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12/06/2004
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1) Californians Unite to Commemorate 90th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide
2) Armenian Museum in Istanbul
3) Russian President Talks Trade, Terrorism in Former Foe Turkey
4) Presidential Candidates Strike Deal in Abkhazia
5) Animal Diseases Hamper Turkey’s EU Bid
6) BRIEFS
1) Californians Unite to Commemorate 90th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide
The year 2005 marks the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The
Armenian people, both in Armenia and the diaspora, will commemorate the most
solemn event of our modern history, the genocide of Armenians on April 24,
1915.
Ninety years have passed since this crime against Armenians, and all of
humanity was committed, and mankind has entered a new century. For the
Armenian
people, however, that tragic event in history has not been resolved and cannot
be forgotten.
Almost 2 million Armenians became victims of a premeditated crime perpetrated
by the Turkish Government. For decades on–even in the face of blatant denial
of the genocide by the same government–successive Armenian generations have
kept alive the memory of our martyrs, preserving their timeless message.
And today, Turkey continues its attempt to revise history with its massive
campaign against international recognition of that unforgettable event.
The 90th milestone of the Armenian genocide, will therefore, not only be
dedicated to the memory of our martyrs, but will also serve as an opportunity
to internationally boost our public relations efforts.
As such, religious, political, national, cultural, benevolent, youth, and
other organizations operating in California have united to commemorate the
90th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. This move comes on the initiative of the
three Armenian political parties, and under the auspices of the three Prelates
of Western USA. We have already begun to outline and integrate the various
observances and events that will take place in the coming year.
The United Body to Commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian genocide
will keep the public informed of planned activities, with the conviction that
our public will bring their active participation.
Armenian Church of North America Western Diocese
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Catholic Exarchate
Armenian Evangelical Community
Armenian General Benevolent Union
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western Region
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar) Western Region
Social Democrat Hunchak Party Western Region
Armenian Relief Society Western Region
Knights of Vartan
Tekeyan Cultural Association
Hamazkayin Cultural and Educational Society
Nor Serount Cultural Association
Armenian Society (Iranahay Miutiun) of Los Angeles
Armenian Assembly Western Region
American Armenian Council Western Region
Hai Tad Council Western Region
Armenian National Committee Western Region
AGBU Young Professionals
Armenagan Youth Movement
Armenian Youth Federation
Gaydz Youth Organization
United Armenian Youth
United Armenian Students
2) Armenian Museum in Istanbul
ISTANBUL (AP/Andadolu)–Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially
opened an Armenian museum in Istanbul on Sunday, saying he was committed to
protecting the rights of minority Armenians.
Turkey, which recognizes Armenians as an official minority, is under pressure
to improve rights for minorities as part of its efforts to join the European
Union. Turkey hopes that EU leaders will agree to open membership talks at a
Dec. 17 summit.
Erdogan joined Mesrob II, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, and other
leaders of Turkey’s Armenian Christian minority of 65,000 for the opening of
the museum at the Sourp Pergich Armenian Hospital in Bolis.
“Armenian citizens are an indispensable part of [Turkey]. Every artifact in
this museum shows a past lived together,” Erdogan said. “We are now
protecting
each other’s rights, aware of our citizenship, and it will be like this
forever.”
Housed in a 172 year-old Armenian hospital, the museum includes religious
artifacts, antique medical equipment and an Ottoman decree that established
the
hospital in 1832.
3) Russian President Talks Trade, Terrorism in Former Foe Turkey
ANKARA (AP)–Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Turkey on Monday on a
rare
visit meant to boost trade and counter-terrorism cooperation between the two
countries, which have been rivals since the time of the czars and sultans.
Putin arrived late Sunday on the first-ever official bilateral visit by a
Russian leader–a record that reflects the troubled history between the
nations.
“We are here to take courageous decisions,” Putin said at a dinner with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Sunday. “The visit will give the opportunity
for both economic and trade relations between Russia and Turkey to open up to
new horizons.”
