ARKA News Agency
Dec 27 2004

Louise-Simon Manoukyan, renowned American benefactor of Armenian
origin visits Nagorno Karabakh

NKR National Assembly passes draft law on state budget for 2005

17 graduates of spiritual seminaries imposed in St. Echmiadzin

World Vision-Armenia organizes New Year’s event for especially needy
children

Armenian delegation headed by RA Defence Minister leaves for Moscow
today

Celibate Priest Zohrab Kostanyan appointed Director of Youth Center
of Armenian Apostolic Church

Robert Kocharian signs decree on founding of annual youth prize of
Armenian President

GDP growth in Armenia in result of 11 months of 2004 made 10%

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LOUISE-SIMON MANOUKYAN, RENOWNED AMERICAN BENEFACTOR OF ARMENIAN
ORIGIN VISITS NAGORNO KARABAKH

STEPANAKERT, December 27. /ARKA/. Louise-Simon Manoukyan, renowned
American benefactor of Armenian origin visits Nagorno Karabakh.
According to the ARKA own correspondent in Stepanakert, the
yesterday, the benefactor visited a number of institutions and
residential houses of Stepanakert, accompanied by Arkady Ghukasyan,
the NKR President, Anushavan Danielyan, the NKR Prime-Minister and
other authorities of the republic. Louise-Simon Manoukyan on the spot
asked about the process of construction of school N7, which is being
built on her initiative, visited the chess school of Stepanakert,
11-storey residential house for families of perished servicemen,
boarding school, and other public institutions of the capital.
Speaking about the objectives of the visit of the known benefactor to
Nagorno Karabakh, the NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan said that
Louis-Simon Manoukyan is the key benefactor of Nagorno Karabakh, who
actively participates in many programs – construction of roads,
schools, houses. `Therefore, she wishes to see the results of the
work started on her initiative’, said Ghukasyan.
During the last TV marathon held in Los Angeles, Louis-Simon
Manoukyan provided $2 mln to Nagorno Karabakh. L.V.-0–

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NKR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES DRAFT LAW ON STATE BUDGET FOR 2005

STEPANAKERT, December 27. /ARKA/. The NKR National Assembly passed
the draft law on state budget for 2005 by a majority vote. According
to the Press Service Department of NKR NA, Spartak Tevosyan, the NKR
Minister of Finance and Economy, who presented the final variant of
the draft, said that the final draft included 7 new suggestions of
the Parliament and the Government.
Speaking about the document discussed, Oleg Yesayan, the NKR NA
Speaker noted that the draft is rather realistic and essentially
differs from the budgets of previous years by its contents.
Note, volume of NKR state budget will amount to AMD 21,036 bln in
2005. The state budget revenue will make AMD 6,460 bln, the
expenditure item – AMD 21,325 bln against AMD 15,249 bln in 2004. The
budget deficit will make AMD 14,865 bln. In 2005, Armenia will grant
NKR with the annual intergovernmental credit to the sum of more than
AMD 13,636 bln. ($1 – AMD 484,37). L.V.–0 –

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17 GRADUATES OF SPIRITUAL SEMINARIES IMPOSED IN ST. ECHMIADZIN

YEREVAN, December 27. /ARKA/. 17 graduates of spiritual seminaries
imposed in deacons in St. Echmiadzin. The imposing ceremony was held
today by the Head of Nor-Nakhichevan and Russian Eparchy of Armenian
Apostolic Church Yerzas Nersisian during the liturgy dedicated to the
holyday of St. Apostle Steven, which is also a holiday of deacons.
After the liturgy, Catholicos of All Armenian Garegin II turned to
the newly imposed deacons. He expressed joy to joining of 17 deacons
and called to them to be `strong in faith and spirit’. L.D. –0–

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WORLD VISION-ARMENIA ORGANIZES NEW YEAR’S EVENT FOR ESPECIALLY NEEDY
CHILDREN

YEREVAN, December 27. /ARKA/. On January 13, 2005, Malatya-Sebastia
Children’s Centre World Vision-Armenia organizes a New Year’s event
for especially needy children in the framework of children protection
program. As the Malatya-Sebastia Children’s Centre told ARKA, Arthur
Baghdasaryan, the RA NA Speaker is invited to the event, as well as
deputies, representatives of Ministries, NGOs, and heads of
Malatya-Sebastia communities, parents and children. The press release
states that the traditional event under the slogan `Let’s lend a
hand, friends’ will be forestalled by the exhibition of works of
children requiring special care. `Vahan’, `Paros’, `Tatev’ and `Jakh’
NGOs involved in problems of disabled will also participate in the
event.
World Vision – Armenia humanitarian organization was established in
Armenia in 1988 right after Spitak earthquake of 1988. Since 1996,
World Vision-Armenia has provided credits to the total sum of $5,4
mln to entrepreneurs. The credits helped to create 9800 workplaces,
thus assisting more than 12 500 children. L.V.–0–

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ARMENIAN DELEGATION HEADED BY RA DEFENCE MINISTER LEAVES FOR MOSCOW
TODAY

YEREVAN, December 27. /ARKA/. Armenian delegation leaves for Moscow
today headed by Serge Sargsian, the RA Defence Minister and
Co-chairman of Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on
Economic Cooperation. According to Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, the
Press-Secretary of RA Defense Ministry, during his visit, Serge
Sargsian and the Russian Co-chairman Igor Levitin, the RF Minister of
Transport will participate in the 6th session of Armenian-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation to be held on
December 28. The agenda will include issues relating to fulfillment
of the protocol of the 5th session of the Commission held on February
5, 2003 and the protocol of the Co-chairmen of the Intergovernmental
Commission signed on October 14, 2004. In addition, the participants
of the session will discuss the situation and possibilities of
development of the agreement-legal base between the two countries, as
well as issues of cooperation in communication, trade-economic
sphere, transport, financial and humanitarian and fuel-energy areas.
Armenian delegation will return to Yerevan on December 29. L.V. – 0–

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CELIBATE PRIEST ZOHRAB KOSTANYAN APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF YOUTH CENTER
OF ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH

YEREVAN, December 27. /ARKA/. By high decree of Catholicos of All
Armenians His Holiness Garegin II, Celibate Priest Zohrab Kostanyan
was appointed Director of Youth Center of Armenian Apostolic Church
and Spiritual Pastor of the University Students, as Holy Echmiadzin
Press Chancellery told ARKA. At that Zohrab was released from the
position of Deputy Director of Shighakat TV company. T.M. -0 –

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ROBERT KOCHARIAN SIGNS DECREE ON FOUNDING OF ANNUAL YOUTH PRIZE OF
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, December 27. /ARKA/. Robert Kocharian signed a decree on
founding of youth prize of Armenian President. As Armenian President
Press Service told ARKA, the youth prize of the Head of the State is
related to the agreement concluded with Robert Poghosyan & Sons
Foundation representatives Jean and Albert Poghosyan and Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund. Annually three prizes will be awarded to pictorial
arts and cinema (including painting, sculpture, graphics, tapestry,
ceramics, photo art, design etc.) and one prize to music and
literature figures.
As it is mentioned in the press release, the Armenian President
approved the staff of the three awarding commissions. The commissions
are staffed by such Armenian famous artists and writers as Robert
Elibekyan, Martin Vardazaryan, Arax Davtyan, Aghasi Ayvazyan etc.) as
well as each commission will have one representative of Poghosyan &
Sons Foundation. T.M. -0–

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GDP GROWTH IN ARMENIA IN RESULT OF 11 MONTHS OF 2004 MADE 10%

YEREVAN, December 27. /ARKA/. GDP growth in Armenia in result of 11
months of 2004 made 10%, RA President’s press office told ARKA that
it was stated by RA President Robert Kocharian during traditional
annual meeting with businessmen. He expressed satisfaction with
registered economic indicators and noted that budget in 2004 will be
fulfilled with excess. `It is first time we have opportunity to
increase state budget by 12 billion AMD in the middle of the year and
direct additional assets on capital construction. Growth of given
sphere made 16%’, Kocharian said. HE also said that annual growth of
export, excluding diamond processing makes 25%. `These numbers show
that some structure changes are made in the economy of the republic,
potential is growing. It is very serious change, serious achievement
and we hope that it will be continued in 2005 as well’, Kocharian
said. L.D. –0–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
Dec 27 2004

“BEGINNING OF YEAR CAN BE MARKED WITH RESIGNATIONS”

27.12.2004 16:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Golos Armenii pro-governmental Armenian newspaper
published an astrological forecast for the coming year of Cockerel.
According to this forecast, the year promises to be rather unstable.
“The influence of the planets testifies that the beginning of the
year in Armenia can be marked with resignation of some high rank
officials and unexpected appointments. In Armenia and many other
countries new figures with a big but not always positive potential
will appear on the political arena”, the newspaper continues without
clarifying the sources the data was received from. The rest of the
article is rather remote from astrology, so we omit it.

