The Emirates
October 3, 2005
U.A.E.: KHALIFA RECEIVES ARMENIAN LEADER’S LETTER
President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has received a
letter from President Robert Kocharian of Armenia, dealing with
bilateral relations and issues of common concern. The letter was
received by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs during his meeting in Abu
Dhabi yesterday with the visiting Armenian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian. The meeting discussed
bilateral relations and ways to further enhance them.
(The Emirates News Agency, WAM)

FTC Allows Kerkorian to Up GM Stake
By – 10/11/2005 – Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
The Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would not oppose a plan by
billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian to increase his stake in General Motors
Corp. and possibly seek a seat on GM’s board, Reuters reported.
U.S. antitrust authorities have completed their investigation of the
proposal without taking any further action, the Federal Trade Commission
said in a notice.
On Sept. 21, Kerkorian’s Tracinda Corp. said it might ask for representation
on General Motors’ board and that it intends to raise its stake in the
automaker.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tracinda, which now
holds a 9.53-percent GM stake – or 53.9 million shares – said it plans to
increase its ownership interest to as much as 9.9 percent of outstanding
shares. Tracinda had sought approval from antitrust officials as well.
On May 4, Tracinda, the majority owner of casino and hotel chain MGM Mirage,
announced a tender offer to pay $870 million to buy up to 28 million shares,
or nearly 5 percent of total General Motors stock.
Tracinda ended up purchasing 18.9 million shares, leaving it 9.1 million
shares short of the stated goal. However, in a Sept. 1 filing, the Beverly
Hills-based company said it had increased its GM stake to 9.53 percent in
three separate private transactions, starting in late August.

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Czech Republic
Oct 10 2005
Azerbaijan: Soldier Killed In Ethnic Armenian Attack

(RFE/RL)
10 October 2005 — Azerbaijan’s military said today that an
Azerbaijani soldier was killed during a firefight with ethnic
Armenian forces near the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Defense Ministry spokesman Ilgar Verdiev said the 19-year-old
conscript was killed on 9 October in the gunfire exchange on the
cease-fire line that separates Azerbaijani and Armenian-backed
troops.
Verdiev said the Armenian forces started the shooting, and
Azerbaijani forces responded. Armenian officials could not be
immediately be reached for comment.
Nagorno-Karabakh and swaths of surrounding territory inside
Azerbaijan have been under control of ethnic Armenians since a
six-year war against Azerbaijan ended with a 1994 cease-fire.
The enclave’s status remains unresolved, and tensions remain high
along the cease-fire line with both sides regularly exchanging fire.

Pan Armenian
Erdogan Letter to Kocharian Attempts to Mislead International Community
11.10.2005 21:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A letter by Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Armenian
President Robert Kocharian is an attempt to mislead the international
community. Armenian Vice-Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan qualified this way
Turkish party’s proposal to form a joint Armenian-Turkish historical
commission to examine the Armenian issue. Mr. Hovhannisyan made his
statement at the NATO PA Rose-Roth seminar held in Yerevan. In his words,
besides the Genocide in 1915 Turkey has committed another crime – this one
against independent Armenia – in 1919 Armenia’s territory was equal to 70
thousand square meters. However, resulting from Turkey’s aggression Armenia
lost Kars, Ardahan, Surmalu, as well as most of the population in these
regions. In his opinion, the crime was an aggression against another state
and resulted in most problems that cause destabilization in the South
Caucasus today. These problems include issues in the Armenian-Azeri and
Armenian-Turkish relations. Exactly owing to that Armenian President’s
return proposal to form an intergovernmental joint commission instead of a
historical one may have more actual outcomes, Vahan Hovhannisyan stated. «I
think that just owing to that the proposal of the Turkish party was not
reciprocated,» he stated. Besides, Mr. Hovhannisyan remarked that the
ideology of repentance and remorse underlying the European values is not
accepted by the Turkish society. «Today Turkey tries to become an EU member
and it should be ready to that from the inside, the Turkish society should
change,» he emphasized.

Armenian Youth Federation-YOARF Eastern US
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 923-1933
Fax (617) 924-1933

PRESS RELEASE ~ October 11, 2005
Contact: Sossi Essajanian
(617) 923-1933
[email protected]
AYF Eastern Region Members Gather in New Jersey for Annual Seminar
WATERTOWN, Mass.?On October 8, members of the Armenian Youth
Federation (AYF) Eastern Region gathered in Paramus, N.J., for the
organization’s annual Senior Seminar.
Participants from Providence, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, New
Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., attended the seminar, which
included lectures on the current status of the organization; an
overview of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF); and a
discussion on what it means to be Armenian.
Lead by AYF regional advisor Zorab Khaligian from Racine, Wisc., the
group talked about the dimensions of what it means to be Armenian and
what types of activities are included in its definition. Khaligian
asked the group to put the discussion into perspective. “We have all
of this commitment, socialization, but what are we doing with it?
Going with the flow and being at events is great, but what about
taking the next step? If you remain stagnant, then there will be no
AYF,” said Khaligian.
During their on the ARF by ANC of New Jersey chairperson Ani
Tchaghlasian, the group reviewed the goals of the organization, the
goals of the AYF, and talked about the life of members who are in both
organizations.
“We have our monthly meetings to discuss chapter dynamics and the
successes or failures that occur within our own cities. It is
important for us, however, to take time out to meet with the leaders
and active members of other chapters to discuss our organization as a
whole,” said Philadelphia AYF chapter president Anglela Deese, who
attended the seminar. “This year’s event was a chance for us to
discuss those issues, such as the ways in which we can run the AYF
most efficiently and successfully. I believe that a weekend like this
helps us take ownership of the AYF; this is easy to do within our own
communities back home. But we must remember that we are part of a
group of youth striving for the same goal, and as a part of ARF youth,
we strive for this goal not only in our own cities, but with the rest
of our ungers all over the world,” she said.
Later that evening, the group gathered at the Aladdin Restaurant in
Hackensack, N.J., to enjoy food and dancing.
“I believe that this meeting was a successful event for two
reasons. First, it addressed important issues that our organization
faces and presented solutions. And secondly, the lectures and
discussions were different than the usual take on the subjects,” said
New Jersey AYF attendee Razmig Tchaghlasian.
Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) serves as the
youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(YOARF). The AYF stands on five pillars that guide its activities:
education, political awareness, fellowship, athletics and
culture. Moreover, the AYF promotes a fraternal attitude of respect
for the diversity of ideas and individuals amongst its
membership. Unity and cooperation are essential traits that allow
members of the organization to work together and realize its
objectives.

PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
October 11, 2005
____________________
EASTERN DIOCESE AND THE FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF HOST WELCOME RECEPTION
FOR ARMENIA’S AMBASSADOR TATOUL MARKARIAN
The Diocese of the Armenian Church of American (Eastern) and the Fund
for Armenian Relief (FAR) hosted a reception to welcome the new Armenian
Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Tatoul Markarian, on
Friday, October 7, 2005, in the Kavookjian Auditorium of the Diocesan
Center in New York City.
Randy Sapah-Gulian, secretary of the FAR Board of Directors, served as
master of ceremonies for the event and, while welcoming the evening’s
guest of honor, shared his enthusiasm for Armenia’s growth since
independence 14 years ago. Summarizing FAR’s humanitarian and
development work, he stressed that FAR and its family of supporters are
dedicated to addressing the needs of the people of Armenia and Karabagh
and guiding them toward a bright future.
FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 16 years, FAR has
implemented various relief, development, social, educational, and
cultural projects valued at more than $250 million. It is the
preeminent relief and development organization operating there.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese and
President of FAR, congratulated Ambassador Markarian on his new position
and wished him all the best in his endeavors. Highlighting the link
between the Church and Armenia and stressing the role of the Diaspora,
the Primate said, “from the very first moments of the free Republic of
Armenia, our Diocese has been eager to support and advance our
homeland’s aspirations. We have also tried to stand for the conviction
that the Republic of Armenia is not simply a remote expression of our
Armenian identity. Rather, it is the centerpiece of that identity, in
the modern world. The existence of the Republic of Armenia is not
merely important to us, as members of the Diaspora: it is absolutely
vital to our own continued existence, and our own success or failure
depends on the prosperity of our free and independent Homeland.”
Ambassador Markarian expressed gratitude to everyone for the warm
welcome and said he was happy to begin his tenure with a visit to the
Church.
“It is not surprising to feel at home in the Church,” he said. “Because
during the darkest chapters of Armenian history, when Armenia had lost
its statehood, the Church brought Armenians together and helped the
people to survive.”
OUTLINING HIS VISION
Ambassador Markarian outlined his vision for the Armenian Embassy in
Washington, D.C. and stressed the need to have the strong support the
Armenian-American people and Armenian organizations in the United
States to achieve any plans.
Ambassador Markarian was appointed Armenia’s ambassador to the United
States on March 19, 2005, by President Robert Kocharian. He holds the
diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
Prior to assuming this position, Ambassador Markarian served as Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia since 2000. In that capacity, he
was the Armenian coordinator for the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue, as
well as the NATO-Armenia Political-Military Dialogue. In 2002 and 2003,
Ambassador Markarian was the Special Representative of the President of
Armenia for Nagorno Karabagh negotiations.
PROMINENT GUESTS
Along with the Primate, other dignified guests welcoming the new
ambassador at the reception included Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian,
former Pontifical Legate and Primate of the Armenian Church of Great
Britain; Bishop Manuel Batakian, Exarch of the Armenian Catholic Church
of America; Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan legate; Fr. Mardiros
Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral; Haig Yaghoobian, executive
director of the Eastern Diocese; and Vasken Setrakian, owner of
Setrakian Financial Group LLC.
The reception was also attended by Ambassador Armen Martirossyan, the
representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations; and Dr.
Movses Abelian, United Nations Secretary of Administrative and Budgetary
Committee and Committee for Program Coordination and a former Armenian
ambassador to the U.N.
After recognizing the Eastern Diocese and FAR for organizing the
reception, Ambassador Martirossyan reminisced about working with the
recently-appointed ambassador in the past. He also emphasized the
importance of having the Armenian-American community united to help
advance the causes of the Republic of Armenia.
Almost 100 representatives from the Armenian community and various
Armenian organizations were also on hand to meet the new ambassador
during the Diocesan- and Fund for Armenian Relief-sponsored welcome
reception.
— 10/11/05
E-mail photos available upon request.
Caption 1: Newly-appointed Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Tatoul
Markarian (left), Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America and President of the Fund for
Armenian Relief (center), and Armenian Ambassador to the U.N. Armen
Martirossyan (right).
Caption 2: Randy Sapah-Gulian, secretary of the FAR Board of Directors,
served as master of ceremonies for the reception welcoming Armenia’s
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian to the U.S. held at the Diocesan Center in
New York City on October 7, 2005.
Caption 3: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America and President of the Fund for Armenian
Relief, congratulated Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Tatoul Markarian
on his recent appointment and extended a warm welcome on behalf of the
Diocese and FAR.

HETQ online
There is Nothing for Us in the Village
October 10, 2005
“I’m not going to pretend and say this is my birthplace and I would never
leave. If I have nothing to do here, how long can I admire the trees and
bushes? Judge for yourselves. My peers in the city have achieved so much.
They’ve graduated from university, are working, and some have even married.
And me..”
The village of Ditavan in the Tavush Marz is close to the sky. Here the day
begins when the sun rises and ends when it sets. The small village, curled
next to a forest, has become even smaller in recent years, as a result of
the many problems it faces. You won’t hear children in the streets–they’re
helping their parents with farm work. There are hardly any young people here
at all. Hermes and Felix are the last of their group of friends left in the
village. After finishing high school, Hermes was accepted at Yerevan’s
Polytechnic Institute, but he couldn’t afford the tuition. Felix didn’t even
try.
“I had very good grades in school, which my teachers will confirm, but
that’s not enough to be accepted to university,” he explained. ” I felt that
when I went to school in a neighboring village, after finishing the eighth
grade here, and saw how poor the level of education was at my school. For
instance, our foreign language teacher didn’t even have a university
education. How could I think about higher education with the knowledge that
he gave me? I wanted to study in the law department at Yerevan State
University, where high grades in a foreign language are a must.”
Talking to Felix and Hermes, it’s hard to believe that they don’t have
higher education. They are knowledgeable about literature and history, and
are interested in astronomy.
“There’s nothing keeping us here. If there were an opportunity, we would
leave for the city right now. There’s nothing to do here. In warm weather we
work on the land, and in winter we bring wood from the forest. At our age
it’s boring, even sickening. We don’t go to the library anymore. There isn’t
a book we haven’t read. We have a better library at home. We fight boredom
with books. Unfortunately, we don’t know about modern literature. We can’t
buy it. There’s a dire need for information in the village. First of all, we
only get a few TV channels here. Second, we only get newspapers when the
pensions arrive, and that is always late. We are not saying that we would
leave the village forever; that’s not possible. It’s our birthplace, and
there are many things that connect us to this place.”
Felix and Hermes say that time passes more quickly in the summer. That’s
when tourists and people who have moved away visit the village, giving the
young men a chance to make new friends, and find out about life in the city
and the interests of young people there.
“If we were in the city, maybe we wouldn’t think about what to do, how to
spend out time. Of course, when we talk with our peers from the city we
understand that they have more opportunities than we do. For instance, they
have homes in the city. W we tried to go and work in the city several times,
but we had to give most of our salary for the rent. And we couldn’t help our
relatives in the village, which is the first goal for everyone who leaves
home.”
Felix and Hermes think it will take a miracle before village life in the far
corners of Armenia improves. They are afraid that they will never be able to
read the books and magazines or do the kind of work that they want to, in
short, that they’ll never find a way to quit accepting what life has given
them, and make a change.
Lusine Balyan, Anahit Vardanyan

To: Assignment and International Desks, Daybook Editor
Contact: Peter Hickman, 202-662-7540 or 301-530-1210 or
[email protected]
;Link=mailto:pjhickman@hot mail.com>
National Press Club
News Advisory:
The Minister of Defense of Armenia, and Secretary of the Presidential
National Security Council Serzh Sargysan will hold a National Press Club
“Afternoon Newsmaker” news conference on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. at the
National Press Club, Zenger Room, 13th Floor, 529 14th Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C.
Sargysan will discuss “Armenia and Developments in the South Caucasus: A
Security Perspective.”
Minister Sargysan also will discuss his U.S. visit and planned meetings with
Defense Secretary Rumsfield and State Dept. and National Security Council
officials. He also will visit CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Fla., and
Armenian armed forces members training with the Kansas National Guard.

Armenian Youth Federation-YOARF Eastern US
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 923-1933
Fax (617) 924-1933

Armenian National Committee of America – Eastern Region
PO Box 1066
New York, NY 10040
Tel: (917) 428-1918
Fax: (718) 478-4073
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
October 10, 2005
Contact: Sossi Essajanian
(617) 923-1933
[email protected]
AYF, ANC Members Say ‘Never Again’ at Rally to Save Darfur

WATERTOWN, Mass.?On October 16, the Greater Boston chapter of the
Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) joined the Armenian National Committee
(ANC) of Eastern Massachusetts, and local Armenian community members
at Boston’s City Hall Plaza, in calling for an end to the genocide in
Darfur, Sudan.
The two organizations are part of the coalition organizing the
rally?the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur (MCSD), a
collaboration of humanitarian organizations and concerned individuals
working to raise awareness of the atrocities occurring in Darfur. This
month’s rally was also co-sponsored by the Students Taking Action Now:
Darfur (STAND) for Boston area universities.
As members of the MCSD, the AYF and ANC took an active role in the
preparations and execution of the rally. Flyers were prepared and
distributed throughout the local Armenian community, highlighting the
reasons for attending the rally. “As you read this, there is an active
genocide occurring in Darfur, a western region of Sudan. Over 400,000
men, women, and children have died as a result of this strife. The
ongoing murder and rape have displaced over 2.5 million people. As
descendents of survivors of the Armenian genocide, it is incumbent on
us to take action to end this cycle of genocide and move us to finally
realize the call?’Never again,'” read a portion of the flyer.
The Armenian representatives to the coalition also invited Worcester
State professor Henry Theriault as one of event’s keynote
speakers. Theriault, an active member of the ANC of Worcester,
coordinates the Center for the Study of Human Rights at the college.
Theriault spoke on the connection between the first genocide of the
20th century, the Armenian genocide, and today’s genocide in
Darfur. “Ninety years ago, the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire
looked very much like Darfur today, with deportations, squalid
encampments of victims wracked by epidemics of diseases and
governmentally-imposed starvation, roving death squads, rampant rape
and enslavement, and corpses. Ninety years ago, the world community
stood by as the Ottoman Turkish government systematically killed more
than 1 million Armenians and hundreds of thousands of Assyrians and
Greeks. It is standing by once again as the carefully organized
butchers in Sudan kill hundreds of thousands in Darfur,” said
Theriault.
Other speakers at the rally included Susannah Sirkin of the Physicians
for Human Rights who discussed the daily life of refugees in Sudan;
and Rebecca Hamilton of the Harvard Darfur Action Group who spoke on
steps that can be taken to encourage companies to divest in Sudan.
The current situation of genocide in Darfur, and what can be done
today to help end the atrocities were also discussed, as well as the
role played by the Sudanese government, the United States, the African
Peacekeeping Union, in the genocide.
The event also included musical selections by the Tufts University
student band Moksha and Farah Siraj from the Berklee School of
Music. A poem was later read by Brandeis University Dean of Diversity
Jamile Adams, highlighting the severity of the atrocities and the
effects of apathy towards the situation.
Later, attendees were asked by rally leaders to hold up their cellular
phones, call the White House and the State Department and urge them
through legislation and policy, to help end the genocide in Darfur.
“We need Armenians and non-Armenians to unite to stop genocide all
around the world,” said Greater Boston AYF member Jirair Barsoumian,
who attended the event. “By being at this rally, we (Armenians) are
contributing to the effort to bring international attention to the
plight of the Sudanese people who are being massacred today in
Darfur. By supporting similar struggles, we support our own. All the
people that saw Armenians at the rally will now have a clearer
understanding of why the Armenian genocide is an international human
rights issue. We, as Armenians need to show that we are willing and
able to help fight any crime against humanity, not just the Armenian
genocide.”
For more information, visit

PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
October 11, 2005
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]

FREE EASTERN ARMENIAN LANGUAGE PROGRAM OPENS NEW DOORS FOR BIRTHRIGHT
ARMENIA PARTICIPANTS
Riding on the coattails of last year’s successful Armenian language program,
Birthright Armenia has once again proven that learning the language can open
doors to a more meaningful experience. Ask the close to 100 participants in
2005, and they will tell you that the Depi Hayk Eastern Armenian language
program has become one of the most important and successful tools in helping
them immerse into Armenia’s daily life. With a large number of this year’s
young volunteers having no previous knowledge of the Armenian language
before making the journey to Armenia, Birthright’s supplementary in-class
language instruction helps to eliminate language as a barrier for diasporans
interested in contributing to the Homeland.
Each participant begins learning pre-departure by using the free online Depi
Hayk Armenian language tutorial at , which launched
in April 2004 as part of Birthright Armenia’s pilot program. The program
acts as a virtual “language lab,” and features a modern language tutorial,
including common vocabulary, grammar, and reading and writing tools, as well
as a phonetics tool to aid in pronunciation. All materials were developed
by the Arlex International team, led by linguist and attorney Thomas J.
Samuelian.
Then volunteers continue learning the basics of speaking, reading and
writing Armenian through in-class instruction during their eight-week long
community service period in Armenia, enough so that by the end of their
stay, they are successfully communicating with their work colleagues,
homestay family members, newfound friends and neighbors in the local
dialect.
Carla Doughty, an Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) volunteer and Birthright
Armenia participant from Rhode Island, who knew no Armenian prior to her
arrival in Armenia, states, “You can’t go to a country where people speak a
different language not knowing the language and expect to have the same
experience. Not only is it culturally important for me to know the language
but it’s socially respectful.”

Birthright Armenia offers these free language classes in Armenia with
teaching professionals from multiple institutions of higher education in
Yerevan. Currently, three different class levels are offered – beginner,
intermediate, and advanced – the latter specifically designed for those who
already have full conversational ability but want to improve their Armenian
reading and writing skills. Some volunteers already fluent in Western
Armenian choose to join in on the language instruction to learn Eastern
Armenian.
Anahit Avedissyan, who teaches the intermediate level language class, says
that she sees in her students an intense desire to learn the language and
that it inspires her. “I see this only here because they are Armenians.”
She further points out that because of this eagerness, students are able to
learn an incredible amount during their eight weeks in Armenia, citing one
student who, at the end of his internship, “wrote a letter to me entirely in
Armenian that made me so gratified and proud”.
Other program services offered to Birthright volunteers such as the homestay
living option, complement the Eastern Armenian language program, providing
great opportunities for participants to utilize their language skills. AVC
volunteer Edward Casabian of Massachusetts, who also knew no Armenian prior
to his arrival in Armenia, stated that his participation in the language
classes that involved everyday activities, as well as practice time with his
host family, were the most helpful elements during his stay in Armenia.
“The language was an amazing challenge for me, but learning the bits and
pieces I did was extremely rewarding.”
Fortunately a large majority of those who receive language tutoring in
Armenia pledge to continue their studies once they got back home, whether in
Eastern or Western dialect. “Birthright’s language classes helped so much
to increase my ability to communicate in Armenian that I am inspired to
continue building on what I learned in Armenia in order to be fluent one
day”, added Tamara Shahabian, a NY grad student who spent this past summer
in Armenia.
Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the Homeland and
Diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing life-long personal ties and a
renewed sense of Armenian identity. For those interested in learning more
about Birthright Armenia and the year-round opportunities available for
community service, please visit or email
[email protected].