THE RUSSIAN YEAR STARTED IN ARMENIA

A1+
25-03-2005

Today Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan officially opened the Russian
year in Armenia. The official ceremony started with the Russian anthem,
after which the Armenian anthem sounded. Robert Kocharyan mentioned
in his speech that the Armenian and Russian nations are tied together
not only with culture and history but also with relations in many
different areas – power, industry, business, bank system, as well as
in the investment field at large.

Vladimir Putin noted that Moscow cannot be imagined without the
Armenian alley, neither the Russian culture without Ayvazovski,
Toukhmanov, Aram Khachatryan and Vakhtangovâ’s theater.

He said that the Armenian nation connects the future of its children
with the Armenian-Russian relations. Vladimir Putin claimed that
Russia would do everything possible to settle the Karabakh conflict.
He announced that there are 3000 Armenian students in Moscow, 2000 of
which study free of charge, while 175 get stipend. The RF President
mentioned the fact that in Yerevan there are 50 Russian schools and
he promised to open Armenian schools in Moscow.

The concert was conducted by the famous announcer of the Russian TV
company “Culture” Svyateslav Belza. And the concert was opened by
the Dance Ensemble conducted by Igor Mayeseev.

And although the Russian year in Armenia could be opened by a
more representative group of musicians, the end of the ceremony
was impressive: the famous song “Day of Victory” was sung by RF
National artist Lev Leshchenko and Tigran Heqeqyan’s choir “Little
singers”. And Svyateslav Belza, noticing the symbolizing detail –
“the legend of the Russian song and the future of the Armenian art –
the marvelous children, sing together”, announced that next year they
will expect the bodies of Armenian art in Moscow during the events
of the Armenian year in Russia.

–Boundary_(ID_sI2Vi+Sno8gK8g3/xYpCNQ)–

US historian addresses parliament

The Independent – United Kingdom
Mar 25, 2005

TURKEY: THE US historian Justin McCarthy addressed the Ankara
parliament yesterday as part of Turkey’s campaign to counter decades-
old claims that Armenians suffered genocide at Ottoman Turkish hands
during and after the First World War. The 90th anniversary of the
alleged genocide is on 24 April.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 25, 2005

AGBU CO-SPONSORS DIASPORA CONFERENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL YEHUDI
MENUHIN FOUNDATION

Brussels, Belgium – AGBU, in partnership with the International
Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and several organizations, co-sponsored
an international conference on “Europe’s Diasporas and European
Citizenship” in Barcelona, Spain from January 27th to 29th, 2005.

The Barcelona conference brought together academics, civil society
organizations, specialists of European citizenship, and public
officials to discuss the Diasporas’ participation in the process
of European integration, and the contribution they can make to the
establishment of a genuine European citizenship.

The conference’s conclusions defined European Diasporas as enduring
networks and transnational communities with a strong attachment to
Europe. Among those present were organizations associated with the
Armenian, Greek, Jewish, and Roma Diasporas.

One of the conference topics concerned the contribution Diasporas
can make in giving substance to European citizenship. Tony Venables,
Director of the European Citizen Action Service, suggested that, in
view of their multi-faceted identities, Diasporas should be considered
the “vanguard of Europe.”

The conference also emphasized the challenges, such as cultural
erosion, as well as the opportunities available in developing their
cultural networks across national borders and contributing to the
process of European integration.

A report of the conference and conference papers will be made available
at

AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world and
annually touches the lives of 400,000 Armenians. For more information
on AGBU and its programs, please visit

NEWS & VIEWS
HALI Tour of Paris

Hali Magazine On-line

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Timothy Gerwin reports: To celebrate the Institut du Monde Arabe’s
momentus exhibition ‘Le Ciel dans un Tapis’ HALI organised a weekend
of carpet and textile events in Paris to coincide with a lecture
series hosted by the Institut on 11 March 2005. For those carpet
lovers who braved Paris’ most recent transit strike the events began
that afternoon, with a rendez-vous at Galerie Triff to preview its
suzani exhibition.

