AzerNews, Azerbaijan
July 29 2005

Foreign Minister to visit US

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is expected to visit the United
States on August 1-5 on the invitation of the US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.

Mammadyarov is to meet with US officials in the White House and the
Pentagon and hold discussions in non-governmental organizations and
analytical centers, the Foreign Ministry told AssA-Irada.
US-Azeri economic and political cooperation, relations with
international organizations, democratization processes in Azerbaijan
and the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh will be
discussed.

Protest against Turkey’s EU bid take place in Prague and Vilnius

29.07.2005 17:27

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – A demonstration against Turkey’s entry to the
European Union was staged in Prague today by the Voice for Europe
international civic initiative, Armenpress reported.

A similar demonstration was staged in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius,
on Thursday. The demonstrators carried posters reading “Lithuanians
are against Turkey’s joining the EU.”

Since May, the Voice for Europe has been collecting signatures for a
petition against Turkey’s EU entry in several European Union
countries, including the Czech Republic.

So far, about 30,000 people have signed the petition, including 11,000
from the Czech Republic.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Today, Azerbaijan
July 29 2005

Àsim Mollazade is pleased with his visit to USA

27 July 2005 [11:09] – Today.Az

On 26 July chairman of the Party of Democratic Reforms (PDR), member
of the Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary delegation to PACE Asim Mollazade
held a news conference on the results of his visit to the USA.

During the US visit on 15-24 July, Mollazade held meetings at the
White House, the State Department, the Congress, the Pentagon, the
Enterprise Institutions, the Carnegy Foundation and etc., Trend
reports.

The PDR chairman spoke of the pre-election situation in Azerbaijan,
goals and the program of the party headed by him, exchanged opinions
on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. He underlined the role of
ensuring development and stability in Azerbaijan by holding free and
democratic elections.

At the Pentagon he met with the USA deputy Defense Minister, as well
as with the head of the Department on Euro-Asian policy and the
international security Jim MacDugal, with whom the issues of security
in the South Caucasus and Central Asian regions were discussed.
At the White House Mollazade met with the head of the Euro-Asian
Department of the National Security Council David Merkel, with whom
he discussed the pre-election situation in Azerbaijan. At the
meetings with the deputy State Secretary Met Brize and the chief
coordinator on democracy and human rights of the State Department
Gretchen Birkom he exchanged opinions on processes in Azerbaijan and
in the region and the forthcoming elections to the Parliament.

Mollazade also met with a number of congressmen and leaders of
international institutions and projects.

During his meeting with the congressman from Indiana Den Barton, PDR
chairman thanked him for his support of the Council of Europe
resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the meeting with the
US congressman Eliot Angle from the New-York state they discussed the
forthcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan and the
American-Azerbaijani ties.

The subject of meetings by Mollazade with the OSCE commission members
at the Congress was the Minsk group activities on peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The PDR chairman met with the chair
of the human rights commission Tom Lantos and the head of the
European subcommittee on possible threats Richard Mero.

Mollazade had also meetings at the International Institutes of
Republicans and the National Democracy, where the issues of holding
necessary reforms for ensuring democratic forthcoming parliamentary
elections in Azerbaijan were discussed. Mollazade appreciated highly
the activities of the Institutes in Azerbaijan.

With the program director of the Institute of the National Democracy
Nelson Ledski and director of the project of the transnational
democracy Bruce Jackson, Mollazade discussed the issue of the
upcoming elections in Azerbaijan and the country’s integration in the
Euro-Atlantic Alliance.

Asim Mollazade held also meetings with the representatives of the US
influential media. On the whole he underlined, that his visit was
successful, fruitful and of a large significance.

URL:

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 29 2005

President Promises to Retain Focus On Development of Regions

Azerbaijani regions should not lag behind Baku, President Ilham
Aliyev said during his visit to the northern regions on Thursday.

The development of regions is one of the key objectives, he said in a
meeting with the public at the Heydar Aliyev Park downtown Gusar.

Touching upon the developments in neighboring countries and terror
acts, Aliyev termed Azerbaijan as a `nest of stability and island of
peace’.

`The diversity of religions, languages, nationalities and cultures
strengthens and enriches us.’

The President regarded Armenia as a `mono state’. Although 250,000
Azerbaijanis and a great number of Russians and other ethnicities
lived in Armenia during the Soviet Union times, official Yerevan
pursued the ethnic cleansing policy, ousting them from this country.
`Everyone is my brother regardless of his or her nationality,
language, creed and political affiliation’, Aliyev said.

With regard to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the
President said that `our army should be further strengthened and our
land freed at the time of our choosing and by any means’.

President Aliyev also attended a cornerstone laying ceremony of the
Olympic complex in Gusar on Thursday. Following the ceremony,
Minister for Youth, Sports and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev presented two
projects to the President.

The first project, worth $3-4 million, along with the development of
sports in the district, covers building a large center here to
promote tourism. The second one, envisioning the development of
winter sports, including skiing, is valued at 50 million euros. The
project will be co-financed by Azerbaijan, French Fransneish
International and Charme VIP companies.

Armenian troops said on alert along Azeri contact line

Ayna, Baku
29 Jul 05

An anonymous source at the Azerbaijani-Armenian front line has said
that Armenian troops are being put on alert in Azerbaijan’s occupied
districts of Agdam and Fuzuli. In an interview with Ayna newspaper,
the source said that over 1,000 troops and military hardware were sent
to the areas in question from other military units in Armenia. Another
source in the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry told the paper that the
troops were just being rotated and that the Azerbaijani troops were
ready to retaliate should a war break out. Ayna quoted unidentified
military experts as saying that tension on the front line might be
connected with certain misunderstanding in the talks. The following is
an excerpt from the report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ayna on 29 July
headlined “The army was put on alert”

Armenia has been increasing the number of servicemen in its army units
stationed in Azerbaijan’s occupied Agdam and Fuzuli districts. Over
1,000 well-trained servicemen were brought from Armenia’s other
military units to these areas over the past week. Ayna obtained this
exclusive information from a source at the [Azerbaijani-Armenian]
front line. The source said that the Armenian army was trying to
reinforce its positions in the occupied areas of Fuzuli and Agdam
districts. In addition, military hardware and firearms are also being
delivered there.

Armenian forces build up on front line

The source noted some changes in the line-up of the enemy
positions. The Distances between Armenian divisions and platoons on
the contact line looked reduced. The distance between Armenian
divisions were was normally 250-300 metres and it has now been reduced
to 150 metres. This was thanks to additional troops brought in from
Armenia. The source said that 24 platoons (8 companies) had been
brought to the front line in Agdam over the past six days. These
platoons consist of 25-27 men each, making a total of 600-650. The
line-up of troops changed in Fuzuli District as well, and additional
forces are expected to be dispatched to the area.

“Over 500 Armenian soldiers (about 20 platoons) have been taken to
Fuzuli District in personnel carriers,” the source said. He did not
rule out that the actual number might be higher. This information was
mainly obtained through observations, possibly from the opposite side
[as given].

Azerbaijan retaliates

The reinforcement of the enemy positions in two front-line areas
affected the Azerbaijani armed forces’ positions as well. According to
reports we received, the Azerbaijani troops have been put on high
alert. Certain work is being done in our front-line military units in
preparations for the war which might break out at any moment. At the
same time, training is being provided to cut at source any possible
sabotage actions by the enemy.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry did not confirm the report that
Azerbaijani armed forces positions have been put on alert. The
ministry said the Azerbaijani servicemen were always on alert, ready
to prevent any sabotage action by the enemy.

The ministry’s representative, who wished to remain anonymous,
believes that the positions of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops
change periodically.

Troops are rotated on front line

“This is connected with rotation of the troops,” the source said. He
disagreed with the opinion about reinforcement of Armenian positions
on the opposite side of the front line. He said it was impossible to
speak about high combat readiness of Armenian servicemen on the
opposite side.

“The liberation of the lands by our servicemen in a short period of
time after the war breaks out will show that this is not the case,” he
said.

The retired Col Ildirim Mammadov believes that the current situation
on the front line does not satisfy Azerbaijan’s wishes. He thinks it
is important to put constant pressure on the enemy.

“Our army should put pressure on the enemy at certain periods of
time. This will attract the international public’s attention to the
conflict region and Azerbaijan will establish its military dominance
over Armenia,” the expert said. He went on to say that it is always
necessary for Azerbaijan to take advantage of the army factor in order
to facilitate the Baku government to strengthen its position in the
Nagornyy Karabakh talks.

Tension in talks affects situation on front line

Numerous military experts regard the build-up of tension along the
front line as natural. They think that the military units stationed on
the front line might be seen as a barometer of the Karabakh talks
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. As soon as tension heightens in talks,
the combat readiness of the front line military units, specifically
the deployment of additional troops and hardware, also increases.

“If the enemy reinforces its positions and Azerbaijan retaliates, it
will be necessary to pay attention to political talks. So, perhaps,
some misunderstanding appeared in the Karabakh settlement,” the
experts said.

