BEST WISHES FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

IN THIS ISSUE:

*** THE WORLD AS CHILDREN SEE IT

*** PYUNIK FOR THE DISABLED

*** DRAFT CONCEPT OF THE ROA LAW ON LOBBYING WAS DISCUSSED

*** INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY EVENTS

*** GREATMED NGO EXPANDS ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

*** NGOs JOINTLY PROMOTE VOLUNTARY MOVEMEMENT IN ARMENIA

*** YEREVAK NGO STRENGTHENS ITS CAPACITIES TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE SOCIAL
SERVICES AND INFORMATION

*** JOINT COMMON ACTIONS OF THE CRINGO NETWORK

*** THE WORLD AS CHILDREN SEE IT

This was the title of the photo exhibition unveiled by the Manana Youth
Educational Cultural Center NGO in the Armenian Center for the Contemporary
Experimental Art on December 15. Photos taken by the 8-20 year old members
of the of the NGO’s Photojournalism Club were presented. The photos reflect
tree cutting, absence of waste removal, destroying architectural values, the
negative influence of human beings on nature, and children’s poverty. On the
opening day of the exhibition, four films by members of the NGO’s Young
Cinematographers’ Club were also shown. Devoted to life conditions of
children, the films were produced on the occasion of the International Day
of Children’s Communication with UNICEF assistance. The NGO members have
also successfully participated in 16 international festivals and have won
prizes and awards. As stated by one of the Center’s members, “We try to
understand the world, rediscover it, be amazed it and enjoy it by making the
moment of the photo frame lasting.”

Contact: Ruzan Baghdasaryan
Manana Youth Educational Cultural Center NGO
2 Baghramyan St., #25
Tel.: (374-1) 52-48-89; 58-34-97
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

*** PYUNIK FOR THE DISABLED

Because rehabilitation equipment used by disabled people in Armenia was in
disrepair, the Pyunik Union of the Disabled NGO created a wheelchair repair
workshop. The opening ceremony of the workshop was held on December 2. The
project was realized thanks to the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order
of Malta in Armenia and Aghavni French-Armenian Charitable Organization.
Wheelchairs and parts needing repair will be collected from individuals,
organizations and hospitals and sent to the workshop. After repairs, they
will be returned to the disabled. Free repair services will be provided to
any disabled person in Armenia needing assistance. Within the framework of
the project, two disabled people will also be employed. Based on the
workshop, a local industry of wheelchairs manufacturing is planned to be
created. Pyunik celebrated December 3 – the International Day of Disabled –
by organizing an exhibition of paintings and handicrafts of gifted disabled
young people at the United Nations/Armenia offices. The same day, the Pyunik
Center hosted a performance by its younger beneficiaries.

Contact: Hakob Abrahamyan
Pyunik Union of the Disabled NGO
16 Tsitsernakaberd St.
Tel.: (374-1) 56-07-07
E-mail: [email protected]

*** DRAFT CONCEPT OF THE ROA LAW ON LOBBYING WAS DISCUSSED

On December 17, the United Nations Development Programme, in cooperation
with the ROA Ministry of Justice and the ROA Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development, held a discussion of the draft concept of the ROA Law on
Lobbying. Representatives of the Government, National Assembly, local and
international organizations, trade unions and business associations, as well
as experts participated in the discussion. The aim of the discussion was to
review the approaches and suggestions on the draft concept of interested
NGOs including those representing interests of the private sector. The
international experience of regulating lobbying, ways, restrictions, rights
and responsibilities of lobbyists, licensing and accreditation issues were
discussed. Special importance was attached to the suggestions made on
Non-Profit lobbying. Developing the regulatory framework for lobbying will
enable citizens to participate in decision making processes. Providing equal
opportunities and transparency of participation will promote establishment
of democratic values in Armenia.

Contact: Vahan Asatryan
United Nations Development Program
Tel.: (374-1) 52-86-72, 52-86-97
E-mail: [email protected]

*** INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY EVENTS

ž On December 8-9, the opening ceremonies of the Human Rights Libraries in
Artashat and Gavar of the Armenian Constitutional Rights Protecting Center
(ACRPC) NGO were held. Representatives of state governing, local
self-governing bodies, as well as local and international organizations and
Mass Media were invited. The libraries were opened within the framework of
the Developing Human Rights Library Network In Armenia project, implemented
by ACRPC with support of the Department of State Public Affairs of the US
Embassy in Armenia. Currently the Network is comprised of five libraries
functioning in Vanadzor, Dilijan, Hrazdan, Artashat and Gavar. The libraries
include reading rooms, almost 15,000 items and are equipped with modern
computer technologies. More information on the Library Network can be found
at the ACRPC website:
ž On December 10, ACRPC, in cooperation with the UN Development Program and
UN Department of Public Information, held several events in Hrazdan,
including a forum, visiting the Hrazdan Human Rights Library, showing
thematic films, recitations and musical performances. This year, Human
Rights Day is dedicated to human rights education by UNESCO and UN High
Commissioner of Human Rights. During the events, special attention was drawn
to education, awareness raising and raising the level of public’s legal
consciousness.

Contact: Gevorg Manukyan
Armenian Constitutional Rights Protecting Center (ACRPC) NGO
Vanadzor, Shirakatsi 1st lane, building 2
Tel.: (374-51) 2-29-67
E-mail: [email protected]

*** GREATMED NGO EXPANDS ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

The Greatmed Scientific and Medical NGO carries out scientific, medical and
health awareness activities contributing to mother and child healthcare and
clean environment. Emphasizing the issue of disseminating health knowledge,
particularly promoting healthy lifestyles in remote regions of Armenia,
through a grant received from AAA NGOC, Greatmed members have undergone
vocational training, subscribed to a number of health information resources,
and produced the Healthy Lifestyle brochure, including such chapters, as
personal hygiene, food, sight, hearing, mental activity hygiene, sexual
education and more. The brochure was disseminated in Ijevan, Dilijan, Berd
and Noyemberyan towns of the Tavush region. On December 17, the opening
ceremony of the Greatmed Dilijan branch was held, which will allow the NGO
to expand its activities and contribute to organizing health and environment
related events in the Tavush region, involving the regional population in
these activities.

Contact: Seyran Kocharyan
The Greatmed Scientific and Medical NGO
74 Lisinyan St.
Tel.: (374-1) 56-09-55
E-mail: [email protected]

*** NGOs JOINTLY PROMOTE VOLUNTARY MOVEMEMENT IN ARMENIA

On the initiative of the Armenian Habitat Charitable NGO and Clean Yerevan
project (Our City Is Our Home Foundation), a number of local and
international organizations united in support of the development of
voluntary movement in Armenia. On the occasion of the International Day Of
Volunteers, they organized an event on December 17. Its message was
promoting volunteerism as a major factor for social, economic and cultural
development of Armenia. Various voluntary activities in Armenia were
presented, gratitude was expressed and music and refreshments were provided.

Contact: Haykuhi Khachatryan
Armenian Habitat Charitable NGO
Tel.: (374-1) 55-61-14
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

*** YEREVAK NGO STRENGTHENS ITS CAPACITIES TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE SOCIAL
SERVICES AND INFORMATION

On December 17, the presentation of the Noyemberyan based Yerevak NGO’s
capacity building project was held. Local and international organizations
and businessmen of the region were invited. With the assistance of AAA NGO
Center, the NGO has improved its computer center, replenished its legal and
business libraries and published a brochure on NGO activities in three
languages. During the December 17 event, fundraising was held, which will
contribute to developing a film on the Yerevak NGO.

Contact: Sasha Gishyan
Yerevak NGO
Noyemberyan, 14 Zoravar Andranik St.
Tel.: (374-66) 2-26-05, 2-27-05

*** JOINT COMMON ACTIONS OF THE CRINGO NETWORK

On the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, the Caucasus NGO
Network on Refugees and IDPs (CRINGO Network), held a Negotiation Day and
Solidarity Day. The main idea of Negotiation Day was to address refugee
rights as a part of human rights. Event participants – NGO representatives,
government agencies and international organizations – discussed their roles
in promoting regional cooperation and long-term solution of refugee issues,
as well as social, economic and legal protection, moral-psychological and
cultural issues of refugees. In the end of the event, further actions of the
Network were defined, including legislative amendments, involvement of local
self-governing bodies and solution of cross-border problems.

Solidarity Day included an exhibition of children’s paintings on the topic
The World Without Violence, drawn by children from art and other schools in
Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and Stepanakert. Of the 50 paintings presented, 12
were selected as winners by a jury. These paintings will be published as a
2005 calendar.

Contact: Karen Asatryan
CRINGO Coordination Board Member
44 Aram St.
Tel: (374-1) 53-05-71
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

__________________________________________________________________________

Armenian NGO News in Brief is a publication of the NGO Training and Resource
Center (NGOC) issued in the Armenian, English and Russian languages for
electronic dissemination inside and outside Armenia. Primary funding for
the NGOC, which is a project of the Armenian Assembly of America, is
provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Individual NGOs are welcome to submit information for publication to the
NGOC. The NGO Center is not responsible for the clarity of information
provided by individual NGOs.

Dear Readers,

The not-for-profit, non-governmental sector of Armenia is rich with diverse
civic initiatives and activities. This electronic publication, though far
from covering all activities of the sector per any given period of time, is
intended to contribute to raising awareness, both inside and outside
Armenia, of the activities of Armenian not-for-profit, non-governmental
organizations.

Your comments and feedback about this electronic publication are greatly
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Thank you.
NGOC staff.

Contact Information:

In Armenia:
Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
39 Yeznik Koghbatsi St.,
Yerevan 375010
Tel.: (3-741) 54-40-12; 54-40-13; 53-92-04
Fax: (3-741) 54-40-15
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

In the United States:
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Washington, DC 20001 USA
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E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Dec 28 2004

Saakashvili Travels to Akhalkalaki

Saakashvili visited on December 28 Akhalkalaki, town in southern
Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, which is predominately
populated by ethnic Armenians.

During the meeting with the local population in the center of
Akhalkalaki President Saakashvili spoke about the necessity of
integration of the ethnic Armenian population within the state.

`Our Armenian population is real patriot, which needs more attention
and care. You should be integrated but with preservation of your
language and your culture. I know that here are many problems but we
will solve them if we stand together,’ Mikheil Saakashvili said.

He said that construction of new high connecting Tbilisi with
Akhalkalaki will be launched next year. `We have already invested
funds for this project,’ he added.

Saakashvili also said that scholarships will be available for those
students willing to continue studying in the Tbilisi universities.

Boxing News
Dec 28 2004

Simonyan fights for world title!

By Francisco Salazar

Unbeaten #1 rated super bantamweight Art Simonyan hopes to make
himself and his native Armenia proud when he faces Israel Vasquez for
the IBF world championship tonight at the Sycuan Casino in El Cajon,
CA.

The bout will headline a six-bout card, presented by Ringside Boxing
Promotions and Banner Promotions.

Simonyan (14-0-1, 7 KO’s) from Glendale, CA by way of Yerevan,
Armenia, had his coming out party with a technical knockout victory
over Radford Beasley on an ESPN2 Friday Nights Fights telecast in
December of 2002.

The following year, he won the USBA 122lb title with a a 12 round
unanimous decision against former world title challenger Carlos
Contreras in July 2003.

In May of 2004, he earned the right to face Vasquez when he defeated
Fahsan (3K-Battery) Por Thawatchai by a 12 round unanimous decision
in May. The bout was designated as an elimination bout.

Simonyan realized the significance of his last bout. However, he also
understands the importance of this fight. “I’m training for
everything in this bout. This is a big bout for me.”

Simonyan has had to endure numerous obstacles in his quest to fight
for a world title.

After a successful amateur career in Armenia, in 2000 Simonyan left
behind his pregnant wife and moved to Glendale, California, which has
an Armenian community of about 350,000. He has never seen his
daughter, who is four years old now. He speaks to his family by
telephone, but greatly misses their presence.

Simonyan turned 29 yesterday, but instead of celebrating his birthday
with loved ones, he spent part of it making sure he made weight on
the scales.

Simonyan hopes that these sacrifices will pay off big. He understands
that Vasquez, who has won his last four bouts in a row, will be in
top form to defend his title.

“He’s a boxer who will come to fight,” said Simonyan, who has won his
last seven bouts in a row. “I know that he likes to brawl. I feel
that I did my homework so that I could come out victorious.”

Until this month, no Armenian fighter has ever won a world
championship. Now Simonyan hopes to become the second Aremian this
month to do the deed. (Flyweight Vic Darchinyan became the first
Armenian champion when he KO’d Irene Pacheco for the IBF title on
December 16 in Miami , Florida.)

His co-trainer, Peter Cunningham, feels that Simonyan is up to that
challenge. He has seen Simonyan improve since early in his career.

“We all know a good fighter when you see one,” said Cunningham, one
day after Simonyan was finished training for the day. “Since the
first day when I saw Art in the gym, I knew and recognized that he
would one day be champion of the world. I love his skill, his sense
of purpose, and his attitude is great. He definitely has the tools of
a champion.”

As Simonyan has grown to the solid fighter that he has become, he has
also accumulated a mixture of bravado and maturity. He has gone as
far as saying that he as a surprise for Vasquez, something that not
even his previous opponents have seen. Still, Simonyan notes what the
stakes are for this fight.

“This is the most important fight of my career. If I win this fight,
my success will begin.”.

The joy of Christmas (alone): So what did you do for Christmas? Pretend to
like your stepmum’s present? Eat too much rich food? Humour your drunken uncle?
Or watch appalling TV? Julian Baggini decided to skip all that this year –
and, like the millions of

The Guardian – United Kingdom
Dec 28, 2004

At 7.45am on Christmas morning I awoke at the Ibis Heathrow Airport
hotel. I could look forward to a continental-style breakfast buffet, a
few hours in my room, many more hanging around Heathrow terminal three
and, finally, an eight-hour flight to New York, arriving just in time
to go to sleep for the final few minutes of my 29-hour day. And all of
this I would do alone.

Spending Christmas alone is usually assumed to be a bad thing. Mine
may sound to you desperately sad, all too reminiscent of that
tragicomic icon of modern male inadequacy, Alan Partridge. But when
the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service reported that nearly half a
million older people would spend Christmas by themselves, no one asked
how large a minority were relieved not to have to bother with it any
more. My experience of this ultimate anti-Christmas, and those of the
other festive refuseniks I met along the way, suggests that any pity
or mockery is displaced. Envy might be more appropriate.

The cabbie who took me to the hotel on Christmas Eve was certainly
more than happy to be working the next day. Apart from the large
number of “wheelchair jobs” resulting from non-emergency ambulance
crews taking their holidays, there were lots of people who by early
evening were “desperate to get out”, he said, making the West End and
Knightsbridge in particular surprisingly busy. After all, what else
would he be doing, with no wife or kids to be with? “I’d be down the
pub talking a load of old rubbish with my mates,” he said.

I got to the hotel to find it about two-thirds empty. I checked in and
headed for the bar, where I was served by Vazken. He wasn’t over the
moon to have another shift the next day, but as an Armenian Orthodox
Christian, his Christmas is on January 6 anyway, so it was no big
deal. According to the last census, 28% of the UK population – among
them 1.5 million Muslims – is not Christian at all. With more than
one-quarter of the population with no reason to see the 25th as
special, why should it be strange not to celebrate it?

Indeed, I was to meet many more non-Christians, including the Muslim
cashier at the Travelex foreign exchange counter, who thought it was
“brilliant” to be working on Christmas day because of the extra pay;
and Mohamed, the waiter who served me my Christmas lunch, which we
will come to later. It was as though, for one day only, the sizeable
non-Christian minority got to run the country.

Another of Vazken’s customers on Christmas Eve was Margaret. Like me,
her official reason for spending the night alone at the Ibis was that
she would save money by flying out to America on the afternoon of the
25th, when the fares were half the price. This wasn’t the whole story,
however, since Margaret had made a habit of organising her trips to
avoid the traditional Christmas trappings. I asked her why.

Margaret did have some family hassles she wanted to get away from. But
her choice was more positive than simply being one of simple
avoidance. She was refusing to either go along with something that
would make her miserable, or to sit on the sidelines and get
depressed. She had taken charge and organised a trip that would make
her happy. This wasn’t bluff or bravado. In the bar on Christmas Eve
she was gregarious good company, enjoying a drink with other
seasonally spirited guests with no trace of the desperate race to
alcoholic oblivion typical of many so-called Yuletide
celebrations. Margaret was making her Christmas a success – more of a
success, I daresay, than many more traditional family gatherings.

Indeed, it is telling how her friends and family reacted when she told
them what she would be doing. “They say it’s great,” she told me. “The
word that best describes their reaction is envy.”

That was just what I found when I told people that I had extended a
conference trip so that I would have some spare time in New York at
the expense of Christmas Day with family. The idea of getting away
from the cooking, the excessive drinking, crap TV and inevitable
family tension is one that almost everyone found beguiling.

Those I left behind, even if they had managed to plan a day they would
be happy with, had more often than not been forced to negotiate all
sorts of family politics, usually hurting or disappointing at least
someone in the process.

That is what I think explained the curiously good-natured atmosphere
in the hotel bar, which to a casual observer would have looked
soulless, about as festive as a curry made from three-day-old
turkey. We could enjoy Christmas more than ever precisely because, by
choosing to skip it, we had freed ourselves from the burdens of
expectation that stand in the way of relaxed pleasure.

I checked out of the hotel at 11.30am on Christmas Day and made my way
to Heathrow, where I had six hours to kill. For many of the airport’s
70,000 staff, like the nearly one million people the TUC estimates
work on Christmas Day, it was business as usual. Although only around
a third of the 180,000 passengers a day who pass through the airport
over the holiday period do so on the 25th itself, staffing levels are
more or less the same.

This very normality is what makes an airport the ideal place for the
Christmas escapee. In homes and streets across Britain, the things
that make Christmas different – from the special TV shows to the
closed shops and the eerily quiet streets – all serve as constant
reminders of what everyone else is doing that day. At Heathrow,
however, you soon forget what it is you’re not doing. Christmas
really does disappear.

I decided to get check-in and security out of the way and spend my
time in the hermetically sealed world beyond passport control. As I
really wasn’t trying to be a total humbug, I then sought out the best
meal Heathrow had to offer, only to find that nowhere was serving a
Christmas lunch. Surprisingly, however, it wasn’t then a toss-up
between McDonalds, Garfunkels and an absurdly priced seafood and
champagne bar. I sat down to a perfectly decent lunch at Chez Gerard,
part of a mid-market brasserie chain.

Any attempt to inject a bit of class was somewhat diminished by the
sign on the table informing me that “due to security reasons, we can
only provide plastic cutlery with your meal”. Still, the tuna nicoise
went down well, and despite the unseasonal advice I had seen posted
all over Boots to avoid alcohol and caffeine before a flight, I
figured that a festive glass of wine and Irish coffee had plenty of
time to work their way through my system. It may not have been the
best Christmas lunch I had ever had, but nor was it the worst. And
being able to walk afterwards was a real bonus.

Lunch consumed, I renewed my efforts to track down tragic sole
travellers. David from New York had managed to arrange a day even
more humbuggish than mine: he had left the US on Christmas Eve and
would not be arriving at his final destination, Bombay, until 8.30am
on Boxing Day. He was travelling “to one member of my family and away
from a lot more. I am missing out on some things, but I’m gaining so
much more.”

Another solo traveller, Martin, was going to New York to be with his
girlfriend, a flight attendant with Virgin who was working on
Christmas Day. He too thought his friends were “quite envious,
actually” and said: “I’d rather be away from it, to be
honest. Christmas is overhyped.”

On the plane, I found myself sitting next to yet another lone
traveller. “Christmas has lost its meaning,” she said. “It’s become
too commercial.” But it transpired she had a more personal reason for
taking her trip on this of all days. Over Christmas last year, her
husband left her for one of her friends, and her young son would be
spending the holidays with him. “It hasn’t been a good year,” she said
with understatement. She was happy to get away and spend some time
with friends in New York.

Yet even this woman deserves more respect than pity. Running away from
problems has a bad name, but as any expert in self-defence will tell
you, sometimes running away is precisely the right thing to do. What
this woman was doing was defiant and positive. “I feel I’m one step
ahead,” she said, somewhat cryptically.

Perhaps what she meant was that by refusing to have a miserable
Christmas alone or accepting an invitation to share someone else’s,
which would never really be hers, she had defied the expectations of
those who think there is only one right way to celebrate, one they may
not enjoy, but feel obliged to enact.

There’s nothing wrong with a good family gathering at Christmas for
those who have a family arrangement that allows it, an opportunity to
make it happen and a cultural background that makes Christmas mean
something. But if we’re honest, there are many people who don’t fit
this mould. They should not be made to feel like like social pariahs
for opting out of the traditional Christmas, or any other widely
observed celebration. It is much sadder to attempt to cobble together
a traditional Christmas from pieces that don’t fit than to throw them
all away and do something completely different instead.

On New Year’s Eve, another trial of enforced jollity, I will be
raising a glass to my fellow Christmas refuseniks who dealt with their
situations with honesty and defiance. And I’ll be doing it at
35,000ft, on my way back from New York, avoiding yet another
celebration that some see as unmissable. If you feel pity, there’s no
need. And if you feel envy, there’s still time to do something about
it.

Julian Baggini is the editor and co-publisher of the Philosophers’
Magazine, and the author of What’s It All About? Philosophy and the
Meaning of Life, published by Granta.

Loneliness of the long-distance traveller . . . Baggini whiles away
the time in the lobby of the Ibis Hotel, Heathrow Airport

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Iran’s defence minister felicitates counterparts on Christmas, “peace
harbinger”

IRNA web site
28 Dec 04

Tehran, 28 December: Defence Minister Rear-Admiral Ali Shamkhani sent
a message to his counterparts on Tuesday [28 December] felicitating
them on the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ and the coming new year
– 2005.

In his message, Shamkhani said that Jesus Christ was the harbinger of
peace, justice and freedom.

He was optimistic that peace and security would be established in the
world and bilateral ties with other countries would be bolstered with
the guidelines of the prophets.

Shamkhani’s message was sent to the defence ministers of Russia,
Ukraine, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Cuba,
Venezuela, Armenia, South Africa, North Korea, Nigeria, India,
Kazakhstan, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

Official slams CIS leaders’ lack of will regarding security efforts

ITAR-TASS news agency
28 Dec 04

Moscow, 28 December: The political leaders of a number of CIS
countries and the structures subordinate to them are only giving a
“semblance of activity” within the framework of the CIS, Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] Secretary-General Nikolay
Bordyuzha believes.

“The will of the heads of CIS states is needed for concrete activity
to develop. If they themselves have doubts, then as a rule, the
structures subordinate to them give only a semblance of activity,” he
said at a news conference at the ITAR-TASS offices today.

As confirmation of his words, Bordyuzha cited the fact that “most
decisions taken within the framework of the CIS are initialled only by
representatives of the statutory bodies of CSTO states” (a regional
organization comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan). However, he added, representatives of Azerbaijan,
Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, as a rule, refrain from participating in
the adoption of specific decisions, including those relating to the
defence and security of the CIS.

Hrant Margarian: Peoples should decide their fates on their own

28.12.2004 15:02 interview

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – The interview of the news agency REGNUM with ARF
Bureau representative Hrant Margarian

Question: Today, the whole world is following the developments in the
Ukraine not only because what is going on there is interesting but
also because it is a precedent. Do you believe the same could happen
in Armenia too?

Answer: The first impression is that the events in the Ukraine could
be assessed as a popular movement that aims at forming its own
power. So it isfine. And if it is to come to Armenia, it is really
good. But this from the first sight. But there is another version,
another concern that as it was the case in Georgia, in the Ukraine
too, the external forces play a great role, and those movements are
financed and sponsored by external forces. If we look at those
developments from this point of view, then we cannot accept them.

Q: In this respect, is Russia’s interfering unacceptable too?

A: Exactly. I have to say that we are not concerned about the internal
situation of Armenia: the political life in Armenia is quite stable
and we have no concerns that the same can happen in Armenia. But we
are a small country, and we have serious issues, national issues,
Karabakh for instance. And this fragile situation in the country might
make some foreign forces think that the same scenarios could be
implemented in Armenia too. I am hopeful that our nation and our
political forces, having in mind our national issues, would be wise
enough to not get into this trap.

However, I wouldn’t like this stance to be comprehended as
anti-democratic as our party has always had the flag of democracy in
its hands. We have always tried to push the government toward
democratization and more freedoms. We consider it our pivotal
issue. You may have noticed that our recent positions were aimed at
democratization of the government.

Q: Your opponents don’t hide that it is possible to get aid from
outside, and they say “we are pro-Western, and you, in turn, get held
from Russia.” What do they mean by “close relations” between the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and Russia, especially when
the ARF was fighting against Russia’s influence during the Soviet
era. What is your opinion on the accusations that the ARF has adopted
the principle “three fronts, one border” allegedly imposed on you by
the Russian special services?

A: I don’t know whether it is good or bad that the ARF has no
assistance of any foreign force, but it is good that the ARF takes its
decisions on its own based on the reality and national
interests. Unfortunately, the relations between the ARF and Russian
government circles have never been on the desired level because
Russian politicians probably were under the impressions coming from
the Communist times.

As for such talks, yes, we believe that when our archrival Turkey
enjoyed the support of one of the poles of the two-pole world, it was
natural that could feel more confident in the orbit of the other
pole. But the world is changing. Anyhow, we seek Russia’s — and not
only Russia’s — friendship for our nation and party.

Q: Judging from your opponents’ statements, the repetition of the
Ukrainian scenario in Armenia would be under the choice “Armenia with
Russia or NATO.” What could Armenia do to join NATO without any
losses or turmoil?

A: I don’t know what would membership in NATO give to Armenia. But I
know something else: before Armenia could have a choice, Russia itself
should be present in the region. The issues would have a different
settlement then. What the Armenian National Movement (ANM) says is a
classical stance of a pro-Western party and it could not be viewed as
that of Armenia and the Armenia people.

Q: ANM’s statement has become a tool already that could serve as the
basis for imposing the Ukrainian scenario here. They would accuse the
ARF of being funded from outside, now they accept they too will be
funded from outside. It could affect the outcome of the
elections. What would you do if they succeeded?

A: I would like to stress once again that when talking about being
funded from outside, in our case they meant not a foreign country but
the Armenian Diaspora, which is different. When they admit they are
funded from outside,it means also they are led from outside.

The difference between Armenia, Georgia and the Ukraine is huge. The
fight between the authorities and the opposition in Armenia would move
to another field, the fight would be between the pro-national and
anti-national forces, or the pro-national forces and forces led by the
foreigners and then the pro-national forces would not fight for just
their political career, they would fight for national values.

Q: In the Ukraine there was a huge pressure on the election, and the
West said they would break their relations with the country if the
outcome was not what they wanted. In the case of Armenia, the Karabakh
issue is the weapon.

The Karabakh issue is related to Azerbaijan, Turkey and the
Genocide. If the West puts pressure in the Karabakh issue during a
revolution, would not the opposition — the pro-Western forces– adopt
the Western option of the settlement? Could you suggest a formula that
would be acceptable for all and would allow the opposition to win?

A: The Karabakh struggle is 16 years old and we have seen various
positions of the West, East and Russia. There are two essential facts
we should take into account. The first fact is that the great powers
are very powerful and have great potential but when they deal with
small regions, they have to accept the existing realities and also who
is in charge there. During the last 16 years, we have proved that we
have no intention to make concessions so those chauvinistic policies
would not succeed. And while the people have passed through social
hardships during those 16 years, no revolutions have happened due
tothose reasons.

A regime change took place only when there was a crisis of the
Karabakh issue. Whoever decided to make concessions — I am speaking
on behalf of the people — we have the capacity to push them aside. I
think there is no force in Armenia that would dare to exploit the
Karabakh issue for the benefit of its interest. But if the West
proposes an acceptable option, fine.

Q: What is the limit of concessions that the opposition could propose
having the support of the West?

A: I can’t speak of the opposition, it is up to them. In our case, I
believe we have already made concession. We live in peace for ten
years now, and that’s the best concession.

There is no war for ten years, and this says a lot. There are some
details. Some Armenian lands — Shahumian, Getashen, some parts of
Martakert — are still under occupation. We have a problem of having
final and secure borders with Azerbaijan. The issue is actually
settled but it should be also settled in talks. It will take some time
to secure the issue’s de jure settlement.

Q: The technologies that were put in work in the Ukraine were
powerful, raging from bribing the political elite and the mass media
to offering privileges for the Ukrainians working in Russia. Have you
though of gaining privilegesfor Armenians living in Russia?

A: I believe the nations should decide their fates on their
own. Neither Russia, or the West, or any other state should
interfere. We count on our nation. We believe there should be a dual
citizenship law in Armenia as there are more Armenians outside Armenia
than in Armenia.

Q: Opponents of the dual citizenship say there would be no one to
serve in the Armenian army. What could be done?

A: There are many countries that have dual citizenship. Whoever make
that statement have no knowledge of the issue. For instance, in
Greece, it doesn’t matter what country you are a citizen of, you
should do a military service for the Greek army too. The dual
citizenship laws differ in different courtiers.

Q: Robert Kocharian is serving his final term. What would happen if he
handpicks someone as his successor and you do not agree with that
decision?

A: If we do not like his candidate, we would not come to an
agreement. We would have our own candidate. We are not married, we
cooperated for reaching some political goals, and our roads could be
different tomorrow. We would nominate our own presidential candidate
for the next election, but we might also support theirs, or they might
support ours.

Q: Why there is no Saakashvili type charismatic leader in Armenia?

A: It is true that at currently there is no candidate in Armenia who
could have even a relative lead. The forces are almost equal. The
situation will be clearer as we approach the election. The political
parties in Armenia are not well-established and often a party’s rating
is seen as that of the candidate.

The ARF is different. The party has a certain rating but I can’t tell
which of our leaders has the corresponding rating. Maybe, this is
because we havea collective leadership and our party is not based on
individuals. I hope that in the next election people would vote for
the political platforms of the candidates and the candidates would
only gain from being represented by a party.

Q: Your opponents say that the ARF’s results in the National Assembly
election were faked. To support their allegation they point to the
fact that the ARF members did not win in the single-mandate
constituencies but they did under the party-list system.

A: Yes, the result were faked, but to the opposite direction. This is
a fact. We did not succeed in the single-mandate constituencies
because no political force did. It was the money that won because it
was easier to fake the results under the single-mandate system. I am
not saying we had the 50 percent but we had more than what was said we
had.

Our weight, however, is greater than the number of the seats we have
in the parliament. We did not challenge it, but we are not the party
which would easily digest it. It does not really matter whether we
have 12 seats in the parliament or 17-18, there would be no much
difference because I am sure that our small faction is more
influential than factions that have 30 or 40 members.We are the
largest Armenian political party. Everybody in Armenia would admit
that there is no party in Armenia that is larger or more organized
than the ARF. Until now, the Communists were considered a large party
too, but the situation is different now. This is a fact that no one
denies.

Q: The ARF was formed as a revolutionary and socialist party, but
after the Bolsheviks seized the power, the ARF moved to the Diaspora
and operated there as a nationalistic party. Maybe my question sounds
like one for a women’s magazine, but what exactly is the revolutionary
and socialist essence of the ARF?

A: The revolutionary is that we are not satisfied with the existing
situation and try to restore the full rights of the Armenian
people. Our socialism is defined in our fight for a fairer society
where peoples and nations would live in peace side by side and
develop.

We aspire for a better and fairer society for our nation and we
believe in such circumstances the people and the state would unite to
reach national goals. The revolutionary part does not necessarily
mean weapons. It is more a rebel against the injustice and can be in
form of political, public, cultural activities. If we were to
establish a new party with the same goals, we might call it
differently. Maybe.

But we have been carrying this name for 114 years and we see no
necessity to change it. We are the only political party of the former
Soviet Union that is a full member of the Socialist International. We
were not able to practice socialism in the Diaspora, there are no
class issues in the community. Bu I believe we have all the
opportunities to do so in Armenia.

Q: Is your party nationalistic, nationalistic-democratic,
nationalistic-liberal, like the parties of Yushchenko and Saakashvili?
Whatare the differences between them and you?

A: I don’t agree with those terms. We are the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, they are them.

Q: Please comment on the European Union’s December 17 decision to
start entry talks with Turkey.

A: This decision cannot be qualified as final because if it is true
that the European nations are to make their decision through
referendums, then the EU’s decision means nothing. As for the Armenian
Genocide, I have to say that I have never believed — though I’d like
to believe so — that the Armenian Genocide would be a pre-condition
for Turkey’s admission. But also it is a fact that the Armenian
Genocide has never been raised so frequently, it has never been used
before to pressure Turkey. This is a great success. We made two issues
clear for us on December 17: Diaspora Armenians living in various
European countries and cities are as firm in the Armenian Genocide
issue as the Armenian residents to pay tribute to the Genocide victims
at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial on each April 24.

Secondly, it became apparent that a new stage began, meaning we should
mobilize our potential. No tragedy happened. Regardless of Turkey’s
membership we will continue our fight.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri, Armenian foreign ministers set to meet on 10 January – TV

ANS TV, Baku
27 Dec 04

[Presenter] The time of the next round of consultations between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers on resolving the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict has been clarified. Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign
Minister Araz Azimov has said that the meeting is set for 10
January. However, a special OSCE mission plans to monitor the
situation only on the occupied Azerbaijani districts around Nagornyy
Karabakh.

[Correspondent, over video of UN] Azerbaijan will not submit to the UN
General Assembly’s discussion a draft resolution on the situation on
[Azerbaijan’s] occupied lands. The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, has said that the Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers have agreed on this. In exchange for this,
Armenia will help in all ways the OSCE monitoring on the occupied
territories. In an interview with ANS, the Russian co-chairman said
that the verbal agreement had been reached on this.

[Merzlyakov in Russian with Azeri voice-over, on the phone] The draft
resolution will not be submitted for voting as I understood from the
talks we had held. The agreement was reached after the lengthy talks
between the foreign ministers. In any case, I think that all the
co-chairmen realized this because when we [co-chairmen] talked to each
other, I did not hear anyone understanding the results of the talks in
a different way.

[Correspondent, over video of Azimov] The Azerbaijani deputy foreign
minister and the president’s special envoy for Nagornyy Karabakh, Araz
Azimov, neither denied nor confirmed the aforesaid [verbal] agreement.

In any case, the resettlement of the Armenians on Azerbaijan’s seven
occupied districts has been put on the agenda of the UN General
Assembly session under Paragraph 163. There have been no changes in
the session’s agenda so far, end quote.

The OSCE monitoring mission will only examine if the Armenians are
being resettled on the occupied lands, Azimov said. The mission’s
mandate does not envisage the political assessment of the situation.

To recap, the OSCE mission which is to head for the occupied lands on
25 January will monitor the illegal resettlement of the Armenians on
the occupied lands around Nagornyy Karabakh, including Lacin
District. Merzlyakov said that the monitoring in Nagornyy Karabakh had
not been talked about when the mandate of the OSCE special mission was
determined.

[Merzlyakov, on the phone] This is not our task. All this is about the
occupied territories around Nagornyy Karabakh. It is very difficult to
examine Nagornyy Karabakh because Armenians live there. They have
always lived there. This is another issue. No one should live on the
occupied lands and this differs them from the other lands. That is
Azerbaijanis who have left these lands and the Armenians should not
live there.

[Correspondent] One can only come to a conclusion from the aforesaid
that if the Armenians hamper the work of the OSCE special mission and
create some other obstacles to the diplomats in recording the
resettlement of the Armenians, Azerbaijan will be able to submit for
the discussion the issue which is still on the UN agenda.

Ceyhun Asgarov for ANS.

[The next round of peace talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
foreign ministers will be held in Prague on 15 January 2005, 1700 gmt
23 December ANS TV quoted Merzlyakov as saying]

Ethnic Azeris picket Armenian embassy in Moscow over Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
27 Dec 04

[Presenter] The Movement for Azerbaijan continues its protests on the
13th anniversary of Xankandi’s [Stepanakert] occupation and on the
occasion of 31 December – Day of Azerbaijani Solidarity Worldwide.

[Correspondent over video of protesters holding posters and the
Azerbaijani flags] The Movement for Azerbaijan held a protest outside
the Armenian embassy in Moscow today. The Russians born in Baku have
for the first time joined the action.

[E. Rustamov, captioned as representative of the Movement for
Azerbaijan, on the phone] As was planned, the picket started at 1500
[1200 gmt] and ended at 1600 [1300 gmt] Moscow time. Although 30
people were registered [words indistinct], about 50 people joined the
action. The action was mostly aimed at informing the public about the
Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands. The ethnic Azerbaijanis in
Russia also expressed solidarity with their compatriots living in
Azerbaijan.

[Correspondent] The protesters adopted a resolution at the end of the
action and submitted it to the Armenian embassy.

[Rustamov] The picket mostly demanded that the four UN Security
Council resolutions [on immediate withdrawal of the Armenian armed
forces from the occupied Azerbaijani lands] adopted in 1993 be
accepted unconditionally and an end be put to Armenia’s aggression
policy. The resolution was submitted to a representative of the
Armenian embassy on behalf of the picket and the protest ended.

[Correspondent] Other protests which the Movement for Azerbaijan is to
stage will continue in London tomorrow and in Canada on 29
December. To recap, the protests started from Turkey’s Istanbul.

Baxtiyar Salimov, ANS.

So much injustice in Boxing Day tragedy

Canberra Times – Australasia
Dec 28, 2004

SURROUNDED as most of us probably are by the excesses, the detritus
and the general aftermath of Christmas, it’s impossible to imagine
what the survivors of the world’s most powerful earthquake for 40
years must be going through right now. The top news story on Boxing
Day was supposed to be the re-run of the Ukraine elections, not a
re-run of the Iranian earthquake that left 26,000 people dead in Bam
on 26 December last year.

It’s still too early to say how many people died in the quake that hit
the Indonesian state of Aceh on Boxing Day or in those countries – Sri
Lanka, Thailand, India and the Maldives – fringing the Indian Ocean
that was subsequently battered by a massive tsunami. The chances are
we’ll never know since many of the coastal settlements close to the
Oceanic epicentre were completely destroyed leaving no survivors to
furnish us with tidy statistics.

The difference between human and natural disasters is that the first
are avoidable whereas the second we can do nothing about – unless, of
course, we live in the first world and have a lot of money. Think of
all those millionaires in Los Angeles with their luxury
earthquake-proof homes slap on top of the San Andreas Fault. True to
what I have always considered to be the curiously un-Christian parable
of the sower, Matthew 12 verse 13: ”To him that hath, even more shall
be given and he shall have an abundance. To him that hath not, even
that which he hath will be taken away.” Natural disasters always seem
to dump on the poorest communities of the Third World. OK, there was a
freak hurricane in France just before Christmas which had people
missing planes and ferries and thousands of households without
electricity for a few hours, but that was a mere dot in the big
disaster picture. Every year thousands of Bangladeshis whose average
income is less than a dollar a week are swamped by typhoons and tidal
waves. To make their homes flood-proof by erecting low walls made of
concrete blocks containing a specially designed reinforcing agent,
would cost less than $10 a family, but the government simply can’t
afford it.

It’s at times like this when all I can do is feel helpless and listen
to the latest news updates from the disaster zone. It’s times like
this that I don’t envy an engineer called David Charlesworth who I met
about 10 years ago. As I write this he’s probably on a plane heading
for Jakarta with his bag of tools. David works for a charity called
The Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief. They are the unsung
heroes of natural disasters. They don’t have the glamour of doctors
saving the lives of small children in field hospitals or the photo
opportunity value of Red Cross drivers distributing food in refugee
camps.

REDR members are the low-profile operators who rebuild the roads and
bridges and improvise airstrips to make it possible for the doctors
and drivers to get to the disaster areas.

When I met David he had just come back from an assignment to the
Ascension Islands during the Falklands War. The RAF needed an
airstrip; REDR did it for peanuts. No-frills practicality is the aid
worker’s key word. A friend who went to Gujarat after the 1998 Indian
earthquake said that aid agencies often missed the basics because they
got carried away by headline-catching projects. In Gujarat the
American NGO’s were dead keen on the ”Adopt a village” idea, which
made great television. They spent days driving around looking for a
suitable candidate with preferably an articulate, photogenic head
man. In her experience, said my Christian Aid friend dryly, the
neediest people in disasters are not necessarily the most
vocal. Instead of a charismatic village head man, they’d have been
better off getting in touch with the local Sangam or women’s
group. Every Indian village has one. They are the people who really
know where the help is needed.

A year after Bam, President Mohammad Khatami is claiming that only
$A42 million of the $A2.5 billion worth of international aid promised
has been delivered. Sixteen years after the Armenian quake, only 50 of
the 256 houses destroyed in the village of Saramej have been
rebuilt. With many foreign tourists among the casualties, Sunday’s
victims can expect masses of aid, but how much of it will filter
through to tiny rural communities? Natural disasters are often
referred to, particularly by insurance companies, as Acts of God. Was
there ever a more cogent argument for becoming an atheist? This is the
first Christmas I didn’t go to Midnight Mass. With the benefit of
hindsight would there really have been much point? – The Independent

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress