Is Yerevan Scared of History?
By Sahin ALPAY
Zaman, Turkey
Aug 12 2005
A young Turkish researcher, Yektan Turkyilmaz, is being held in
custody since June 17 by the Armenian intelligence service under
high security conditions. He was due to appear in court tomorrow,
facing according to Article 215/2 of the Armenian Penal Code a jail
sentence of four to eight years for allegedly “smuggling rare books”
out of the country. We hope that the court will reach a decision that
will repair the gross injustice inflicted on Turkyilmaz.
Who is Turkyilmaz? He is a scholar who after receiving after his B.A.
degree at Bogazici University in Istanbul is working for a Ph. D.
degree at the Duke University, a prominent university in the United
States. In addition to Turkish and English, Turkyýlmaz speaks French,
Ottoman Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian. His general field of research
concerns nationalist movements among Turks, Armenians and Kurds
during the final period of the Ottoman Empire. His colleagues believe
that Turkyilmaz’s research will make a significant contribution to
the debates concerning this period since it is based on Turkish,
Kurdish and Armenian sources. Having good relations with Armenian
colleagues, Turkyilmaz became the first Turkish scholar to be allowed
to work in the Armenian national archives. According to Orin Starn,
his thesis instructor at Duke University, “Turkyilmaz is brilliant
and widely respected young scholar” who has receieved numerous awards
and fellowships.
What then is Turkyilmaz’s crime? Turkyilmaz was taken to custody
soon after he embarked the plane to return to Turkey after having
completing his research in the Armenian national archives on his fourth
visit to Yerevan. It was reported that Turkyilmaz was found guilty of
“smuggling” old books out of Armenia which require official permission
to be taken out of the country according to a law which dates from
the Soviet times. Since there are no diplomatic relations between
Turkey and Armenia, Turkish officials merely demanded Turkyilmaz’s
release. Armenian intelligence service interrogated him about his
research and his theoretical orientations, and confiscated the copies
of his archival research. More than 200 Turkish, Armenian and American
academics sent a letter to the Armenian President Robert Kocharian
on July 29, calling for his intervention for the immediate release
of Turkyilmaz and his notes to be returned. In brief, they said
the following:
We care deeply about improvements in Armenian – Turkish relations
and consider the unimpeded work of independent scholars to be vital
steps in the right direction… None of the books he had with him
were forbidden from being taken out of the country, but only required
permissions… While it may be appropriate to impose a fine for the
unknowing violation of customs regulations, prison terms of 4 to 8
years is grossly disproportionate… The political implications of
his detention cause grave concern. The dialogue which has recently
been opened up between Turkish and Armenian scholars is put to risk.
“This arrest would also raise serious doubts as to whether Armenia
encouraes independent scholarly research into history.”
US Senator Bob Dole also sent a letter to President Kocharian on
August 2 in which he said: Human Rights groups do not rank Armenia
as a democracy, and define it only as a “partly free” country due to
your governments mistreatment of opposition leaders and supporters.
Your detention of Yektan for seven weeks Yektan being in detention
for seven weeks confirms the shortcomings of democracy in Armenia. I
urge you to intervene for the immediate release of Yektan, and also
for the amendment of this strange law which is not compatible with
a free society.
The Turkyilmaz case underlines two basic questions: Is the Soviet
regime still continuing in Armenia which is a member of the Council
of Europe? Is the Armenian administration, which has grossly violated
academic freedom, scared of shedding light on its history?
–Boundary_(ID_XyO453/QgUsJ+flRcTinZA)–

Here at last
by Sarah Stack, Evening Gazette
ic Teesside.co.uk, UK
Aug 12 2005
An Armenian folklore dance troupe travelled for six days by coach to
attend a Teesside festival.
The 31 members of Mush-Gyumri, who are performing in the Billingham
International Folklore Festival, were held up at every border they
passed.
The group, due to arrive in Billingham last Tuesday, did not get here
until Friday but were still as excited as ever about taking part.
Neither their gruelling trip or rainfall during yesterday’s outdoor
performance in Billingham dampened their spirits.
“They love it here but we hope their journey back won’t be as bad,”
said Kathryn O’Donnell, the group’s guide.
“They left Armenia on July 30 and at first were stuck at the Georgia
and Russia border for over a day.
“When they got to Ukraine their bus broke down and then at every
border they met they had to take all their luggage off the bus to be
scanned and load the bus again.
“Finally, when they reached Calais, their driver did not have the
correct visa to enter the UK and they all had to travel over as
foot passengers.”
A coach was driven down from Billingham to get them.
Also entertaining the crowd yesterday were troupes from Greece,
Cyprus, Indonesia and Ecuador.
For an archive of stories on this subject click on to
icTeesside.co.uk/teespride

French Embassy Denies Existence of ‘Chirac Letter’
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Aug 12 2005
ANKARA – Officials from the French Embassy in Ankara denied the
existence of a letter written by French President Jacques Chirac,
in which he assured the Greek Cypriots that the European Union would
not start accession negotiations with Turkey unless it recognizes
Greek Cyprus.
Greek Cypriot daily “Philelefteros” reported on Tuesday that Chirac had
sent a handwritten letter to Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos,
through the Greek Cypriot ambassador in France. According to
“Philelefteros”, the letter stated that the French government believed
Turkey would not be able to start accession talks with the EU on
October 3 if it does not recognise the Greek Cypriot administration.
GREEK OR FRENCH LIE?
However “there is no such letter”, a French Embassy official said.
Turkish media reported the event as “Greek lie”.
Recently, Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister, George Iacovou said
Turkey’s refusal to recognise the Greek Cypriot government was
“provocative”. However, Iacovou refused to say whether non-recognition
of Greek Cyprus could lead to Greek Cyprus, or another EU country,
vetoing the start of accession talks on October 3. All EU leaders
including the Greek Cypriot leader knew on 17 December Summit that
Turkey will not recognise Greek Cyprus until the problem is solved on
the island. Yet the ‘unexpected’ French support to the Greek side has
shifted the balance. Turkey blames France of not keeping its promises
given in the Summit.
According to “Philelefteros”, the Greek Cypriot and Greek governments
have been holding talks after what Iacovou called a “shift” in France’s
stance towards the issue of Turkish recognition of the Greek Cypriot
administration. The Greek Cypriot daily said the two sides may hold
a top-level meeting to evaluate the present situation and devise a
common foreign policy.
Recently, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and French
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said it was “unacceptable” for
Turkey to start accession negotiations, without recognizing one the
EU’s member states. Chirac, who has the final say in foreign policy
matters, is said to have backed these comments. Ankara reacted to
the statements, claiming that the recognition of Greek Cyprus is not
a condition for starting EU entry talks. Though the EU laws did not
allow accepting any candidate as a member when it has border problems,
the EU accepted only the Greek Cyprus as a full member to the EU. The
Turkish side strongly supported the UN Peace Plan in 2004 while the
Greek side rejected the plan. The EU with the US and UN promised to
end isolation of the TRNC yet has done almost nothing to do so.
Dr. Davut Sahiner from ISRO Center for European Studies, Ankara says
France is not sincere in its Cyprus policy. “Their only aim is to
keep Turkey outside of the EU. They first abused the Armenian issue
and made everything a mess in Turkey-Armenia relations. Now the
Cyprus.” Added Dr. Sahiner.
“Anti-Turkish political groups in France blame Turkey for going bad
anything in EU and France. They do not want to see Turkey in. In fact
an EU-member Turkey would be great for the Greeks and Armenians as
well” said Dr. Davut Sahiner

Russia to move arms to Armenian regions bordering on Azerbaijan
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted Aug 15 2005
Baku, August 12, AssA-Irada — Armenia has granted areas in the Berd,
Tavush and Ijevan regions bordering on Azerbaijan for the transfer
of Russia’s weaponry from Russian military bases in Georgia, Russian
“Nezavisimaya Gazeta” newspaper quoted the Azerbaijani Ministry for
Defense as saying.
“The Russian military base in the Gumru region of Armenia is not
capable of receiving the arms, therefore, official Yerevan granted
special areas in the regions bordering on Azerbaijan for the purpose”,
the same source said.
The newspaper also said that the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense has
strengthened its borders with Armenia following the move.
Russia earlier closed down its base in Georgia and moved a part of its
weaponry to Armenia, which angered Azerbaijani officials and public.*

Durham Herald Sun, NC
Aug 12 2005
Several plead for Turk’s release
BY PAUL BONNER : The Herald-Sun
[email protected]
Aug 12, 2005 : 10:08 pm ET
DURHAM — A growing chorus of academics and former Sen. Robert
Dole are calling for the release of Duke graduate student Yektan
Turkyilmaz from Armenia, where he has been jailed eight weeks for
trying to leave the country with second-hand books he bought there.
Turkyilmaz was arrested June 17 and detained by Armenia’s
National Security Service. On July 21, he was indicted under a law
dealing mostly with transporting missiles and other weapons of mass
destruction. But the law also prohibits taking “strategic raw materials
or cultural values” — in this case, several books more than 50 years
old — out of the country without permission.
Research led to jail
Turkyilmaz, a doctoral candidate in cultural anthropology at Duke
and a native of Turkey, was conducting research for his dissertation
on the region’s political history in Armenia’s national archive,
reportedly the first Turkish scholar allowed to do so.
Relations between Turkey and Armenia remain testy 90 years after
what Armenians call genocide against them by Turkey. They still lack
diplomatic relations. Fluent in the Armenian language, Turkyilmaz is
considered sympathetic to the Armenian viewpoint.
Sources including his adviser at Duke, professor Orin Starn, say
Turkyilmaz bought the books legally from second-hand bookshops and
street vendors. He had them in his luggage when he was pulled off
a departing plane by customs officials at the airport in Armenia’s
capital, Yerevan. The books were not especially valuable or rare,
although one was published in the 17th century, said Starn.
Family pleads case
Colleagues and Turkyilmaz’s family in Turkey — his mother was allowed
to visit him Monday — have said he didn’t know about the old-books
law, which carries a potential prison sentence of four to eight years.
Duke President Richard Brodhead underscored that point in a letter last
week to Armenian President Robert Kocharian. Another letter, signed
by 225 international scholars styling themselves as the Committee
for Solidarity with Yektan Turkyilmaz, also said the situation risks
damaging an already tenuous dialogue between the two nations and
raising “doubts as to whether Armenia encourages independent scholarly
research on its history.” They noted in connection with the latter
concern that authorities reportedly also confiscated Turkyilmaz’s
research materials, including digital copies he had left with friends.
Espionage rumored
Citing an unidentified source, a Radio Free Europe report Monday
said the National Security Service had considered charging Turkyilmaz
with espionage.
Other academic groups also have taken notice of the case with
letter-writing campaigns, including the American Association for the
Advancement of Science.
Dole, former Senate majority leader from Kansas and husband of N.C.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, wrote Kocharian that “while Armenia has many
friends in the U.S., there is no way to defend the undefendable,”
and that the episode calls into question the former Soviet republic’s
commitment to democracy.

‘The Prophet of Zongo Street’: Coming to America
By ELIZABETH SCHMIDT
New York Times
Aug 12 2005
Published: August 14, 2005
Six of the 10 stories in Mohammed Naseehu Ali’s moving, subtle and
ingeniously constructed first book are set in Ghana, and the rest
in and around New York. The locations alternate, permitting readers
to travel back and forth along one of the many routes that made up
the African diaspora, one that Ali, who has had homes on both sides
of the Atlantic, knows well. Raised in Ghana, he came to the United
States in 1988 at 16 to study at Interlochen and then Bennington and
now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.
Dan James
THE PROPHET OF ZONGO STREET
Stories.