On Monday, Putin met with Sezer after visiting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s
mausoleum, a shrine honoring the father of the modern Turkish Republic.
He was also scheduled to meet with Turkey’s prime minister and attend a
business forum intended to increase trade between resource-rich Russia and
Turkey, a key route for delivering oil and gas to Western markets.
The two-day visit is expected to produce six cooperation agreements on
issues
including defense, finance, and energy–and a largely symbolic friendship and
partnership declaration.
Repeated wars between the Ottoman Empire and Czarist Russia gave way to a
cold
peace after the collapse of both empires, with Turkey looming as NATO’s
easternmost Soviet-era outpost. The nations later fought for influence in
Turkic states that gained independence in the 1991 Soviet collapse.
Today, both governments are playing up the promise of economic cooperation.
Compared with the first half of 2003, bilateral trade rose by 60 percent in
the
first half of 2004, reaching $4.6 billion, according to Russia. It may exceed
$10 billion for the year.
A recently built pipeline carries Russian natural gas beneath the Black
Sea to
Turkey, which relies on Russia for some two-thirds of its gas. Russia’s gas
monopoly Gazprom is interested in projects for gas storage and more extensive
distribution in Turkey.
Turkish companies are active in Russia’s booming construction, retail, and
brewing industries, while its Mediterranean resorts are a favorite among
richer
Russians, whose visits have fostered familiarity between the traditional
foes.
But Turkey’s control over the Bosporus–the water route that connects the
Black Sea and the Mediterranean–has been a sore point. Turkey says increasing
Russian oil tanker traffic through the strait is hazardous, while Russia says
delays cost its exporters hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
The touchy subject of terrorism was also likely to be high on the agenda.
Russia has urged Turkey to crack down on charities it claims channel money and
weapons to Chechen rebels. It also says numerous Turks have fought alongside
the militants.
Many Turks trace their ancestry to Chechnya or elsewhere in what’s now
Russia’s North Caucasus region, and many sympathize with fellow Muslims in
Chechnya, where civilians have suffered gravely in nearly a decade of war
pitting Russian forces against rebels.
About a dozen members of a pro-Chechen group laid a black wreath at the
entrance of the Russian embassy Monday, shouting “Murderer Putin! Get out of
Turkey!” Similar protests were held in Istanbul on Sunday.
But in an apparent gesture to Putin, who says Russia is battling
international
terrorism, Turkish authorities apprehended nine suspected Chechen militants
and
three pro-Chechen Turks last week. The Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday
that police had linked them to al-Qaeda.
At Sunday’s dinner, Sezer said Turkey is determined to cooperate with Russia
in the fight against terrorism.
4) Presidential Candidates Strike Deal in Abkhazia
(Eurasianet.org)–A last-minute deal between opposition leader Sergei Bagapsh
and former Prime Minister Raul Khajimba appears to have ended a two-month
stalemate over the outcome of Abkhazia’s presidential elections. Yet the
pact’s
consequences for Abkhazia’s relations with Georgia remain unknown. While
mutual
congratulations have flowed from Sukhumi and Moscow, Tbilisi has maintained a
tight-lipped silence about the compromise.
Under the terms of the December 5 agreement, brokered by Russian Deputy
Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov and Abkhaz Prime Minister Nodar
Khazhba,
Bagapsh and Khajimba will be running mates in a second presidential
election to
be held at an as yet undecided date. Plans for Bagapsh’s inauguration,
originally scheduled for December 6, were canceled following announcement of
the pact.
Since the October 3 presidential elections in which Bagapsh claimed victory,
Abkhazia has teetered on the brink of all-out civil conflict. Bagapsh’s and
Khajimba’s armed supporters both hold government buildings throughout the
Abkhaz capital, Sukhumi, while Bagapsh’s militias have taken control of
broadcast facilities.
Commenting on the compromise to Russian television, Khajimba stated that the
deal should bring the violence to an end. “We have agreed that we will take
all
the necessary measures . . . in order to defuse the situation,” Khajimba said.
