Armenian Priests assaulted in Jerusalem’s Old City
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS

Jerusalem Post, Israel
March 28 2005

An intoxicated Jewish man who assaulted two Armenian priests near
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City Sunday night
was placed under arrest, police said.

The two clergymen did not require medical treatment, and the assailant
was in police custody.

The attack on the priests, which took place during the Jewish festival
of Purim when it is customary to get drunk, was the third such incident
in the last six months.

Kommersant, Russia
March 28 2005

Yushchenko to Come Back to His Veterans

// Ranks of the presidents at the May 9th celebration in Moscow thin

Victory day

Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko Saturday put an end to the
question of his participation in the May 9 celebrations in Moscow
marking the 60th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
He will attend the CIS summit on May 8 but he will celebrate the
Victory Day in the Kyiv’s central Kreshchatik street together with
the Ukrainian WW2 veterans. Thus, Ukrainian president has joined
the ranks of those ex-Soviet republics’ leaders who declined to take
part in the Moscow festivities. Thus the event will evidently lack
the propagandistic impact Russian leadership wanted it to have.

“I will feel uneasy when our Ukrainian veterans celebrate the great
Victory down here, in Kyiv, while I will be in Moscow,” Ukrainian
president said Saturday. Victor Yushchenko made a promise, though,
that he would come to Moscow the day before, on May 8, when an
informal CIS summit would take place. He said he hopes that “Mr.
President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and other counterparts will
understand” his decision. Earlier, on March 18, in an interview with
Interfax Ukrainian president gave quite a different itinerary of his:
according to that version he was to celebrate the Victory Day first
in Kreshchatik, then come to Moscow for a few hours.

Be that as it may, Ukrainian president has entered the list of
the ex-Soviet republics’ leaders who refused to take part in the
Moscow celebrations. Earlier this month, Lithuanian president Valdas
Adamkus and his Estonian counterpart Arnold Rüütel turned down
the invitation to visit the Russian capital. The issue of coming is
not settled with the leaders of other countries but according to the
Kommersant’s information, the good half of the post-Soviet countries’
presidents may decline to arrive.

Every leader has his formal reason for the refusal. For instance,
Baltic countries account it for the fact that the WW2 finished for
their countries not in 1945, but in early 90s when the Russian
“occupation” troops were withdrawn. At the same time, the fact
that an opportunity to meet a large number of world leaders may be
missed has not influenced the decision of Lithuanian and Estonian
presidents. The problem has been solved in a simple way: on his way
to Moscow U.S. President George W. Bush will visit Riga on May 6,
where the U.S.A – Baltic states summit will be held.

According to the latest reports Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili
is not going to visit Moscow either. He pleads the necessity to get
prepared for the visit of the U.S president who will arrive in Tbilisi
on May 10 after the Moscow festivities are over.

If one believes the hints that come from Baku, Azerbaijani president
Ilham Aliyev may refuse to take part in the CIS summit and the Victory
Day celebrations in Moscow as well. The problem here is of a different
kind: Moscow laid its hopes to take advantage of this occasion to
make Azerbaijani president resume talks with Armenian president Robert
Kocharian on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. But the Baku officials lately
have been very skeptical about the way the conflict is being settled
and are not likely to be ready for high-level negotiations.

As a result, the propagandistic impact may prove to be far weaker than
Moscow wanted it to be, since the Kremlin was going to hold the 60th
Victory Day celebrations with even more impressive grandeur than the
300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.

Moreover, the leaders who confirmed they would attend the
Moscow festivities are going to put a fly in the ointment. Polish
President Aleksander Kwasniewski will put forward the question of the
condemnation of Molotov-Ribbetrop Pact which enabled Nazi Germany to
invade Poland and divide the country. Moreover, the Polish president
wants to explain his country’s viewpoint on the Yalta agreements as
of 1945 which split Europe into the two confronting parties.

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only one of the Baltic
leaders who is to come to Moscow, does it reluctantly. On the one hand
there is a good reason for the visit: the desire to improve tense
relations with Russia. On the other hand, the problems accumulated
cannot be resolved within a couple days spent in Moscow. At any rate,
the political declaration on the principals of relations, which Moscow
was looking forward to be concluded, is not to be signed.

And finally Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s participation
in the Moscow celebrations looks very improbable. Media reported
several weeks ago that Japanese PM declined to visit Moscow pledging
the celebrations contemporizing with the second half of the Parliament
session. This lame excuse must have seemed so unconvincing even for
the Japanese officials that the Japanese Foreign Ministry immediately
retracted saying that its final position is not determined yet. It
seems that the question is still being decided upon, and Tokyo still
can’t choose which fits their interests best – a gesture of good will
or the demonstration of steadfastness in the country’s dispute over
the four South Kuril islands.

by Boris Volkhonsky

–Boundary_(ID_voptkMrQt1JRyQpEZrmW7w)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE CHAIRMAN OF RA NA COMMITTEE AND MILITARY ATTACHE OF EMBASSY OF
BELGIUM DISCUSS ISSUES OF REGIONAL SECURITY

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues concerning the regional
security and stability, Armenia-European Union, Armenia-NATO
relations were discussed at the March 23 meeting of Mher Shahgeldian,
the Chairman of RA NA Committee on Defence, National Security and
Internal Affairs, with Iohan Swinnen, the Attache on Defence Issues
of the Embassy of Belgium, the Brigadier General, and his Deputy Dirk
De Coster. According to the NA Public Relation Department, the
perticipants of the meeting attached importance to development of
Armenian-Belgian mutual cooperation and activization of cooperation
between the two countries’ parliaments.

RA AMBASSADOR TO IRAN AND IRI FOREIGN MINISTER MENTION HIGH LEVEL OF
RELATIONS BETWEEN 2 COUNTRIES

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Last week Karen Nazarian, RA Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to IRI, handed the copy of his
credentials to Seyed Kamal Kharazi, IRI Foreign Minister. According to
the RA FM Press and Information Department, during the meeting the
sides exchanged opinions around a wide range of issues of mutual
interest. The high level of Iran-Armenia relations stimulating the
growth of trade-economic exchange and elaboration of joint programs
was mentioned. Highly estimating the balanced regional policy that
is carried on by Iran, Ambassador Nazarian expressed readiness to
strain every effort in development and extension of relations.

RUSSIAN IMPEXBANK LIKELY TO BECOME AREXIMBANK’S SHAREHOLDER

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. In all likelihood, the Impexbank
(Russia) will become Areximbank’s shareholder this year. NT was
informed from Areximbank, at present the bank has two shareholders,
one of whom is a non-resident. It was noted that in December, 2004,
the bank’s authorized capital grew by another 1 mln dollars thanks
to the investments made to 4 mln 800 thousand USD. It is envisaged to
replenish the capital in the second quarter of this year as well. The
Armenian-Russian Areximbank was established in 1998. Tohether with
40 Russian organizations, including Impexbank, it forms the Russian
group Metalloinvest.

GEORGIA PROPOSES ARMRUSGASPROM CONTINUE SUPPLYING ELECTRICITY

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The United Georgian Energy Distribution
Company made ArmRusgasprom an offer to continue supplying electricity
from Armenia. According to the ArmRusgasprom press service, in all
likelyhood, the Armenian side will accept the offer and extend the
term of the contract. To recap, the contract on electricity supply
between ArmRusgasprom and the Georgian company expires on March
31. ArmRusgasprom has been supplying electricity to Georgia from
October 16, 2004.

NKR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO QUALIFY
MASSACRES IN SHUSHI IN 1920 AS GENOCIDE COMMITTED BY AZERBAIJAN

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The NKR National Assembly condemns
the massacres of the Armenian population of Shushi and adjacent
areas on March 23, 1920, and calls on the international community to
qualify this bloody event of ethnic annhilation as a crime committed
by Azerbaijan against humanity – a genocide. In a statement adopted
on the 85th anniversary of the tragic event, the Artsakh parliament
underlines that “this heinous crime that took over 30 thousand lives
was organized and committed by the legal predecessor of the current
Republic of Azerbaijan – the authorities of the Democratic Republic of
Azerbaijan with the direct assistance of a Turkish dispatch corps.” The
NKR National Assembly notes that this mass crime was perpetrated in
breach of a provisional agreement between the Armenian National Council
of Karabakh that became an independent administrative and political
unit and the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, according to which
an acceptable solution of the problem of the territory’s legal status
must be solved by the countires that won in World War I at the Paris
Peace Assembly. The NKR parliament points out that as a matter of fact,
“the the March, 1920, massacre of the Armenian population of Shushi was
continued, in various forms and by various means of ethnic cleansing,
in all subsequent years of Nagorno Karabakh’s forced existence as
part of Azerbaijan and ended with a mass displacement of the remaining
part of the city’s Armenian population in 1988.”

FIRST CARGOS TO BE SHIPPED FROM RUSSIA TO ARMENIA BY FERRY LINK “KAVKAZ-POTI” ON MARCH 27

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The first cargos will be shipped
from Russia to Armenia by the ferry link “Kavkaz-Poti” on March 27
or March 28. NT correspondent was informed from the press service
of the RA Ministry of Transport and Communication that it will be
possible to transport at once by the ferry link from Russia 18 out of
29 wagons of wheat belonging the company Victoria Trade. According to
preliminary estimates, cargos from Russia will reach Armenia by the
ferry link in approximately 2.5-3 days. The ferry link “Kavkaz-Poti”
was opened on March 23.

SCIENTIST-HISTORIAN STEPAN STEPANIAN: ARMENIA IS TO PRECISELY AND
CONSISTENTLY CARRY ON POLICY OF HAY DAT’S REQUIREMENTS

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The largest falsification in the
history is the negation of the fact of Armenian Genocide by the
Turkish government. Turkey lays oneself out in this issue. Professor
Stepan Stepanian, Department Head of the History Institute of RA
NAS, declared this at the March 24 press conference dedicated to
the 90th anniversary of Armenian Genocide. He assured that little
has changed in Turkey’s attitude to other peoples since then. In the
historian’s opinion, Armenia is to precisely and consistently carry
on the policy of Hay Dat’s requirements. Stepan Stepanian expressed
satisfaction in connection with the fact that the Armenian Genocide
has been already recognized by 15 countries and declared that the
international recognition of the Genocide will give Armenians a
possibility to demand a material compensation. The historian mentioned
that according to the calculations conducted at the beginning of the
previous century, the material losses from the Armenian Genocide made
19b francs, which is today equivallent to $60b: “We have the right
of demanding this compensation from the current Turkish government,
which is the successor of the Young Turks’ government.” The scientist
also approved of the holding of the large-scale program dedicated
to the 90th anniversary of the tragic events: “We should show to the
world that the Genocide has taken place and the world should recognize
this without any obstacles.”

HEATING BOILERS PRODUCING IN ARMENIA ARE 50% CHEAPER THAN SIMILAR FOREIGN BOILERS

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Joint venture of South Korean Lotte
holding and Euroterm Armenian company, producing heating boilers, will
work with its whole capacity starting this May. As Edvard Ghazarian,
the President of Euroterm informed Noyan Tapan correspondent,
pilot series of boilers were produced in 2004. It was mentioned
that this year 3-4 thousand boilers are envisaged to be produced,
which will be sold both in internal market and exported to Russia
and Georgia. According to E. Ghazarian, the boilers assembled in
the joint venture, of parts imported from South Korea, are about 50%
cheaper than similar foreing boilers.