PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
December 10, 2004

His Holiness Karekin II Consecrates Church of St. Astvatsatsin

On December 9, the newly constructed church of St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother
of God) was consecrated in the village of Arevashogh, Diocese of Gougark.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
offered the service of consecration and presided during the ceremonies.
Assisting His Holiness were His Eminence Archbishop Grigoris Buniatian,
primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Ukraine; His Eminence Archbishop
Barkev Martirosian, primate of the Diocese of Artsakh (Republic of Nagorno
Karabagh); and His Grace Bishop Navasard Ktchoyan, Vicar of the Araratian
Pontifical Diocese.

The foundation of the church had been laid and blessed in August 2003 and
was built through the patronage of Mr. Samvel Adamian from Donetsk, Ukraine.

His Holiness’ entourage was greeted at the border of the Lori region, near
the city limits of Spitak, by the primate of the Diocese of Gougark, His
Grace Bishop Sepouh Chouljian; the governor of the Lori Region, Henrik
Kochinian; and a delegation of regional and municipal authorities. The
Pontifical delegation was escorted to the village of Arevashogh, where His
Holiness was welcomed by hundreds of faithful who offered bread and salt to
be blessed.

Inside the newly built church, the primate of the diocese, Bishop Sepouh
greeted His Holiness Karekin II stating, “The Pontiff of All Armenians is
with us today, who has come from Holy Etchmiadzin to bring consolation to
his sons and daughters, and to bless and consecrate this sanctuary of
worship and house of prayer. By consecrating this church, the Catholicos
will be blessing all of us, and from this time forth, this sanctuary will
become a fortress of Armenian faith.”

With the singing of spiritually uplifting hymns and the recitation of
psalms, His Holiness consecrated the holy altar of the church with Holy
Muron (Chrism). The four bishops present assisted His Holiness during the
service, and consecrated the baptismal font and sixteen columns of the
church.

At the end of the service, the Catholicos of All Armenians addressed his
message of blessing to the faithful of Arevashogh:

“Today a new blessing is descending from heaven upon the village of
Arevashogh, because together with you, in prayer and worship, we consecrated
this new church in the name of the Holy Mother of God. From this day on,
the doors of this church will be open before all of you, so you can come and
stand before the holy altar, to offer your prayers to heaven in the presence
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to submit your request to God. With this
church, your lives will progress according to the commandments and love of
the Gospel, and goodness will flow from above into your lives.

“.For more than seventeen centuries, ‘the Church of the Armenians’ has been
the birthplace of every Armenian soul, where the faith of each Armenian has
been fortified, his courageous will and spirit has been molded, and he has
been able to withstand manifold tribulations that have befallen our people
throughout history. Today, the temptations are no less for our nation:
economic and social difficulties, the undesirable moral condition in our
country, and numerous attacks in the spiritual field seeking to damage and
shake our ancient faith. However, we are confident and have always
believed, that each church which opens her doors before the faithful becomes
a new fortress of our spiritual life, an impregnable citadel of our
steadfast faith, intended to keep and protect our Armenian people, complete
and serene, unified and in one accord.”

His Holiness also extended words of commendation to the primate of the
Diocese of Gougark for his dedicated and devoted service, as well as to the
regional authorities who assist Bishop Sepouh in the accomplishment of his
mission.

In appreciation of the church-building activities of the benefactor, Samvel
Adamian, His Holiness bestowed upon him the highest medal of the Armenian
Church – the Order of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. His Holiness presented
the new church with a gift of a chalice to be used for Holy Communion. The
Catholicos concluded his message to the faithful stating, “If daily prayers
are not offered under her arches, this church will remain only a building
built of stone.”, and urged the villagers to keep their faith steadfast and
their loyalty to the spirit and inheritance of their forebears unshaken.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARCHBISHOP’S ANNUAL APPEAL 2004 SHOWCASED DURING GATHERING OF
BOSTON-AREA PARISHIONERS

BOSTON, December 9 (Noyan Tapan). On Wednesday, December 1, more than
70 Armenians from local parishes throughout the Boston area attended a
reception, during which they were introduced to the Archbishop’s
Annual Appeal 2004 and the future plans of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern).

According to the Press Office of the Diocese, the reception, hosted by
The Guleserian Family at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge,
MA, was one of many regional receptions being organized to give
parishioners a chance to meet with Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Primate; members of the Diocesan Council; and representatives from the
Diocesan staff.

The evenings are a chance for parishioners to get a better
understanding of what the Diocese does to further the Armenian
Christian faith, and why donating to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal
2004 makes a difference.

“People appreciated the Primate’s presence there, and the ability to
ask questions,” said John Amboian, vice chair of the Diocesan Council,
who attended the reception. “And they came away saying it was very
informative. They really learned how those funds will be
utilized. Some people think, when they give to something like the
Archbishop’s Annual Appeal that it will be used to pay rent or
utilities. But the point is that’s not right. We’re using those funds
to expand our programs and ministries that serve our parishes.”

The discussions on Diocesan programs and ministries focused on efforts
targeting six areas: building a better understanding of our faith,
engaging young people, supporting emerging Armenian communities,
providing continuing education and leadership training for clergy and
lay leaders, finding new ways to communicate with every Armenian, and
building a foundation of stewardship in all our parishes.

Christopher Tashjian, a member of the Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA) Central Council, told the attendees
how he personally has benefited from programs and ministries operated
by the Eastern Diocese thanks to the continuous support of the
Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

The reception is just one of several planned throughout the Diocese
this winter. The Primate and Diocesan leaders already met with
parishioners in Chicago. They will gather in New Jersey on December
10; at the Church of the Holy Martyrs in Bayside, NY, on December 16;
and at the St. John Church in Southfield, MI, on January 20. Other
events are being planned.

“We want to meet with the faithful and answer their questions and hear
their suggestions,” said Archbishop Barsamian. “We want to show them
how the Diocese, thanks to their support, is working to make the
Armenian Church a vital part of each Armenian’s life.”

The receptions are not just for donors, but are open to every
Armenian.

ARCHBISHOP AGHAN BALIOZIAN AMONG A TEN-PERSON DELEGATION FROM
AUSTRALIA TO VISIT INDONESIA FOR DIALOGUE ON INTERFAITH COOPERATION

SYDNEY, December 9 (Noyan Tapan). The 10-person delegation from
Australia arrived this morning after participating in a Dialogue on
Interfaith Cooperation in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Dialogue involved
religious leaders from the major faiths and religions and Interfaith
experts from the South East Asia region that included Australia,
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and
Viet Nam. The theme of the Dialogue was “Dialogue on Interfaith
Cooperation: Community Building and Harmony”.

At the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, the
Hon. Alexander Downer M.P., His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian,
Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Australia
and New Zealand, was among the delegation from Australia that included
six Christian leaders representing the Catholic, Anglican, Uniting,
Lutheran and Armenian Orthodox Churches, plus representatives from the
Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu faiths.

According to the Press Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
Australia and New Zealand, the Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation is a
joint Australia-Indonesia initiative announced by Mr Downer and his
Indonesian counterpart, H.E. Dr N. Hassan Wirajuda at the ASEAN
meetings in Jakarta in July.

The broad objective of the Dialogue is to convene discussion among
world denominations and to foster greater understanding and
cooperation between the various faith communities in the region. By
working together more closely, there is also much potential to resolve
the challenges that face communities today.

On his return, Archbishop Aghan said: “It was a high level delegation
that demonstrated a mutual respect and understanding toward differing
faiths and beliefs. It is with real hope that the dialogue will
continue to create real harmony in the region.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACCORDING TO IRAQ’S NATIONAL BOARD CHAIRMAN, ASSAULT AGAINST CHURCHES
IN MOSUL HAS PURELY ANTICHRISTIAN CHARACTER

YEREVAN, December 9 (Noyan Tapan). The RA Ministry of Foreign Assairs
issued a press release about the assault made against the Armenian
Apostolic and Chaldean churches in Iraq that reads:

“After the explosion of two mosques in Iraq on December 5 an assault
was made against the Armenian Apostolic and Chaldean churches in
Mosul. Before that these armed groups had stated that a church would
be exploded for each exploded mosque. On December 7, at noon unknown
armed people broke into the Armenian church under construction, forced
all the people out of the building and declared they were going to
destroy it. After that a car with explosives was driven to the church
entrance and exploded, as a result of which the building was severely
damaged.

By the same scenario an attack was made on the Chaldean church, the
only difference being that a great fire broke out there destroying all
the property inside. There were no victims in both cases. On the
morning of December 8 some armed people appeared again at the Armenian
church and started looting everything.

According to the opinion expressed by Iraq’s Armenian National Central
Board Chairman, these asssults have purely anti-Christian character
witout any ethnic nuance.”

Armenian foreign minister meets NATO, EU reps in Brussels

Mediamax news agency
10 Dec 04

YEREVAN

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and the special
representative of the NATO secretary-general for the Caucasus and
Central Asia, Robert Simmons, have discussed the elaboration of the
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) between Armenia and NATO in
Brussels.

On 9 December, Oskanyan also met the EU special representative in the
South Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, in Brussels. The parties discussed
the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and Armenia’s
involvement in the EU’s New Neighbourhood Policy.

Russia to continue helping Tajikistan protect border with Afghanistan

ITAR-TASS news agency
10 Dec 04

Moscow, 10 December: If necessary, Tajikistan’s power-wielding
structures “can always count on all-round help and support from our
military base and the operational border groups of Russia’s Federal
Security Service that are being set up there,” Russian Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov said at a meeting with representatives of the
military-diplomatic corps today.

He noted that the collective security system definitely takes account
of the drug threat emanating from Afghanistan. “We take account of the
presence of this threat and help the border and anti-drug structures
with all accessible means to create a barrier to drug trafficking in
that country,” Ivanov said. In particular, he continued, one of the
main tasks of the Russian troops’ military base in Tajikistan, which
the 201st Motor-Rifle Division was turned into this year, is to
protect border posts on the Tajik-Afghan border. According to Ivanov,
such measures are needed because, starting from 1992, the Russian
border guards confiscated over 29 tonnes of narcotic substances and
prevented at least 1,500 attempts at armed breakthroughs across
Afghanistan’s border into the countries of Central Asia.

As well as Tajikistan, Russian service personnel are present in
Georgia and Armenia, where the Group of Russian Troops in the
Transcaucasus is deployed, as well as in Kyrgyzstan, where “we are
continuing to actively develop the air base in Kant”. “These
formations are most important elements in the overall system of
ensuring the security both of Russia on its southern borders, and the
collective security of countries participating in the Collective
Security Treaty Organization and the whole of the CIS,” Ivanov said.

The Age , Australia
Dec 10 2004

Reluctant welcome mat for Turkey
December 11, 2004

Some members of Old Europe are nervous about the likelihood of Muslim
Turkey joining the EU. Peter Fray reports in Ankara.

Politicians don’t come much more surprising, or anxious, than
Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Having served a jail
term eight years ago for inciting religious hatred, he has
re-invented himself, his Islamic-based party and his nation.

After 40 years of courtship, Turkey, once better known for its
torture of prisoners and the undue political influence of its
generals, is now on the point of acceptance by the European Union.
But, just days before the EU decides whether and when it will start
talks aimed at Turkey’s eventual accession, signs are gathering that
may render Erdogan’s political gymnastics futile.

The problem isn’t so much with Turkey, which has undergone a radical
reform of its economy, police, judiciary and human rights record,
especially its treatment of the Kurds, but with Western Europe.
Europe, it seems, has only just woken up to the implications of more
than 70 million Muslims – 95 per cent of whom live in Asia – joining
what some still prefer to see as a solely Western, if not Christian,
club.

Having repelled the invading Ottomans at the gates of Vienna in the
late 17th century, Western Europe has set the scene to again stall
Turkish mass migration – this time for the thousands of young Turks
whose dream is for better jobs and education. EU leaders will decide
at a summit on Friday whether to open accession talks with Turkey.

With several European nations struggling to deal with their own
expanding Muslim communities, most notably in France, Germany,
Austria and Holland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, the
Turkey acid test has arrived at an inopportune time.

Divisions on Turkey are becoming the fault-line in European political
discourse, often pitching senior figures of the same party or
persuasion against each other. In France, President Jacques Chirac
supports Turkey’s bid while his Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
and, more importantly, his would-be nemesis and successor, Nikolas
Sarkozy, say neither Turkey nor Europe is ready.

“What is at the heart of French concerns is (Turkey’s) size and it is
Islam,” says Dominique Moisi, deputy director of the French Foreign
Affairs Institute.

“We have 5 million Muslims in France and we see Turkey and we
spontaneously think of the difficulties in French society. It is
(about) fear, stereotypes, prejudice. We have failed to integrate 5
million Muslims – how can Europe succeed in integrating 70 million?”
says Moisi.

While Turkey’s possible accession to the EU is likely to be over a
decade away, events over coming days will be a watershed for both
Turkish aspirations and the EU’s future. EU leaders meeting in
Brussels must resolve the question of how big the 25-nation union can
become. If they agree that Turkey, a NATO member, can enter, they
will acknowledge that Europe can legitimately extend its borders to
Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Syria. For some European MPs, this
will render the EU simply too big, too diverse and too ineffective.

As a senior aide to Germany’s Conservative opposition told The Age:
“You can’t decide such a far-reaching decision to start negotiations
with Turkey without having had a debate about where are the borders
of Europe, not only geographic borders but also the political and
cultural borders. If Turkey comes into the EU in 2015, they might
have more inhabitants than Germany. It might be 80 million or more,
it might well become the biggest member, with mostly Muslims. This is
not a question that we don’t want Muslims here and so on, but it is
another culture.”

Turkey has sought to turn its potential as a bridge to Asia and the
Middle East, not to mention its 600,000-strong standing army (the
largest in Europe), to its advantage. Turkish Foreign Ministry
officials note the country’s military has taken a lead role in
bringing stability to Afghanistan and was able to talk to influential
Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Sistani when no other Western country could
get in the room. It also has a long-standing and close relationship
with Israel and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “We can talk with
everybody,” says a senior Turkish diplomatic official, who declines
to be named. “They all talk to Turkey. We are not going there to get
a piece of the existing cake. We will make the cake bigger and then
we get a piece from the cake.”

But desperate as it is to gain access to Europe and realise the dream
of its founding father, Kemal Ataturk, for his nation to face
westwards, Turkey will not prostitute itself for Europe. Nor will it
wait forever.

The country’s ambassador to the EU, Oguz Demiralp, has warned in
recent days that Turkey will not remain in the EU’s orbit if it is
blocked from membership.

Though Demiralp’s comments were seen as mainly a diplomatic
one-upmanship, the country does have other options. In the late
1990s, then Prime Minister Necmetin Erbakan started the so-called D-8
group of Islamic nations that included Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria,
Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran, a potential market of hundreds
of millions of people. As the EU talks get harder, Erbakan’s Islamic
party, Saadet, from which Erdogan’s AK Party was formed, is starting
to push D-8 again.

Even if Brussels agrees to set a date, as most commentators believe
will happen, there is little doubt that many Turks will be
disappointed. As with the 10 new nations that joined the EU countries
in May, there will be restrictions on Turkish workers travelling to
Europe for permanent jobs for several years after eventual accession,
despite the fact that fresh labour will be needed to supplement
Europe’s ageing workforce. Access to welfare benefits in the EU is
also likely to be curtailed.

Erdogan and his officials accept such restrictions, but what they are
now becoming agitated about is a host of other demands not made of
other joining nations. These include the thorny issue of recognition
of Greek Cyprus, which joined the EU in May, and the idea that the
accession talks will be open-ended and might result in something less
than full membership.

Polls show about 75 per cent of Turks support their country’s
membership of the EU, and those with first-hand knowledge speak in
glowing terms of its benefits. About an hour south of Ankara, the
rural town of Kulu, population 30,000, has seen about 35,000 of its
residents leave for jobs in Europe since the mid-1960s. Nearly all of
them have ended up in and around the Swedish capital of Stockholm,
where, say the Turks, there are up to 500 Kulu-run restaurants.
“People in Sweden who don’t know Turkey at all think that Kulu is the
capital,” said retiree Hamza Akdal, whose four children live in
Europe, three in Sweden.

But as the demand for Kulu labour has dried up, the locals have
starting pinning their economic hopes on EU membership. Local chemist
Tayer Budak believes Turkey will get a date from the Brussels talks
and the Kulu-way will be experienced in his country many times over.
“We are not so excited about joining the EU because we have already
experienced it. We want Turkey to see what we have.”

But as Erdogan is discovering, the Turks may be in for a long wait.

Assa-Irada
Dec 10 2004

Peace Talks to Continue in `Prague Format’

Azerbaijan and Armenia will continue talks on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict on the basis of Prague meetings.

This was agreed upon at a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian on Thursday
within the annual session of the North Atlantic Partnership Council.

The parties discussed the current situation with the conflict
resolution at the meeting attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
No details concerning other matters discussed were reported.

Mammadyarov and Oskanian have held five such meetings so far and the
last one took place in Sofia a few days ago. Issues related to
liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and
restoration of transport and other communications were discussed.

Turkish Press
Dec 10 2004

Hopefully In October
BYEGM: 12/10/2004
BY DERYA SAZAK

MILLIYET- In Turkey, the word `ohala’ means `hopefully.’ European
Parliament President Josep Borrel said recently in Brussels, `Turkey
wants to become part of Europe, but it should see the difficulties.
We will accept starting EU membership talks with Turkey. Our
watchword to our Turkish friends concerning membership is ohala.’ The
EP will convene on Dec. 14 in Strasbourg, just three days before the
Dec. 17 EU summit, to approve a decision to start membership talks
with Turkey. The importance of this decision in terms of the leaders’
summit is symbolic, that is, it’s not binding. However, a majority of
votes favoring Turkey might sway European public opinion. Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Turkey’s red lines, and this
might influence the Netherlands’ work reviewing the draft statement
for the summit. However, the latest draft didn’t dispel suspicions
about a date for talks and membership. Paragraphs left blank will be
filled by the leaders during next Friday’s EU summit. If the
screening process begins next April, it’s expected that an
intergovernmental conference meeting will be held in October.
Borrell’s `hopefully’ is based on this. However, if there’s
disagreement among the leaders concerning the nature of Turkey’s
membership or a date for talks, the problem will likely be left to
the European Commission.

Ankara wouldn’t want EU leaders to push the buck to the commission.
This is a worst-case scenario, and Erdogan would freeze the EU
process, as then Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz did during the 1997 EU
summit in Luxembourg. Even if there are certain technical problems in
Brussels, such a conclusion is the least likely scenario. Diplomatic
bargaining will continue until the night of Dec. 17. Obviously
everything won’t end with the beginning of our talks. In Brussels we
might face shocks: demands to de facto recognize the `Cyprus
Republic,’ to find a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, and to
improve relations with Armenia. Everybody in the EP is saying
different things. Before the vote on Dec. 14, the submission of more
than 500 motions shows this, no?

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 10 2004

Armenia: “We should not push away our true friends”

The Armenian newspaper Aravot (Morning) interviewed a member of the
Armat Center and political analyst Stepan Grigorian who recommended
that the current Armenian government reexamine its foreign policy
approaches and be mindful of mistakes.
“You always make a mistake when you follow mistaken approaches. The
same thing took place in connection with Senator Kerry as well as
with Georgia,” he said, adding that it was a mistake for Yerevan to
initially oppose Saakashvili. He said Armenia is continuing its
mistakes in regards to Ukraine.
“Nobody forced our acting government to congratulate Yanukovich on
the victory beforehand, when even CEC had not announced its
decision,” he said. He said that serious, revolutionary processes are
under way in the Ukraine now, but Armenia together with other
“underdeveloped, totalitarian countries” Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Russia congratulated a person who according to
Ukraine’s laws was not elected president.
As Grigorian stated, Russia is unable to develop and little by little
it becomes a weak, semi-totalitarian and semi-authoritarian state
whose economy will collapse. He added that Russia has no resources to
retain its super-power status. He noted ironically that Russia was
not satisfied by the fact that in Abkhazia all the candidates on the
presidential ballot had a pro-Russian orientation.
“I agree with the fact that we should actively cooperate with Russia
and have good neighborly relations. But I am against leaders of our
country being its proteges. The millions of demonstrators in Ukraine
are the expression of a protest against Russia,” he stated.
“Our fault is that the acting authorities in our country cooperate
with those countries and political forces that vote against Armenia.
The United States always makes its decision in favor of Karabakh and
allots us financial assistance – its was exactly a U.S.
representative who suppressed unfavorable actions in the UN. But we
say – “No! Russia is better”… WE should refuse this kind of approach
in order not to push away our true friends,” he concluded.