Azeris rethink post-freedom tilt to West
-101811-2429r.htm
By Kathy Gannon
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published May 13, 2006
ASTARA, Azerbaijan — After the Soviet Union collapsed and Azerbaijan
became free, the oil-rich country was caught in a tug of war for
influence between the secular, democratic West and Islamic Iran. Iran
sent in preachers, built mosques and gave scholarships to the
poor. But Azerbaijan turned to the West.
Nowadays, however, the early rumblings of political Islam are being
heard in the world’s biggest Shi’ite Muslim republic outside Iran,
aroused by frustration with rampant corruption, intractable poverty,
and a sense thatfor the sake of oil, the Western democracies have
chosen to ignore the taint of corruption in its elections.
There are many signs that neighboring Iran is capitalizing on the
discontent with a “we-told-you-so” message and winning some support in
its confrontation with the West over its nuclear program.
Ilham Aliyev, who took over as president from his dying father in 2003
in an election sullied by claims of widespread fraud, visited the
White House last month, underscoring his friendship with the Bush
administration. But many in Azerbaijan wonder how long his
overwhelmingly Muslim nation of 9 million people will stay in the
U.S. orbit.
“Azerbaijan will not become an Islamic country overnight, but the
beginnings are here,” said Arif Yunusov, author of “Islam in
Azerbaijan” and chairman of the Institute of Peace and Democracy, an
independent think tank in Baku, the capital.
“People today in Azerbaijan don’t believe America. People believe that
the West does not want democracy in our country, it just wants our
oil.”
Europe admired Whether an Islamic surge is coming is open to
question. Azerbaijan also has a strong Western-oriented camp, yearning
for Europe’s model of good governance and civil rights.
In the cosmopolitan capital, the overwhelming affinity is with Europe,
though attendance at mosque prayers is growing steadily, and human
rights workers say they were surprised at how many young Azeris joined
the demonstrations that swept the Muslim world over the publication of
Danish cartoons mocking the prophet Muhammad.
In the more conservative southern regions that border Iran, the return
to Islamic roots is more noticeable.
Azerbaijan is a “very complex country,” said Fariz Ismailzade, a
political science professor in Baku. “We have modern girls, but still
there is a rise in Islamic fundamentalism. It is slow but it is
happening.”
Azeris, says secular opposition politician Eldar Namazov, are “the
most European of people in the Islamic world — even more than
Turkey. Yet I think you can say today that we see some Islamic
renaissance, and the ground is ready for an Islamic revival here in
Azerbaijan. … Our society wants political change, but year after
year people are disappointed with democracy.”
More than a decade after signing a multibillion-dollar oil deal with a
U.S.- and British-dominated consortium, most of this country the size
of Maine is miserably underdeveloped. Nearly half the population
earns less than $1,000 a year. Unemployment hovers around 20 percent.
Oil revenues rising Azerbaijan anticipates oil revenues of $160
billion by 2025, and a $4 billion, 1,093-mile pipeline is pumping
Caspian Sea oil from Baku through Georgia to the Turkish Mediterranean
port of Ceyhan. Yet outside Baku, gas supplies are erratic and the
country runs on dilapidated Soviet-era infrastructure.
All this, say critics, adds up to a new opening for Iran, the Shi’ite
giant to the south.
“Iran has always been active in Azerbaijan, but before they weren’t
getting the results they wanted,” said Mr. Yunusov, the
researcher. That’s changing; “Now people think that Iran’s words make
sense, that the claims by Iran against the war in Iraq and against
America are not so bad, that the West just wants our resources.”
Iran is reported to be financing Azerbaijan’s opposition Islamic
Party.
Among Azeri refugees from the 1990s war with Armenia over the enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh, Iran is the biggest provider of humanitarian aid,
and itgains points from a perception among the refugees that
Azerbaijan was betrayed from all sides during the war and that the
West has forgotten them.
Iranian television and radio, broadcasting in the Azeri language, are
the leading sources of information here in Astara and elsewhere on the
southern border. Azeri-language talk shows in the nearby Iranian city
of Tabriz are flooded with callers from Azerbaijan.
“Everything we want to find out, we find out from Iranian radio,” said
Mammadov Mazjtajab, a former reporter with Radio Liberty in
Astara. Broadcast propaganda has increased, much of it directed
against the United States, he said.
Increase in propaganda Mr. Mazjtajab said propaganda has increased
noticeably during the nuclear standoff.
Tehran has threatened to strike back at any country that cooperates
with an attack on its nuclear facilities. Azerbaijan’s government has
promised that its territory won’t be used for military action against
Iran, but people living nearby are nervous, pointing to a U.S.-built
radar facility just outside Astara and the upgrading of the airport at
Nakhichevan, also on the borderwith Iran, to accommodate NATO
jets. Both projects are U.S.-financed.
Iran’s perceived attractions are revealed in an encounter at the
border with Jamilya Shafyeov, an Azeri woman wearing three sweaters
against the cold and bemoaning her inability to find work. “I think
things are so much better over there,” she said, gesturing through a
small gray steel gate that opens into Iran. “What do we have here?
Nothing. No jobs. If I had a passport I would go there.”
Nail Farziyev, a retailer in Astara, drew cheers from fellow
shopkeepers when he said: “We can’t turn our back on Iran and we won’t
turn our back on them.
“Why is it that America thinks it can impose its will on everyone?” he
asked. “Why can’t Iran have peaceful nuclear energy? I want to know
why.”
In Baku, nearly 150 miles to the north, Mr. Yunusov’s think tank is
sampling opinion nationally and discovering similar sentiments.
Opinions are shifting In a survey he did three years ago, he said: “I
asked about Iraq and Afghanistan, and then everyone supported the
United States and everyone agreed that [Osama] bin Laden was behind
the September 11, 2001, attacks.”
But in a new survey he is conducting with the University of
Minnesota’s Department of Political Science, he said, “it is all
changed now. Some even say maybe the United States planned the
[September 11] attacks in order to go after Muslim countries to get
their oil.”
In Nadaran, 40 miles from the starting point of a pipeline regarded as
an engineering marvel, Hajji Vagif Gasimov hunkered down in a
municipal office with bitterly cold wind whistling through broken
windowpanes. “Our situation is getting worse from day to day,” he
said.
“My father was an oil worker, my grandfather was an oil worker. We are
surrounded by gas pipelines and we have no gas. We think that this is
America’s fault because they want all our resources.”
In the 1990s, he said, “my dream was to have a democracy like the
United States. Now we don’t say we are against democracy — we are
against America’s democracy now.”
No one thinks an Islamic takeover is imminent. The Turkish Foreign
Ministry says it welcomes good relations between Azerbaijan and
Iran. Azerbaijan is one-twentieth the size of Iran, but some Turkish
analysts think that giventhe large ethnic Azeri population in Iran,
Baku may have more influence over its neighbor than vice versa.
Confrontation feared “There are plenty of reports that Iran has helped
encourage greater religious devotion,” said Bulent Aliriza, a Turkish
analyst with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and
International Studies. “The failure of the secular opposition to the
Aliev regime … has allowed the development of a religiously inclined
opposition. But I think for the moment it is manageable. The question
is, what will happen if there is a confrontation between Iran andthe
West? This will make life very difficult for Azerbaijan.”
Rafik Aliyev, a government official charged with managing religious
harmony in the country, said the corruption claims are exaggerated and
he sees no big protest vote for Islamic parties.
He sees Iran’s influence as both natural and worrying — an open
border, propaganda broadcasts, Azeri students being educated in
Iran. “Of course all these things can increase religious sentiment and
we have been thinking about these issues and taking some measures.”
The measures, he said, include a countrywide refurbishing of
infrastructure that has increased electrical supply to the south, and
establishment of Islamic teaching institutions to propagate a moderate
brand of Islam.
Mr. Namazov, the secular politician who was a powerful aide to
Azerbaijan’s late President Heydar Aliyev, said the Islamic Party made
gains in his Baku constituency in the disputed November parliamentary
election, while secular opposition parties won only a handful of
seats.
He said that when he met with European and American ambassadors
afterward, he told them: “It is true there is no danger today of there
being an Islamic government here, but in five years, if we still have
this system of total corruption, unemployment and severe human rights
violations, then Islamic representatives will be elected.”
© AP correspondent Louis Meixler in Ankara, Turkey, contributed tothis
report.
Copyright © 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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 here:

A STUDENT EVENT DEDICATED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
“REMEMBER, REMIND ABOUT AND DEMAND
THE VIOLATED RIGHTS OF OUR PEOPLE”
ADVISES HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
The Central Committee for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in
Lebanon organized a special student gathering in the Catholicosate of
Cilicia on May 9. Dedicated to the Armenian Genocide, the event brought
together the students of Armenian schools in Lebanon.
The event was held under the Pontifical patronage of His Holiness Aram I,
who also delivered his message to the hundreds of Armenian students gathered
in the Catholicosate’s courtyard.
The primates of the three Armenian religious communities, the principals of
Armenian schools, teachers, members of the educational committee, members of
boards of trustees and prominent educational figures attended the event.
The students took the stage consecutively to recite poems, play music and
read parts of special works all of which were rich with the legacy of the
nation’s victim and its cause.
The Pontiff then delivered his pontifical message to the students, stressing
the importance of preserving the legacy of Armenian victims. His Holiness
summarized the Armenian student’s responsibility towards Armenian martyrs in
three words: remember, remind and demand.
“We stand before the remains of our martyrs, in their spiritual presence.
They ask us to remember them in all the fields of our life; And oh, shame on
us if we forget our martyrs and heroes who give meaning to our lives, who
have safely guided the boat of our history through all its storms,” he said.
“Our martyrs tell us: remind people about our cause. Remembering is not
enough; remembering should turn into reminding. We should first remind
ourselves, then foreigners, our surrounding that in 1915 Ottoman Turkey
massacred one and a half million Armenians in order to erase Armenia and
Armenians from the face of the earth,” the Pontiff continued.
“Our martyrs tell us: demand. When we have a right, we should demand it.
When someone has taken our right, we should demand it at all costs. We do
not demand the rights of others, but the violated rights of our martyrs from
criminal Turkey and the whole world,” concluded the Catholicos.
The students then repeated His Holiness’ three words, “remember, remind and
demand”, promising to remain loyal to the legacy of Armenian victims.
##
View photos here:
es65.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.