PanArmenian News
Dec 27 2004

IS TIMOSHENKO REALLY ARMENIAN?

27.12.2004 15:10

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the press conference held on December 26 “an
Azeri journalist with horror asked Yulia Timoshenko whether she
really has Armenian roots”. According to the rumors, Timoshenko’s
maiden name is Gregian (short from Grigorian). Timoshenko herself
refuted the hearsay stating that ” she is Latvian by father and
Ukrainian by mother”, Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper writes. With an
odd regularity all the recent revolutionists including Saakashvili
and Timoshenko “are suspected” of having Armenian roots. However,
they themselves deny such suppositions. The exception was Z. Zhvania,
who said he is Armenian by mother. To complete the picture let us
note that the first Armenian mentioned in the historical sources was
Khaldita. As Persian King Darius I informs in his notes, our smart
compatriot posing as the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar launched a
revolution to overthrow the Persian dominion. According to the data
available, he was also asserting he is not Armenian. It seems to
become a tradition…

PanArmenian News
Dec 25 2004

ARMENIAN CONTINGENT CAN LEAVE FOR IRAQ ALREADY JANUARY 5

25.12.2004 15:04

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yesterday by 10 p.m. at its closed sitting the
Armenian Parliament passed a decision to send Armenian military
specialists to Iraq. 91 deputies voted for it, 23 – against it, while
one abstained. Justice opposition faction and Dashnaktsutyun party,
forming part of the ruling coalition, voted against. The rest of the
factions, including the oppositionist National Unity, voted for
Armenia joining the Memorandum concluded between Poland and 19 other
countries, including Armenia. Thus, 46 Armenian specialists,
including one common commander, one signal officer at the staff of
the Polish division in Iraq, a platoon commander, three physicians (a
cardiologist, a general practitioner and a psychiatrist), 10 sappers
and 30 drivers will leave for Iraq. A salary of 600 thousand Armenian
drams will be paid to them from the state budget of Armenia, while
the US Government will cover the rest of the costs. At the same time,
a survey held by Vox Populi center for public opinion research shows
that only 6% of Armenian citizens, who took part in the study, have a
positive attitude towards sending Armenian specialists to Iraq.
Meanwhile 24% of the respondents do not have an opinion on the matter
and 60% hold a negative posture on the decision in question.
Nevertheless, in the words of the Armenian Defense Minister, the
Armenian contingent may be sent to Iraq already in January. All the
specialists leaving for Iraq are volunteers. The main doubts in the
society over the decision in question concern apprehensions regarding
the security of Armenian Diaspora in Arab countries, who can become
targets of attacks by Islamic radicals.

Turkey, the EU and religion

Faith in Europe

Dec 16th 2004
The Economist print edition

The Turkish republic is not as secular as it seems. To become
European, it will have to change

AN EVER closer partnership between Turkey and the European Union,
culminating in full Turkish membership, can only be good for relations
between Islam and the West. It will show that western nations have no
insuperable prejudice against Islam-and it will confirm Turkey’s role
as a nation whose Muslim heritage is fully compatible with democracy.

Those are the main reasons why European leaders were expected on
December 17th to endorse the opening of talks to make Turkey the EU’s
first mainly Muslim member. The Turks have worked hard to groom
themselves for Europe. But the negotiators from Brussels and Ankara
will be deceiving themselves, and perhaps riding for a fall, if they
underestimate the amount of ground they still need to travel. Among
the trickiest issues is the existence in Turkey of a relationship
between religion and the state that differs from the varied, and often
bizarre, arrangements of western Europe.

Paradoxically, the aspect of Turkey’s system that Europeans find
strangest is the curb it places on its own prevailing religion. Turkey
is often called a secular state, whose citizens happen to be
Muslim. In fact, Turkey is far from secular, if that implies an
arm’s-length relationship between faith and politics. The masters of
Turkey’s 81-year-old republic have always felt that religion is too
sensitive to leave to clerics alone. A vast state bureaucracy oversees
spiritual life; it hires imams, tells them what to preach, and runs
religious schools.

 One size fits all The effect is to steer most Turks down a narrow
religious path; they are taught to be devout Muslims, but they may not
push their piety further thanthe state allows. By banning headscarves
in universities as well as all government premises, the state imposes
a far harsher restriction on devout Muslim women than the ban on
scarves (and other obvious signs of faith) in French schools. As a
result, some Turkish women get no higher education. Nor is life easy
for millions of Turks who follow the liberal Alevi form of the Muslim
faith, not the Sunni Islam taught in schools. For the state, all
Muslims are the same; too bad for Alevis who want to opt out of Sunni
education.

What about Turkey’s tiny non-Muslim communities? Here again, history
weighs heavily. As Turks learn at school, the avoidance of any special
status for religious minorities was a master-stroke by their state’s
founders: the western powers wanted such privileges, but the republic
resisted their wiles. Those negotiations ended in the 1923 Treaty of
Lausanne, which promises limited cultural and religious rights for the
Greek Orthodox, the Armenians and Jewsâ=80’with the result that
Turkish policy still distinguishes `Lausanne minorities’ from
others. When some Turks argued recently that the treaty, properly
read, implied fair treatment of all minorities, this triggered a
furious row-and dark murmurings from the military.

In any case, joining the EU will oblige Turkey to be far more decent
in its treatment of religious minorities than the Lausanne treaty
ordains. As evidence for a lack of decency, witness Turkey’s de facto
ban on training for Christian clergy; and the recent Turkish-American
row over the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul. As Turkey’s government
reaffirmed, it disputes the right not just of its own citizens, but of
Christians in America, to accord the patriarch his `primacy of honour’
in the Orthodox world: this is a curious act of discourtesy to a
religious leader who warmly backs Turkey’s European hopes.

Whatever Turkey’s failings, do Europeans have any right to lecture the
Turks? Europe’s religious scene is full of weird anachronisms. The
British prime minister still chooses the senior prelate of the
Anglican Church. In one part of Greece, Muslim muftis exercise
judicial powers, while in Athens, Muslims cannot get official
recognition for a single mosque. Denmark is one of Europe’s most
secular societies, but its Lutheran church enjoys huge
privileges. Allthese arrangements are likely to be challenged as
Europe grows more diverse.

Where does that leave Turkey? It would be nice, but naive, to regard
its system as simply one small variation in a colourful religious
scene. It is one thing for a state to give privileges to a particular
church, which then governs itself; quite another for a state to
micro-manage the whole of religious life.

Given its own diversity, it would be silly for the EU to impose on
Turkey some precise model for religious affairs. But Turkey won’t be a
liberal democracy in the European sense until state interference in
the world of faith becomes the exception, not the rule-and unless all
religious communities can worship, own property and form associations
freely.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ARMENIANS TO FACE COMPUTER DATABASE FAILURES JAN 1 2005

TSAGHKADZOR, DECEMBER 27. ARMINFO. Tens of thousands of holders of
social security cards may face computer database failures while
carrying out financial and social transactions. Such an opinion was
expressed during the “Social Security Cards Application” workshop held
recently in Tsaghkadzor by Social Reforms Program with the financial
support of USAID-PADCO.

All the problems will be quickly eliminated though.

The PR executive of Armenia’s Labor and Social Security Ministry
Hasmik Khachatryan says that Jan 1 2005 all Armenian citizens will
have to obligatorily hold social security cards. 2,730,137 people have
applied for the cards with 1,542,850 cards issued by territorial
social services.

To remind, the law on social security cards application took force
July 1 2004. The law say that each Armenian citizens should be give a
social security card upon providing an authorized body with necessary
information and documentation about himself. He should obligatorily
mention his card number when receiving his salary, pension, allowance
or compensation as well as when making social payments, paying taxes
and duties, opening banking accounts. Having no social security card
is administratively punishable.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PHILANTHROPIST FROM USA LUIS-SIMON MANUKIAN VISITS NAGORNY KARABAKH

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 27. ARMINFO. Famous philanthropist from the USA
Luis-Simon Manukian was in Stepanakert to get acquainted with the
course of construction works being implemented by the funds allocated
by her.

ARMINFO’s own correspondent in Stepanakert informs, with President of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghoukassian and Prime Minister
Anushavan Danielian she had visited the chess school, the residential
building allotted to the families of the lost in the Karabakh war, old
people’s house and other facilities. The contribution of Luis-Simon
Manukian to the restoration and development of NKR is more significant
among the representatives of Armenian diaspora. During the telethon
in Los Angeles she had allocated $2 mln for continuation of the
construction of the highroad North-South.

NEW TIMES CONDEMNS ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT’S RATIFYING MEMORANDUM ON
DISPATCH OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO IRAQ

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27. ARMINFO. The party New Times, headed by
Politologist Aram Karapetian, condemns Armenian parliament’s ratifying
the Memorandum on dispatch of Armenian peacekeeping contingent to
Iraq.

According to the statement of the party New Times, provided to
ARMINFO, the decision of Armenian parliament is nothing at least
myopic. One should suppose that there is nothing good in the
resolution passed by the parliament. Nevertheless, there is something
good here – working places for 50 Armenian peacekeepers and 40,000
working places, promised by the president of Armenia , said in the
statement of the party New Times.

ABDULLAH GUL: THE “GENOCIDE” WILL BE THE STRONGEST CHALLENGE OF 2005

Azg/arm 28 Dec 04

The foreign minister of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, made a speech at the
Turkish parliament these days clarifying the results of the EU summit
on December 16-17. On December 25, TurkishRadicalnewspaper touched on
the key moments of the minister’s speech who had singled out the
struggle against ArmenianGenocide’s international recognition as vital
one in the Turkey-EU walk. Here is whatRadicalwrote: “We have
estimated all possible developments of the coming year, all possible
issues that will arise, the issues that need to be highlighted, the
issues that Turkey will soon face but the Turkish community is unaware
of. The first issue is the Armenian Cause. Apart from the present, we
can never allow that our ancestors and the past bear the stigma of
such condemnations. It should be explained to the world. Though we
try, I still doubt over the efficiency of our explanations. The
employees of the Foreign Ministry said yesterday that “while they
(Armenians) spend hundred we spend thousand against it”. The issue is
in the spotlight of a number of establishments, including the Foreign
Ministry. We carefully discuss the issue, we shall talk it over again
after reviewing the methods of the (fight).

As far as I know, historians, scientists that include them
(Armenians), meet with few scientists from Turkey, and we encourage
these meetings. There wasa meeting in Vienna lately. But they did not
participate at the meeting though they indirectly sent their
views. From the Armenians’ viewpoint, this was also a step. These
arrangements can develop in future. We cannot avoid it.

We have to know what measures to take and how to fight against all
these. It’ s useless saying: “They talk such things of us”. If we want
to continue like that we have to resign the European institutions. As
we cannot resign, the only thing to do is to fight to the end, for
that reason we need to get armed. It’ s an undeniable fact that our
fight (over Genocide) with one of the 25 EU states will continue. They
will do everything to stymie our accession to the EU. For that very
reason we shall keep on pushing our policy to reach a desirable
solution in the issues of the genocide acknowledgment and the Cyprus
issues. In any other case, we shall face enforcement. If we are
successful in our policy, the initiative for solutions will come from
us, and that, I believe, will bring relief (on our way with the EU)”.

By Hakob Chakrian

POSITION CHANGES AT RA FOREIGN MINISTRY

Azg/arm
28 Dec 04

By the decree of RA President Robert Kocharian, Armen Bayburdian, RA
ambassador to India, was appointed RA deputy foreign minister. Vartan
Oskanian affirmed at one of his last press conferences that a number
of new position changes are envisaged.

Gagik Baghdasarian and Arman Kirakosian, RA ambassadors to Italy and
the US, will soon return to Armenia. While Gegham Gharibjanian, RA
ambassador to Iran and RA representative to Qatar, has already
returned to Yerevan. He is likely to be appointed RA deputy foreign
minister as well.

At present, Ruben Shugarian, Tatoul Margarian and Armen Bayburdian are
RA deputy foreign ministers. Ruben Shugarian is to leave for Rome to
become RA ambassador to Italy. Tatoul Margarian will leave for the US
as RA ambassador. Armen Bayburdian has already been RA deputy foreign
minister in 1997-2000. In 2000 he was appointed RA ambassador to
India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Bayburdian, 40, is an expert
of the Armenian-European relations.

Karen Nazarian, councilors of Vartan Oskanian, former RA permanent
representative to Geneva, also expects a new position. He is also an
expert of the Armenian-European relations. At present, Garnik
Badalian, RA consul, is the acting RA ambassador to Teheran.

By Tatoul Hakobian