Bagapsh told the Russian news agency Interfax that a “cabinet of national
unity” would be formed after the second round of elections and that additional
legislation would be drafted to expand the powers of the Abkhazian
vice-president.
Unlike the disputed presidential election in Ukraine, Russia’s
intervention in
Abkhazia appears to have played a major role in tipping the scales in favor of
its preferred candidate, Khajimba. On December 1, with Bagapsh’s inauguration
just five days away, Russian presidential advisor Gennady Bukayev announced
plans to suspend railway traffic with Abkhazia, terming the move necessary to
end “instability” in the breakaway region. Already, border passage with
Abkhazia had been restricted and agricultural imports from the sub-tropical
region halted–a potentially fatal blow to the many Abkhaz farmers who depend
on mandarin exports to Russia for their livelihoods.
Since de facto independence from Georgia in 1993, Abkhazia has been largely
dependent economically and politically on Russia for its survival. While
Bagapsh had vowed to withstand pressure from Moscow, the pact, according to
one
independent political analyst in Tbilisi, “shows that Russia still has a
tremendous amount of influence [in the region] and that even Bagapsh can’t
stand up against them.”
5) Animal Diseases Hamper Turkey’s EU Bid
AMSTERDAM (Reuters)–Strengthening Turkey’s porous south and eastern
borders to
prevent animal diseases from spreading to Europe is a key challenge in
preparing the country’s agriculture for EU membership, a report said on
Friday.
The report, prepared by an international group of agriculture economists, is
based on the assumption that Turkey would join the EU in 2015, but says the
country will need more time to attain food safety standards that would
allow it
to be part of a single market for animal products.
The risk of disease outbreaks in the EU may increase and food safety and
quality may become diluted by embracing a country with a poor record in these
areas, unless effective border controls were in place from the moment of
accession, the report said.
“Some highly infectious animal diseases that have been virtually
eradicated in
western and northern Europe remain endemic in Turkey,” said the report
presented by the Dutch Wageningen University, which was the lead researcher.
“The situation is complicated by the fragmentation of the livestock sector,
Turkey’s geographical location and its porous borders to the south and east,”
said the report, which focuses on the impact of Turkish EU membership on
agriculture.
Turkey, which borders Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Armenia to the south and the
east, hopes EU leaders will agree at a summit on Dec. 17 to open entry
talks in
2005 and eventually join the current 25-member bloc.
The EU has said that agriculture, accounting for half Turkey’s territory and
employing a third of its workforce, will be a key issue in its preparations
for
accession.
Friday’s report said highly infectious diseases including foot-and-mouth and
sheep and goat pox had occurred in Turkey virtually each year since 1996. The
country was also prone to outbreaks of anthrax and brucellosis, it said.
Economic and political turmoil in the Middle East over the past decade has
caused an extension of animal disease epidemics in the region, posing threats
to Europe.
The report said Ankara had shown progress in harmonizing veterinary
legislation with EU standards but added the infrastructure, administrative
capacity and commitment needed for effective law enforcement and border
control
remained weak.
“Even with effective implementation of the acquis (EU’s set of laws), it will
be many years before Turkey reaches full disease-free status for all the most
infectious diseases,” the report concluded.
“The greatest challenge for Turkey does not, however, concern policies. It is
in fact to develop… effective control of external borders by the time of
accession.”
It estimated that EU budget payments to Turkey under structural policies,
including agriculture, would be between 9.5 billion and 16.6 billion euros in
2015, while Turkey’s budget contribution would be 5.4 billion euros.
Turkey, which would add more than 80 million consumers to the EU-25’s
total of
452 million, has been seeking membership since 1963.
6) BRIEFS
Armenia Blasts African ‘Rogue State’ over Jailed Pilots
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–Armenia lashed out at Equatorial Guinea on Monday for
convicting six Armenian nationals of dubious coup charges, with a senior
Foreign Ministry official describing the country as a hostage-taking “rogue
state.”
In its most vocal condemnation yet of lengthy prison sentences given to the
aircrew of an Armenian transport plane, official Yerevan held out little hope
for the verdict’s repeal by the west African nation’s Supreme Court and
pledged
to concentrate on other possible ways of their liberation. According to
Ambassador Sergey Manaserian, the options include amnesty, extradition to
Armenia, and acquittal by an international court of justice.
Doctors against Government Decision to Widen Medical Draft
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–The Armenian Medical Association, Armenia’s leading medical
body, criticized the government on Monday for scrapping exemptions from
military service enjoyed until now by physicians with doctoral degrees. The
government announced the decision on November 19, citing a lack of medical
personnel in the Armenian Armed Forces. It expects to draft an additional 70
doctors for two-year service in military hospitals. They will swell the ranks
of dozens of other medical university graduates that did not continue their
studies at the post-graduate level and have to serve in the army. The
Association said the decision is unacceptable and counterproductive.
Women’s Role Discussed at Simon Vratsian Center
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–A seminar focusing on women’s rights opened on Monday at
the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Simon Vratsian Center in Yerevan.
Titled “Women Can, ” the three day seminar’s goal is to advance the role of
women both in the ARF and in the political arena of the country, said
Chairwoman of the ARF Supreme Body’s Committee for Women Maria Titizian. Sonia
Local, representative of the Central and Eastern European Gender Cooperation,
which operates in 21 countries, including Armenia, is presiding over the
seminar.
EP President Discusses Reopening of Armenian Border
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–President of the European Parliament (EP) Josep Borrell
discussed Turkey’s accession to the European Union with Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Borell stressed that if Turkey wishes to start
full membership negotiations with the European Union, it must recognize the
Greek Cypriot Administration. The reopening of the Armenian border was also
discussed, with Erdogan remarking that Yerevan does not recognize the 1921
Kars
agreement, which asserted the Turkish annexation of Armenian lands.
Georgia’s First Lady Meets with Students of Yerevan State University
YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–On December 3, Georgia’s first lady Sandra Roelofs met
with the students of Yerevan State University during her 4-day visit to
Armenia. During the question and answer session, the first lady promised the
implementation of economic programs in Javakhk. She noted that President
Mikhail Sahakashvili’s promise to fight corruption in the political sphere
will
become a reality, though at a gradual pace. Commending Yerevan State
University’s centralized system of entrance exams, in use for the past 13
years, Roelofs said the system was just introduced to Tbilisi State University
this year.
Rossini Festival to Begin
YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Yerevan kicked off a music festival dedicated to
prominent Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini on December 4. Rossini occupied
an unrivaled position in the Italian musical world of his time, winning
considerable success relatively early in his career. Of Rossini’s three dozen
or so operas, Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) is probably the
best known. The festival began with The Barber of Seville, performed by the
students of Yerevan Conservatory. Italian ambassador to Armenia Marco Clemente
described the festival as “an exceptional” event, sponsored by the government
of Italy, as well as Italian and Armenian businessmen.
Police to Probe Bomb Attack on Editor’s Car
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–Armenian prosecutors announced on Friday the launch of a
criminal investigation into the November 22 explosion that destroyed a car
belonging to Nikol Pashinian’s, editor of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily.
Pashinian blamed the attack on Gagik Tsarukian, a business tycoon and
parliament deputy, in retaliation for the paper’s critical coverage of his
economic and public activities. Tsarukian has dismissed the allegations as
untrue.
Armenia’s Office of Prosecutor-General said in a statement that a forensic
examination conducted at the scene has found that the car was burned down
by “a
source of open fire.” The statement said this gave the Yerevan police grounds
to open a criminal case into a possible “deliberate destruction of private
property.”
Mayors Vow to Boost Moscow-Yerevan Trade
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–Moscow’s longtime Mayor Yuri Luzhkov ended a two-day visit
to Yerevan on Friday, signing economic agreements which he said will
dramatically boost commercial ties between the two capitals. Luzhkov and
Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharian agreed to ensure more than $100 million in
mutual investments in real estate development and business infrastructure
within the next three years.
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