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:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES MP HAGOP KASARDJIAN
His Holiness Aram I received Lebanese MP Hagop Kasardjian in his office on
May 12. Kasardjian wanted to thank the Pontiff for the warm wishes of
recovery expressed by the latter following his recent heart surgery. The MP
also wanted to inform His Holiness about the recent developments in the
country’s internal political dialogue.
The MP told the Catholicos about the political developments in the country
and issues related to the ongoing dialogue. His Holiness once again praised
the united and positive participation of the Armenian community through the
three Armenian parties.
“This phenomenon should become a constant approach and process in issues
related to our nation, the Diaspora and its communities,” he said.
##
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.

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:
THE PARTICIPATION OF THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA IN THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE “ARMENIA” ALL-ARMENIAN FUND
The 15th session of the “Armenian” All-Armenian Fund’s Board of Trustees was
convened in the government building of the Republic of Armenia in Yerevan on
May 5. The president of the republic, H.E. Robert Kotcharian presided over
the meeting.
Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Primate of the Diocese of Tehran, represented
the Catholicosate of Cilicia in the meeting.
President Kotcharian opened the meeting asking the participants to stand up
in a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Armavia plane crash
in Sochi on May 3. The Catholicos of All Armenians then said prayers for the
souls of the victims. Archbishop Sarkissian expressed the condolences of His
Holiness Aram I to president Kotcharian on this sad event.
The attendants listened to the report of the fund’s executive committee on
the works carried out in 2005 as well as the financial report of the
overseeing committee. They discussed the agenda of the upcoming
Armenian-Diaspora conference in September.
During lunch break, Archbishop Sarkissian conveyed the greetings of His
Holiness Aram I to president Kotcharian and expressed the Pontiff’s support
of the fund’s efforts. He wished the president good luck in his mission.
A requiem service was held for the victims of the plane crash in the St.
Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan on May 6. President Kotcharian,
the speaker of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister and ministers,
foreign diplomats and a large number of people attended the service.
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II presided over the service. Archbishop
Sarkissian participated in the service along with the Catholicos on behalf
of His Holiness Aram I.
##
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.

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:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE MINISTER OF CULTURE
His Holiness Aram I received the Minister of Culture of Lebanon, Dr. Tareq
Mitri, in his office in Antelias on May 10.
The Catholicos and the minister discussed over an hour the challenges
Lebanon faces currently specially in the political, social, cultural and
educational fields. His Holiness stressed the importance of giving priority
to cultural values and plans.
“Lebanon is a country of culture and as such had played an important role in
the Arab world in addition to being a bridge between the Christian and
Islamic cultures of the West and the East. This unique cultural role of
Lebanon should be reestablished,” His Holiness said.
Sharing the Pontiff’s concern and proposal, the minister assured that he has
already started working in this direction in various regions in Lebanon.
Minister Mitri is closely acquainted with His Holiness as he has been the
head of the Christian-Muslim Dialogue Department of the World Council of
Churches for the last ten years.
##
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.

A-320 MYSTERY IS IN BLACK BOXES
Yerevan, May 12. ArmInfo. Interview with the director general of the
Armavia company Norayr Belluyan.
Q: The media are appearing with various versions of the A-320
crash. Not only specialists but even politicians are speaking about
it. What is Armavia’s version?
A: Until we have black boxes, we better refrain from giving versions?
Who are we trying to deceive? Our own selves, people, the world
aviation community? The media’s versions can be just versions but
some of them are beginning to make conclusions based on their own
interpretations. This is not right. I can understand when versions are
given by aviators, but when they come from people who know nothing
about aviation, this is more than strange. All this is causing
confusion and is spawning myriads of fantastic rumors. The key problem
now is that we can’t say anything specific as the search is not over
yet. But I very much hope that the black boxes will be found and we
will learn why the plane fell into the sea, But unfortunately, the
boxes are still in the sea.
So, there is no sense in guessing. My position of principle is that
only specialists have the right to speak about the causes of the
crash. What I can say today and for sure is that the experts have
ruled out the version of terrorist act onboard. As regards, the
version that there was little fuel – an experienced pilot must be a
kamikaze to fly without fuel. As you know, the public prosecutor’s
office has ruled out this version too. That’s why I urge everybody to
refrain from own conclusions, though I well understand that people
can’t help rumoring about such an accident. But one must not look for
sensations in human tragedy and broken lives.
Q: What do you think about the fact that the talk of the crew with the
Georgian air controllers was made public the very next day of the
crash, while the records of the Sochi air control agency over two
weeks later? It is exactly because of this fact that people are asking
questions.
A: In fact, on the very first day of the tragedy they in the Sochi
airport told us that the air controller forbade the plane to land
because of bad weather and told the crew to make the second turn. But
an air controller can’t order a pilot if he should land or
not. According to IKAO rules, he should inform and recommend – no
more, and it is for the crew itself to decide to land or not to
land. Now Russia and Armenia have set up a special commission to give
answers to all questions and to make them known to the public. I am
more than convinced that nobody will allow anybody to conceal any
information and to soft-pedal the issue. Yes, the air controller did
not let our pilot to land – this is sure. But we can’t yet say that
otherwise everything would be OK. The air controller must have had
reasons for recommending “not to land.”
Q: What do you think about the charge that the plane could have some
technical problems because it was not checked up in Brussels?
A: The plane was checked up in Budapest and not in Brussels. Each
plane has its flight limit after which it must be checked up. Today
the international rules are so tough and so strictly observed that no
plane can take off without check up. For example, if a plane has 5
hours left it uses them to fly to Brussels or Budapest or any other
town where our technical partner, Sabena Technics, will send it
to. The technical problems must have arisen in the air, otherwise we
would know that as we are informed of any even very small problems
onboard.
Q: First, you said that the amount of the insurance compensation will
be $20,000, then, that this sum is approximate.
A: A representative of the London insurance company visited Yerevan a
few days ago. He carried out very serious thorough work, Insurance is
a very delicate business and it is hard to say now how much will be
given as compensation – $20,000, 22,000 or 25,000. Why we first said
$20,000? Because approximately as much is given in such cases, but the
specific amount is not known yet.
This depends first of all on the results of the investigation. But
certainly the compensation will be paid. Let’s say that until the
cause of the crash is known the insurance company will not be able to
specify the amount.
Q: What can you say about the incident in Belgium when two Armenian
airbuses burnt down in a fire. Do you think it was a tragic
coincidence?
A: The point is that until now the scene is still cordoned off and
even Sabena Technics representatives are no let in. Some explosions
are still taking place there. The place is very toxic and nobody is
let in. We are still unaware what actually happened there and what
caused the fire. We know as much as you do – from newspapers and TV. I
don’t think it was some act of sabotage against the Armenian
aviation. Those who are investigating the case will say sooner or
later what happened.
Q: Has the loss of two planes affected the schedule of you company’s
flights in any way?
A: Yes, it has – because to lose two planes is a big blow. We are
delaying flights but Atlant Union (Russia) will let us Il-86 or Tu-154
and we will have delays only in exceptional cases. Most likely next
week we will already have the second A-319. As you remember we earlier
mentioned about our plans to lease fresh airbus. We did not hurry but
now we need it urgently. So very soon Armavia’s fleet will consists of
A-320, two A-319s and two Yak-42s. We are also negotiating leasing a
CRG, an American plane for 70-75 passengers. It will fly only to
middle distances – Rostov, Min Vody, Sochi. So, we have enough planes
for meeting our schedule.
Q: These are short-term plans, and what about mid- and long-term ones,
are they still in force?
A: Absolutely all. We are planning to open a flight to Milan. The
flight we have long been talking about – Yerevan-New York-Los Angeles
is also in the offing. For this purpose we are going to rent a new
A-330 or Boeing-767. We are also planning a flight to China via
Central Asia. I don’t want to give specific dates, but we are actively
working on theses projects and are not going to give up any of them.
Q: What was the reaction of the world aviation community to the Sochi
tragedy? What attitude did you, as director of Armavia, felt towards
your company?
A: You know, I could hardly imagine that the tragedy will receive such
strong compassion from the world aviation community. it was a natural
human reaction, but many companies offered specific assistance in a
whole number of questions and I am very grateful to them.

OSCE Secretary General visits rocket fuel disposal site in Armenia

ArmRadio.am
13.05.2006 11:55
OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, who is on a two-day
visit to Armenia, applauded the imminent start of the recycling of 872
tons of mélange rocket fuel.
“The mélange project in Armenia is an outstanding example of what
practical co-operation between the OSCE and a participating State can
achieve and could well serve as a model throughout the OSCE region,”
he said during a visit to the disposal site in Kaltakhchi, a village
in Armenia’s northern Lori province.
`Thanks to the OSCE’s support, we were able to start this initiative
that will improve environmental safety and thereby the security of
Armenia’s population,’ added the Armenian Defence Minister, Serge
Sargsyan.

Turkey anxious about the bill on Armenian Genocide to be discussed in the
French Parliament

ArmRadio.am
13.05.2006 12:29
In response to the discussion of the bill on penalizing Armenian
Genocide deniers to be held May 18 in the French Parliament, the
Turkish `Justice and Development’ Party faction is collecting
necessary signatures to present a bill on recognizing the 1954-1962
massacre of 200 thousand Algerians by French as genocide to the
consideration of the Turkish Parliament.
`The bill emphasizes the French policy of dual standards, on one hand
in respect to denying the crimes in Algeria and Rwanda, on the other
hand discussing a bill envisaging penalty for negating the Armenian
Genocide,’ representatives of the party told the `New Anatolian’
periodical.
To note, Algeria insists that during 1954-1962 war for independence
France carried out `genocide’ against 1.5 million Algerians, while
Paris notes that only 200 thousand were killed in the war. In the
framework of international organizations Algeria has always been
opposing the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and has been backing
the Turkish position on this question.

President Robert Kocharyan received OSCE Secretary General

ArmRadio.am
13.05.2006 13:35
President Robert Kocharyan received today OSCE Secretary General Marc
Perrin de Brichambaut.
The President welcomed OSCE Secretary General’s visit to Armenia on
the occasion of starting the program of recycling of 872 tons of
mélange rocket fuel. Robert Kocharyan highly appreciated the
effectiveness of cooperation with the OSCE in regard to the volume,
level and prospects.
The collocutors thoroughly discussed the developments over the OSCE
territory and the process of reforming the OSCE as a structure.
At the request of the guest the President presented the current stage
of the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. He laid emphasis
on the fact that the issue is being settled within the OSCE framework
and a rather effective format has been chosen. Reference was made to
Armenia-Turkey relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR Presidnet received the delegation of the Union of Banks

ArmRadio.am
13.05.2006 14:40
May 13 NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan received the delegation of RA Central
Bank Council and the Union of Banks of Armenia headed by President of the
Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan and Head of the Union of Banks Stepan Gishyan.
The meeting, featuring NKR Prime Minister Anushavan Danielyan, Minister of
Finance and Ecoonomy Kamo Nersisyan, Head of Administration of `Artsakhbank’
Kamo Nersisyan, was dedicated in part to the strategy of development of the
crediting system in NKR and the prospects of expansion of cooperation with
Armenian and foreign partners.