The Creation of the Atmosphere of Mutual Trust Highlighted in the Country
National Assembly of RA (press release), Armenia
Aug 20 2005
On August 19 RA NA President Artur Baghdasaryan met PACE President
Rene van der Linden. The Parliament President highlighted the PACE
President’s visit to Armenia just during this period, when the
parliament is going to discuss the constitutional reforms at its
extraordinary sitting to fulfill the undertaken commitments in PACE and
the signed memorandum. Mr. Rene van der Linden thinks that the adoption
of the constitutional reforms is an experience for Armenia, for the
success of which the authorities and the opposition are responsible
because the Constitution is not for one day and the current power,
but also for the whole state and people. For the success of the
referendum of the Constitution Mr. Rene van der Linden highlighted
the comprehensive campaigning and gaining the people’s confidence and
faith, noting that PACE attaches importance to the cooperation of the
political parties in the vital issues for the country, the existence
of independent mass media, specifying the electoral rolls and the
punishment of those who committed rigging at the previous elections.
RA NA President Artur Baghdasaryan noted that a national register is
being created in order to make the electoral rolls more accurate,
and the necessary legislative are undertaken for holding election
in line with democratic standards. It was noted that discussions on
constitutional reforms will continue with NGOs and political forces.
The participation of the whole society in deciding the fate of the
Basic Law of the country was highlighted, as well as the creation of
the atmosphere of mutual trust, which will enable to get orientated
correctly. The constitutional reforms will give new opportunities
for the development of democracy. Both sides underlined that the
adoption of the constitutional reforms is of great significance for
the development of Armenia as a state and for the strengthening of
the possibilities of progress and authority.

Asim Mollazade: “Visit by PACE chair to Baku serves to establishment of European values in Azerbaijan”
Today.Az, Azerbaijan
Aug 20 2005
20 August 2005 [10:50] – Today.Az
Official visit of the chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) to the South Caucasus region will promote
the establishment of European values in Azerbaijan and give impetus
to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the CE,
the chairman of the Democratic Party (DRP), Azerbaijani parliamentary
representative to the PACE.
Asim Mollazade told Trend about it.
“A visit by PACE chairman is an important event. It outlines the
significance of Azerbaijan and entire South Caucasus region for the
PACE,” Mollazade said.
Touching upon the impact of Linden’s talks in Yerevan and Baku on
the process of resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mollazade
said that PACE position was strictly indicated a special resolution
on Nagorno-Karabakh problem.
“Paris will host a meeting of the PACE working group on
Nagorno-Karabakh on 12 September 2005,” said the politician. The
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as implementation of CE requirements
set for Azerbaijan and preparations for the forthcoming elections
preparations will be the topical issues of discussions in Baku.
In the end Asim Mollazade said that he will participate in the
meeting with Rene van der Linden as a representative of the DRP,
and Azerbaijani parliamentary representative to the PACE.
URL:

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 STATES THAT ALL ARMENIANS ARE MEMBERS OF THE
SAME FAMILY
The conference entitled “Looking for prospects of Armenia-Diaspora
cooperation” came to its end on August 13, after three days of
useful discussions about various issues related to Armenia and the
Diaspora. The conference had kicked off on August 11 and was organized
under the patronage of His Holiness Aram I.
On the third day of sessions, the attendants expressed their views
about the conference, made new proposals related to Armenia-Diaspora
cooperation and built on their previous discussions.
They expressed their gratitude to His Holiness Aram I for organizing
the conference and inviting prominent intellectuals from Armenia and
the Diaspora.
A long session was dedicated to proposals for cooperation between
the two sides. The attendants set out priorities for the Armenians
and highlighted the issues considered most vital in the cultural,
educational, economic, and Armenian Cause fields.
His Holiness Aram I emphasized the importance of adopting a new
mindset and transcending local mentalities and approaches.
“Today’s world wants to come out of fixed structures and looks for
free space to develop liberal thinking. An active Armenia-Diaspora
cooperation should be created. Given that it’s the age of
professionalism, important work should be left to professionals more
than committees,” said His Holiness.
The resolution prepared by the participants was then read out and
adopted by the conference.
His Holiness Aram I delivered the concluding remarks, commending
the participants who developed useful dialogue by expressing their
concerns, and perspectives.
“The conference showed that we are not two sides; Rather, we are only
one side, members of the same family having the same concerns, the same
dreams, visions and aims. We should highlight the hard realities, our
problems, our frustration, and disappointment during such conferences
and that’s what we did. The search fro truth is conducted this way,”
said His Holiness.
The Catholicos encouraged participants to look for positive aspects
even in negative phenomena and advised never to let go of hope.
“Therefore, we should lessen what we have to say and increase our
tasks.
This meeting is not an endpoint. It’s only a phase to look at the
past to assess the present and to plan the future” said His Holiness.
His Holiness thanked and praised the organizers of the conference,
especially Hranoush Hagopian and Jirayr Tanielian for their active
participation in the preparatory works of the conference.
The participants participated in the pilgrimage to the
St. Asdvadzadzine Church in Bikfayya in the evening.
##
View pictures here:
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about
the history and the 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 THROWS A DINNER PARTY IN HONOR OF THE PARTICIPANTS
IN THE ARMENIA-DIASPORA CONFERENCE
A group of intellectuals and political leaders, who were invited to
Lebanon by His Holiness Aram I to participate in the three-day long
Armenia-Diaspora cooperation conference, visited several organizations
and sites during their stay in the country.
They visited the Armenian prelacy and met with Primate Bishop Kegham
Khatcherian. They also visited Haigazian University, the Embassy
of Armenia in Lebanon, the “Birds’ Nest” orphanage and the Azounieh
National Sanatorium.
The participants in the conference also visited historical and natural
sites in Lebanon, getting more acquainted with the country’s history.
His Holiness Aram I organized a dinner party in Bikfaya in their
honor on August 17. Members of the Cilician Brotherhood, Bishop Kegham
Khtahcerian and the Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon were also invited
to the event.
His Holiness once again emphasized the importance of mutual trust and
dialogue for the establishment of cooperation between the two sides.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
history and the 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.

Dallas Morning News , TX
Aug 20 2005
1,000-year-old church is being restored
04:37 PM CDT on Friday, August 19, 2005
By SELCAN HACAOGLU
AKDAMAR ISLAND, Turkey – Rainwater seeps through the conical dome of
Akhtamar’s thousand-year-old church, washing away biblical frescoes
from one of the finest surviving monuments of ancient Armenian
culture. Bullet holes pock the sandstone walls.
After a century of neglect and decades of political wrangling,
Turkey has begun to restore the church. The renovation comes as
Turkish leaders face pressure from the European Union to improve
their treatment of minorities.
The $1.5 million restoration, ordered and paid for by the Turkish
government, began in May. It is raising hopes that a small, cautious
thaw in relations between Turkey and neighboring Armenia could expand.
The church is the lone building on a tiny island in a lake. It is
covered in scaffolding, as masons replace fallen roof stones to stop
rainwater and rebuild the basalt floor dug out by treasure hunters.
Experts also will try to restore the frescoes in the interior.
“This is our positive approach, our message,” said Turkey’s prime
minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has staked his rule on winning
membership in the EU.
The European Union urged Turkey last year to consider registering
Akhtamar in UNESCO’s World Heritage List and is urging the country
to reopen its border and re-establish diplomatic ties with Armenia.
Turkey has taken cautious steps toward improving connections with
Armenia, and a member of Mr. Erdogan’s political party visited its
capital this year. But relations remain cool because of animosities
over ethnic bloodletting a century ago.
Eastern Turkey was once a heartland of Armenian culture, and more
than a million Armenians lived there at the turn of the 19th century.
They were driven out – Armenia says it was a policy of genocide by
Turks, the Turkish government denies that was the case.
Akhtamar, called the Church of Surp Khach, or Holy Cross, was one of
the most important churches of those ancient Armenian lands.
It was built by Armenian King Gagik I of Vaspurakan and inaugurated
in A.D. 921. Gagik’s historian described the church as being near
a harbor and a palace with gilded cupolas, peacefully surrounded by
the lake. Only the church survived.
By 1113, the church had become the center of the Armenian Patriarchate
of Akhtamar and an inspiration to mystics in the area. The island
was the center of a renowned school of scribal art and illumination.
The region was a thriving center of Armenian culture but was engulfed
in ethnic conflict as the Turks’ Ottoman Empire splintered at the
end of World War I.
Akhtamar has been empty for decades. Some of its reliefs are stained
with paint and eggs thrown by vandals. Bullet holes, apparently from
shepherds who used the site for target practice, mar the walls.
The church is considered one of the most important examples of
Armenian architecture.
Elaborate reliefs project up to 4 inches from brownish-red sandstone
walls, almost like sculptures. Some depict biblical stories, such
as Jonah being swallowed by the whale and Daniel in the lion’s den.
Others show cows, lions, birds and other animals to remind worshippers
that the church is an image of paradise.
Mr. Erdogan’s government asked the Armenian Christian patriarch in
Istanbul, where nearly all of Turkey’s remaining 65,000 Armenians live,
to name an architect to help with the restoration.
Zakarya Mildanoglu, the architect picked, said he hopes the restoration
helps improve relations between Armenia and Turkey, but he added:
“We need to be patient. Things that happened a century ago cannot be
healed overnight.”

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]:
PRESS RELEASE
20-08-2005
Foreign Minister Oskanian, on the Nagorno Karabakh Negotiations, on the Eve
of Kazan:
“They Can Neither Seduce us nor Scare us with their Oil”
Prior to the presidents’ meeting in Kazan, Azerbaijan’s assessments of the
Nagorno Karabakh resolution process have become more frequent. Specifically,
Azerbaijani officials of varying capacities, have made statements on
different occasions, alleging that the essence of the Prague Process is a
stage-by-stage solution, and that time works in their favor, and that
international public opinion is moving in their direction. On the other
hand, they also say that the negotiations are not productive and that “we
must be prepared for everything,” most probably having in mind a military
solution to the conflict, since Azerbaijan’s military budget has increased
by one-third. What are your interpretations of these statements?
As a rule, each time Azerbaijan does not achieve what it wants, they either
badmouth the Minsk Group, or express dissatisfaction or disaffection with
the negotiations process, thus creating new political backdrop for the next
stage of the negotiating process. That’s what they’re trying to do now.
As for the Azerbaijani characterization of the Prague Process, here too,
they are talking not about what is, but about what they would like to see.
It is clear to everyone, including the Azerbaijanis, that Karabakh’s
self-determination is the key issue, which must find expression in the right
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to decide its own future. The remainder –
doing away with the consequences of the conflict, the issue of territories,
return of refugees, etc. – will follow. Of course, the package solution of
the conflict may be implemented in stages; in this regard, we are prepared
to demonstrate flexibility.
As for the time factor, I will repeat that which we all know: time works to
no one’s advantage, because as a result of the unresolved conflict,
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh all suffer. On the other hand, an
Azerbaijani military budget that is bloated by oil dollars, doesn’t change
anything. First, they can neither seduce nor, worse, scare us with their
oil. Armenia always has the ability to militarily counter any Azerbaijani
military budget. In fact, the advantage that Armenians have over Azerbaijan
is not in military expenditures or arms, but in the justness of the cause.
Armenians believe that the Nagorno Karabakh cause is just, and in case of
war, they will be fighting for their own homes and land. This is not what
the Azerbaijanis did or would do.
It would be better for Azerbaijan to compete not militarily, but engage in
healthy economic and political competition. And in those realms, today,
Azerbaijan is far from challenging Armenia or even Nagorno Karabakh.
As for the position of the international community, they are assessing the
situation more realistically, and are reckoning with reality and fact. The
international trend regarding conflicts — East Timor, developments around
Kosovo, the Sudan Agreement — all these developments demonstrate that the
international community today is leaning towards greater respect for the
right of peoples to self-determination.-0-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Home buying tips today in Armenian
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News
Aug 20 2005
GLENDALE – Buying a first home can be daunting enough in the current
housing market, but when the buyer has a language barrier, the hurdle
can be that much higher.
So to help Armenian-speaking first-time home buyers, the city today
will hold an all-day class in Armenian offering tips on how to
negotiate the different steps of buying a home.
“Homeownership is hard enough right now in Southern California
that having language as a barrier makes it even harder,” said Anne
Bockenkamp, Glendale administrative analyst, who is organizing
the class.
Census data do not provide information on the percentage of
homeownership among Armenian-Americans. But City Councilman Bob
Yousefian said homeownership has increased among Armenian-Americans
in recent years, which can best be seen in northwest Glendale, an
area with mainly owner-occupied homes instead of rentals.
“I remember you used to go to northwest Glendale and
(Armenian-Americans) were maybe 10 percent, 15 percent” of the
residents, Yousefian said.
But an analysis of last names on electric utility bills shows that
Armenian-Americans make up about half the residents in some northwest
Glendale ZIP codes, Yousefian said.
“The ones that are doing financially better themselves, things are
picking up for them,” he said. “The ones that are new immigrants,
like any other community, it is a little more difficult for them.”
Census 2000 data show that of the city’s 73,713 occupied housing
units, 38.4 percent are owned by their occupants and the remaining
61.6 percent are lived in by renters, said Kristen Asp, planner for
the city.
By comparison, Pasadena had a homeownership rate of 45.8 percent,
in Burbank it was 43.5 percent and in Los Angeles it was 38.6 percent.
“In this market, you have to be very persistent to buy,” Bockenkamp
said. “You have to be determined; you have to be prepared.”
The city holds one class a year in Armenian for prospective first-time
home buyers, and it holds six classes a year in English.
The class will be conducted by an instructor certified by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, and at the end of the
class, participants will get a certificate showing they participated.
The certificate can be showed to lenders that require homeowner
education before offering loans with small down payments.

Azeri envoy protests at US congressmen’s initiative for more aid to Karabakh
Azartac news agency, Baku
19 Aug 05
The Azerbaijani ambassador in Washington, Hafiz Pasayev, has appealed
to the US Congress in protest after Congressmen Frank Pallone and Joe
Knollenberg sent a letter to US President George W. Bush, demanding
more assistance to the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagornyy
Karabakh, the Azerbaijani state news agency Azartac has reported.
Pasayev recalled that Nagornyy Karabakh is recognized as part of
Azerbaijan and called on the USA to take political or economic steps
against the separatist region in the interests of Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani ambassador also called on the US congressmen to respect
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and warned that any support for
the Pallone-Knollenberg initiative would deal a blow to the Nagornyy
Karabakh peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

All parties equally responsible for reforms in Armenia – European official
Mediamax news agency
19 Aug 05
Yerevan, 19 August: The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe, Ren van der Linden, said in Yerevan today that
the approval of constitutional amendments will be an “acid test”
for Armenia and that both the authorities and the opposition are
equally responsible for its successful outcome.
Linden said this at a meeting with Artur Bagdasaryan, chairman of
the Armenian National Assembly. The Armenian speaker highlighted the
importance of the PACE president’s visit to Yerevan at this moment
when the parliament is preparing to consider the draft constitutional
amendments in their second reading.
The PACE president said it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive
campaign in order to conduct the constitutional referendum successfully
and enlist the support of the people.
Linden also said that the Council of Europe is interested in
cooperation between Armenian political parties on issues of vital
importance, in the presence of independent media, in clarifying
electoral registers and in bringing to book those involved in
violations in previous elections.

AZG Armenian Daily #147, 20/08/2005
Aid
‘DOING OUR PART TO HELP’
IN-KIND DONATIONS AID ARMENIA’S DEVELOPMENT
“After observing an operation at the University Hospital #1 in Yerevan, my
husband Roberto, who is a surgeon, was awed by the great lack of medical
supplies, the extremely outdated equipment, and the huge difference in
conditions under which Armenia’s doctors operate,” explained Nadia
Rodriguez. “For example, we were told that surgeons are instructed not to
use sterile gloves on patients who cannot afford the extra $5 fee. By
American standards, this is unbelievable! We wanted to help improve the
conditions in Armenia’s public hospitals for the sake of both the patients
and the doctors.”
Since February 2005, Mrs. Rodriguez, working with the Fund for Armenian
Relief (FAR), has coordinated with hospitals in the northeast to donate
supplies and equipment to Armenia. These range from such basics as sterile
gloves, blood tubes, and wound closure kits to more complicated machinery
such as fetal heart rate monitors, defibrillators, critical care monitors
and x-ray equipment. Mrs. Rodriguez has secured more than $170,000 worth of
gifts in-kind. “I hope this is only the beginning,” she states.
“Since we had the contacts, my husband and I wanted to do our part to help.
Jeffrey Welsh, Vice President of resources and materials management at
Meridian Health, has been extremely helpful in offering equipment for our
cause. Through him and others we have been able to secure equipment that is
more modern than the equipment currently in use by many U.S. hospitals! If
only we knew more people that hold similar positions in other hospitals
throughout the US. Our goal is to have a continuous flow, in bulk, of
updated medical supplies to Armenia.”
The gifts in-kind identified by Mrs. Rodriguez complement FAR’s Continuing
Medical Education (CME) program. This program offers post-graduate training
opportunities to Armenia’s doctors in order to enhance their skills and
knowledge in their chosen fields of medicine. The medical equipment and
supplies will be distributed to the hospitals and clinics where FAR trainees
and their mentors practice.
IN-KIND DONATIONS
Gifts in-kind are contributions of material items made by a donor to help
support the operations or services provided by a nonprofit organization.
FAR, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York, accepts
all in-kind donations, with the exception of medicine, that would be needed,
useful, and helpful to the people of Armenia and Karabakh by the
container-load.
Gifts in-kind have been particularly bountiful for FAR in 2005.
Continuing a long tradition, New York’s Jack Torosian donated valuable
science and reference books to FAR for specialized schools and universities
in Armenia.
More than $100,000 worth of medical equipment and supplies has been
collected by Dr. Raffi Avitisian and Serop Demirjian of Cleveland, OH to be
sent to Armenia for FAR’s CME Program.
Dr. Dennis Vollman, of the Southgate Radiology & CT, Nuclear Medicine and
Ultrasound in Michigan, donated a CT scanner and an ultrasound unit, valued
at $85,000. This was not the first time Dr. Vollman worked with FAR. He had
sent medical equipment to Armenia through FAR immediately after the 1988
earthquake.
New York Presbyterian Hospital sent 800 epidural anesthesia kits, amounting
to close to $10,000, to Armenia’s public hospitals thanks to the efforts of
FAR Board member Dr. Edgar Hovsepian.
Harry Minoian persuaded the Niagara Falls Board of Education to donate
approximately $300,000 worth of brand-new textbooks to Armenia through FAR.
The subjects of these books cover history, literature, U.S. government and
foreign languages, including English as a second language, French and
Spanish. FAR will distribute these much-needed textbooks to its Ounjian
School, Catholicos Vasken I School, Mathevosian School, as well as other
public schools with foreign language specializations.
Florida’s Lucine Harvey secured enough children’s goods, ranging from basic
necessities, like clothes, shoes, mattresses, pillows, towels, soaps, and
toothpaste, to school supplies to fun items, like toys and bicycles, to fill
three 40-foot containers. These diverse goods, valued at more than $145,000,
will benefit FAR’s Siranoosh summer camp in Yeghegnadzor, the Yeghegnadzor
college, the Dilijan Children’s Health Center, and the Yerevan Children’s
Reception and Orientation Center for homeless children.
Hagop Vartevarian of New Jersey contributed new bath towels and bed sheets,
worth more than $3,000, for FAR’s Vanadzor Old Age Home and the State
University Guest House in Yerevan.
Gregory Manuelian of New York donated a professional digital camera having a
$1,000 market value for FAR’s Press Office in Armenia and Karabakh.
Mike Hovsepian, through Pennsylvania’s Global Rubber, Inc., gave 1,600
square feet of rubber mats worth $12,450, for a new playground built by FAR
at the Nork Orphanage in Yerevan.
AmeriCares has donated 171,600 8-ounce bottles of Ensure, the nutritional
beverage, to FAR via UAF. A 40-foot container filled with 62,400 bottles (20
pallets) is currently on its way to Armenia to help beneficiaries at FAR’s
soup kitchens, the Old Age Homes in Vanadzor and Gyumri as well as the Hagop
S. Touloukian Senior Center in Gyumri. Two more containers (packed with the
remaining 35 pallets) will be sent to Armenia shortly.
AmeriCares also gave more than 9,200 bottles of children’s vitamins (four
pallets) to FAR via UAF. These essential supplements were distributed to
needy children through hospitals, polyclinics and youth institutes.
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served 10
million people through 130+ relief and development programs in Armenia and
Karabakh. It has channeled more than $250 million in humanitarian assistance
by implementing a wide range of projects including emergency relief,
construction, education, medical aid, and economic development. FAR is
dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic, prosperous, and
culturally rich Armenia.
For more information about in-kind donations or to send contributions,
contact the Fund for Armenian Relief at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY
10016; telephone (212) 889-5150, fax (212) 889-4849; ,
[email protected].
Dr. Roberto Rodriguez of Boston, MA (right) observed an operation performed
by Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan (left) in University Hospital #1 in Yerevan. That
experience inspired him and his wife, Nadia, to fundraise for gifts in-kind
with the goal of having a continuous flow, in bulk, of updated medical
supplies to Armenia.
FAR Executive Director Garnik Nanagoulian (far left) was impressed with the
collection of medical gifts in-kind that Dr. Raffi Avitisian (far right) and
Serop Demirjian (second from left) of Cleveland, OH were able to amass to
send to Armenia for FAR’s CME Program. They began looking for ways to help
Armenia’s medical professionals after mentoring Dr. Mushegh Israelyan
(second from right) from Karabakh.
By Fund for Armenian Relief
From: Baghdasarian