By Mohammed Naseehu Ali.
212 pp. Amistad/ HarperCollins Publishers. $22.95.
First Chapter: ‘The Prophet of Zongo Street’ (August 14, 2005)
Forum: Book News and Reviews
“The Prophet of Zongo Street” deftly blends African folklore, dreams,
the wisdom of elders and the pranks of children, and pitch-perfect,
often wry dialogue. Ranging from Zongo Street, the noisy fictional
Muslim neighborhood where all the African stories take place, to the
climate-controlled “lily-white enclave of Southampton” to the hip,
trust-fund-backed art scene in Lower Manhattan, the collection is held
together by Ali’s abiding concern with the power of the human voice:
how people make themselves understood, how they sound in different
contexts and how, above all, Ghanaian immigrants struggle to converse
once they leave Zongo Street.
“The Story of Day and Night” begins with the “30 of us kids,” who
lure their oldest and most respected grandmother, Uwargida, out of
her quarters to her storytelling spot in the central courtyard. In
our first glimpse of life in Ghana, children convey their respect
for Uwargida by listening, and her mythological tales captivate the
members of her extended family and bind them together.
The title story is narrated by a nameless, thoughtful 14-year-old
boy whose older friend gives him a book about the history of African
religious exploitation and instructs him to “always remember that we
human beings are what we say. . . . Our egos may reside in our minds,
but it is the mouth that makes them known to the rest of the world.”
As the collection unfolds, moving out from the family compound and
westward, Ali shifts from the “we” of all the kids in concert to the
increasingly self-conscious “I” of the adolescent boy who questions
the religious underpinnings of his community.
In “Live-In,” Ali takes us from bustling Zongo Street, where for better
or worse everyone knows everyone else’s business, out into the chill
of a “fully air-conditioned supermarket” in Southampton, where Shatu,
a Ghanaian live-in maid, has just realized she’s lost the $200 her
employer has given her to buy groceries. Shatu’s voice, severed from
its communal origins, loses the power to communicate; she “blurts”
the first words of the story — “The money … I can’t find it” —
to a group of “impeccably dressed women,” who “pat Shatu on the back,
offering halfhearted consolations, as if it were required of them,
and then go back to their own carts.” Her “childish and agonized tone”
couldn’t be farther from Uwargida’s in “The Story of Day and Night,”
which is “soft, yet commanding,” and keeps her family rapt. Shatu’s
employer, Marge, wants Shatu to be fired for stealing, but Marge
is 78 and senile, and her nephew and legal custodian likes Shatu’s
“sweet Caribbean accent” (mistaking her pronunciation of “Ghana”
as “Guy-anna”) and begins calling her at all hours of the night on
the private line he has had installed in her room. But Shatu has
no green card and needs the job to support her mother and three
children in Ghana. So she stays in the big, empty house with Marge
and thinks of her own grandmother back in Africa, an Uwargida-like
figure who “had become the repository of the community’s age-old
wisdom and knowledge. … In the evenings she was surrounded by
her many grandchildren, who begged her to tell them Mallam Gizo,
or Mr. Spider tales.”
Many of the Ghanaian characters here are unnamed, but they resemble
one another. This ambiguity provides a sense that no matter how cut
off and lonely they are, no matter how impossible it is to communicate
with their American bosses and school friends and lovers, their lives
elsewhere are intertwined. The reader is never sure, but Shatu’s
grandmother could be Uwargida. The young narrator holding fast to his
religious tract in “The Prophet of Zongo Street” could also be the boy
who contracts malaria in “Ward G-4.” And he could be the young man
who later comes to America, goes to college, becomes, in one story,
a painter and, in another, a Web-site designer by day and musician by
night and finds himself at 3 a.m. in a cab whose driver is hellbent
on proving that Armenians are the true source of world culture.
Alarmingly (and, it turns out, playfully) titled “The True Aryan,”
this last story turns the tables. The Ghanaian musician is full
of his own concerns and ambitions (“looking at the city’s skyline
always filled me with a sense of success and self-importance”)
and, desperate to get back to Park Slope, refuses to engage with
his driver’s barrage of clumsy mini-lectures presenting the case
for Armenians and relating to the plight of blacks. But Sarkis, the
driver, catches his passenger off guard by declining to take money
for the fare and saying: “In Armenia, the way we greet each other,
we say, Savat tanem. So I am telling you, Savat tanem! … You know
what that means, Savat tanem? … It means ‘I’ll take your pain.’
” It’s a gesture that breaks down the musician’s Western narcissism:
“With one foot already on the street, I knew there was only one
thing left for me to tell Sarkis. I looked into his eyes, and with a
sudden deep respect said to the man, ‘I’ll take your pain, too.’ ” The
cabdriver jolts the musician back into listening, as he had as a child
on Zongo Street, showing how even in the most unlikely and inhospitable
circumstances a sense of connectedness between people can be restored.
Elizabeth Schmidt teaches English at Barnard and is a contributing
editor for the literary magazine Open City.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Aug 13 2005
MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY MEETS WITH DELEGATION OF GERMAN
INTELLIGENCE SERVICE
[August 13, 2005, 19:45:41]
At the invitation of the Minister of National Security of Azerbaijan
Eldar Mahmudov, a delegation of the Federal Intelligence Service of
Germany led by its Chief August Hanning stayed in Baku from August
11 to 13.
On August 12, the members of the delegation accompanied by
Lieutenant-General Eldar Mahmudov and other Ministry’s officials
visited the Alley of Honor in Baku to pay a tribute to the national
leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, and the Martyrs Alley to
commemorate those who gave their lives for independence and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan.
Later on the same, Chief of the Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service
August Hanning and his delegation met with Minister of National
Security of Azerbaijan Lieutenant-General Eldar Mahmudov.
The Minister informed the delegation members on the legal and
democratic reforms implemented in Azerbaijan under the leadership
of President Ilham Aliyev, and the work done to maintain political
stability and security in the country, which, according to him, are
the most important factors to ensure its socio-economic development
as well as realization of the large-scale international projects.
Lieutenant-General Eldar Mahmudov also told of the concrete steps
taken in fight against organized crime and international terrorism,
illegal migration and drug trafficking and touched upon criminogenic
situation in the region and the factors influencing on it, as well
as the aftermath of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
In turn, Chief of the Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service August
Hanning shared his impressions of staying in Baku, expressing
satisfaction with the existing cooperation between corresponding
structures of Azerbaijan and Germany. He also expressed confidence
this visit would be very useful for strengthening of the relationship
between the two countries in general.
The parties exchanged views on a number of other issues of mutual
interest including prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation
between the two countries’ special services.
From: Baghdasarian

UEFA

Aug 13 2005
FIFA World Cup: Armenia bring in local cover
Injuries have robbed Armenia coach Henk Wisman of some first-choice
players for Wednesday’s friendly in Jordan.
Local cover
Goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky is sidelined, leading the coach to bring
in FC Pyunik No1 Gevorg Kasparov, and with defenders Karen Dokhoyan
and Harutyun Vardanyan also out of action, Wisman has named a number
of home-based players to complete his 18-man party. FC Kilikia forward
Nshan Erzrumyan and FC Banants trio Aram Hakobyan, Samvel Melkonyan
and Ararat Arakelyan are all included.
Armenia squad
Bete (FC Pyunik), Kasparov (FC Pyunik), Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik),
Melikyan(FC Metalurh Donetsk), Tadevosyan (FC Pyunik), Arzumanyan
(FC Pyunik), V Aleksanyan (FC Pyunik), Khachatryan (OFI Crete FC),
Mkhitaryan (FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk), Lazarian (FC Pyunik), Nazaryan (FC
Pyunik), K Aleksanyan (CSF Zimbru Chisinau), Voskanyan (FC Yesil
Bogatyr Petropavlovsk), Arman Karamyan (FC Gloria 1922 Bistrita),
Artavazd Karamyan (AFC Rapid Bucuresti), Hakobyan (FC Metalurh
Donetsk), Shahgeldyan (FC MIKA), Petrosyan (CSF Zimbru Chisinau).

Turkish Company, ‘We are No. 1 in Armenia, US is Next’
Journal of Turkish Daily
Aug 14 2005
The Akdas Group, owner of the Crispino label is targeting
international markets.
With success in Armenia, the group plans to enter the US and Chinese
markets with 2010 as its target.
Ready-Made Manager Fatih Akdas says that as long as you train younger
generations, there is no need to worry about the Chinese threat,
adding that they started the business with the dream: “Make all men
wear Crispino”.
Established as a family company in Malatya 30 years ago, the Akdas
Group is now in second place in suit sales in Turkey. They plan to
increase the number of stores in Turkey to 50 by the end of this
year, to 70 in 2007 and along with plans to open 250 new stores in
several countries around the world.
Crispino is currently sold in 210 sale-points in Turkey and 17 stores
abroad.
Akdas notes they will use the factory built in Catalca as a base and
are preparing infrastructure to become a worldwide trademark.
“We have recovered from the 1999 earthquake and 2001 economic crisis.
We now create four new collections annually. We realized $5 million
in exports in 2004. We expect $60 million turnover this year,” said
Akdas, enumerating the achievements of the group.
After Crispino, which is the first Turkish brand to enter Armenia,
four new Turkish stores have also opened in this country. The Akdas
Group, determined to grow in Turkey, does not export apart from their
own brand.
Despite serious offers from abroad, Akdas does not want custom
manufacturing. “We do not give credit to them.” The company produces
Crispino itself in the institutions that it hires abroad. Giving a
message of “Turkey first”, Akdas has called for support from the
government: “If the government supports us we want to establish
factories in eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey.”
When sales of Crispino increased dramatically, the Akdas group
increased number of its dealers to 200. The Akdas Group is looking
for a second trademark in order not to harm Crispino as they grow
bigger.
“Sometimes we have two dealers in one city and while one of them
sells a lot the other may not. We designed Suess and sent it to our
stores. Crispino will be sold in retail sector.”
The price of Suess will be less than Crispino. Suess will have
similar lines to Crispino. The company will include sports models in
its 2006 collection.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri President Visits Sumgayit
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 14 2005
14/08/2005 06:32
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev visited to Sungayit, third largest city
in Azerbaijan, on Friday to participate at a opening ceremony of
the monument to Heydar Aliyev, the former President of Azerbaijan,
Trend reports.
In his remarks, the President mentioned Heydar Aliyev’s important
contribution to the development of Sumgayit, including establishment
of the industry potential of the city. He noted that over the last
6 months the country’s economic development comprised 20%, which is
a very significant indicator. The President said that the program
on poverty reduction was successfully implemented, but problems
still remain.
“Despite decrease, the level of unemployment is high as usual.
However, the work in this direction will be continued. I would like
Azerbaijani residents to live well and get high salary,” Aliyev stated.
He assured the participants of the ceremony that community problems
such as water supply, energy supply, gas supply would be settled. The
President also mentioned the construction of 506 megawatt Sumgayit
power station.
Touching upon the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Aliyev noted
that the Azerbaijani Election Code would be observed, the election
would be held in democratic and transparent conditions. He also
stressed that local bodies should not interfere to the citizens’
voting.
“I’m sure that the wise Azerbaijani people will make a right choice
and elect candidates, who will serve for the welfare of the people.
The same time there is no place for persons brought the country to
chaos in the past,” he said.
According to Aliyev, the public budget for 2006 will comprise at
least 3 billion manats. The public budget for 2005 was increased by
40% as compared 2004, the military expenditures – 76%. “The military
expenditures will also have to be increased by 76%. We must completely
use an opportunity of peaceful negotiations on settlement of the
Karabakh conflict. Necessary measures will be taken in case of their
failure,” Aliyev stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress