TURKISH YOUNG GENERATION KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Pan Armenian News
26.09.2005 03:06
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Turkey’s aspiration for the European Union demands
considerable democratic processes. But in Turkey like in any other
society there are forces not wishing this democracy proceeding from
their principles”, Murad Begle, said one of the initiators of the
“Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the Empire: Issues of
Scientific Responsibility and Democracy” international scientific
conference held in Istanbul today. In his words, “some of them fear to
lose power.” “This way a front wishing to prevent Turkey’s integration
into the European structures is being formed. As for the Armenian
issue, the Turkish young generation is absolutely unaware of it over
the operating system of education. The Armenian issue is one of the
darkest pages of the Turkish history and no one wants to recognize
it. That is why education is used as an instrument. The reason of
the constant postponement of the conference lies not in the Armenian
issue only. This is the issue of democracy as well. People, who wish
to review and discuss the problem, gathered in the university today,”
he said. Murad Begle also gave a report titled “The Armenian issue from
a democratic viewpoint”. Meanwhile several hundreds of nationalists
gathered in front of the university shouting out slogans “Betrayers”,
“It’s Turkey – love it or leave it”. To remind, the conference
was scheduled for September 23. However one of the Turkish courts
has complied with the suit of the Union of Lawyers and banned the
meeting. Earlier it was supposed to hold the conference in May but it
was delayed since Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek called the idea
“the dagger stuck into the back of the Turkish nation.” Some people
voiced opinion that Turkish historians are oppressed and deprived
of the possibility to express their scientific viewpoint. The
majority knows that the conference was barred over the possibility
of discussion of the Armenian Genocide issue. Meanwhile Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the court resolution
and called it incompatible with the norms of democracy and civilized
society. Spokesperson for the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Krisztina
Nagy characterized the court decision as a “recurrent provocation”,
IA Regnum reported.

ARMENIAN ISSUE CONFERENCE STARTED IN ISTANBUL
Pan Armenian News
24.09.2005 06:52
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two-day international conference titled “Ottoman
Armenians During the Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific
Responsibility and Democracy” started in the Bilgi University in
Istanbul September 24. The building is guarded by the police and strict
security measures have been undertaken. However several hundreds of
nationalists are holding a protest action in the neighborhood. “The
meeting is illegal. We will prevent it,” a representative of a Turkish
right wing party stated. To remind, the conference was scheduled for
September 23. However one of the Turkish courts has complied with
the suit of the Union of Lawyers and banned the meeting.
Earlier it was supposed to hold the conference in May but it was
delayed since Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek called the idea
“the dagger stuck into the back of the Turkish nation.” Some people
voiced opinion that Turkish historians are oppressed and deprived of
the possibility to express their scientific viewpoint. The majority
knows that the conference was barred over the possibility of discussion
of the Armenian Genocide issue.
Meanwhile Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned
the court resolution and called it incompatible with the norms of
democracy and civilized society. Spokesperson for the EU Commissioner
for Enlargement Krisztina Nagy characterized the court decision as a
“recurrent provocation”, IA Regnum reported.

FINNISH PRESIDENT ARRIVING IN ARMENIA TODAY
Pan Armenian News
26.09.2005 02:29
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from the RA
President’s press office, by invitation of Armenian leader Robert
Kocharian President of Finland Tarja Halonen and her husband
Dr. Pentti Arajarvi will pay a formal visit to Armenia September
26-28. The purpose of the visit is the development of bilateral ties
and economic cooperation. The state leaders will also touch upon the
EU-Armenia cooperation and some regional problems.
On September 27 Robert Kocharian and Tarja Halonen will hold
a tete-a-tete meeting followed by negotiations in expanded
composition. During the visit the Mrs. Halonen will also meet with
RA National Assembly Chairman Artur Baghdassyan and Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan. In Holy Echmiadzin she will meet with Catholicos of
All Armenians Garegin II. Besides, the Finn delegation will attend the
Memorial complex of Tsitsernakaberd and lay a wreath to the Armenian
Genocide victims. Tarja Halonen is also expected to meet with the
students and teaching staff of the Yerevan State University.
To note, the delegation is scheduled to visit Georgia and Azerbaijan
as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STEVEN MANN TO DISCUSS KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IN BAKU
Pan Armenian News
26.09.2005 05:27
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-Chair Steven Mann
will arrive in Baku till the end of September, U.S. Ambassador
to Azerbaijan Rino Harnish reported. In his words, Mr. Mann will
discuss the current stage of the Karabakh conflict settlement with
the Azerbaijani leadership, Azeri media report.

AUTONOMY APPEAL FACES PARLIAMENT MEMBER’S BACKLASH
Armenpress
Sept 26, 2005
TBILISI, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: An application of Armenian
organizations in southern Georgia demanding autonomy for a
predominantly-Armenian populated region of Samtskhe-Javakheti faced
a strong backlash from an Armenian member of the Georgian parliament,
Van Bayburdian.
The appeal was issued by a congress of Armenian organizations of the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region held in the town of Akhalkalaki Saturday.
Bayburdian , who is also chairman of the Union of Georgian Armenians,
said the appeal was’ groundless,” as the population of Ninotsminda
and Akhalkalaki regions, where the majority are ethnic Armenians,
‘have full authority to govern their regions.”
He said there are more than 100 Armenian schools in the region and
Armenians are represented in Georgian government bodies and have
five members in the parliament. He also said there was no tendency
to discriminate Armenians because of their ethnicity. He said all
Georgian regions face dire economic conditions, but the government
is committed to resolve them. “One should not politicize social and
economic problems of the region, a wrong policy assumed by some local
Armenian organizations,” he said.

CEC ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY HEAD ELECTION RESULTS IN TWO YEREVAN DISTRICTS
Armenpress
Sept 26, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Central Election Commission
(CEC) said the incumbent prefect of Kentron district in Yerevan,
Gagik Beglarian, won community head election in Sunday polls receiving
32,000 votes, his contender Ruzan Khachatrian from the opposition
People’s Party received 4,430 votes. The voter turnout was 43 percent.
In another community head election Hovhanes Shahinian won the polls
in Yerevan Arabkir community. He received 18,215 votes. Out of 97,00
eligible voters in Arabkir district only 28,000 went to the polls.

ARMENIAN AIRCRAFT CREW SUSPECTED OF SMUGGLING
Armenpress
Sept 26, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: A commercial manager of Armenia’s
biggest private carrier, ArmAvia, denied Friday rumors that the
Armenian crew operating Yerevan-Paris-Yerevan flight had been arrested
by French customs officers a week before, but admitted that the crew
had had some problems with customs officers.
The manager, Arthur Zakarian, said the crew were taken to the customs
office for examination, which showed that they breached some of
customs norms, established by French law. Zakarian said the pilots
were trying to bring from France more cigarettes than allowed by
customs regulations.
He said ArmAvia is carrying an internal investigation. He said the
crew are banned from operating flights, adding that the amount of
cigarettes the pilots were trying to take out of France was small.

EVERYTHING IS FINE?
A1+
| 17:06:07 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
The candidate for the post of the Kentron community head Rouzan
Khachatryan represented a complaint to the Local Electoral Committee
according to which in the community the number of the electors exceeds
2000, the Kentron Local Electoral Committee informs.
The Arabkir Local Electoral Committee received several alarms but they
were not proved in the electoral areas. For example, there was a false
alarm about the head of the committee arguing with the confidants of
the candidates. Another one about the loss of the seal was also false.
In the Davtashen, Shengavit and Avan communities there have been only
problems with the electoral rolls.

MERRY-GO-ROUND WORKING ALREADY
A1+
| 20:24:42 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
Today at about 05:00 p.m. in the electoral area 9/15 located in the
school after Dzerzhinsky we met three young people who had about 10
passports in their hands. They had brought young girls to the area
and told them literally, “This photo is like you, you will elect with
this passport”.
The group entered the area and carried out the act of electing; Bella
Sargsyan who checked their passports, claimed that they were with
their passports. And when the head of the Committee David Tovmasyan
learned our story about what we had heard, he was indignant and said
we should have prevented the violation of law.
And the confidant of the aldermen candidate Vram Ghazaryan, realizing
immediately what was going on approached one of the young people who
had brought the girls and complained of “the quality of their work”,
“Can’t you be more careful?”.
We did not manage to find out the name of Vram Ghazaryan’s confidant,
as everyone, including the head of the Committee refused to tell his
name. The latter did not even appear, hiding in the school basement
all the time.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE POLICEMEN?
A1+
| 20:07:39 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
Today in almost all the electoral areas of the Kentron community one
could see the same: there were at least three policemen at the center
of the hall near the ballot-boxes.
Surprisingly not only the pro-authority, but also the oppositional
candidates’ confidants and the members of the Committees were not
worried about the fact. The policemen themselves whom we naturally
managed to see from backside only, claimed that they are keeping order.
By the way, we learned from the pre-election campaign of Rouzan
Khachatryan that her confidant Sona Mouradyan has been ousted from
the electoral area 9/14. She only tried to prevent violations of law
in the above mentioned area.