At the IMA the lecture series was opened by one of the carpet
exhibition’s co-curators, Roland Gilles, who interprets Islamic
architecture and art as a transliteration of heavenly bodies. He brings
the stars to ground in the constellations he perceives in the designs
of the carpets assembled for the exhibition, whence comes its title,
The Sky in a Carpet. Mr Gilles completed his imagery by suggesting
that the red medallion of a 16th-century Ushak (cat. no. 39) may be
meant to represent the Earth floating in the infinite space of the
carpet’s dark blue field. His neo-Platonist theory appealed greatly
to the French au dience.

Co-curator Joelle Lemaistre then questioned the dating of a compartment
rug fragment (cat. no. 33).  Her argument, based on related forms
and motifs in Chinese and Timurid art, pondered whether the carpet’s
origins lie in the late 15th century, rather than the early 16th
century. Ms Lemaistre points to the medallions of a later Turkish
rug in the exhibition (cat. no. 31) as possible descendants of the
fragment’s design. She persevered for her appreciative audience
despite the technical problems that plagued the slide presentations
of all the speakers.

Next Susan Day, whom HALI congratulated in the November/December
issue for her Louvre appointment as carpet advisor, spoke of the
new Department of the Arts of Islam. She elaborated on the project
to convert the Louvre’s Cour Visconti into new Islamic galleries to
house the expanded collection created by a long-term loan from Paris’
Musée des Arts Decoratifs. The winner of a concours to select the
project architect may be announced in April. The combined collection
of Islamic art will be amongst the world’s largest.

Ms Day previewed the combined carpet collection, illustrating the
collection’s history and honoring the Musée des Arts Decoratifs’
early 20th-century benefactor, Jules Maciet. She also announced her
hopes for a reunion of the 16th-century Paris-Krakow medallion carpet
in a Safavid exhibition for 2007, and her plans for a comparative
study of the many Indo/Persian carpets held in the museum. Susan Day
is authoring a catalogue raisonné planned for the opening of the
Louvre’s new galleries in 2009.

Concluding the lectures, Paris dealer Berdj Achdjian recounted tales
about a huge figure in the carpet world, a man well represented at
the IMA’s exhibition, Calouste Gulbenkian. “Monsieur Gulbenkian”,
as all knew him, said the works in his collection were like his
children; after 45 years spent gathering them their care was his
greatest concern. He insisted that repair work be done in his home
and met Berdj Achdjian’s father, a restorer, as he sat on the floor
of the Gulbenkian home working on a carpet.

A proud Armenian born in Kayseri, Turkey, Gulbenkian had no
formal education in art history. His wealth and good taste being
necessary but not sufficient, his collection’s richness is due to
Gulbenkian’s many connections with art dealers, art historians, and
related experts; he sought multiple recommendations before making
any acquisition. Fortunately for those of us who enjoy his legacy,
Calouste Gulbenkian was not cheap.

Next morning Achdjian welcomed Hali, collectors such as Betthany
Mendenhall, dealers like Mr Vrooyers from Antwerp, specialists,
including Marcel and Annettte Korolnik-Andersch, and the Louvre
to view an impressive range of North African weavings, including a
bold Moroccan Ahmar carpet. Everyone pored over three 19th-century
embroidered Tunisian silk marriage tunics, and the tour of Achdjian’s
inventory ran from a 15th-century Armenian brocade from Jerusalem to
a luxurious First Empire cape with ermine border.

After lunch under the Pyramid of the Louvre, the party ended with a
walk through the Islamic galleries.

–Boundary_(ID_vJ3cuoLrreLqLfMCSCi6kA)–

ArmenPress
March 25 2005

UNDP ARMENIA WHITE PAPER FOCUSES ON LAND REFORM

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS: The United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) presented today at UN House in Yerevan its first White
Paper titled Land Reform, Rural Poverty and Inequality: A Pro-Poor
Approach to Land Policies.
A press release by the UNDP said the Paper was presented by Vahram
Nercissiantz, Chief Economic Advisor, Lise Grande, UN Resident
Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, and Dr. Max Spoor, the
author, Associate Professor of Social Studies at the Center for the
Study of Transition and Development (CESTRAD) in the Hague.
It said the purpose of the Paper, produced in Armenian and
English, is to encourage public discussion on issues related to rural
poverty and inequality, land consolidation and agricultural
productivity.
According to Dr. Max Spoor, the recent high growth rates in
agriculture have not led to a significant reduction in overall rural
poverty. He argues that role of small land ownership, as a safeguard
against poverty, is diminishing and this is the key reason why rural
poverty continues. Small land plots owned by rural households are
less able to provide for the food needs of families, particularly
with rapidly changing markets where the bargaining position of small
peasants is weak.
The Paper notes that during the period of egalitarian land reform
in the early 1990s, only a part of the total agricultural land area
of the country was distributed. According to Dr. Spoor: “Armenia has
entered a new phase of land reform through a massive transfer of
remaining state-owned land to the jurisdiction of local communities.
This land transfer program should be used in order to strengthen the
weak position of the extremely small peasant farms, as a primary tool
of pro-poor land policies.”
Among other policy recommendations, the Paper highlights the
importance of promoting the formation of cooperative and associative
institutions specialized in the selling and buying of inputs and
output in agricultural markets and public investments projects aimed
at improving deteriorating rural infrastructures. The Paper also
recommends the gradual implementation of Armenia’s commitments under
the WTO agreement and argues that a rapid introduction of VAT on
agricultural products should be avoided.
Ms. Grande noted in her speech: “UNDP has chosen rural poverty and
land policy for the first White Paper because economic progress in
the regions is still slow, particularly in rural areas. In some
communities, conditions are worsening, putting thousands of
households at serious risk. The Government’s major policy shift
towards rural areas is a positive step and we are pleased to support
efforts at poverty reduction by launching a White Paper that focuses
on the underlying factors affecting rural development.”
As part of on-going efforts to promote pro-poor policies, UNDP
aims to prepare a series of White Papers on key development and
poverty issues during 2005 similar to the one launched today.

ArmenPress
March 25 2005

ARMENIAN PROPOSALS FOR MCA READY, FINANCE MINISTER SAYS

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian finance minister Vartan
Khachatrian said today that a package of government-developed
proposals designed to seek funding from a US government aid program,
Millennium Challenges Account (MCA), was ready and would be posted on
the ministry’s web site in these days.
He said the proposals will be sent to MCA to be followed by
US-Armenian talks, which he said may take some 6 months.
The Millennium Challenges Account (MCA) is part of a new U.S.
policy to help some countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the
former Soviet Union to continue their political and economic reforms.
The MCA was unveiled by President George W. Bush in 2002. Armenia is
among 16 developing countries selected by the United States to
benefit from the program.
Only two former Soviet republics, Armenia and neighboring Georgia,
were picked by the board administering the MCA. The other chosen
states are Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali,
Mozambique, Senegal, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Bolivia, Honduras
and Nicaragua.

Russia’s Putin says CIS political “club”, not economic union

Mediamax news agency
25 Mar 05

Yerevan, 25 March: The Russian and Armenian presidents, Vladimir Putin
and Robert Kocharyan, today said that the Commonwealth of Independent
States [CIS] should not be compared with the EU. The presidents made
this statement when answering a question from a Mediamax correspondent
at a press conference dedicated to the outcome of talks in Yerevan.

“The reason for all serious disappointments is too much expectations,”
the Russian president said. He recalled that the CIS was established
mainly to carry out “the process of the break-up of the Soviet Union”
in a more civilized way. “The CIS managed to do this,” Putin said.

“Expectations of special achievements in the area of economy, political
and military cooperation in the CIS were naturally in vain because
there could not be any,” the Russian president said. “The CIS has
never had extra tasks related to economic integration,” he stressed.

The CIS is a comfortable “club” and “platform” for CIS leaders to
have regular meetings, discuss and resolve issues of public concern,
he said.

“I believe that it is necessary to preserve the CIS. Every country
is interested in this irrespective of what domestic political forces
come to power or leave it. Problems remain and people expect them to
be resolved,” Putin said.

As for “actual economic integration”, Putin believes that more
suitable organizations for this purpose are the Eurasian Economic
Community [EAEC, comprises Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan] and a common economic space.

Armenian President Kocharyan also said that the CIS is a suitable
format for meeting counterparts and discussing serious issues.

“At every CIS summit I meet at least three of my counterparts and it
yields results,” he stressed. At the same time, Kocharyan said that
the CIS should not be compared with the EU.

“Any comparison with the EU will not be in the CIS’s favour, of
course,” the Armenian president said.

Putin noted in this regard that “the EU countries were working together
to unite, while the CIS was established for a civilized break-up”.

“Everything else is a political nonsense and gossip,” the Russian
president said.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 25, 2005

AGBU SCHOOLS BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND ARGENTINA

Canoga Park, CA – The second visit since 1999, Argentinean Armenian
high school students from AGBU Marie Manoogian Institute in Buenos
Aires were invited to Canoga Park, California, to participate in
AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School’s Student Exchange Program from
January 22nd to February 12th, 2005. Through the exchange program,
AGBU schools of Southern California and Argentina foster AGBU’s
mission to provide Armenian youth with well-rounded educations that
also expose them to the common values that bind Armenians together.

“We were honored to welcome our Argentinean students,” said Hagop
Hagopian, Principal of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School. “This was an
enlightening experience for everyone involved. As the Argentineans
became exposed to our Southern Californian culture, we also got a
taste of theirs. We hope, through this experience, all the students
created friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.”

Chaperoned by Miriam and Jose Tabakian, 14 Argentineans participated in
Manoogian-Demirdjian School’s integrated exchange program of academic,
cultural, and recreational activities, and were hosted by twelve Los
Angeles-area Armenian families. Over the three weeks, the 14 high
schoolers attended classes, including Armenian Cultural Studies,
English Reading Comprehension, English Composition, English Grammar,
Armenian Music, and a variety of elective courses, including Sports,
Computer, and Junior Achievement. Additionally, group outings were
planned to various destinations, including Disneyland, Universal
Studios, Rodeo Drive, Magic Mountain, AGBU Pasadena Center, and the
Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

During August of this year, the academic and cultural exchange will
continue when Manoogian-Demirdjian School students travel to Buenos
Aires for the first time to participate in a comparable program hosted
by AGBU Marie Manoogian Institute.

AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park, California, and AGBU
Marie Manoogian Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, are two of AGBU’s
leading Armenian day schools and together offer instruction to over
1,300 students. For more information on AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian
School, please visit For more information on AGBU
Marie Manoogian Institute, please visit

AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world and
annually touches the lives of 400,000 Armenians. For more information
on AGBU and its schools, please visit

Turkish press 25 Mar 05

BBC Monitoring Service – United Kingdom;
Mar 25, 2005

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries
published in 25 March editions of Turkish newspapers available to
BBC Monitoring

Kyrgyzstan

Zaman [moderate, pro-Islamic] “The civil revolutions taking place
against leaders who do not give up power through elections in
countries with a Soviet infrastructure are nearly identical to each
other… Activities start immediately after the elections [in all of
them]… The possibility of the spread of these velvet revolutions
to Central Asian states, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia and even Russia
is increasingly strengthened. Elections, which are the source of the
revolutions, should be closely watched.” (Commentary by Erhan Basyurt)

Yeni Safak [liberal, pro-Islamic] “…[Kyrgyzstan] is the only
country to have Russian and American military bases simultaneously…
The Russian-American alliance might want to enjoy a democratic (!)
victory. But I do not believe that they would risk chaos in such
a strategic country on the Chinese frontier – especially when the
dispersed and indecisive behaviour of the [Kyrgyz] opposition is so
obvious.” (Commentary by Akif Emre)

Milliyet [centrist, second largest circulation] “Will the people’s
movement that started in Georgia and Ukraine end in Kyrgyzstan? Will
not this process affect the other Central Asian regimes, especially
Uzbekistan which is in a critical position?” (Commentary by Taha Akyol)

“Although Kyrgyzstan’s political, ethnic, geographic and economic
structure is different from Georgia or Ukraine which underwent
political revolutions, we hope that the ‘soft transition’ to a better
future in Bishkek will be similar to those in Tbilisi and Kiev.”
(Commentary by Sami Kohen)

Kurdish parties

Hurriyet [centre-right, largest circulation] “`We are Turkey’s
party’. First HADEP, then DEHAP [Kurdish political parties in Turkey]
underlined this point. They tried to move away from the image that
they were only parties for Kurds, as they knew that they could
not continue as a racist political movement… and they focused on
supporting Turkish intellectuals. But they could not achieve this.
This is because they could not escape from the legacy of the PKK
[Kurdish organization].” (Commentary by Ferai Tinc)

EU/Ocalan

Tercuman [conservative] “We know that there are some in the EU who see
[former leader of the PKK, Abdullah] Ocalan as a `political figure’
and want a political amnesty for him. But this has never been the EU’s
official view. The reality is that the EU cannot make such a demand
without risking the breaking off of all ties with Turkey… Actually,
if Europe takes such a decision, this will be an indication of its
decision not to take us into the Union.” (Commentary by Gulay Gokturk)

US “pressure”

Radikal [centre-left] “What is the reason for this pressure on Turkey
regarding two of its neighbours [Syria and Iran]? Isn’t Turkey giving
advice, just like all the West is, to Iran on `nuclear issues’, and
Syria on `the withdrawal from Lebanon’? Or does the US want to exert
pressure on [Turkish] political elites on other and sensitive issues,
using Turkey’s relations with its two neighbours as an excuse?”
(Commentary by M. Ali Kislali)

Cyprus

Yeni Safak [liberal, pro-Islamic] “Rauf Denktas [president of the
self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] is probably one
of the most experienced Turkish politicians. Certainly he is the
most experienced figure when it comes to foreign policy. While this
has been a great advantage for Turkey and Cyprus for a long time,
recently it has started to have an adverse effect. His intelligence
and experience were insufficient when it came to this great politician
keeping up with change.” (Commentary by Mustafa Karaalioglu)

Kyrgyz opposition figure claims control a day after president ousted in massive protests
By BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA

AP Worldstream
Mar 25, 2005

Kyrgyzstan’s interim prime minister, acting to fill a power vacuum
after the ouster of the president, named four acting key ministers
and a chief prosecutor Friday, the speaker of parliament’s upper
house said.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev chose mostly prominent opposition figures for the
posts of foreign, defense and finance ministers and chief prosecutor.
For the job of acting interior minister he picked a former chief
prosecutor who had been fired by deposed President Askar Akayev on
Wednesday, speaker shenbai Kadyrbekov.

By appointing them as acting ministers Bakiyev avoids the need to
have them approved by parliament’s upper house.

The opposition worked quickly in an effort to restore order a day
after protesters drove Akayev’s government from power, unleashing
widespread looting.

The new leadership faced an immediate challenge in halting vandalism
and looting that left major stores in the capital, Bishkek, gutted
and many others damaged by rowdy youths who roamed the city overnight,
with few police to be seen.

The drama of the events, propelled by widespread anger over disputed
elections, were heightened by Akayev’s sudden flight. It was not yet
clear where Akayev was.

Bakiyev emerged from the Parliament building Friday and said he had
been named Kyrgyzstan’s acting leader.

“Freedom has finally come to us,” Bakiyev told a crowd in the central
square of the capital, Bishkek.

Bakiyev’s appointment as acting president was endorsed by a
newly restored parliament of lawmakers who held seats before the
elections, which fueled protests against longtime leader Akayev and
his government.

The move set Bakiyev squarely at the helm of the leadership emerging
from the fragmented former opposition.

Kyrgyzstan became the third former Soviet republic over the past 18
months _ after Georgia and Ukraine _ to see popular protests bring
down long-entrenched leaders widely accused of corruption.

Another opposition figure, Felix Kulov, who was released from prison
during Thursday’s turmoil and appointed head of law enforcement,
said Akayev had fled to a foreign country after being turned away by
Russia. The Russian news agency Interfax said Akayev and his family
were in neighboring Kazakhstan.

“He had a chance to resign, but he fled,” Kulov said in televised
comments. “He wanted to go Russia, but the Russians didn’t accept him.”

Bakiyev told the crowd on the square that Akayev was “not on the
territory of the republic. I don’t know where he is.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, however, that the Kremlin
wouldn’t object if Akayev wants to go to Russia. Russia’s Foreign
Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said Friday that Moscow doesn’t
know where Akayev is.

Putin, speaking during a visit to Armenia on Friday, lamented the
violence and looting in Kyrgyzstan, saying that “it’s unfortunate that
yet again in the post-Soviet space, political problems in a country are
resolved illegally and are accompanied by pogroms and human victims.”

He urged the Kyrgyz opposition to quickly restore order, and praised
the Kyrgyz opposition leaders for helping develop bilateral ties
during their earlier work in the government.

Kyrgyz lawmakers met early Friday to consider the country’s new
leadership but were interrupted by youths throwing stones at the
Parliament building. Bakiyev then emerged and told about 1,000
demonstrators in the central square that he had been appointed “acting
prime minister and acting president” and would seek to form a Cabinet.

The crowd shouted his name in support.

Bakiyev urged opposition supporters not to allow looting, and
stressed that the popular opposition figure Kulov would coordinate
law enforcement. Bakiyev proposed that former Foreign Minister
Roza Otunbayeva be named the country’s top diplomat, and said,
“All intergovernmental agreements will remain in full force and are
in full effect.”

Bakiyev said he would fight corruption _ a major complaint against
Akayev’s regime _ and the clan mentality that roughly splits the
country between north and south.

“I will not allow the division of the people into north and south,”
he said. “We are a united nation.”

The square was the scene of swift political change Thursday, when
opposition protesters seized control of the presidential and government
headquarters. The takeover followed weeks of protests over disputed
parliamentary elections the opposition said were aimed at keeping
Akayev in power.

The Red Cross reported dozens injured in the turmoil Thursday, while
lawmaker Temir Sariyev said three people had been killed and about
100 injured overnight.

On Friday, a shopping center on the main avenue stood mostly destroyed
by fire and strewn with wreckage that spread into the street, as smoke
hung in the air. At another shop gutted by fire, a few elderly people
and children picked through what was left after looting overnight. Cars
were picked clean, their windows and tires gone.

The 60-year-old Akayev had led Kyrgyzstan since 1990, before it gained
independence in the Soviet collapse.

The takeover of government buildings in Bishkek followed similar
seizures by opposition activists in the country’s impoverished south.
The protests began even before the first round of parliamentary
elections Feb. 27 and swelled after March 13 run-offs that the
opposition said were seriously flawed.

The fractious opposition unified around calls for more democracy,
an end to poverty and corruption, and a desire to oust Akayev. There
was no sign the new leadership would change policy toward the West
or Russia. Unlike the revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, foreign
policy has not been an issue.

Both the United States and Russia have military bases near Bishkek.

Kyrgyzstan has been a conduit for drugs and a potential hotbed
of Islamic extremism. There was no indication, however, that the
opposition would be more amenable to Islamic fundamentalist influence
than Akayev’s government has been.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress