YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 3-9, 2004

HIGHLIGHTS:

SEVENTH “PRESS-CLUB” SHOW

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS INSTITUTED ON THE IGNITION OF “HAIKAKAN ZHAMANAK” CAR

SEVENTH “PRESS-CLUB” SHOW

On December 6 on the evening air of the Second Armenian TV Channel the
seventh “Press Club” show was issued. The cycle is organized by Yerevan
Press Club under “Strengthening Democracy in South Caucasus by Free
Expression” project, implemented jointly with “Article 19” international
organization with the support of Open Society Institute.

The heads of the leading media and journalistic associations of Armenia
discussed the issue of informational security. The other subject was the
situation in Ukraine after the second round of presidential elections that
had been at the focus of Armenian media attention.

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS INSTITUTED ON THE IGNITION OF “HAIKAKAN ZHAMANAK” CAR

On December 3 the Public Relations and Information Department of the RA
General Prosecutor’s Office informed that on December 2 the criminal
proceedings on the ignition of the car, owned by “Haikakan Zhamanak” daily
and used by the Chief Editor Nikol Pashinian, were instituted. As it has
been reported, the ignition occurred on the evening of November 22 and,
according to the forensic fire examination, was the open source of flame.
The Chief Editor of “Haikakan Zhamanak” himself qualified the incident to be
intentional and directed against him personally (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, November 26 – December 2, 2004).

The proceedings are instituted by items 1 and 2 of Part 2, Article 185 of
the RA Criminal Code (“Intentional destruction or spoilage of property”).
These clauses stipulated punishment of up to 4 years’ imprisonment for an
action, committed by arson, explosion or other publicly dangerous way and
inflicting a major damage. The investigation is conducted by the
Investigation Division of the Yerevan Police.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
375007, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 1) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 1) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

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 9, 2004

His Holiness Karekin II Receives Turkish Intellectuals

On December 8, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, received a group of 30 Turkish scientists, journalists,
authors and intellectuals in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The
delegation from Turkey were members of the “Eastern Assembly Initiative” who
are in Armenia accompanied by Hagop Dink and Ara Kochounian, editors of the
Istanbul-based “Agos” and “Jamanak” newspapers respectively.

Mr. Dink introduced the delegation to His Holiness and expressed the
gratitude of the group for the audience. He noted that the intention of the
participants was to become better acquainted with their neighboring country
and people, and their cultural, economic, political and religious life.

The Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed the guests and greeted the
initiative stating, “An important mission is reserved for intellectuals in
the spheres of education and instruction, in the internal national and
public life of each country, as well as in the formation of mutual
relationships between countries and peoples, and in their progress and
development.”

During the meeting, in response to questions from the Turkish delegation,
His Holiness presented the mission of the Armenian Church throughout the
world, focusing on the difficulties during the Soviet years, and the new
opportunities and challenges in the present day of Armenian independent
statehood. Special mention was made by His Holiness of the pan-national
nature of Armenian life and the work of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
in inter-church and inter-faith ties.

With regards to the current state of Armenia-Turkey relations, His Holiness
specifically emphasized the Armenian Genocide, and stressed that the
genocide is a historical fact which cannot be a point of debate.

Regarding international conflicts in the region, as well as in the Middle
East, the Pontiff of All Armenians underscored the necessity of not
attributing a religious nature or religious grounds to these disputes. His
Holiness stated that an excellent path to resolving and settling these
conflicts would be through inter-faith dialogue.

Concluding his remarks, His Holiness Karekin II extended his best wishes for
the success of the mission of the “Eastern Assembly Initiative”. Present
for the meeting were His Eminence Archbishop Grigoris Buniatian, primate of
the Armenian Diocese of the Ukraine, and His Grace Bishop Arshak
Khatchatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See.

Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service / 08 December 2004

Muslim majority no obstacle to Turkey’s EU bid: Dutch churches

By Andreas Havinga

Amsterdam, 8 December (ENI)–Turkey’s Muslim majority population
should not be a reason for denying the country membership in the
European Union, the Council of Churches in the Netherlands has
said in an open letter to Dutch prime minister Jan Peter
Balkenende.

The EU should, however, insist that Turkey recognise the
Orthodox and other religious minorities within its borders and
this should be a “hard condition” for membership, said the
council, which groups the Protestant, Roman Catholic and
Orthodox churches. It stressed “the importance of respect for
freedom of religion, and for religious and ethnic minorities”.

The Netherlands holds the presidency of the 25 member European
Union. Member states will decide on 17 December about whether to
open talks with Turkey on EU membership.

Turkey’s population of 69 million is second only to that of
Germany’s 82 million people. Demographers estimate that by the
middle of the century, Turkey’s population will exceed that of
any of the EU’s current members.

“The fact that Turkey is a secular state with a Muslim-majority
population certainly poses no obstacle for possible admission of
the country [into the EU],” said the 29 November letter signed by
Ineke Bakker, the Dutch church council’s general secretary.

The church council also pointed out that Turkey still does not
formally recognise the Syrian Orthodox minority living within
its borders.

Turkey does not publish official statistics on religious
affiliation, but estimates say there are between 15,000 and
50,000 Syrian Orthodox Christians in Turkey, while some 12,000
Syrian Orthodox live in the Netherlands. Totalling more than one
million worldwide, Syrian Orthodox read and write Aramaic, the
language that Jesus spoke. Fewer than 0.2 per cent of Turkey’s
population are Christians.

“It would be a special confidence-building sign if the Turkish
authorities were to publicly admit the genocide of 1915,” the
council added, referring to massacre of Armenians by Turkey’s
predecessor, the Ottoman empire, in which also Syrians were
annihilated. Books about the genocide are banned in Turkey.

Istanbul in Turkey is also home to the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople, who is seen as the senior Eastern Orthodox leader
in the world. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I complained this
month about Turkey backtracking on a promise to reopen the Halki
Orthodox seminary, closed by the government in 1971.

“It is important that all religious minorities gain the right to
build and maintain buildings such as churches and monasteries,
to set up theological training, to speak and teach in their own
language, and to be free in carrying out diaconal and other
church-related activities,” the Dutch church council said in its
letter.

In the Netherlands rapid secularisation has occurred in recent
decades while the country has received large numbers of Muslim
immigrants, mainly from Turkey and Morocco. Christians are still
the largest religious grouping in the country, but about 40 per
cent of the Dutch population profess no religious faith and more
than five per cent are Muslim.

* * *
All articles (c) Ecumenical News International

Ecumenical News International
PO Box 2100
CH – 1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland

Tel: (41-22) 791 6088/6111
Fax: (41-22) 788 7244
Email: [email protected]

ARMENIA TO BENEFIT FROM IFAD FUNDS

ArmenPress
Dec 8 2004

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: Armenia is among 17 developing
countries, which will benefit from nearly $320 million in UN loans
and $6.4 million in grants next year. The International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD), meeting at its headquarters in
Rome, approved the loans and grants for rural development projects
in Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso,
Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Jordan, Lesotho, Nepal,
Sudan, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia.

In the Near East and North Africa region, IFAD will provide $64
million in loans to help rural communities in the Tlemcen mountainous
northern region of Algeria, rural mountain districts in Armenia and
poor households in Kordofan, western Sudan, among other projects.

Pope expresses concern for Iraqi Christians after two terror attacks
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

Catholic News Service
Dec 8 2004

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II expressed his concern for
Christians in Iraq after terrorists made fresh attacks on two Christian
sites in the northern city of Mosul.

After praying the Angelus to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s
Square Dec. 8, the pope conveyed his “spiritual closeness to the
faithful, shaken by the attack.”

An Armenian Catholic church and the Chaldean Catholic bishop’s
residence were destroyed Dec. 7 in two separate bomb attacks in Mosul.

The pope prayed for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to help “the
beloved Iraqi people” experience “a time of reconciliation and peace.”

In Mosul, an armed group of commandos stormed the Armenian Catholic
church at 2:30 p.m. Witnesses said the attackers ushered everyone out
of the church, then detonated two bombs, leaving the church in ruins.

About two hours later, another group of armed men attacked the
Chaldean bishop’s residence in another part of the city. The men
ordered people in the building out before setting off explosives,
which engulfed the residence in flames.

No one was killed or injured in the two attacks, according to news
reports.

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad lamented the fresh
violence and warned that local Christians were becoming “increasingly
worried that they will be targets of such acts of violence.”

“Christians are worried about this kind of violence happening over
and over again,” he said in a Dec. 7 interview with Asianews, an
Italian-based missionary news agency.

He said the “Iraqi government is impotent to prevent such acts.”

“I hope Our Lady will give us the courage to continue on our path,”
he said.

Numerous Christian sites, especially churches, have been the targets
of terrorist bombings in Iraq.

As a result, Christians have fled Iraq by the thousands over the last
three months, usually driving to Syria or Jordan. The exact number
of those who have left is unknown, but Syrian media say up to 70,000
Iraqi Christians now live in Syria.

The apostolic nuncio to Baghdad called the Dec. 7 bombings “grave and
cowardly acts against defenseless Christian symbols and institutions.”

Speaking to Asianews, the nuncio, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, said the
Chaldean bishop’s residence “had been receiving threats for some time.”

The nuncio said terrorists had promised “they would destroy a church
for every mosque that was attacked” by U.S.-led forces in Iraq.

Behind these assaults against Christians lies “an exasperated violence
that strikes those who are defenseless,” he said.

The archbishop told Asianews he did not believe there was a link
between the Dec. 7 bombings and the season of Advent. He said he
thought the attackers “just want to do harm.”

The destroyed Armenian church in Mosul had been in the final stages
of construction. It was to be officially consecrated Christmas Day.

Reducing the new church to rubble shows “how little respect terrorists
have for people and holy places,” Archbishop Filoni said.

INDONESIA TO RECEIVE IFAD FUNDS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Asia Pulse
Dec 08, 2004

NEW YORK, Dec 8 Asia Pulse – Indonesia will get a slice of US$312.5
million in assistance and US$6.4 million in grants from the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a statement
said here Tuesday.

IFAD will allocate US$33.8 million of the assistance and US$500,000
of the grant for Indonesia, which will use the funds for its US$37.7
million rural and remote area development program, the statement said.

The funds, it said, should go to small-scale business development in
Indonesia’s rural areas and road development projects in remote areas.

Other countries which will receive the fund are Algeria, Argentina,
Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Ethiopia,
Guatemala, Jordan, Lesotho, Nepal, Sudan, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia,
it said.

The total assistance allocated for the Asia Pacific is US$88.4 million,
including funds for poverty eradication in 841 villages in Vietnam
and a small-scale business development project in Bangladesh.

The total assistance allocated for East Africa and South Africa is
US$76.1 million, which should be used in agricultural improvement
in Tanzania, rural economic development in Zambia and agricultural
product marketing in Ethiopia, it said.

Azeri president announces 30-per-cent increase in military spending for 2005

ANS TV, Baku
7 Dec 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today chaired an
expanded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on the outcome of
2004. Despite his positive assessment of the government’s performance,
the president took sideswipes at some government officials.

[Correspondent, over video of meeting] Military spendings will be
increased by nearly 30 per cent next year; if necessary, we can
increase them by 50, 100 and even 200 per cent in the years to come
as Azerbaijan’s economic potential allows this, the head of state
told the meeting on the outcome of 2004 with the government members
in attendance. No one, including Armenia which has occupied our lands,
can compete with us in this regard, he said. Armenia’s budget is only
500m dollars now, while Azerbaijan’s military spendings are nearly
250m dollars. We will increase this amount until our occupied lands
are liberated. After that, we will have to maintain our army on a
very high level and strengthen it, end quote.

The president said that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity must be
restored. The head of state stressed that the 2004 economic indices
were successful. The speedy integration into the world community,
the expansion of relations with all countries and the successful
implementation of big regional projects have considerably strengthened
Azerbaijan’s position in international organizations and the region,
Aliyev said.

This factor has also had a role to play in getting a stronger
support by the world community for Azerbaijan’s fair position on the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and increasing positive trends in the peace
negotiations. The unconditional restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity remains the main principle of the talks, the president added.

The members of the government informed of the activities of their
ministries and forecasts for the next year. Speaking highly about the
government’s work, the head of state delivered a rebuke as well. He
touched upon the cases of government officials sorting out their
disputes.

[Aliyev, captioned, shown speaking at meeting] In some cases
the government members meddle in issues they have nothing to do
with. Everyone is responsible for and should deal with his sphere. It
is natural if anybody has rebukes or suggestions. There are appropriate
conditions to express these rebukes and suggestions, [there are]
the Cabinet of Ministers, the prime minister, the presidential
administration and the president. Each member of the government may
have his own opinion on any sphere. But it should not mean washing
dirty linen in public in an indecent way. I disapprove of it. I
dislike it. Generally speaking, it is against our work principles.

Every member of the government, each minister and each official should
perform his duties in good faith and dignity and professionally. That
is all. A member of the government is an official, not a politician. If
anyone wants to be a politician, it is his own business. But an
official should mind his own business. I reiterate, I do not think
some other tribunes or other forums are appropriate places to utter
feedback to each other or each other’s work. No, they are not. I
reiterate that I am dissatisfied with these incidents and naturally it
causes counter-reaction. Some pursue an open or hidden fight against
the other in certain cases by involving some media outlets. If you
want to fight, there is a legal way, which means quitting [government]
and joining politics. There is no tragedy here. This way is open for
anyone who wants. If anyone wants to deal with politics, let them do
so. Let us see how they will deal.

Rasad Isgandarov for ANS.

Azeri NGOs appeal to Georgian president over crackdown on ethnic Azeris

ANS TV, Baku
7 Dec 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijani NGOs are braced to make an appeal to
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to prevent a crackdown on
ethic Azerbaijanis living in that country.

[Correspondent, over video of scenes of protest by ethnic Azerbaijanis
and scenes in Georgia] The [Azerbaijani] National NGO Forum has
prepared an appeal to Georgian President Saakashvili in protest at the
crackdown on ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia. The appeal, which says
ethnic Azerbaijanis have been subjected to a crackdown for dozens
of years, reminds Saakashvili of the promise he made ahead of his
election to help ethnic Azerbaijanis resolve their land problem. The
appeal also demands an end to the massive violation of the economic,
political and social rights of more than 650,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis
living in Georgia. Generally, concerned with the plight of ethnic
Azerbaijanis in Georgia, the NGOs believe that the purpose there is to
drive them out of their lands, as was the case in Armenia. The passive
attitude of Georgian NGOs also causes concern. It was decided to hold
negotiations with those NGOs and at the same time set up a monitoring
group to study the situation of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia so
that this group can prepare reports based on its observations and
submit it to international organizations.

[National NGO Forum President Azay Quliyev, captioned] Azerbaijan is an
independent state and should be able to protect its people. Therefore,
I think the fact that the government and authorities of Georgia,
which is a member of the Council of Europe, are making these blunders
and grossly violating human rights like this is at least against
international legal norms, let alone brotherhood and friendship.

[Correspondent] Saying that the neighbouring country’s attitude is
wrong in return for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [main
export] oil pipeline through Georgia and Baku’s tariff concessions, the
NGOs accused Saakashvili of not being frank. Saying that Saakashvili
is a skilled [former Georgian president Zviad] Gamsakhurdia, the
president of the Centre for Political Innovations and Technologies,
Mubariz Ahmadoglu, spoke of the similarity in the ruling principles
of the two. The president of the centre, which studies the situation
in the Caucasus, believes that the existing problem is not a product
of relations between [late Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev and
[former Georgian President Eduard] Shevardnadze or [Azerbaijani
President] Ilham Aliyev and Saakashvili. It has always been in
place. And Georgian-born Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan have a
hand in the existence of the problem.

[Mubariz Ahmadoglu, captioned] There are the lobbies of two states in
Azerbaijan, the US lobby and that of the Georgian government. This
lobby was organized under Shevardnadze and the incumbent [Georgian]
authorities are using it very successfully. The root of the problem
resides in ethnic Azerbaijanis who moved here from Georgia. I don’t
mean all of them. If we can settle [the issue of] Georgian-born
Azerbaijanis here, conduct reasonable work with them and manage to
cut off the contacts of certain Georgian bodies with them, we will
make a serious success in settling the situation in Georgia.

[Correspondent] The appeal that will be sent to Saakashvili will
be in English and Russian, the languages Saakashvili speaks very
well when necessary. To be exact, when the situation is Russian,
he speaks English and when it is English he speaks his native
tongue. For example, Tbilisi, which is pursuing an explicit pro-US
policy, is offering Russia more than 600 enterprises and Armenia
372 enterprises. The Armenians are collecting money to buy the ports
of Poti and Batumi, while we are collecting it to send a monitoring
group into Georgia.

Eldaniz Valiyev, Hikmat Asgarov for ANS.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

December 8, 2004
___________________

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

On Wednesday, December 1, 2004, 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).

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.

“The most encouraging part of the evening was there were a lot of new
faces that hadn’t been there in the past and that’s encouraging,” said
Jim Kalustian, a member of the Diocesan Council and Parish Council
Chairman at the Holy Trinity Church of Cambridge, MA. “I believe that
means we’re reaching out to a broader cross section of the community and
people are seeing the value in some of the programs and efforts at the
Diocesan level. The message we’re trying to get across is the Diocese
is not an institution. It is the parishes and people at the local
level; because that’s who the programs are developed for.”

One person who spoke at the reception was Christopher Tashjian, a member
of the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) Central
Council. He 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.

“He spoke about how he has personally benefited from going on
pilgrimages to Armenia, taking part in our youth training programs,
being at St. Vartan Camp, going to the ACYOA Sports Weekend,” Kalustian
said. “It was very sincere and personal, a heart-felt expression of
appreciation to all the people there who supported the Diocese’s
programs. He struck a chord with everyone. What better way to
exemplify why people need to support the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal than
for someone get up and say how the Diocese has improved their personal
life.”

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. For information on any of these, please e-mail the
Diocese at [email protected].

“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.

“The original idea behind the receptions was to thank our donors, and I
think it is still a good way to do that,” Kalustian said. “But it’s also
a way for people who have not given or may be thinking about increasing
their support to learn more first-hand, rather than just reading in a
pamphlet, why they should support these programs and what good these
programs are doing with their support.”

For more information on the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal 2004 receptions,
and information on how to support Diocesan ministries and programs,
visit our website at

— 12/08/04

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern
Diocese, speaks with Boston area Armenians who turned out for a special
reception held on December 1, 2004, as part of the Archbishop’s Annual
Appeal 2004.

PHOTO CAPTION (2): Ed Guleserian, who hosted the Boston-area
Archbishop’s Annual Appeal 2004 reception at the Sheraton Commander
Hotel, speaks to the attendees on the importance of supporting Diocesan
programs and ministries.

PHOTO CAPTION (3): Christopher Tashjian, a member of the ACYOA Central
Council, speaks to attendees on the importance of supporting programs
and ministries aimed at youth.

# # #

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARTSAKH WAS AND REMAINS A SANCTITY FOR DIASPORANS

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
08 Dec 04

“The November 25 telethon in Los Angeles lasting 12 hours produced
unprecedented results, more than 11 million dollars was donated for
the construction of the ‘North-South’ highway,” said the director of
the all-Armenian foundation ‘Hayastan’ during the press conference
on December 3. The building of the road will be resumed in spring of
2005 and will last for two years. According to the director of the
foundation Naira Melkumian, the geography of participation in the
telethon and the willingness to contribute to the construction of the
road of strategic importance for the motherland is invaluable. “The
results we have today is the eloquent proof of the unity of the
Armenian nation. The active participation of different layers of
the society showed that the results of the telethon would be high,”
mentioned the director of the telethon. NKR president Arkady Ghukassian
had a decisive role in the organization of the telethon during which he
addressed live the Armenians. Naira Melkumian stressed the importance
of the direct participation of president Ghukassian in the telethon.
“This fact encouraged our benefactors even more.” The good results
of the telethon were also determined by the well-organized team work
in which, according to her, the local bodies of the United States
and Europe, especially the local body of the East Coast of the USA
had their contribution. Owing to the director of the latter Gevorg
Toroyan, 5 million 700 thousand dollars were donated by the Armenians
of the East Coast. The same can be said about the West Coast where
the results again exceeded those of the previous year. The West Coast
donated 2 million 222 thousand dollars of which 1 million 320 thousand
will be spent for the construction of the road and the rest for other
programs. Naira Melkumian also mentioned that this year the sum of
donations in Armenia and Artsakh totals 1 million 100 thousand drams
which exceeds the rates of the previous years. According to her,
“This testifies to the fact that RA and NKR are developing and the
foundation still enjoys the confidence of Armenians.” During the
press conference the director of the foundation enumerated the names
of the people who had donated large sums: Louise Simon-Manougian,
Eduardo Ernekian, Hrair Hovnanian, Caroline Mugar, Sarghis Hakobian,
Ara Abrahamian, and others who have lived abroad for a long time
but have not get estranged from their motherland and continue to
assist to the development of their country. “The unity we witnessed
on the day of the telethon was encouraging, indeed,” emphasized Naira
Melkumian. “And, I am sure, through maintaining this powerful feeling
of unity we will be able to overcome all the challenges we are facing
today with dignity. And, of course, the results of the telethon,
more than 11 million, are a signal for everybody that the Armenian
nation is committed to the ideas which helped us win that difficult
war. For the victory in the war was, indeed, the result of the unity
of the Armenian nation.” Sharing his impressions with the journalists,
she said, “During all our meetings we discovered that Artsakh was and
remains a sanctity for the Armenian nation. And everything will be
done for Artsakh to remain free, independent, and for our national
goals to fulfil.”

CHRISTINE MNATSAKANIAN.

08-12-2004