[Passage omitted: reported details]

Armenia has over 20,000 registered drug addicts

Noyan Tapan news agency
28 Jul 05

YEREVAN

According to official information, there are 20-25,000 drug addicts in
Armenia, 95 per cent of them are using hemp and five per cent
intravenous drugs.

Most of the drug addicts are men between 25 and 40 years old. Grigor
Malinyants, co-chairman on the Armenian side of the anti-drug
programme, implemented in the region under the auspices of the United
Nations Development Programme and financed by the European Union, said
this at the opening of a workshop on auricular acupuncture on 28 July.

Malinyants said that specialists invited from abroad will conduct the
training within the framework of the programme. The practical part of
the course will be held at the narcological clinic and a closed-type
joint stock company Psychiatric medical centre of the Armenian Health
Ministry, between 28 July and 2 August.

It was noted that the aim of the programme, which has been underway
since 2000, is to coordinate the activities of the programme’s
participant countries, as well as Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani
law-enforcement bodies, and to prevent the spread of drug abuse and
illegal drug trafficking from the South Caucasus to EU member states.

Last-minute visa hitch holds up withdrawal of Russian hardware from Georgia

NTV Mir, Moscow
29 Jul 05

[Presenter] The withdrawal of Russian military hardware from Georgia
has been postponed. A convoy was supposed to have left Batumi for the
North Caucasus today, but nothing happened. This was either because of
bureaucratic red tape or, observers say, because – in spite of its
professed wish to get rid of the Russian military presence as soon as
possible – Tbilisi does not really know what it wants. Roman Sobol
tried to get to the bottom of the situation.

[Correspondent] This morning these vehicles were supposed to leave the
12th Russian base in Batumi and head for the North Caucasus. All in
all, there are nine units of wheeled hardware and two escort
vehicles. This is the first convoy envisaged by the agreement between
the Georgian and Russian foreign ministries on the withdrawal of the
Russian military bases.

Everything was ready on the Russian side. The hardware has been
fuelled. But the departure had to be postponed. Georgia is not issuing
visas to the drivers who have to return after ferrying this convoy.

[Davit Sikharulidze, Georgian deputy defence minister, captioned] All
the problems, the technical problems, have been dealt with in the
agreement, which we have already approved. Both delegations have
approved it. This agreement only has to be signed.

[Correspondent] Although the Russian military specialists handed over
all the documents on time, the Georgian side is in no hurry to
respond. This is not the first incident. Yesterday Georgian border
guards held up a convoy travelling from Akhalkalaki to Armenia,
demanding additional documentation for the export of five PK machine
guns and five signal flares.

[Korneli Salia, acting chief of staff of Georgian Border Guard
Department, captioned] This was a mistake by some officer who, when
the assets were being loaded, put these weapons somewhere they should
not have been.

[Correspondent] The situation is ambiguous. Following the noisy
campaign in Georgia against the Russian bases and the compromise which
was achieved with difficulty, the local authorities are for some
reason holding up the withdrawal, even though the Georgian Defence
Ministry says it will give the utmost assistance to the Russian
military. Another round of talks began today.

[Vladimir Kuparadze, deputy commander of Group of Russian Troops in
the Transcaucasus, captioned] A group of generals and officers has
arrived in Tbilisi to organize the withdrawal of armaments and heavy
hardware.

[Correspondent] Only after these talks, will the time for the
withdrawal of the first column of combat hardware be clarified. The
Russian bases have to be closed by 2008.

This is Roman Sobol and Nugzar Kereselidze reporting from Georgia for
NTV.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x137
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Friday, July 29, 2005

AGBU FRANCE DISTRICT HONORS SERGE TCHURUK ON THE OCCASION OF THE 95TH
ANNIVERSARY OF MARSEILLES CHAPTER

Paris, France – On July 2, 2005, AGBU France District honored Serge
Tchuruk, Chairman and CEO of the multinational corporation Alcatel and
one of the world’s most prominent business leaders of Armenian
descent, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Marseilles
Chapter. Over 250 AGBU supporters and friends from Belgium, France,
Lebanon, Russia, Syria and the United States attended the gala dinner
at the Prefecture of Marseilles in the presence of Mr. Tchuruk, local
political dignitaries and AGBU representatives.

In attendance were AGBU President Berge Setrakian and wife Vera; AGBU
Vice President Sarkis Demirdjian and wife Seta; AGBU Central Board
Members Karnig Yacoubian and wife Ani, Sam Simonian and wife Sylva,
Carol Aslanian, Michael Ansour and Aris Atamian; AGBU France District
Committee Chairperson Denis Ketchedjian with District Committee
Members Sona Attamian, Meliné Caumon, Mihran Chakardjian, Nadia
Gortzounian and Michel Sabbagh; AGBU Marseilles Chairperson Bernard
Besoian; and AGBU Chapter Chairpersons from Lyon, Saint-Etienne,
Valence and Vienne.

After welcoming remarks by Christian Fremond, Prefect of the
Provence-Côte D’Azur region, and Bernard Besoian, keynote speaker
Denis Ketchedjian said that, since the founding of AGBU in 1906 and
the local Marseilles Chapter in 1910, the organization has remained
committed to preserving and promoting the Armenian identity and
heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs for
the benefit of all Armenians. AGBU has faithfully upheld its long-term
mission, while adapting to the current state of affairs; today, a new
generation of Armenians is emerging – 90 years after the Armenian
Genocide and emigration – who are well integrated and able to join the
top echelons of society, while remaining loyal to their ancestry.

An excellent model of his generation, Serge Tchuruk was a son of
Armenian immigrants from Marseilles, France, steadfastly involved in
AGBU and a graduate of the best French schools in Marseilles and
Paris, including École Polytechnique, one of the most prestigious
French Grandes Écoles. He has had an illustrious professional career
in multinational corporations, including Mobil and Total, and since
1995, has held the position of Chairman and CEO of Alcatel.

Ketchedjian added that it would only be fitting that AGBU honor a
child of the Marseilles Armenian community, whose mother had served
for years as the Treasurer of the AGBU Marseilles Chapter, and who is
a source of pride for all Armenians of his generation and an
outstanding model for the new generation of young Armenians.

Prior to decorating Tchuruk with AGBU Honor Membership and receiving
the mark of distinction of the Armenian Church on behalf of His
Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, Berge Setrakian
commended AGBU France District for celebrating the success of Serge
Tchuruk and holding him up as an example to the younger generation of
the level of excellence Armenians are capable of when offered the
opportunity.

After remarks of goodwill by former French Cabinet Minister, Patrick
Devedjian, who was honored by AGBU France District in November 2003 in
Paris, a very moved Tchuruk thanked AGBU and reiterated his pride in
belonging to a martyred nation whose children and grandchildren have
kept the culture alive in the Diaspora.

Throughout the entire evening, a film on the life of Serge Tchuruk and
the accomplishments of AGBU in Armenia and the Diaspora was
screened. Thanks to the support of AGBU France District and the
remarkable work of the Organizing Committee, notably Sona Attamian and
Lucie Kouyoumdjian, along with Master of Ceremonies Jacky Nercessian –
a French actor of Armenian descent who starred in Henri Verneuil’s
film “Mayrig” and was raised in Marseilles’ Armenian community – the
celebration was an extraordinary success.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with
an annual budget of $26 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the
Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural, and
humanitarian programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians in 34
countries.

For more information on AGBU France District, please email
[email protected] or visit

Korea Times, South Korea
July 29 2005

Recent Books

Genocide
Choi Ho-gun;
Chaeksesang Publishing:
448pp.,
22,000 won

According to the civic group Genocide Watch, around 175 million lives
were taken in mass killings in the past 100 years. The term of
genocide was first used by the Jewish jurist Raphael Lemkin
(1900-1959) in a book “Axis Rule in Occupied Europe (1940),¡¯¡¯ to
describe the systemic massacre of an ethnic group or race.

Choi, a professor at Busan National University of Education, analyzes
the various types of genocide that have occurred and categorizes them
into frontier _ for example, the American Indians and Tasmanian
Aboriginals _ Nazi-related, racial _ the Armenians or Bosnians _
religious and genocide in the name of revolution, for example, the
killing of Russians or Cambodians, and colonial _ Algerians, Rwandans
and East Timorese.

Choi also writes that the South Korean government¡¯s suppression of
Cheju residents in the late 1940s is tantamount to genocide and
suggests measures for the prevention of such massacres.

The Messenger, Georgia
July 29 2005

Convoy detention a misunderstanding

The detention of Russian military hardware at the Georgian-Armenian
border was pure misunderstanding, said Vladimir Kuparadze, the
official spokesman for Russian forces in Transcaucasia.
“The senior officer forgot the necessary papers,” he said. “The
convoy will continue moving as soon as these papers are delivered.”
Georgian border guards stopped a convoy of Russian military hardware
on the Armenian border Thursday.
The state borders department of the Georgian Interior Ministry said
the convoy, comprising four trucks and four armored vehicles, was
heading from Akhalkalaki (Georgia) to Armenia.
On inspection, Georgian border guards found five PKT machine guns and
five signaling pistols and detained the convoy, which lacked the
required documents.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress