – the adopted homeland of thousands
of Armenians, like Chopjian’s parents and grandparents.
Yet fate was to intervene in a most grim and destructive way.
Instead of relishing an extended holiday, Karine, Christopher and
Armen are trapped in Anjar, just north of the Syrian border. Hunkered
down in the home of Karine’s parents since Israel’s aerial bombardment
began in Lebanon last month, they are challenged by the daily rumble of
bombs – some hitting just a mile away. Telephone, water and electrical
services are severely limited. Gas stations are shut down, and grocery
stores are picked clean.
At this point, Chopjian said, his wife’s best bet is to get to
neighboring Syria and make arrangements for a return flight. However,
though the Syrian border is just a few miles away, major streets
leading there are closed or demolished. And travel along the back
roads is questionable – and risky.
So for now, he said, there is no manageable way back to the United
States for his wife and kids.
“It was supposed to be a nice vacation, but it turned into war,”
said Tamar Aguilar, Chopjian’s sister and business partner.
Frustration rules the day “I am frustrated, very frustrated. There’s
nothing I can do. I can’t just fly there and get them,” Chopjian
said. “I’m freaking out, of course. But what can I do?”
He watches daily news updates on TV, and gets other information from
friends who have satellite feeds from Arabic news services. And he
puts on a brave and friendly face each day, hoping for the best while
biding his time until his loved ones return.
“But he is nervous, very nervous – and so am I,” Aguilar said. “It’s
hard to stay concentrated at work. It is on your mind all the time.
Friends keep calling and asking what’s going on, if there is any
change. But right now, we just don’t know. It is really hard.”
Chopjian tries to contact his wife every day, having more luck with
land lines than cellular service. “The cell phones just aren’t clear.
And the regular phones are clearer, but still it’s hard to get
through. And lots of times, after about two minutes, the phone just
drops right off,” he said.
Those brief but invaluable phone calls include conversations with his
sons, too. Armen, still a toddler, is frightened and confused, Chopjian
said. Christopher has been told the sounds of the bombs are fireworks.
“That way, it doesn’t scare him,” he said. “When he hears the bombs,
he just says, ‘oh, there are the fireworks again.”
Unwanted legacy Though Karine and the others are surrounded by danger,
Chopjian said he has faith in his wife’s ability to hold up until she
can return home. Her parents’ house is a safe haven, for now, and the
community of Anjar is close-knit and supporting, he said. Besides,
he added, Karine – like himself and countless family and friends – has
already proven an ability to endure the horrors of armed conflict. Just
as he did, Karine grew up in the Armenian-populated region of Lebanon
during that country’s civil war of the 1970s.
“She’s strong. She’s made it through this type of thing before,”
he said.
But picturing his young sons in that environment is weighing heavily
on Chopjian’s heart. He shudders to think his little boys could
harbor some of the same kinds of memories of war that have haunted
him since his own childhood. Living through air strikes and gun fire
– and watching as your neighborhood crumbles around you – has left
a profound impression on Chopjian. And the recollections are still
fresh, some 25 years after he emigrated to the United States.
Aguilar shares her brother’s dread that the children will be adversely
affected by this summer’s trip to Lebanon. “I’d hate it if they have
flashbacks – and all the kids that are over there,” she said. “I know
what they are going through.” Aguilar said she’s troubled to this day
by the sound of thunder, which always brings to mind memories of air
strikes that were a part of her pre-teen years.
“People say it’s just thunder. But to me, I’m reminded of all the
bombings,” she said. “I hate it.”
The waiting game Chopjian said despite the unrest that plagues much
of the Middle East, the latest conflict in Lebanon came as quite a
shock to him. After all, he said, Lebanon and its people over the past
several years have been undergoing a renaissance of sorts with rebuilt
infrastructure and plenty of corporations eager to invest there.
He last visited in 2001. The country was occupied by Syrian security
forces at the time, which left him a bit uneasy, yet the area was
breathtakingly beautiful. It was easy to see, he said, why Lebanon
had earned a reputation as a vacation hot-spot recently throughout
much of the world.
After Syrian forces left last year, Chopjian said he believed Lebanon
was well on its way to the democracy desired by the people. “The
country was coming back, they were happy. There was a lot of
construction, lots of money and tourism and business,” Chopjian said.
Now, there is heartbreak.
“Any country that is in war, it is horrible,” he said. “As for the
politics, I don’t know what to say about who is right and who is
wrong. There are no winners in this.”
Aguilar said all she can do now is “pray for peace” and urges others
to do so, too. “It is just such a mess over there. Such a mess,”
she said. “I never imagined anything like this would be happening.”
Chopjian won’t venture a guess as to when Karine and the boys will
be back. “Honestly, I don’t know. Obviously, I want them here as soon
as possible. Perhaps there will be a cease-fire and they can get out,
but it’s crazy. That whole region is suffering.
“But no matter what you say, she’s there and I am here,” he said.
“The situation is changing every minute. And there is nothing I can
do about it.”
Aileen Wingblad is a reporter for the Milford Times. She can
be reached by phone at (248) 685-1507 ext. 22 or by e-mail at
[email protected].