YARNS FROM SILK ROUTE
Bangkok Post, Thailand
Aug 3 2006
Baku, the Azeri capital, is a symphony of European and oriental
traditions and styles
STORY BY ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT, PHOTOS BY KITIPOOM ANAN AND NIPON
TUNGSANGPRATEEP
Emerging from the convulsions triggered by collapse of the Soviet
empire in 1991, tourism in Azerbaijan is hoping to scale a stature that
once made the country an inevitable stop on the legendary Silk Route.
Located in southwestern Asia bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran
and Russia, there are many captivating sights in this ancient land
that is generally known for its exquisite carpets and the vast oil
reserves of Baku, its capital – Bronze Age petroglyphs, medieval
minarets, mosques and the great Caucasus mountains to the north.
About a fifth of Azerbaijan’s population lives in Baku, the biggest
and most vibrant trans-Caucasian city located on a bay on the Apsheron
peninsula by Caspian Sea.
The city consists of three parts: Ichari Shahar or the old town
conspicuous by its fortress fenced off by a surrounding wall and
narrow, crooked streets, the rectangularly laid out oil section to its
south that is booming with activity, and a town built by the Soviets
who arrived to tap its oil wealth at the turn of the 20th century.
The oil section has interesting beaux-arts architecture adorning its
fine arts, history and literature museums that sit in opulent mansions
of millionaires built before the Russian revolution and subsequently
seized by the state.
The heart of Baku is the old town or the Walled City, which along
with the Maiden’s Tower, built in 12th century, and the Palace
of Shirvan shahs (kings) was declared World Heritage site in
2000. The medieval city has been restored, and retains a distinctly
Middle-Eastern and relaxed atmosphere, with its tea-houses and
busy streets. Archaeological digs have revealed Bronze Age burial
chambers. This popular part of the city, a maze of alleys, dead ends
and caravanserais or inns is also called the Acropolis of Baku.
If you have time, rent a car or buy a tour package and visit nearby
attractions such as the fire temples of Atesgah where there are
several fine medieval castles, and the open-air Gobustan Museum that
is littered with neolithic rock drawings dating back some 10,000 years.
It has some 4000 inscriptions. The subject matter includes hunting
scenes, ritual dances, religious ceremonies, ships, animals and
constellations, and many of the rocks are further adorned with
signatures and remarks added by passing Roman soldiers in the first
century AD, suggesting that the area has a long history as a tourist
attraction.
Travellers are advised to steer clear of the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
for long a bone of contention between Azerbaijan and its neighbour
Armenia. It is now administered as an autonomous enclave.
The Caspian Sea is the source of most sought after caviar at dining
tables all over the globe. It is the habitat of Beluga sturgeon.
Connoisseurs recognise caviar from the fish as the best, because of the
quality of the eggs produced, which are darker, with a bigger grain.
Beluga, the largest fish in the Caspian, can live over a hundred
years and grow to over six metres, but few now survive longer than
20 or 30 years.
According to the Pew Institute for Ocean Science at the University
of Florida, the fish now number less than 400,000, only one sixth of
which were adults. Its roe is the world’s most expensive delicacy.
Hence, it’s also the most threatened species.
Meanwhile, Thais visiting the country will find the Azeri people
charming, their fair skin, black hair, prominent nose and eyes
immediately making an impression. In downtown Baku, the setting is
modern and business-like, the people carefree and relaxed.
But the discerning visitor to Azerbaijan will detect a distinct
aloofness, call it a lack of service-mindedness that is taken for
granted in tourist destinations around the world, that endears them
to travellers. This is something it must deal with in order to win
a bigger slice of the tourist dollar.
The other challenge facing Azerbaijan is ensuring lasting peace
and political stability to draw tourists to a country that is the
confluence of Turkish, Persian and Russian cultures that do not
always gel and threaten to pull off in different directions. Next
is maintenance and conservation of its World Heritage site to ensure
its long-term appeal.
That said, Azerbaijan, and Baku in particular, offers several
temptations that if indulged can be a strain on the purse, as the Thai
wives of oil executives based there and those working in restaurants
will confirm to you. The cost of living is not cheap and they struggle
to save pennies, invariably falling for the colourful merchandise
and goodies that remain as powerful a magnet today as they were in
the days when ancient traders were drawn to the Silk Route.

COMMISSION FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS OF USA SENATE AGAIN DEFERRED CONSIDERATION OF
ISSUE OF RICHARD HOAGLAND’S APPROVAL TO POSITION OF USA AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA
Yerevan, August 2. ArmInfo. The Commission for Foreign Relations of the
USA Senate again deferred consideration of issue of Richard Hoagland’s
approval to the position of USA Ambassador to Armenia, “Svoboda”
radio station informs. The candidacy of Hoagland was presented in
May, 2006, by the USA President. According to the source, proposal
of at least one senator was necessary to put off the discussion. The
senators-democrats Josef Biden and John Kerri came out with such a
decision, having expressed their anxiety to the Commission Chairman
Richard Lugar. Biden had stated that a group of senators addressed
him with a call to make this proposal.
The press-secretary of the USA Hay Dat Commission, Elizabeth Chuljyan,
noted that the deferment of discussions means that the senators have
some anxiety regarding the Ambassador John Evan’s resignation, the
USA position in the issue of the Armenian Genocide and Hoagland’s
statements about the Armenian Genocide.

MEMBER OF RULING PARTY BOARD: ARMENIA MAY REFUSE FROM COMPLEMENTARY
FOREIGN POLICY
Yerevan, August 2. ArmInfo. “If the OSCE Minsk Group does not change
its approaches to the Karabakh problem solution, I think, Armenia
may refuse from complementary policy”, Artak Grigoryan, the member
of the Board of the Republican Party of Armenia, said at today’s
press-conference.
He emphasized that the complementary policy of Armenia had proved
itself until now, i.e. we succeeded to avoid political shocks
in the country, a stable economic growth is fixed. A. Grigoryan
introduced the content of the Federal seminar, held in Moscow , to the
journalists. The expert from Serbia Sonya Licht stated that recognition
of Kosovo sovereignty is to be expected by February, 2007, as there
are no mechanisms of Kosovo return under jurisdiction of Belgrade. To
Grigoryan’s remark that the model of Kosovo conflict is similar to the
Karabakh conflict, the British Council representative, Charles Grant
said that he is not acquainted with the Karabakh conflict history. The
western politicians tried to convince their Armenian colleague that
the Kosovo conflict is special and cannot be projected on the Karabakh
conflict. “I am sure they are perfectly acquainted with the Karabakh
conflict history, however, the policy of double standards takes more
and more open forms “, A. Grigoryan said.

ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS MUST TAKE DECISION ON REFERENDUM, SAYS MATTHEW BRYZA
Baku, August 2. ArmInfo-TURAN. At present neither Armenia, nor
Azerbaijan have agreed to any proposals of the OSCE MG co-chairmen.
Part of the co-chairmen’s proposals are still under discussion,
Matthew Bryza, U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE MG, said in an interview
to Yeni Musavat daily, while commenting on the reaction of Baku and
Yerevan to the co- chairmen’s proposals on the conflict settlement.
With regard to the referendum on the Karabakh status, Bryza said
that this idea was proposed by his predecessors, not by him. “The
question on a referendum must be first agreed on by the presidents,”
said Bryza. Results of the referendum will depend on its format and
on the voting of the people living in Nagorno Karabakh. Bryza did not
rule out the possibility of counting the votes of people that lived
in Karabakh until 1988.
Commenting on a statement about the participation of only Nagorno
Karabakh’s population in voting, Bryza said that this is not
his personal position. “These are proposals put forward by the
co-chairmen. I simply reiterate them. We did not insist on adoption
or non-adoption of these proposals. We simply put forward proposals
for your discretion,” said Bryza.
He also stressed that the latest proposals are the best ones that have
been discussed during the past two years. He urged the parties of the
conflict to express a concrete opinion on adoption, non-adoption or
change of proposals.

158.491 BLN AMD TAX REVENUES IN ARMENIA IN JAN-JUNE 2006
Yerevan, August 2. ArmInfo. In Jan-June 2006 Armenia’s tax revenues
totalled 158.491 bln AMD or 19.6% of GDP – which is 20.5% more than
a year before, reports the National Statistical Service of Armenia.
The profit tax revenues grew by 41.5% to 32.660 bln AMD (4% of GDP),
the income tax revenues by 37.7% to 15.419 bln AMD, the VAT revenues
by 13.5% to 69.505 bln AMD, the customs revenues by 11.8% to 8.173
bln AMD.

UPON RESULTS OF FIRST HALF YEAR, 2006, MORE THAN 122,5 FOREIGN TOURISTS VISITED ARMENIA
Yerevan, August 2. ArmInfo. The total number of foreign tourists,
having visited Armenia, reached 122.528 people for January-June,
2006, which exceeds the indicator of the same period, 2005, by 11,6%.
As ArmInfo was told in the National Statistical Service of Armenia,
119.451 Armenian tourists had left the country for the first half,
2006, which is higher than the similar period, 2005, by 13,3%.

KHACHATURIAN: Gayne Ballet Suite – London Symphony Orchestra/ Anatole
Fistoulari – Everest 35mm mag film recording reissued as Classic Records
Audiophile Audition
Aug 3 2006
KHACHATURIAN: Gayne Ballet Suite – London Symphony Orchestra/ Anatole
Fistoulari – Everest 35mm mag film recording reissued as Classic
Records 3-channel HDAD2016 (CD/DVD-V audio/DVD-A audio), 46:53 ****:
For my previous specifics about this Classic Records series, see my
first review Here. The patriotic folk ballet Gayne comes from the
composer most associated with Armenian music over any other. Although
Khachaturian used elements from the folk music of his people, he
dressed them in very modern harmonies, giving them a 20th-century
life that resulted in immediate popularity. For example, take the
opening one of these 11 tracks which conductor Fistoulari picked out
of the two concert suites the composer had created from his complete
ballet score. It’s the classical hit The Sabre Dance. Fistoulari
was born in Kiev, conducted Russian operas in Paris with Chaliapin,
and later was conductor of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
The rest of the movements are: Lyrical Duet, Dance of the Rose
Maidens, Gopak, Lullaby, Lezghinka, Russian Dance, Gayne’s Adagio,
Dance of the Young Kurds, Dance of the Old Man, Fire. The Adagio may
be remembered from Kubrick’s effective use of it on the soundtrack
of 2001: A Space Odyssey. All the pieces are aglow with orchestral
color and vitality, making perfect audio demos. As with the others
already reviewed, I found the provided CD just about identical to
the now-out-of-print l995 Everest CD reissue, and the addition of the
center channel on both the Dolby 3-channel and the DVD-Audio 3-channel
of the separate DVD to greatly enhance the realism and impact of
the music. I find a similarity in enhancement going from 2-channel
to recorded-for-3-channel to that of going from an LP mastered from
analog tape to a direct disc recorded at the same time.
– John Sunier
D=1750

SEN. NORM COLEMAN, R-MINN., SAYS HE WILL VOTE AGAINST ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR NOMINEE
FOX News
Aug 2 2006
WASHINGTON – A Republican senator is planning to vote against President
Bush’s nominee for ambassador to Armenia because the nominee has
refused to refer to the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.
“I continue to be troubled by our policy that refuses to recognize
what was a historical reality,” Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman said in
a telephone interview Wednesday.
The Bush administration does not question that Turkish troops killed
or drove from their homes 1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915. But
it has omitted the word “genocide” to describe it.
~U CountryWatch: Armenia
Turkey strongly objects to the use of the term, and U.S. policymakers
are wary of antagonizing an important strategic NATO ally.
On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which Coleman
serves, postponed a vote on Richard E. Hoagland’s nomination until
next month.
“As someone of the Jewish faith, I bring a heightened sensitivity
to the reality of genocide and mass murder, and the importance of
recognizing it for what it is,” Coleman said.
“I was brought up believing you never forget the Holocaust, never
forget what happened. And I could not imagine how our ambassador
to Israel could have any effectiveness if he couldn’t recognize the
Holocaust.” (AP)

SENATOR SAYS HE’LL VOTE AGAINST ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR NOMINEE FREDERIC J. FROMMER
Contra Costa Times, San Francisco
Aug 2 2006
WASHINGTON – A Republican senator is planning to vote against President
Bush’s nominee for ambassador to Armenia because the nominee has
refused to refer to the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.
“I continue to be troubled by our policy that refuses to recognize
what was a historical reality,” Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman said in
a telephone interview Wednesday.
The Bush administration does not question that Turkish troops killed
or drove from their homes 1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915. But
it has omitted the word “genocide” to describe it.
Turkey strongly objects to the use of the term, and U.S. policymakers
are wary of antagonizing an important strategic NATO ally.
On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which Coleman
serves, postponed a vote on Richard E. Hoagland’s nomination until
next month. While other senators have raised concerns about Hoagland’s
nomination, Coleman is the first to say publicly that he will vote
against it, according to the Armenian National Committee of America.
California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who sits on the committee,
agreed with postponing the vote but hasn’t said how she plans to vote.
“The administration has to change its policy on Armenia.
Unfortunately, Mr. Hoagland is caught in the middle of this sorry
situation, and I will say more about this entire matter when the
committee votes on this nomination,” she said Wednesday in a statement.
In May, the White House announced the recall of the current ambassador
to Armenia, John Evans, two years into the normal three-year diplomatic
term. Last year, Evans told Armenian-Americans, “The Armenian genocide
was the first genocide of the 20th century.”
Sixty members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice protesting that Evans was being
punished for his reference to “genocide.” In a separate letter,
Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts
demanded an explanation from Rice for Evans’ recall.
“It absolutely was cut short because of that,” Coleman said,
referring to Evans’ use of the word genocide. “That I also found to
be troubling. Evans was a good ambassador.
“As someone of the Jewish faith, I bring a heightened sensitivity
to the reality of genocide and mass murder, and the importance of
recognizing it for what it is,” Coleman said.
“I was brought up believing you never forget the Holocaust, never
forget what happened. And I could not imagine how our ambassador
to Israel could have any effectiveness if he couldn’t recognize
the Holocaust.”
Asked whether Evans was recalled for using the word genocide, State
Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez would only say, “U.S. ambassadors
serve at the pleasure of the president.”
At a Foreign Relations Committee hearing in June, senators failed to
get Hoagland to use the word genocide.
“I have not received any kind of written instruction about this,”
Hoagland said at that hearing. “I simply have studied the president’s
policy. I’ve studied the background papers on the policy. And my
responsibility is to support the president.” (AP)

Racist Vandalism in Rostov
Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, DC
Aug 2 2006
Vandals smashed windows and painted racist graffiti inside the Museum
of Russian-Armenian Friendship in Rostov, according to an August 2,
2006 report by the Sova Information-Analytical Center. The museum is
located inside an Armenian church. Vandals wrote “Russia for Russians”
and “Beat the khachi” (a pejorative for Armenians) on the walls and
set a fire to some windows. Police are investigating the incident.