Pan Armenian Network

OIL PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION FROM BAKU TO CEYHAN VIA YEREVAN WOULD COST 30%
LESS THAN BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN PROJECT

14.02.2005 15:11

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway project is political but
not economic as the distance Kars-Tbilisi-Baku and Kars-Yerevan-baku
is almost the same”, Co-Chairman of the Council of Armenian-Turkish
Relations Development Council Kaan Soyak stated in Yerevan. In his
words, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline is not an economic
project either, since the construction of a similar Baku-Yerevan-Ceyhan
pipeline would cost 20-30% less. “However every state is pursuing
its own objectives; and the construction of the BTC was started on
the assumption of such aims.” Soyak said he is sure that taking into
account today’s Armenian-Turkish relations the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku
railway project will be approved and implemented. The Turkish
businessman also stated that both parties still have the time for
trying to correct bilateral relations. At the same time Soyak did
not agree with the opinion that the building of the railway can be
viewed as pressure exerted by Turkey upon Armenia, as, in his words,
both Armenia and Turkey are under pressure of different states and
organizations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian Network

ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS OF KRASNODAR PREPARING FOR MEASURES DEDICATED TO
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90-TH ANNIVERSARY

14.02.2005 17:16

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A number of Armenian organization acting in the Russian
city of Krasnodar have united in a new public structure named the
Coordination Council of Armenian Organization of Krasnodar, IA Regnum
reports. The new structure aims at coordination of efforts in holding joint
measures and cooperation on other issues. In 2005 the Council plans a series
of measures dedicated to the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in
Ottoman Turkey. A cinema festival, publication and presentation of books on
Armenian themes, an exhibition of works of Armenian artists of Krasnodar,
scientific conference on Genocide and other mass measures are to be held.

PanArmenian News
Feb 14 2005

ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS OF KRASNODAR PREPARING FOR MEASURES DEDICATED
TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90-TH ANNIVERSARY

14.02.2005 17:16

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A number of Armenian organization acting in the
Russian city of Krasnodar have united in a new public structure named
the Coordination Council of Armenian Organization of Krasnodar, IA
Regnum reports. The new structure aims at coordination of efforts in
holding joint measures and cooperation on other issues. In 2005 the
Council plans a series of measures dedicated to the 90-th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. A cinema festival,
publication and presentation of books on Armenian themes, an
exhibition of works of Armenian artists of Krasnodar, scientific
conference on Genocide and other mass measures are to be held.

PRESS RELEASE

Armenian National Committee
San Francisco – Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: (415) 387-3433
Fax: (415) 751-0617
[email protected]

Contact: Roxanne Makasdjian (415) 641-0525

ANC RECEPTION FOR SF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PRESIDENT AARON PESKIN
ANCA CHAIRMAN KEN HACHIKIAN AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ARAM HAMPARIAN IN SF

Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 – The Bay Area Armenian National Committee held a
reception in recognition of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors’
President Aaron Peskin, at ANC’s San Francisco offices. Also welcomed
were ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

The Bay Area ANC endorsed Supervisor Peskin in both his elections to the
Board of Supervisors, in 2000 and 2004. Peskin has sponsored the
Armenian Genocide commemorative resolution in San Francisco for each of
the past 5 years, has attended all of the commemorative events during
his tenure, has assisted the ANC in various city and county initiatives,
and has sponsored a resolution calling upon Bay Area Congressman Tom
Lantos to support Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“I’ve always believed that the most important thing to understand in
politics and human development is the ‘how come’ and ‘why,'” said
Peskin, explaining his early awareness of Armenians because of his
father. Peskin’s father is a psychiatrist and professor who studied the
impacts of the Holocaust on the children of Holocaust survivors. When
Peskin was a boy, his father provided expert testimony in the trial of
Gourgen Yanikian, who assassinated the Turkish Consul General in Los
Angeles in 1973, because of Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Referring to the Armenian Genocide, Peskin said, “It’s an experience
shared by our communities.” On a trip to Israel with his parents,
Peskin visited Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter as a boy. “We met the
Armenian Patriarch, and it was something I never forgot.”

Having been elected by his peers last month to head the Board of
Supervisors, Peskin said he was optimistic about what the Board could
accomplish. “We have reached our stride,” said Peskin, referring to the
working relationship of the Supervisors.

ANCA Chairman and Executive Director Report on Armenian-American Issues

Armenian National Committee of America Chairman Ken Hachikian and
Executive Director Aram Hamparian reported on the current political
environment in the nation’s capitol in regards to Armenian-American issues.

“This is going to be a very tough year for Nagorno-Karabakh,” said
Hamparian. “The powers in the region are looking for a settlement, and
pressure has come down on Armenia and Karabakh.” Hamparian cited the
recent statement by Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones,
calling Karabakh’s leaders “criminal secessionists.” Hamparian also
noted the recent moves by Azerbaijan to get anti-Armenian resolutions
passed in the Council of Europe and United Nations.

Hamparian said the ANCA is working to have an Armenian Genocide
Resolution initiated in Congress within the next 8 – 10 weeks, and that
the ANCA is planning a large Congressional reception in Washington, DC
on April 20th, commemorating the Armenian Genocide. He referred to the
foreign aid negotiations and US – Armenia tax treaties as areas of
success, saying similar successes are being sought in the area of Social
Security benefits for US citizens living in Armenia.

