Police clamp down on drugs trafficking in Russia’s Far East

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
23 Nov 04

Khabarovsk, 23 November: Over the last week, more than 170 people
were detained for crimes related to drug trafficking in the Far
East. Over 130 kg of marijuana, hashish, opium, heroin and other
drugs were seized. These are the main results of the second stage
of the Canal-2004 operation carried out from 15 to 22 November, the
Russian Federal Drug Control Service directorate for the Far Eastern
Federal District told ITAR-TASS today.

Directorate chiefs said that the operation had taken place
simultaneously in Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and other member
countries of the Collective Security Treaty [which includes Russia,
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan]. Its main
aim was to cut the channels of drug and psychotropic substances’
trafficking.

Over 1,500 officers of the anti-drug service, the Interior Ministry,
the Federal Security Service and the Customs Office took part in the
operation in the Far Eastern Federal District. They made searches at
railway and bus stations, in the airports and on the roads. Nearly
400 drug-related and other crimes were uncovered.

In addition, the Interior Ministry Main Directorate for the Far Eastern
Federal District told ITAR-TASS today that a small bus stopped by the
police for examination had been detained in Neryungrinskiy District,
Yakutia, yesterday [22 November]. A total of 12.6 kg of hashish was
seized from the caches arranged in the bus. The batch of drugs would
cost over R1m [35,000 dollars] in the black market.

A Ukrainian national was engaged in the transportation of this large
batch of drugs. Criminal proceedings have been instituted. The drug
pusher is threatened with up to 10 years in jail.

The Interior Ministry directorate added that 8,837 drug-related
crimes had been cleared up in Far Eastern Federal District since the
beginning of 2004. Moreover, local police officers cleared up over
6,000 other crimes and cut short the activities of 468 organized
criminal groups. Over 6 t of drugs was confiscated.

Joint operation yields over 600 kg of drugs in Tajikistan

Asia-Plus news agency
23 Nov 04

Dushanbe, 23 November: The second stage of the complex preventive
operation Kanal-2004 ended in all the member states of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 22 November. The operation,
which was aimed at combating drug trafficking, involved the special
services of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan.

Over 621 kg of drugs were seized by the joint efforts of all power
wielding structures and Russian border guards in Tajikistan between
15 and 22 November, the head of the press centre of the Drug Control
Agency at the Tajik president, Avaz Yuldoshev, told Asia-Plus this
morning.

“Over this period, 100 kg of heroin and 232 kg of raw opium were
seized, and the remaining drugs were concentrated hashish and
marihuana,” Yuldoshev said. He said that seven fire-arms and 56
cartridges for them had also been found and seized from drug dealers
during the operation.

An interdepartmental meeting will sum up the final results of the
Kanal-2004 special operation this evening.

The first stage of the annual operation, the aim of which was to
block the routes of trafficking of drugs, psychotropic substances
and precursors on the territory of the CSTO member-states, was held
in September this year. The operation seized 92 kg of drugs, half of
which was heroin.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Tajik defence minister to attend CIS security sitting in Moscow

Asia-Plus news agency
23 Nov 04

Dushanbe, 23 November: Tajik Defence Minister Sherali Khayrulloyev
will attend the next session of the Council of Defence Ministers of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) scheduled for 25
November in Moscow.

The ministers are to discuss issues relating to the current and
future development of the organization’s military component and
the improvement of the legal basis of the functioning of the [CIS]
Collective Rapid Deployment Force, the Tajik Defence Ministry press
centre has told Asia-Plus. The issue on training of military personnel
will be of no small importance. The council is also expected to
consider an agreement on the terms of deployment of the CSTO joint
staff in Russia and the organization of its work.

The CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan.

Armenian minister says UN debates on Karabakh Azerbaijan’s “mistake”

Mediamax news agency
23 Nov 04

Yerevan, 23 November: Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Margherita
Boniver said in Yerevan today that the European Union member countries
would in all likelihood abstain in the vote on a draft resolution
“On the situation on occupied Azerbaijani territories” at a UN General
Assembly session.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan today said that “Azerbaijan
is making a mistake by initiating the discussion of this issue at the
UN, and after a while, it will understand its mistake”. At the same
time, the Armenian foreign minister said that “we are not concerned
that the resolution might be adopted, we are more concerned at the
further fate of the political process of settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict”.

Commenting on a proposal to dispatch a multinational mission of
observers to the occupied territories, which is envisaged in the
Azerbaijani draft resolution, Oskanyan recalled that Yerevan and
Stepanakert [Xankandi] had been recently urging the international
community to send a mission and put an end to Azerbaijan’s ungrounded
accusations.

“The Armenian and Karabakh authorities are ready to render every
assistance to the activities of such a mission. However, the OSCE
Minsk Group itself has a mandate to dispatch such a mission and
in this case, the decision should not be adopted at the UN level,”
the Armenian foreign minister added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian opposition calls for new elections

Interfax
Nov 23 2004

YEREVAN. Nov 23 (Interfax) – The foreign policy pursued by the
authorities, in particular in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
has brought Armenia nothing but repeated failures, Viktor Dallakian,
secretary of the Justice opposition bloc, said at parliament on
Tuesday.

“In the years of Robert Kocharian’s presidency, the conflict, which
used to be an issue of national self-determination, has become a
territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Karabakh
itself has ceased to be an actor and become an issue in negotiations,”
he said.

Replacing the leadership through democratic elections is the sole
way to resolve the situation, Dallakian said.

Alexan Karapetian of National Unity, another parliamentary opposition
party, demanded that “the authorities disclose to the public what
is going on in negotiations over the Karabakh settlement.” He also
complained that “the priorities of Armenian foreign policy have never
been announced and there is no national security concept.”

Azerbaijan recently succeeded in having international organizations
adopt resolutions declaring Armenia the aggressor in the conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh.

ARMENIA THIS WEEK

Monday, November 22, 2004

In this issue:

Congress passes key aid, trade legislation

Thanksgiving fundraising to benefit Karabakh

Armenia modifies communications regulation

U.S. CONGRESS PASSES KEY ARMENIA ASSISTANCE, TRADE LEGISLATION

Both branches of the U.S. Congress voted last Saturday to uphold equal
amounts of U.S. military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan. Last Friday, the
Senate also adopted legislation making normal trade relations with
Armenia permanent.

Voting on Saturday, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives
approved “not less than $75 million” in economic and $8.75 million in
military assistance to Armenia, as well as $3 million in humanitarian
aid to Nagorno Karabakh. The $8.75 million are due to be spent through
the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and the International Military
Education and Training (IMET) programs, with equal assistance
appropriated to Azerbaijan. In addition to FMF and IMET aid, Azerbaijan
receives funds for Caspian Sea security programs.

The United States had maintained parity in security assistance to
Azerbaijan and Armenia, since the early 1990s, when the U.S. Congress
sanctioned Azerbaijan over its conduct of the war against Nagorno
Karabakh and Armenia (known as Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act).
The U.S. first began providing military aid to the two countries after a
2001 congressional vote, which satisfied the Administration request to
waive Section 907 to allow for a greater U.S. role in cracking down on
Islamic radicals within Azerbaijan and for counter-proliferation efforts
in the Caspian. The waiver mandates that none of the U.S. military aid
could be used against Armenia.

The Senate’s passage of the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR)
resolution on Armenia would no longer require an annual review and
presidential waiver of the Cold War-era provision known as the
Jackson-Vanick amendment that conditioned U.S.-Soviet trade on human
rights issues. Armenia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in
February 2003. And the U.S. State Department officials have backed the
removal of the amendment in relation to Armenia, as it fully complies
with religious freedom and emigration rules. The U.S. House of
Representatives had voted to drop the provision in November 2003 and
again last October. Adoption of PNTR now opens the way for additional
U.S.-Armenia trade agreements.

U.S.-Armenia trade turnover stood at about $140 million both in 2002 and
2003, a significant increase over earlier years. The U.S. Census Bureau
reported over $107 million in overall trade for three quarters of 2004.
Despite geographic distance, the U.S. is an increasingly attractive
market for Armenia’s producers. Armenian companies exported $33 million
worth of goods to the U.S. between January and September of this year,
an increase from $23 million over the first three quarters of 2004.
Armenia’s overall exports to the U.S. last year stood at $38 million.
(Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ; Armenia This Week
11-21-03, 2-6, 3-26, 7-19; U.S. State Department 11-19; Armenian
Assembly of America 11-19, 20)

NKR PRESIDENT IN U.S. TO RAISE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR KARABAKH HIGHWAY

Nagorno Karabakh’s President Arkady Ghoukasian is visiting the United
States to participate in the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s drive to raise
financial support for the completion of the 105-mile highway that will
connect the northern and southern parts of NKR. The highway, half of
which has already been built, is of major economic significance for
Karabakh. Ghoukasian’s delegation visited with Armenian communities in
America’s North-East and Mid-West and is currently in California. In
addition to the U.S., the Hayastan’s drive includes Armenian communities
in Europe, South America and the Middle East, as well as Armenia proper,
and hopes to raise over $12 million this year.

The Hayastan Fund, which has raised over $90 million since the time it
was set up in the mid-1990s, focuses on road construction in eastern
Armenia and post-earthquake reconstruction in the northern Shirak and
Lori provinces. (Sources: Arminfo 11-19, 22; Noyan Tapan 11-19; Los
Angeles Daily News 11-22)

GOVERNMENT MODIFIES AGREEMENT WITH COMMUNICATIONS MONOPOLY

Following months of negotiations and pledges to scrap the monopoly on
communications, the Armenian government settled for an out-of-court
compromise deal modifying its original 1997 agreement with the Hellenic
Telecommunications Organization (OTE), the Greek owner of Armentel.

In accordance with the new agreement, details of which were announced by
Justice Minister David Harutiunian in recent weeks, Armentel will allow
one competitor in cellular communications, while maintaining monopoly
rights over the rest of the network, including internet telephone
communications, until 2008 instead of 2012, as was originally agreed.
The government has already granted a second mobile phone license to
Karabakh-Telecom, a Lebanese-owned company which has been working in
Nagorno Karabakh since 2000.

Information technology associations and opposition parties have
criticized the deal as contrary to Armenia’s economic interests. But
Harutiunian argued that the government preferred an out of court
settlement to an expensive court battle. (Sources: Armenia This Week
8-23; Arminfo 11-22)

Note to Readers: Armenia Fund’s 2004 Telethon will air in LA all-day
Thursday on KSCI (Channel 18). It will also be Webcast at
Armenia This Week will not be issued next week. It
will resume publication on December 6. Happy Thanksgiving!

Visit the Armenia This Week archive dating back to 1997 at

A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA

122 C Street, N.W., Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 393-3434 FAX
(202) 638-4904

E-Mail [email protected] WEB
<;

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Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004

Title II, Section 2001

Subtitle A – Miscellaneous Provisions

SEC. 2001. TERMINATION OF APPLICATION OF TITLE IV OF THE TRADE ACT OF
1974 TO ARMENIA.

(a) FINDINGS. – Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Armenia has been found to be in full compliance with the freedom of
emigration requirements under title IV of the Trade Act of 1974.

(2) Armenia acceded to the World Trade Organization on February 5, 2003.

(3) Since declaring its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,
Armenia has made considerable progress in enacting free-market reforms.

(4) Armenia has demonstrated a strong desire to build a friendly and
cooperative relationship with the United States and has concluded many
bilateral treaties and agreements with the United States.

(5) Total United States-Armenia bilateral trade for 2002 amounted to
more than $134,200,000.

(b) PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATIONS AND EXTENSIONS OF NONDISCRIMINATORY
TREATMENT.

Notwithstanding any provision of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (19
U.S.C. 2431 et seq.), the President may:

(1) determine that such title should no longer apply to Armenia; and

(2) after making a determination under paragraph (1) with respect to
Armenia, proclaim the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal
trade relations treatment) to the products of that country.

(c) TERMINATION OF APPLICATION OF TITLE IV.

On and after the effective date of the extension under subsection (b)(2)
of nondiscriminatory treatment to the products of Armenia, title IV of
the Trade Act of 1974 shall cease to apply to that country.

SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN JOURNALISTS

A1 Plus | 20:23:41 | 23-11-2004 | Politics |

The US group For the Sake of Democratic Armenia issued a statement as
a reaction to the Monday’s incident, when a car belonging to Haykakan
Zhamanak newspaper was blown up right outside the newspaper office.

The group denounced the act as ongoing process of power seizure in
Armenia and an apparent attempt to silence people.

They warn Armenian authorities and the tycoons serving them that
Armenians living overseas are deeply concerned about the fact that
state terror is used as means to retain power.

–Boundary_(ID_Ii3iAxFEEWa8G/85orTn9A)–

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (E.)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

November 23, 2004
___________________

EASTERN DIOCESE’S MEMORIAL TO CATHOLICOS VASKEN I WILL FEATURE
DISTINGUISHED MAIN SPEAKER, U.S. AMB. HARRY GILMORE

Renowned Pianist Seta Karakashian Will Offer Musical Tribute to
Catholicos Vasken on Sun., Dec. 5

* * *

The memorial service and program honoring the blessed memory of His
Holiness Vasken I, the late Catholicos of All Armenians, has already
elicited an overwhelming response from the public. Certainly, the
esteem and love felt by Armenian Americans towards Catholicos Vasken I
has only magnified in the 10 years since his passing.

The special memorial event will take place on the afternoon of Sunday,
December 5, at the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern),
in New York City. The Divine Liturgy and requiem service will begin at
10:30 a.m., in St. Vartan Cathedral, celebrated by His Eminence
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate. During the service, an Encyclical
from the current Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II,
will be read to the congregation.

The religious service will be followed by a memorial luncheon and
program, at 1:00 p.m., in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium. The
program for the day will include remarks, musical performances, as well
as a video retrospective of Vasken I.

The Diocese is honored that the distinguished main speaker at the event
will be Ambassador Harry Gilmore, the first U.S. Ambassador to the
Republic of Armenia, who took on his duties shortly after Armenia gained
its independence. Amb. Gilmore’s tenure of service coincided with some
of the final years of Catholicos Vasken–years filled with momentous
events–and the ambassador counts himself as a great admirer of the
Catholicos he witnessed.

Leading the musical portion of the program will be the renowned pianist
Seta Karakashian, whose most recent recording has been very well
received. She will play Harutyunyan’s “Hovuh puchets lerneroum” (The
Wind Blew in the Mountains) and “Sasountsineri baruh” (The Dance of
Sassoon).

In addition, the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, under the direction of
Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, will present Tchaikovsky’s “Kyrie Eleison”
and Mekanejian’s “Etchmiadzin Cantata.” Maestro Mekanejian–who was the
longtime conductor of the choir of Holy Etchmiadzin during the
pontificate of Catholicos Vasken–selected the Tchaikovsky piece because
it was greatly admired by Catholicos Vasken, who always requested to
hear this work in musical programs.

Vasken I is remembered as an exceptional, unique personality in the
modern history of the Armenian Church, who preserved and maintained the
prestige of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under difficult
circumstances. Through his pontifical journeys abroad, he established
an enduring bridge between the homeland and the diaspora.

This inspiring legacy will be remembered on Sunday, December 5, at the
Diocesan Center, 630 Second Avenue (corner of 34th Street), in New York
City. The Divine Liturgy begins at 10:30 a.m., and the memorial
luncheon at 1:00 p.m. For information, call (212) 686-0710, or log onto
the Eastern Diocese’s website:

–11/23/04

* * *

PHOTO CAPTION: Ambassador Harry Gilmore, the first U.S. ambassador to
the Republic of Armenia, will be the distinguished main speaker at a
memorial luncheon recalling the inspiring legacy of His Holiness Vasken
I, of blessed memory, the late Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians. The event marking the 10th anniversary of the His Holiness’
passing will take place on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2004, at New York’s St.
Vartan Cathedral complex.

PHOTO CAPTION: Renowned pianist Seta Karakashian will perform during the
musical portion of the Eastern Diocese’s tribute to the memory of
Catholicos Vasken I, on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 5, 2004, at New
York’s St. Vartan Cathedral complex.

# # #

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NorthJersey.com, NJ
Nov 23 2004

Armenian center to open new sub-acute care unit

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

By DEENA YELLIN
STAFF WRITER

EMERSON – The Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will celebrate
the opening of its new Sub-Acute Care Unit today at an open-house
party for the public.

The state-of-the-art unit will provide short-term rehabilitation
services for seniors who are well enough to leave a hospital but need
extra support before returning home. The unit contains 10 private
rooms in a designated area that is separate from the nursing home.

Most of the unit’s patients will pay for their care through Medicare
or private insurance.

The new unit is designed for intermediate care, said Tom Miller, the
center’s administrator. “It would be ideal for someone who just had
hip replacement surgery or knee replacement and the hospital would
kick them out after about three days. Here, they could stay for a
few weeks.”

Miller said the unit is opening at an opportune time. “There is a
real need in the health-care community for this type of service.
Nobody else around here is offering this, because Pascack Valley
[Hospital] recently closed their unit that provided this level of
care,” he said.

The Armenian Center is opening the Sub-Acute Care Unit in the same
facility where its Comprehensive Personal Care Home for assisted
living was located until it closed about six months ago. Renovating
that facility to create the new unit cost approximately $100,000,
Miller said.

The assisted-living facility closed because there was a lot of
competition from other, similar facilities in the area. “We felt that
this was a better use of our resources,” Miller said. “We’ve already
had a lot of inquiries about the new unit.”

The Armenian Center has provided a home and care to senior citizens
for more than 60 years. The original building that housed the center
was purchased in 1943 by three Armenian founders for $8,900 in cash.
Although it initially served the Armenian community, it later became a
nursing home serving seniors of all backgrounds. The center, which has
undergone several expansions, is now at its capacity with 78 clients.

The new unit will open officially today, but the first patients won’t
be allowed to move in until December.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Speaker Expects Safety Guarantees At NATO Seminar in Baku

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 23 2004

Speaker of the Armenian national assembly Artur Bagdasarian has
forwarded official letters to the Azerbaijani parliament speaker
Murtuz Alasgarov and chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Pierre Lellouche, saying that he expects guarantees for the Armenian
delegation during its planned participation in the 58th NATO Rose
Roth seminar in Baku on November 25-27.

The letters pointed out those Armenian officers were not allowed to
attend the NATO exercises held in Baku in September.

“The Armenian parliament, while confirming the readiness of its
delegations to work in international organizations and adhering to a
positive stance on the Armenian parliament delegations’ visit to Baku,
is concerned over the safety of parliament members in Azerbaijan and
expects relevant security guarantees for Armenian delegates at the
Rose Roth seminar”, Bagdasarian said.

Chairman of Armenian parliament commission on foreign relations Mger
Shahgeldian and parliament member Alexan Karapetian plan to attend
the NATO event in Baku.