ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
CO-CHAIRS OF INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP TO SEARCH FOR MISSING,
HOSTAGES AND PRISONERS IN KARABAKH CONFLICT ZONE TO VISIT REGION IN
LATE OCT
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. The co-chairs of the International
Working Group to Search for the Missing, Hostages and Prisoners in
the Karabakh conflict zone will visit the region in late Oct, says
the director of the Center for Protecting the Rights of POWs,
Hostages and MIA and the group Armenian coordinator Karine Minassyan.
The visit will take place despite lack of financing. The co-chairs
will discuss the possibilities of establishing contacts and arranging
the meetings of representatives of the relevant national commissions.
The Armenian and Azeri commissioners already met in Tbilisi Mar 18
2005.
Much had been done for the meeting but then the contacts stopped.
Responsible for this were both sides as either of them waited for the
other to act the first. During the Mar meeting the sides had even
agreed to involve NKR representatives in the following meeting. The
Armenian side proposed forming a mixed Armenia-NKR-Azerbaijan.
Until the commissions establish direct contacts the search for the
missing will not be effective, says Minassyan. The Mar meeting was
held on the initiative of Armenia who has always advocated active
contacts and has constantly faced Azerbaijan’s opposition.
There are other inefficiency factors too. Until the conflict is
resolved political the problem of the missing will be pending.
Besides the sides do not trust each other and fear that the
information they will give might be used for propaganda. Many unique
programs like legal and psychological aid to former POWs and hostages
have been stopped for lack of financing (the group is financed by the
German Government).
The search for the missing is an thankless task as there is no
immediate result and its is often negative. It will not give you a
name but we do not lose hope, says Minassyan.

Turkish press hail Armenia congress amid protests
By Gareth Jones
ANKARA, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Turkey’s press hailed as a victory for
democracy a controversial conference on the massacres of Armenians 90
years ago but nationalists protesting outside Sunday’s gathering
called it a betrayal of the nation.
The conference, twice cancelled due to the acute sensitivity of the
Armenian question, has been billed as a litmus test for freedom of
expression in Turkey just days before it begins long-delayed European
Union membership talks.
Nationalist demonstrators hurled eggs and tomatoes at participants as
they arrived at Istanbul’s private Bilgi University to discuss claims
that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians during and
after World War One.
Protesters waved Turkish flags and chanted slogans accusing the
conference participants of betraying the nation.
But the mere fact that the conference had gone ahead prompted strong
praise from local media.
“Another taboo is destroyed. The conference began but the day of
judgement did not come,” said the Milliyet daily.
The liberal Radikal newspaper took a similar line.
“Even the word ‘genocide’ was uttered at the conference, but the world
is still turning and Turkey is still in its place,” its front-page
headline said.
“Free discussion, free protest,” said Turkey’s top-selling Hurriyet
newspaper, noting that both conference participants and demonstrators
were freely expressing their opinions.
Armenia and its supporters around the world say some 1.5 million
Armenians perished in a systematic genocide committed by Ottoman
Turkish forces between 1915 and 1923.
Ankara accepts many Armenians were killed on Turkish soil, but says
they were victims of a partisan conflict that claimed even more
Turkish Muslim lives as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing. It denies
any genocide.
PEACE WITH HISTORY
In a message to the conference, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
expressed Turkey’s official view that many citizens of the Ottoman
Empire suffered terribly during the war but that claims of an Armenian
genocide were false and politically motivated.
“The Turkish people are at peace with themselves and with their
history,” Gul said.
Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s
Party, said on Sunday he thought the conference was too one-sided in
its approach to the Armenian issue, but he defended the right of
academics to debate freely.
The conference had originally been scheduled for May but was cancelled
after a government minister accused those backing Armenian genocide
claims of “stabbing Turkey in the back.”
After a storm of criticism from the EU and elsewhere, the government
agreed to let the conference go ahead, but a last-minute court order
prevented it from opening on Friday, to Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan’s acute embarrassment.
The organisers then circumvented the court ban by moving the two-day
conference to a third venue, Bilgi University. It opened on Saturday
to noisy nationalist protests.
Despite a flurry of EU-inspired liberal reforms in recent years,
promoting certain interpretations of Turkish history can still be
deemed a criminal offence under the revised penal code.
Turkey is due to begin EU entry talks on Oct. 3, though it is not seen
joining the bloc before 2015 at the earliest.
09/25/05 06:46 ET

Turkish prime minister opens meeting bringing together leaders of
different religions
.c The Associated Press
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened a
conference bringing together Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious
leaders in southeastern Turkey with a speech Sunday calling for an
alliance rather than a clash of civilizations.
The six-day conference in Hatay, near Syria, was being attended some
2,000 delegates, including Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I, Turkey’s chief rabbi, the Armenian patriarch of Turkey
and Turkey’s religious affairs minister.
Pope Benedict XVI was invited but did not attend, though the Vatican
sent official representatives.
Erdogan sees Turkey, a secular country that is 99 percent Muslim, as
playing a key role in interfaith dialogue.
He and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of predominantly
Catholic Spain are planning to chair a U.N.-supported project titled
“The Alliance of Civilizations,” to foster further interreligious
dialogue.
Turkey on Oct. 3 begins negotiations to join the European Union, and
would be the only Muslim member of the bloc.
“Our differences are not inevitably pushing us toward a clash; they
must not,” Erdogan said at the opening ceremony Sunday. “To those
wishing for a clash of civilizations we must be able to say this: no
to a clash of civilizations, yes to an alliance of civilizations.”
09/25/05 15:50 EDT

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
REPRESENTATIVES OF ICRC VISITED AN ARMENIAN DETAINEE IN AZERBAIJAN
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. The representatives of the
International Committee of Red Cross visited an Armenian detainee in
Azerbaijan. According to the ICRC report, the detainee is not a
citizen of RA, although the country of his citizenship isn’t revealed
yet.
According to Azerbaijani mass media, Albert P. Abramian, an Armenian,
65, was detained on September 20 in a forest near the village of
Cilagir. Admittedly, he entered Azerbaijan crossing the Russian-
Azerbaijani border. As the Azerbaijani Minister for Internal Affairs,
Ramil Usubov reported, Albert Abramian came to Azerbaijan to visit
his brother. Another Azerbaijani official, Emin Sekinski, suggested
that Mr. Abramian suffers from a mental disorder and added that he
crossed the border illegally. -A–

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
ONE DAY OF FESTIVAL IN GALLE TO BE DEDICATED TO 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister
Gegham Gharibjanyan received today Thomas Buchholz, the chairman of
composers Union of Saxony-Angalt Federal Land of Germany, and
Harutyun Topikyan, the art director of the Yerevan State Chamber
Orchestra, ARMINFO was informed in Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.
Buchholz presented the score of “Weeping on Armenia” devoted to the
85 th anniversary of Armenian Genocide and performed by the Yerevan
State Chamber Orchestra at the annual festival in Galle in 2000.
Buchholz is the art manager of the festival. He noted that he
satisfied with the active cooperation with Armenian musicians. He
also noted that the Orchestra will participate at the festival in
Galle (Nov 11-19), and one day of the festival will be devoted to the
90th anniversary of Armenian Genocide.
Gharibjanyn stressed the importance of Armenian-German cultural
relations and expressed readiness to contribute to their deepening
and development.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 24, 2005
IF AZERBAIJAN DOESN’T CHANGE ITS POSITION CONCERNING CYPRUS, IT WON’T
BE INCLUDED IN EU “NEW NEIGHBORS” PROGRAM.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24. ARMINFO. “The talks about starting the
European Union’s “Extended Europe, New Neighbors” program, arranged
on September 5, were postponed because of Azerbaijan’s position
concerning Cyprus,” reported the head of the EU Department of the
Armenian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Armen Liloyan on the
“Illustration of International Programs in Armenian Mass Media”
conference, sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert fund.
According to the report, the first time the talks were postponed
because the EU experts required a more detailed study of the programs
presented by the countries of South Caucasus. This time the delay was
caused by the EU’s disagreement with Azerbaijan. “If Azerbaijan
doesn’t change its position concerning Cyprus, it won’t be included
in EU ‘New Neighbors’ program,” said Mr. Liloyan. He also added that
the rest of the Southern Caucasian countries must not suffer because
of contradictions with Azerbaijan and that the EU had already adopted
the 30% of the propositions made by Armenia in the frameworks of the
project.
Besides the “Extended Europe, New Neighbors” program, on the
“Illustration of International Programs in Armenian Mass Media”
conference were also discussed the “Millennium development Goals” and
“Millennium Challenge” programs. -A–

Bangkok Post – Thailand;
Sep 23, 2005
BEAUTIFUL CHEMISTRY
Interviewing a famous perfumer, you can’t help being nosy about how
he keeps his olfactory organs fit to do the job, what he eats to
nourish a great sense of smell, and, oh yeah, does he insure his two
gifted nostrils?
But for the busy Francis Kurkdjian, a leading figure on the fragrance
scene, frivolous questions were swept aside to make room for serious
_ but not too serious _ matters of the nose.
Not your average fragrance designer, Kurkdjian’s background is in
classical dance and music, but he left the fancy footwork and the
do-re-mi’s behind to create sweet smelling notes instead. At the age
of 15 he set his heart on becoming a perfume pro.
Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea, Lancome’s Miracle Homme, and Armani
Mania are some of his non-Jean Paul Gaultier’s creations. For the
French fashion provocateur, Kurkdjian devised Le Male, Fragile and
the new Gaultier to the Power of Two.
The charming 36-year-old Frenchman with Armenian roots was recently
in Bangkok to unveil John Paul Gaultier’s new perfume, and shared
some of his aromatic expertise.
The recipe for a great perfumer?
Good olfactory memory, senses, passion, and flexibility to switch and
absorb each brand’s character or style. Also patience, because
creating one fragrance can take up to three years. For Gaultier to
the Power of Two it took 18 or 19 months. In terms of academics,
perfumers should have a knowledge of chemicals.
How do you get inspiration for a new fragrance?
Rather than specialise in a particular note combination or style, I
like to switch olfactory territories to explore new challenges.
What do you look for in a great perfume?
Finesse in everything, including the ingredients, process, bottle and
concept. It does not have to be complicated; it can be simple and
still be perfect. Less is more. Jean Paul Gaultier and I have the
same opinion about this.
What’s trendy in fragrances right now?
There are different preferences. Asian people are in favour of a
fresh and floral family, but there is no definitive trend. When I
create a fragrance, I never think of trends.
Your most important tip in choosing a new scent?
It may sound obvious, but simply choosing a perfume that appeals to
you is my best advice.
The worst mistake you can make wearing a fragrance?
For me, there are no limitations to wearing perfume. Many people like
to spray it on at the pulsation points where the fragrance will
develop. But why not spray it in the air like a shower, or if you
prefer, on a cloth. But we should be careful not to overwhelm others
in closed areas like the lift.
Any tips for smelling sweet in a hot climate?
I understand that using perfume is not a habit of Asians. You can use
less strong fragrances or start with a perfumed bath line _ body
lotion, shower gels or deodorant are a good start for people who
aren’t used to wearing a fragrance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMINFO News Agency
September 24, 2005
ALL UNRECOGNIZED CIS STATES ADVOCATE KARABAKH’S INDEPENDENCE FROM
AZERBAIJAN
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 24. ARMINFO. The last Moscow scientific
conference “Parallel CIS: Abkhazia, Transdniestria, South Ossetia and
Nagorny Karabakh as Post-Soviet Area Realities” has been discussed at
the discussion club of the Helsinki Initiative – 92 NGO (NKR).
Invited to the discussion was one of the conferees, NKR presidential
advisor David Babayan who noted that the representatives of all the
unrecognized CIS sates were unanimous that Nagorny Karabakh must be
independent from Azerbaijan.
Babayan said that the Nagorny Karabakh conflict is very specific –
there is no as full independence awareness in either Abkhazia, South
Ossetia or Transdniestria as there is in Nagorny Karabakh. All of
them seem to just want to secede from one state and accede to another
which is not the case with Nagorny Karabakh. Besides NKR is far ahead
of them in both economy and state building.
Before the conference there had been reports that Nagorny Karabakh
was trying to estrange itself from the other unrecognized states
which was reportedly not as much the wish of Stepanakert as of
Yerevan. But there is no pressure on Nagorny Karabakh by Armenia. On
the conrary it is Nagorny Karabakh who has influence on Armeia. The
idea of Artsakh’s (Nagorny Karabakh) independence was the basis of
Armenia as a republic and the sovereign and idependent NKR is the
embodiment of this idea. Whoever in power in Armenia the idea of
Nagorny Karabakh will be the key stone of Armenia’s state policy.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP SURE THAT VISIT BY FINNISH PRESIDENT TO ARMENIA
WILL BECOME NEW IMPETUS FOR ACTIVATION OF ARMENIAN-FINNISH RELATIONS
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. Armenia is interested in deepening of
the bilateral trade and economic relations with Finland, says the
press-service of Armenian President on the eve of an official visit
of Finnish President Tarja Halonen to Armenia.
The press-release says that despite the political dialogue of the two
states, economic cooperation is not developed. At the same, some
growth has been observed in the commodity turnover. Information
technologies, food industry and agriculture, tourism and services are
the most prospective spheres for cooperation with Finland. Armenia is
expected an effective contribution of Finland to development the
partnership under EU-Initiative “New Neighborhood,” the press-service
says. Appointment of Heikki Talvitie Special Representative for the
South Caucasus displays the growing interest of the EU in the region.
“The Armenian party is sure that the visit by Mrs. Tarja Halonen to
Armenia will become a new impetus for activation of the
Armenian-Finnish relations,” the release says.
Finland recognized Armenia’s independence on December 30 1991.
Diplomatic relations of the two states were established in 1992.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
KAZAKHSTAN SHOULD CHANGE ITS POSITION ON KARABAKH CONFLICT TO ENLIST
THE SUPPORT OF ARMENIA IN OSCE
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. “I treat with great respect to
Armenia’s position stated by Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan raising
the objection against the chairmanship of Kazakhstan to the OSCE in
2006”, the OSCE ambassador to Armenia Vladimir Pryakhin stated in an
interview to ARMINFO.
In his words, all the 55 OSCE member-states has the same status as
the OSCE decisions have been made only on the consensus basis. “If
Armenia is to be against Kazakhstan, the principle of votes consensus
maintenance will be violated, and the OSCE also will object”,
Pryakhin noted. He added that the position of Kazakhstan on some
issues, in particular, on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is not
convenient to Armenia. “If Kazakhstan changes its position, Armenia
should not object against its chairmanship to the OSCE next year”,
Pryakhin noted.