“The biggest issue we’re addressing now is military aid parity,”
Hamparian said. After three years during which the US administration
provided an equal amount of military aid to Azerbaijan and Armenia, last
year the administration broke its earlier promise of parity and put
forth a budget allocating four times more aid to Azerbaijan. “This
sends a signal that the U.S. is on the side of Azerbaijan,” said
Hamparian. He also raised concerns that Azerbaijan may arm itself more
once it begins to receive oil revenues from the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline due
open in 2006.

Chairman Ken Hachikian described the political perspective of the
current administration. “We have a Republican-controlled Congress; an
administration with a very conservative view of the Middle East and of
the political weight of Israel; and a perception of the importance of
Turkey.” He said the view of the importance of Turkey to the US
“transcends Republicans and Democrats.” Hachikian said that although
Armenian-Americans have friends among the Democrats, the Democratic
leadership is in disarray. “We have friends among Republic congressmen
as well, but their leadership is not allowing them to confront the
administration on our issues. We have to look for ways to develop key
relationships with key Republicans.”

Notwithstanding the government’s alliance with Turkey, Hachikian said
recently Turkey’s actions have been an asset for our cause: it’s refusal
to allow US troops to attack Iraq from Turkey; calling US actions in
Iraq “genocidal”; and taking actions which aggravate its other important
ally, Israel.

In order to be effective in the current political arena, Hachikian said,
“We must be intelligent, we must be selective and well organized. We
have to recognize who has the levers of power today and work with them.
We need to seek victories where the administration will let us succeed.”

Hachikian said the real assets of the ANC are the local activists who
cultivate and maintain relationships with their representatives. He
said one of the consequences of those local efforts is that while
Armenian-Americans represent one half of one percent of the US
population, one third of the members of Congress (144 members) are part
of the Armenian Issues Caucus in Congress. “That’s not because we have
an office in Washington DC. That’s because of the local ANCs,” said
Hachikian. “Hopefully, the political capital that you build locally, we
spend wisely in Washington.”

####

–Boundary_(ID_uLMo77RMjDgC0Ki0g5XoKQ)–

Pan Armenian Network

IF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN COULD COME TO AGREEMENT ON KARABAKH CONFLICT THEY
WOULD HAVE DONE IT LONG BEFORE

14.02.2005 13:18

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan is viewing the Minsk Group as a
single whole and would not like to draw a distinction between
the Co-Chairs”, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated in his
interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta Russian newspaper. However Russia
is the only chair-state bordering with Azerbaijan and is a power of
our region. Surely, this circumstance increases her responsibility
for the Karabakh conflict settlement, he stated. “We think that the
activities of the Minsk Group should not proceed from the principle:
“you will come to agreement and we will confirm”. “If we could come
to an agreement, we would have done it long before. The Minsk Group
was formed because the conflicting parties could not arrive at an
agreement themselves. That is why we hold the opinion that the MG
activity should be directed at the asserting of principles and norms
of the jus gentium according to which the territorial integrity of
any state is inviolable. Azerbaijan did not violate the territorial
integrity of any country while our own territorial integrity was
violated. This fact was recorded in some document of the leading
international institutions, in part, in the resolution by the Council
of Europe”, Azeri President said. In his words, official Baku sees
the settlement of the conflict in thew following way: Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity should be restored, Armenian forces should leave
the Azeri territories, and the refugees should return their homes. Then
peace will be established”. According to him, this approach becomes
more and more acceptable for the international community and the
latest activation of the OSCE Minsk Group may be efficient.

Pan Armenian Network

RAO UES OF RUSSIA’S SUBSIDIARY PURCHASED ARMENIAN DISTRIBUTION GRID FOR $80
MILLION

14.02.2005 17:22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Inter RAO UES Company, the subsidiary of the RAO UES
of Russia has purchased the distribution grid of Armenia from Midland
Resources Holding LTD for $80 million, Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports
noting that the official information on the bargain will be spread
in April 2005. According to the daily the World Bank is categorically
against the idea of passing the Armenian grid to the Russian party. The
daily also affirms that “after the sale Russia’s control will be
sole”. Evidently this bargain testifies of the RAO UES of Russia’s
wish to synchronize the work of the power grids throughout the whole
region. With the exploitation of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and
taking into account the item of the general agreement on the export
of the Armenian energy to Iran, the issue of the synchronization of
the energy systems of Armenia and Iran will be raised. Taking into
consideration the fact that the RAO UES of Russia controls almost
the whole Georgian power system the company is to all appearances
striving to synchronize the power systems, including the Armenian
and Georgian ones, and may be Turkish as well.

THE ARMENIAN CULTURE IS PURPOSEFULLY DESTROYED IN GEORGIA

A1+
14-02-2005

Because of the state indifference the Javaxq cultural centers are in
danger, says the agency «A-Info».

If at the end of the 19th century the famous Armenian theatres of
Axalqalaq and Axaltsxa were still operating, during the Soviet reign
they were closed turning into self-operating groups. After the collapse
of the Soviet Union these groups too ceased to exist.

For a long time no Armenian plays have been staged in Javaxq. Groups
from abroad do not come here either. This year the Armenian National
Dramatic Theater intends to go to Axalqalaq but the financial problem
has not yet been solved.

The museums are also in very sad condition. There are 4 museums
in Axalqalaq and Ninotsminda, two of which â~@~S the Axalqalaq
provinciological museum and the house museum of Vahan Teryan in Gandza,
are popular in the cultural society. If the house museum of Vahan
Teryan has recently been reconstructed, the building of the Axalqalaq
provinciological museum is in danger of being deconstructed. Besides,
because of the indifference of the authorities, unique exhibits are
disappearing from museums.

The same happens with the libraries. The doors are closed, but the
books become less.

–Boundary_(ID_oVpv6PT83uJezPg9EkPdnA)–

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
02/14/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) Turkish Businessman Sets Sights on ARF
2) Aliyev Unhappy With Karabagh Mediators
3) Car Bomb Kills Lebanon’s Former Prime Minister Hariri
4) Turkey Expresses Concern over Iraq Vote

1) Turkish Businessman Sets Sights on ARF

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Turkish businessman Kaan Soyak, called on the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) on Monday to engage in “dialogue” with Turkey.
“I seriously invite them to Turkey for a dialogue. If Dashnaktsutyun [ARF]
agrees to engage in a dialogue with Turkey, I promise you that I will do my
best to organize it,” Kaan Soyak, one of the two co-chairmen of the
Turkish-Armenian Business Council (TABC), told a news conference in Yerevan.
Soyak failed to elaborate about the subject of his proposed talks, saying
only
that they could yield “serious results.” He also said he thinks the ARF is not
as fiercely anti-Turkish as many Turks believe.
“In Turkey, the Dashnaktsutyun [ARF] party has a negative image,” Soyak said.
“But if you ask for my opinion, I would describe the party and its leaders as
very serious and sensible.”

2) Aliyev Unhappy with Karabagh Mediators

(AFP)–The president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, on Monday criticized
mediators
seeking to resolve the conflict with Armenia over Mountainous Karabagh, and
threatened to use force.
“We are unhappy with the work of the Minsk group, which has failed to produce
any results,” Aliyev said in an interview with the Russian daily Nezavisimaya
Gazeta.
The Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States, and
operating under a mandate from the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE), has been mediating peace talks between the two countries for
the
past decade.
Aliyev once again threatened that Azerbaijan would resort to force. “The
patience of the Azeri people has its limits. We can’t continue to negotiate
for
another 10 years. We will strengthen our army,” he said.
He also said he believed other international organizations could help resolve
the conflict. “That’s why we’ve raised this question in the United Nations and
the Council of Europe despite protests from the Armenians,” he said.
The conflict has cost an estimated 35,000 lives and forced about one million
people on both sides to flee their homes.

3) Car Bomb Kills Lebanon’s Former Prime Minister Hariri

BEIRUT (Reuters/Bloomberg)–A huge car bomb killed Lebanon’s former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri and at least 12 other people on Monday in Beirut’s most
devastating attack since the 1975-90 civil war.
Hariri’s motorcade was blown up as it passed an exclusive section of the
Corniche, soon after he left a meeting at parliament to discuss elections in
May. Former Economy Minister Basil Fuleihan, riding in the convoy, was
critically wounded.
The explosion outside the St George Hotel gouged a deep crater out of the
road, ripped facades from luxury buildings, and set cars ablaze on streets
carpeted with rubble and broken glass. Officials said at least 100 people were
wounded.
Several of the vehicles from Hariri’s convoy were torn apart and set on fire
despite their armor plating.
“Everything around us collapsed,” a Syrian building worker at the site said.
“It was as if an earthquake hit the area.”
Hariri, a billionaire businessman, had resigned from government in October
but remained politically influential. He recently joined calls by the
opposition for Syrian troops to quit Lebanon in the run-up to the general
election.
“Syria regards this as an act of terrorism, a crime that seeks to destabilize
(Lebanon),” said Syrian Information Minister Mahdi Dakhl-Allah.
He later told Al Jazeera television: “This comes at a time of great
international pressure on Lebanon and Syria which aims to realize Israel’s
desires in the region, and this act cannot be separated from these pressures.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called the blast a “horrendous criminal
act.”

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud called an emergency cabinet meeting.
Rescue workers clawed at piles of debris across the street from the hotel.
Witnesses said at least five people had been buried there by the explosion.
The blast could be heard even outside the city limits and shattered
windows in
buildings hundreds of meters away.
Scores of firefighters doused the burning vehicles and bloodied survivors
were
taken away by ambulance. Hariri’s body, with wounds and burns to the face, was
taken to the American University Hospital where sympathizers gathered and
wept.
Prime Minister Omar Karami visited the bomb scene, surrounded by security
men.
Columns of dark acrid smoke rose across a clear blue sky and sea.

Bloody History of Car Bombs

Beirut was regularly rocked by car bombs throughout the civil war, when
fighting among ethnic, religious and political factions all but tore Lebanon
apart.
Neighboring Syria became the ever more dominant player during the conflict,
and its forces took much of the credit for bringing the war to a close.
But Lebanese voices calling for Damascus to pull out its 14,000 troops have
grown louder, backed by a UN Security Council resolution calling for their
withdrawal.
In October a remote-controlled car bomb wounded opposition parliamentarian
Marwan Hamadeh, soon after he resigned as economy minister in protest at the
extension of Syrian-backed President Lahoud’s term.
Mohammad Jihad Ahmed Jibril, a Palestinian military leader, was killed by a
bomb that ripped through his car in Beirut in May 2002. Earlier that year, a
bomb killed Elie Hobeika, a key figure in a massacre of Palestinian
refugees in
1982.
Hariri, 60, had held office for most of the past 12 years before quitting in
October 2004 amid a bitter rift with Lahoud.
The Sunni Muslim Hariri spent some 20 years in Saudi Arabia, where
construction deals made him a fortune that Forbes estimated at $3.8 billion in
2003.
Businessmen praised him for cutting through a paralyzed bureaucracy and
rebuilding war-shattered Beirut. But hopes that economic renaissance would
flower with a Middle East peace process wilted with it instead.
There was no claim of responsibility for the assassination and no obvious
suspect.
“This is the work of an intelligence service, not a small group,” said Rime
Allaf, Middle East analyst at London’s Royal Institute of International
Affairs.
“Whoever did it aimed at creating chaos in Lebanon and pointing the finger at
Syria. I can’t believe anyone in Syria could be naive enough to think that
this
would help them.”
She added: “The Israelis have been thought responsible for a number of
assassinations in Lebanon, but why would they want to stir things up now? The
Syrians must be very worried.”
Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, said: “I don’t think there will be any
gain from his death…I believe the moment is not a moment of pointing
fingers.”
Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres said: “I have no idea who did this.
He lived in a dangerous country and they (the Lebanese government) should have
taken control over that country. Instead of this they surrendered to all kinds
of terrorists.”
French President Jacques Chirac called for an international inquiry into the
car bomb.
“(France) calls for an international inquiry to be held without delay to
determine the circumstances of, and responsibility for, this tragedy, before
punishing the culprits,” Chirac’s office said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, speaking to reporters after meeting
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, said the attack had killed “one of the
most important leaders within Lebanon.”
“We should be very determined not to allow those extremists to sabotage the
efforts to bring freedom to the Lebanese in their own country,” Shalom said.
Born in the southern city of Sidon to a poor family, Hariri was a Sunni
Muslim
with seven children, according to his Web site. Hariri, who grew up in
poverty,
moved to Saudi Arabia in 1965 to work as a school teacher, where he made his
fortune by rebuilding palaces for the Saudi royal family. He made a fortune in
construction in the kingdom and owns Saudi Oger Ltd. He and his family are
worth $4.3 billion,
Forbes magazine said last year.
The Lebanese government declared three days of official mourning.

4) Turkey Expresses Concern over Iraq Vote

ANKARA (AP)–Turkey urged Iraqi electoral officials and the United Nations to
examine what it claimed were skewed Iraqi elections results released Sunday,
saying it was particularly concerned about vote tallies in the oil-rich and
ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk.
Turkey has long complained that Kurdish groups were illegally moving Kurds
into Kirkuk, a strategic northern city, in an effort to tip the city’s
population balance in their favor.
Turkish officials did not make direct reference to the Kurds on Sunday, but
the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that voter turnout in some
regions was low and charged that there were “imbalanced results” in several
regions, including Kirkuk.
“It has emerged that certain elements have tried to influence the voting and
have made unfair gains from this,” the statement said, in an apparent
reference
to the Kurds. “As a result the Iraqi Interim Parliament won’t reflect the true
proportions of Iraqi society.”
Ankara fears that Kurdish domination of Kirkuk and oil fields near the city
would make a Kurdish state in northern Iraq viable. Such a state, Turkish
officials warn, could further inspire Turkey’s own rebellious Kurds, who have
been battling the Turkish army in southeastern Turkey since 1984.
Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd who is Iraq’s interim foreign minister, said Turkey
had no cause for concern over strong Kurdish showing in Iraq’s elections.
“Definitely all their fears are misplaced,” he told CNN. “Iraq will remain
united. This Kurdish participation in the Iraqi elections and in the regional
election is reaffirmation of their commitment to a national unity of the
country.”
He said Kurds were seeking a democratic and pluralistic within a federal and
united Iraq.
“There is no conspiracy here,” he said. “Turkey should have no fears
whatsoever about the future of Iraq remaining a friendly country to them,
united but respecting the diversity of Iraqi society.”
The Turkish statement called on the election board to seriously consider
objections to the vote and urged the United Nations to take a “more active
role” and ensure that “the flaws, the disorder, and irregularities” of the
poll
were not repeated when Iraqis vote on a new constitution later this year.
Iraq’s majority Shiite Muslims won nearly half the votes in the Jan. 30
election, giving the community significant power but not enough parliamentary
seats to form a government on its own.
Two key Kurdish parties gained just over a quarter of votes cast, giving them
considerable support in the national assembly to preserve Kurdish autonomy in
northern Iraq.
In Kirkuk, Kurds took to the streets to celebrate the results of the
election.
Cars sped through the streets blaring their horns and waving Kurdistan flags
through a city that is fiercely divided between Sunni Muslim Arabs and Kurds.

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California Courier Online, February 17, 2005

1 – Commentary
Turkish Commentator Admits
Turkey’s Defeat on Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
2 – Greek-Armenian Classic Guitarist
To Perform in San Francisco, Fresno
3 – AGBU YPGNY Organizes Feb.-March
Series on ‘Armenia, Past, Future’
4 – Pasadena ANC Will Honor Assemblymember
Carol Liu at Community Leadership Banquet
5 – Istanbul Patriarchate Chancellor
Remarks on Melkonian Closure
6 – SOAD Announces
Release of New Album
7 – CSUF Armenian Studies Program
Hosts Fall Program in Armenia
8 – University of Tehran Honors AUA Dean of
Engineering Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Turkish Commentator Admits
Turkey’s Defeat on Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

At a great personal risk, one of the most prominent Turkish commentators,
Mehmet Ali Birand, openly admitted last week that Turkey has been defeated
in its campaign to deny the facts of the Armenian Genocide.
In a commentary titled “We’ve already missed the train,” published in the
Feb. 5th issue of the Turkish Daily News, Birand quoted Yusuf Halacoglu,
the Chairman of the Turkish Historical Foundation, as saying that the
Turkish government’s efforts on “the publication of documents, books and
movies” to deny the Armenian Genocide have not had the intended result.
Halacoglu described such Turkish efforts as “propaganda.” Birand conceded
that the Genocide is gaining international acceptance.
Birand suggested that the Turks counter-attack by resorting to political
blackmail. He and Halacoglu think that the Turkish government should now
use its extensive political muscle to pressure other countries into denying
the Armenian Genocide. They believe that the best course of action is to
commission “a study” by the United Nations.
Birand and the Chairman of the Turkish historical society do not seem to
realize that Turkey has been unsuccessfully bullying everyone around the
world for almost 90 years on the issue of the Armenian Genocide. They are
also ignoring the fact that a panel of UN experts, after spending more than
a dozen years to study and argue this subject, issued a report in 1985,
classifying the Armenian case as an example of genocide. The UN body
reached this decision despite “the evidence” presented by the Turkish
government, and despite intense political pressure brought to bear on the
UN experts and their governments.
Here are some excerpts from Birand’s eye-opening article:
“It’s time that we accept the fact that Armenian claims alleging that they
suffered a genocide have begun to gain acceptance, especially in the
Western world.
“The Armenians have been diligent with respect to their goal for the last
75 years. They have published thousands of books and articles. They set up
departments at universities and convinced the international front. Yet, in
the long run, they won international recognition in spite of the fact that
their data were insufficient and did not reflect the truth….
“We all know Yusuf Halaçoglu. He has served as chairman of the Turkish
Historical Foundation for the last 11 years. He appeared on ‘Manset’
[Birand’s TV program] last Friday and reiterated the reality of the current
situation, heeding a vital warning. ‘We can no longer overcome this
situation with propaganda via the publication of documents, books and
movies. We should continue our efforts on such fronts; yet, we have to
start taking strides that will generate interest. We should take political
as well as historical strides….’
“His suggestion, just as retired ambassador Yalim Eralp had said, is that
Turkey take hold of the reins and urge that the United Nations set up an
investigative committee….
“It is vital at this juncture that a person who is a leading scholar on the
topic take a stand and shout out: ‘We are strong, but this is the
responsibility of the politicians. Technical research is insufficient.’
“State officials must wake up, develop a strategy and realize that we
cannot get anywhere by ‘leaving the work to the historians.’ It’s time to
get the United Nations in on the action and discover new horizons that will
have an impact on the international arena.”
At the end of his column, Birand quoted Halacoglu’s following thoughts:
“The 1915 Deportation Law and the official Turkish thesis advocating that
the final word on this law be left up to historians and the thesis that has
been a part of various administrations to date don’t seem too plausible….
Letting historians interpret the issue leads to nothing. We have failed as
a society to construct a proper policy towards such a sensitive issue, and
this has led to problems on the international front.”
Using Halacoglu’s words as his cover, Birand dares to point out that
Turkish society may one day see the Armenian Genocide in a completely
different light: “We have made a decision on a certain front and believe
that it will remain the ultimate reality. Yet, sometimes to the contrary,
the translation of certain events also changes. What was known as
‘displacement’ in the past can be viewed as ‘genocide’ in general public
opinion. It’s time we open up such topics to general discussion.”
**************************************************************************
2 – Greek-Armenian Classic Guitarist
To Perform in San Francisco, Fresno
SAN FRANCISCO – Pomegranate Music Events recently released the California
tour dates for Armenian-Greek classical guitarist Iakovos Kolanian in San
Francisco and Fresno in March.
Kolanian will begin his California tour with a March 4 performance at the
San Francisco’s Florence Gould Theater, Legion of Honor, at Lincoln Park,
100 34th Ave., starting at 8 p.m. No children under the age of 6. Ticket
information can be obtained by visiting
The next day, March 5, at 7:30 p.m., Kolanian will perform in Fresno at the
Concert Hall of the California State University, Fresno, Music Building,
5241 N. Maple Ave. All net proceeds will be donated to the Armenian
Community School of Fresno and the Armenian Studies Program at CSUF. For
ticket information, visit
The program for each concert will consist of one half being devoted to the
selected works of J.S Bach (Lute Suite in A Minor BWV), Agustin
Barrios-Mangore (La Catedral), and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Capriccio
Diabolico). The entire second half of the concert will be devoted to
Kolanian’s arrangement of 13 Armenian folk and traditional songs, including
the famous Komitas Dances.
These rare concerts are in support of the new groundbreaking Pomegranate
Music CD release entitled Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar by
Armenian-Greek classical guitarist Iakovos Kolanian. Mr. Kolanian’s Shoror
is the culmination of a 16-year journey to arrange and transcribe Armenian
folk songs for the classical guitar. As Kolanian explains, “I managed to
collect a considerable number of traditional dances and songs, deciding in
the process that I would transcribe or recompose part of this material for
the guitar. However, such was the emotional impact of this music on me
that, I sometimes found it difficult to hold back my tears as I worked
through a particular piece. It was during this stimulating process that I
came to the realization that this pursuit was not simply a professional
step, but, without a doubt, a journey into the depths of my soul in search
of my Armenian roots.”
Born in Greece in 1960 to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, Kolanian,
influenced by the musical currents of the time (pop, rock, as well as
classical) at the age of 13, started his musical journey that eventually
led him to the National Conservatory of Athens. There, he studied classical
guitar and graduated in 1985 with top awards and a special honor for
exceptional performance.
Throughout the years he has toured in Europe, Asia and Latin America. He
performed as a soloist with the Athens State Orchestra, Thessalonica State
Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra of Greek Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), The
Camerata Orchestra of Athens, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as
with numerous ensembles of chamber music.
He has been regularly featured in television and radio programs such as
BBC, ORF, Radio France, ERT, RIK. One of these collaborations, in 1991,
resulted in the recording and release of a CD of Loris Tjeknavorian’s
Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
? with the composer himself as the conductor ? in a production of Austrian
Television (ORF).
In addition to his career as a soloist and recording artist, Kolanian has
been the head of the Classical Guitar Department at the Contemporary Athens
Conservatory since 1992, and is an honorary professor at the Armenian
Academy in Yerevan.
Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar was produced by Kevork Imirzian and
is on sale at e-tailers such as and
Apple’s iTunes will also be carrying Shoror for digital download in 2005.
Pomegranate Music Founder and CEO Raffi Meneshian noted, “Being able to
present Armenian folk music though the medium of guitar is a unique project
for any record label. To have one of Europe’s best classical guitarists be
the proponent of this material is even more special. We are thrilled to be
starting our North American tour in two of America’s most historic and
important Armenian communities, Fresno, and San Francisco.”
In December of 2004, the influential All Music Guide critic Rick Anderson
gave Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar a four-star review and stated,
“…what Kolanian has created here is an admirably lyrical, complex, and
insightful fusion of folk and classical music, the kind of thing that
rarely works well at all. In this case it works beautifully, mainly because
of the combination of Kolanian’s deep feeling for this music and his
equally deep mastery of both his instrument and the principles of classical
guitar style. Note in particular the delicately woven counterpoint he
creates in his arrangement of ‘Yaman Yar,’ and the gently dancing grace he
brings to ‘Zankezouri.’ Very highly recommended.”
***************************************************************************
3 – AGBU YPGNY Organizes Feb.-March
Series on ‘Armenia, Past, Future’
NEW YORK – Starting February 17, AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New
York (YPGNY) presents a three-week series of screenings, panel discussions,
and presentations at AGBU Central Office in New York on Armenia and issues
relevant to its past, present and future.
The Thursday events begin on Feb. 17 with a special screening of “My Son
Shall Be Armenian,” a poignant film that reflects on Armenian identity, as
filmmaker Hagop Goudsouzian follows five Montrealers of Armenian descent as
they return to the land of their forebears in search of survivors.
Goudsouzian weaves the moving accounts of these centenarians and the
touching, at times droll, reactions of the New World travelers about the
need to make peace with the past in order to move into the future. Tickets
are $15.
On Feb. 24, the series continues with a special panel discussion entitled,
“Armenia Present,” that focuses on the state of development in Armenia in
the fields of the education, politics, and civil society. Speakers will
include Aaron Sherinian from the U.S. Embassy in Armenia and former
Fulbright scholar and educator Nicole Vartanian. Tickets are $10.
The final event on March 3 will host Noubar Afeyan from the groundbreaking
Armenia 2020 initiative that looks into future scenarios for the country
projecting possible trajectories for the country and its role in the world.
Tickets are $10.
All events will take place at AGBU Central Office in midtown Manhattan (55
East 59th Street, between Park & Madison Avenues) and tickets can be
reserved by emailing [email protected], or by calling 212.319.6383.
**************************************************************************
4 – Pasadena ANC Will Honor Assemblymember
Carol Liu at Community Leadership Banquet
PASADENA, Calif. – The Armenian National Committee (ANC) Pasadena will host
their 2nd Annual Community Leadership Banquet on Feb. 20, 5 p.m., at the
Pasadena Armenian Center, honoring California State Assemblymember Carol
Liu (D-La Canada- Flintridge) of the 44th Assembly District.
The Pasadena Armenian Center is located at 1725 E. Washington Blvd.
The ANC Pasadena Community Leadership Award is annually awarded to
individuals who have made a positive impact on local policy and development
matters affecting the city of Pasadena. In addition, these awardees have
supported, sponsored, and produced extraordinary programs and achievements
that have advanced the issues and concerns important to the Armenian
community.
Assemblymember Liu is being recognized for her work and efforts to reform
and improve issues related to transportation, higher education, and K-12
education for the State of California. She is the current Chair of the
Highest Education Committee where she has served as an advocate for
affordable college education for California students.
In March of 2004, Liu and the ANC Pasadena hosted the first Teacher
Training Workshop on the Armenian Genocide for history high school teachers
of the Pasadena Unified School District. The workshop provided history
teachers with lesson plans and materials concerning human and civil rights
violations. As an avid supporter for human rights and genocide curriculum,
Assemblymember Liu has proven her commitment to the cause by developing a
forum for teachers to discuss and analyze the California State Department
of Education’s model curriculum for teaching about human rights and
genocide, including the Armenian Genocide.
People interested in learning more about the Feb. 20 banquet should contact
Diane Mangioglu at Assemblymember Liu’s District office, (626) 577-9944.
**************************************************************************
5 – Istanbul Patriarchate Chancellor
Remarks on Melkonian Closure
ISTANBUL – “It is difficult to comprehend how the closure of a prestigious
school in the Middle East, and one of the very few Armenian educational
institutions in the European Union could be in the best interests of the
Armenian nation. We believe that this decision, taken by a few executives,
is a wrong one,” said Rev. Fr. Krikor Damadyan, the Chancellor of the
Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate commenting on the communiqué released by the
AGBU Central Board of Directors, itself a response to the lawsuit filed by
Patriarch Mesrob II against the AGBU for its proposed closing of the
Melkonian Institute in Cyprus this June.
“The AGBU Central Board of Directors claims that it will continue to honor
the vision of its many generous benefactors including the late Garabed
Melkonian, for the benefit of all Armenians worldwide,” Rev. Damadyan
noted, quoting from the AGBU release.
“The only way to honor the vision of the Melkonian Brothers is to keep the
Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus open. The AGBU should refrain
from closing down the MEI and selling the property, lest she should declare
herself untrustworthy before all Armenians worldwide,” Damadyan continued.
“Why should people make grants to a charity organization such as the AGBU,
if following their demise a few executives will deal with the grant in a
way that will not do justice to the benefactor’s memory?
“The AGBU should also publish how she has executed the Melkonian Trust
since 1926. Every charity organization should be accountable to the public
and should not take offense when asked for accounts,” Damadyan added. “AGBU
executives who donate their own family wealth on charity are appreciated
dearly by all Armenians worldwide. Nevertheless, that should not allow them
any right to do as they please with the grants made by other benefactors.”
“…Patriarch Mesrob has magnanimously made it known to those Californian
Armenians who would like to act as mediators that
he would be willing to receive a delegation in Istanbul in order to discuss
a meaningful settlement of this critically important
issue to the Armenians of Europe. Great justice will be done if the AGBU
reverses her decision to close down the Melkonian Educational Institute,”
Damadyan suggested, adding, “This is our Patriarchate’s wish and prayer, as
also expressed by numerous Melkonian alumni worldwide.”
**************************************************************************
6 – SOAD Announces
Release of New Album
LOS ANGELES – Blabbermouth.net reports System Of A Down have confirmed an
April 26 release date for “Mezmerize”, the first half of their new double
album set. The second CD, titled “Hypnotize”, will be out sometime this
fall. Meanwhile, the first single from “Mezmerize”, called “B.Y.O.B.”, is
poised to arrive at rock radio on or around March 1, according to Launch
Radio Networks.
The Armenian-American quartet has just wrapped up its headlining stint on
Australia and New Zealand’s Big Day Out festival and is heading home to Los
Angeles to finish work on the new album.
The band is also one of many acts that have donated items to a second eBay
auction sponsored by Waxploitation Records to raise money for genocide
victims in the African nation of Sudan. Other artists that have contributed
signed or rare items include Dave Matthews, Dashboard Confessional, and Bad
Religion. System contributed to Waxploitation’s first such auction last
month, along with Limp Bizkit, Korn, 311, Rob Zombie and others.
**************************************************************************
7 – CSUF Armenian Studies Program
Hosts Fall Program in Armenia
FRESNO – The Armenian Studies Program at California State University,
Fresno has organized a one-semester program designed to introduce students
to Armenian language, history, art, and contemporary events. The semester
schedule is composed of five courses: Armenian language (4 units); Armenian
art and architecture (3 units); Armenia today (3 units); Armenian studies
(3 units); Independent study (2 units).
Courses, based on curriculum used by the Armenian Studies Program at
California State University, Fresno, will be taught by faculty from Yerevan
State University. Semester begins Sept. 5, 2005.
The academic committee in charge of curriculum is composed of Dr. Dickran
Kouymjian, Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies and
Director of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State, Dr. Tom Samuelian
of Arlex International, and Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies
Program at Fresno State.
Full information on the program is available at the following web site:
Http://armenianstudies.csufresno.edu/SemesterAbroad/information.htm
Eligibility: The program is open to all high school graduates, ages 18-32,
who have maintained a minimum 2.75 GPA in college.
Fees: Fees for the program are $2,250 per person (for 15 units of courses)
and an additional fee of approximately of $160 for health insurance. Room
and board, air fare, and transportation and any additional costs are the
responsibility of the student. (The Program will assist in finding living
arrangements)
Deadline: Students are required to fill in the following application form
and return it to the Armenian Studies Program by May 1, 2005 for study
abroad in Armenia in the Spring semester 2005.
Minimum class size:
A minimum of 5 students must be successfully admitted to the program for
the Fall 2005 program to take place.
Required information for application: Official college transcript; One page
essay on why you would like to participate in the Armenia Study Abroad
Program, what has prepared you for study in such a Program, and why you are
qualified to participate; One passport sized color photo; Names and
telephone numbers of two references (non-related). In addition please
submit Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Telephone number, Email address,
Date of birth: (Please clearly print all information and make sure that the
telephone number and email address are current). Send the application form,
and all requested material to: Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Armenian Studies
Program, 5245 N Backer Ave. PB4. Fresno, CA 93740-8001
If you have any questions contact: Barlow Der Mugrdechian office telephone:
559-278-4930 o email: [email protected]
Travel fellowship: Travel fellowships are available to qualified applicants
who are accepted into the Fresno State Armenia Semester Abroad Program
through BirthRight Armenia/Depi Hayk (BR/DH). The travel fellowship covers
reimbursement of roundtrip economy class airfare at the average price for
that period upon successful completion of the program and BR/DH
requirements. The application form is posted on the

**************************************************************************
8 – University of Tehran Honors AUA Dean of
Engineering Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian
OAKLAND, CA – Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian was selected as a distinguished
alumnus of the Faculty of Engineering of Tehran University, Iran in
December 2004. In a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Faculty
of Engineering, the University recognized one alumnus from all fields of
engineering per year of the Faculty’s existence for their scholarly and
professional contributions to engineering. It may be of interest to note
that among 70 honorees there were four Armenians. Der Kiureghian received
both his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and his M.Sc. in Structural Engineering
from Tehran University. He holds a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
After the 1988 Spitak earthquake, Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian was instrumental
in establishing the American University of Armenia in Yerevan as an
affiliate of the University of California. Concurrently with his position
as Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley, Dr. Der Kiureghian
has served as the founding Dean of Engineering since 1991 and directed the
Engineering Research Center of AUA until 2004. He also serves on the Board
of Trustees of the American University of Armenia Corporation.
Under Der Kiureghian’s leadership, AUA hosted the 8th World Seminar on
Seismic Isolation in October 2003, whereby over 100 academic and field
specialists from 23 countries of the world came to exchange and disseminate
information on new technologies in anti-seismic systems; AUA convened
opening ceremonies of the Solar Photovoltaic Power Station in May 2004,
demonstrating new solar technologies on generating electricity and heating
& cooling power in Armenia; and most recently in Fall 2004 AUA provided a
distance learning course on Software Architecture, from Yerevan via the
Internet, to students at the San Francisco State University.
***************************************************************************
*************************
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Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted
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–Boundary_(ID_iZ1wPWg6k+N9iGtCcXW0gw)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Tufts E-News
February 14, 2005

TOP STORY:
Bridging A Divide In Europe

A Fletcher School graduate student says that tensions between Turkey and
Armenia won’t subside as long as the border between the countries remains
sealed.

Medford/Somerville, Mass. Centuries-old tensions between Armenia and Turkey
continue to percolate, thanks in large part to the sealed border that divides
the two countries. The counterproductive closed-border policy, says a Fletcher
School student, has impoverished many people in the two nations while blocking
any chance of working toward a resolution.

“The current policies in the region applied by both countries are indisputably
a failure. It is time to open a fresh process of dialogue and reconciliation by
opening the Turkish-Armenian border,” Harout Semerdjian, a graduate student in
international relations, wrote in the English-language publication Moscow Times.

When Armenia achieved independence in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, it faced many problems.

“For the large and influential Armenian diaspora worldwide, the most important
issue remained recognition of the events of 1915 as genocide,” Semerdjian
wrote. “However, for the majority of Armenians living in Armenia, the most
significant issue became survival in a period of economic hardship and social
turmoil.”

Turkey, he added, also faces setbacks: “In recent years, farmers have put
entire villages in the Sivas region of the country up for sale. Isolated
eastern provinces such as Erzerum, Kars and Igdir near the Armenian border are
anxious to boost their economy in order to improve their low standards of
living.”

Enforcing a sealed border, Semerdjian contended, only exacerbates the problem.

“It only maintains the poverty in the border regions, which would otherwise
benefit from cross-border economic activity.”

The tension stems from long-standing conflicts, such as the slaying of over a
million Armenians at the hands of Turkish soldiers in 1915 (whether or not it
was genocide is a hotly debated subject) and the recent dispute over the
Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorny Karabakh, which is heavily populated by
Armenians.

These tensions, Semerdjian asserted, are hurting both nations.

“While authorities in Turkey may feel they are punishing Armenia in support of
Azerbaijan, both countries are in fact merely punishing their own people by
maintaining closed borders.”

But a foundation of understanding cannot be established without communication,
Semerdjian wrote.

“How can Turkey expect the Armenian diaspora to behave in a positive,
conciliatory manner when it is unwilling to establish basic communication links
between the two countries? How can Armenia expect Turkey to understand its
needs and historical issues when Mount Ararat currently acts as an Iron Curtain
rather than a mountain of peace?”

Semerdjian, a member of the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council,
wrote that unsealing the border would be mutually beneficial.

“Open borders would encourage contact, trade, business opportunities and
tourism between the population of both countries — which would in turn create
a sense of confidence and greater understanding between the two peoples.”

He added that opening the border would be a strong, independent step for both
nations.

“It would demonstrate to the international community the strong will and
determination of both countries to solve their differences themselves, not in
the corridors of the French senate or the U.S. Congress,” he wrote.

Semerdjian urged top Armenian and Turkish officials to reconsider their reasons
for keeping the border sealed.

“Leaders of both countries should be encouraged to think in global and
realistic terms and start taking alternate steps toward peace, if they are
serious about bringing harmony and eventual prosperity to the region.”
From: Baghdasarian