Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
October 21, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA PRAISES REPUBLICAN HOUSE MEMBERS FOR POWERFUL
SUPPORT ON KEY ARMENIAN AMERICAN INITIATIVES

— Cites Role of Rep. Knollenberg, Radanovich and
others in Advancing Armenian Issues on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
cited key House Republicans for their leadership on wide range of
issues of concern to the Armenian American community, including
support for Armenian Genocide reaffirmation, strengthening U.S.-
Armenia economic relations, and ensuring parity in U.S. military
assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We appreciate the leadership and value the support of the many
Congressional Republicans who have consistently taken a principled
stand on fundamental issues of concern to the Armenian American
community,” stated ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “In the coming
109th Congress, we look forward to working with these friends and
with all Members committed to expanding U.S.-Armenia relations,
continuing U.S. assistance, ensuring proper U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, and securing a lasting and equitable resolution
to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.”

Republican House Members including Congressional Armenian Caucus
Co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Genocide Resolution lead
sponsor George Radanovich (R-CA), Michigan Freshman Congressman
Thaddeus McCotter, Indiana Republican Mark Souder (R-IN) and
California Freshman Devin Nunes have been awarded an “A+” rating by
the ANCA, based on a series of over 25 grading criteria, ranging
from support on key legislation to the cosigning of over a dozen
Congressional letters. A complete listing of Congressional grades
will be posted on the ANCA website – – in the upcoming
days. The specific achievements of each of the “A+” Republican
House Members are cited below.

* Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI): Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-
Chair since 2001, Rep. Knollenberg has consistently received an
“A+” grade from the ANCA. A senior member of the House Foreign
Operations Subcommittee, the Michigan legislator has continuously
supported high levels of U.S. assistance to Armenia and Nagorno
Karabagh, and fought to maintain military aid parity between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. In remarks delivered at the 10th annual
ANCA Armenian Genocide Observance on Capitol Hill in April of 2004,
Rep. Knollenberg spoke about Administration efforts to reduce
assistance to Armenia. “There is no reason in the world why
Armenia has to get stiff-armed, has to get stuck at a lower number.
We will continue to scrap and claw and fight our way [in Congress]
to make sure Armenia does get what it deserves,” explained
Knollenberg.

During this Congressional term, Rep. Knollenberg was the lead
sponsor of legislation to permanently normalize U.S.-Armenia trade
relations (H.R.528). The legislation, which currently has 113
cosponsors was adopted as part of a larger trade measure in the
House and awaits final Senate approval. Rep. Knollenberg is also
an original cosponsor of the Genocide resolution, H.Res.193.

* George Radanovich (R-CA): Throughout his years in the House,
Rep. Radanovich has played a leadership role in Genocide
reaffirmation efforts, first leading a successful effort in 1996 to
cut $3 million in U.S. assistance to Turkey, a symbolic amount
representing the amount allocated by the Government of Turkey for
Genocide denial lobbying activities in the U.S. During the current
108th Congress, Rep. Radanovich was joined by Congressional
Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg,
and California Democrat Adam Schiff (D-CA) in advancing the
Genocide resolution (H.Res.193). The legislation, which marks the
15th anniversary of the U.S. implementation of the Genocide
Convention, was unanimously adopted by the House Judiciary
Committee in May, 2003, and currently has 111 cosponsors.

* Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI): A freshman Congressman from Michigan,
Rep. McCotter has consistently supported Congressional letters and
legislation dealing with Armenian Genocide reaffirmation. In
October 2003, he questioned a pro-Turkish panel of witnesses
testifying before the House International Relations Subcommittee on
Europe about Turkey’s ongoing obstruction of Armenia-Turkey
relations. Rep. McCotter, who was among the first to join the
Congressional Armenian Caucus upon taking office in January of
2003, has also been outspoken in his support for U.S. aid to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

* Mark Souder (R-IN): With an “A+” grade in the last two
Congressional terms, Rep. Souder has been among the most consistent
supporters of Armenian American concerns, cosigning almost every
Congressional letter in support of U.S. assistance to Armenia and
Armenian Genocide reaffirmation. In February of 2003, Rep. Souder
participated in the “Pro-Armenia” Conference held in Paris, France,
which brought together executive and legislative branch officials
from countries around the world to discuss efforts to strengthen
the political and economic future of Armenia. In an interview with
the “Armenian Weekly” following the Conference, Rep. Souder
commented that a highlight of the Conference for him was “the
opportunity to meet Armenians from around the world, understanding
the diversity of opinions of those of the Diaspora and yet their
unity on the central importance of Armenian Genocide, and the
economic potential of an Armenia based upon free market
principles.”

* Devin Nunes (R-CA): Rep. Nunes received an “A+” rating during
his first term in Congress for cosponsoring the Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.193) and legislation normalizing U.S.-Armenia trade relation
(H.R.528), and co-signeding a series of letters in support of U.S.
assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. Representing
constituents in California’s Central Valley, Rep. Nunes has worked
closely with the ANC chapter in the Fresno area.

Other House Republicans in the highest tier of support for Armenian
American concerns include Representatives Michael Bilirakis (R-FL),
Michael Ferguson (R-NJ), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Mark Kirk (R-IL),
Edward Royce (R-CA), and John Sweeney (R-NY), all of whom received
an “A” from the ANCA. Representatives Christopher Smith (R-NJ),
Duke Cunningham (R-CA), James Saxton (R-NJ), and Judiciary
Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) received an “A-”
rating for their leadership on Genocide affirmation efforts.

To review the specific records of all House and Senate members on
each of the ANCA rating criteria, visit the ANCA Election 2004
section:

The Moscow Times
Thursday, October 21, 2004. Page 4.

School Troubles End in 2 Murders, Suicide
By Carl Schreck
Staff Writer Academic troubles have ended tragically for two schoolchildren:
A 13-year-old boy killed his parents after being punished for poor grades,
while a 14-year-old boy jumped to his death from a 12th-floor apartment
after being expelled.
The 13-year-old boy in the Altai region village of Talmenka walked into his
parents’ room last Thursday night while they were sleeping and shot them in
the head with his father’s 12-gauge shotgun, which he had taken from an
unlocked safe in the house, Russian media reported, citing police.
Altai regional police could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but a
police spokesman told Interfax that earlier that evening the boy’s parents
had punished him after a parent-teacher conference in which they were told
their son was falling behind in his studies. The boy told investigators his
father had beaten him, Gazeta reported.
The spokesman did not release the name of the boy, who is in the eighth
grade, or his parents, but Utro.ru identified them Wednesday as Alexander
Bykov, 50, and Galina Bykova, 47. Other news reports identified the boy as
Sasha or Shurik, diminutives for Alexander.
After killing his parents, the boy skipped school on Friday to clean up the
blood and hide the bodies in a closet, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported. He went
to school on Saturday.

“I saw him in the hallway and asked why he hadn’t been in school on Friday,”
Lyubov Shapovalova, the boy’s class director, told the paper. “As he walked
by, he said something like, ‘I punished my dad, man!’ and went to class.”
The boy’s older sister, who does not live at home, stopped by her parents’
house Saturday and, seeing blood on the floor, called the police, Gazeta
reported.
The boy is now undergoing a psychological assessment, the police spokesman
told Interfax. Murder charges have been filed, but it is unlikely the boy
will face any jail time, as he has not yet turned 14 and is legally still a
juvenile.
Meanwhile, Gevorg Petrosyan committed suicide on Oct. 8 by jumping out of
his 12th-story bedroom window in the Moscow region town of Kuntsev, town
prosecutor Alexei Grigoryev said Wednesday.
Grigoryev would not comment on the details of the case, citing an
investigation, but Moskovsky Komsomolets and Komsomolskaya Pravda reported
that Petrosyan had been expelled from School No. 389 in Sergiyev Posad by
school director Lidia Kanchikova.
The newspapers said Petrosyan was kicked out after being wrongly accused of
bringing alcohol on a field trip.
Kanchikova denied that she had expelled Petrosyan, Moskovsky Komsomolets
reported. “I just turned him over to his mother and told him to come back on
Monday,” Kanchikova said.
Grigoryev said prosecutors are considering open a criminal case on charges
of driving a person to suicide.
Kanchikova cannot be tried if charges are filed. She died of a heart attack
last week, Grigoryev said.
Her age was unclear.

NKR LEADER, BRITISH MPS DISCUSS SITUATION IN KARABAKH

Artsakh State TV, Stepanakert
21 Oct 04

October

NKR (Nagornyy Karabakh Republic) President Arkadiy Gukasyan received
members of the British interparliamentary union lead by a member of
the House of Commons, Gordon Marsden, on 20 October.

During the meeting, the NKR president underlined that the visit of
British parliament members was a good opportunity for the people and
leadership of the NKR to inform the international community about
processes going on there.

President Gukasyan filled the British parliamentarians in on the NKR’s
achievements in building democracy based on the rule of law. Arkadiy
Gukasyan noted the importance of creating appropriate conditions for
developing the NGO sector in the republic as a key component of civic
society.

Touching upon the principles of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
settlement, the NKR president underlined that the most important goal
for the NKR authorities was to prevent the resumption of military
operations and provide the security of the Nagornyy Karabakh
population.

The NKR president also reassured the visitors of his adherence to the
further development of the NKR economy and creation of decent living
conditions. Gukasyan said this would have a positive impact on the
process of democratization in the NKR.

For his part, Gordon Marsden said that the visit to Nagornyy Karabakh
helped them get more detailed information about the life in the
republic. He also noted that the goal of the visit was to find about
the possibilities for international organizations to implement
humanitarian projects and strengthen civic society in Nagornyy
Karabakh, which became possible after meetings with representatives of
NGOs of the republic.

(Video showed the meeting)

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 21 2004

Companies to provide cellular services in Upper Garabagh must contact
Ministry

If `Garabagh Telecom’ wants to provide mobile communication services
in the occupied Upper Garabagh region, it must appeal to the Ministry
of Communications and Information Technologies first, Minister Ali
Abbasov told AssA-Irada.
He said that the Ministry has appealed to the International GSM
Association over the illegal activity of Garabagh Telecom and that
the latter will lost its membership in the entity this July.
Abbasov said that this company has already filed an appeal in this
connection, and if it is approved, the company’s membership may be
restored.
`They allege that the Ministry is not capable of providing mobile
communication services in Upper Garabagh’, he said.
Abbasov added that the Ministry has approached the GSM Association
again saying that if Garabagh Telecom sends a proposal to the
Ministry on providing cellular communication services, it will be
considered.*

Agence France Presse
20 octobre 2004 mercredi 10:44 PM GMT

La Turquie va signer le traité de Rome instaurant la CPI

PARIS 20 oct

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a annoncé mercredi soir
à Paris que la Turquie allait signer et ratifier le traité de Rome
instituant la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), chargée de juger les
crimes de guerre et contre l’humanité.

“La Turquie va signer et ratifier le traité de Rome” créant la CPI, a
annoncé le dirigeant turc lors d’un débat organisé par l’Institut
français des relations internationales (IFRI).

Le ministre répondait à une question posée par l’ancien ministre de
la Justice socialiste Robert Badinter, instigateur de l’abolition de
la peine de mort en France en 1981.

Etablie par ce traité du 17 juillet 1998, signé par 94 Etats, la CPI,
dont le siège est à La Haye, a démarré son activité le 1er juillet
2002.

La CPI est chargée de juger les responsables de génocides, crimes de
guerre et crimes contre l’humanité.

Lors de ce dîner-débat organisé dans le musée d’Orsay à l’occasion du
25ème anniversaire de l’IFRI, M. Erdogan a, par ailleurs, contesté la
réalité du génocide arménien.

“Ceux qui prétendent qu’il y a eu un génocide arménien n’ont pas eu
l’occasion d’étudier les archives ottomanes”, a-t-il dit. “S’ils le
font, ils verront qu’il y a des tableaux très différents”, a-t-il
affirmé.

“Cette question ne peut être pas être résolue par une méthode
parlementaire mais par une méthode scientifique, par les historiens”,
a-t-il poursuivi. “En utilisant une approche idéologique,
émotionnelle, raciste, on complique la tche”, a-t-il souligné,
répondant à une question posée par Simone Veil, ancienne présidente
du Parlement européen et ancienne déportée par les nazis.

De nombreux hommes politiques réclament en France, où vit une
communauté d’origine arménienne nombreuse (450 000 personnes), que la
Turquie reconnaisse le génocide arménien de 1915. Le Parlement
français a voté en 2001 une loi reconnaissant le génocide arménien.

Enfin, M. Erdogan a appelé la France à soutenir la candidature turque
à l’Union européenne.

“Entre deux pays (la France et la Turquie) qui ont une telle
alliance, on ne peut s’attendre qu’à une solidarité entre eux”,
a-t-il lancé. “Nous nous retrouvons ensemble dans toute une série
d’institutions internationales”, a-t-il ajouté, citant notamment
l’Otan et l’OCDE. “Il est inconcevable que l’on puisse ne pas se
retrouver encore ensemble au sein de l’Union européenne”, a poursuivi
M. Erdogan.

Le Premier ministre turc effectue une visite privée de deux jours à
Paris à l’invitation de l’Ifri.

Libération , France

20 octobre 2004

La Turquie dans l’UE, oui si…;
L’Europe devrait proposer à Ankara une voie rigoureuse vers la
démocratisation.

by NEZAN Kendal; Kendal Nezan, président de l’Institut kurde de
Paris.

Le débat passionnel qui s’engage un peu partout en Europe sur la
Turquie révèle une hostilité profonde de l’opinion vis-à-vis de son
adhésion à l’Union. Cette hostilité qui dépasse les clivages
politiques traditionnels est compréhensible. Elle ne saurait être
réduite aux seuls préjugés culturels et religieux ou à des réactions
de peur. La Turquie a une mauvaise image dans l’inconscient des
Européens, y compris dans des pays qui n’ont pas eu à souffrir du
passé ottoman des Turcs et qui n’ont pas de contentieux particulier
avec Ankara, et elle en porte la responsabilité.

Elle récolte aujourd’hui les fruits amers des violations massives des
droits de l’homme et de la persécution des minorités pratiquées par
ses gouvernements successifs tout au long du XXe siècle. Du déni du
génocide arménien à l’épuration de l’Anatolie de sa population
grecque autochtone, aux massacres et déplacements forcés des Kurdes
reniés dans leur identité et leur culture, à la répression des
dissidents s’écartant de l’idéologie nationaliste officielle et
intolérante, la liste de ces crimes est longue. Les Etats européens,
au nom de la Realpolitik, des impératifs de la guerre froide ou de
simples intérêts mercantiles, se sont accommodés de ces pratiques.
Pas la conscience publique tenue constamment en éveil par les
victimes du régime turc et les ONG des droits de l’homme. Les coups
d’Etat militaires quasi décennaux avec leur cortège de rafles,
d’exécutions sommaires, de réfugiés politiques, des procès
inquisitoriaux intentés à des intellectuels, des journalistes, des
élus du peuple comme Leyla Zana, y ont laissé des empreintes
profondes. Dans l’inconscient occidental, la Turquie reste encore le
pays de Midnight Express, un Etat capable de faire parler le turc à
quiconque sous la torture, selon l’inoubliable sketch de Coluche. Un
Etat qui a embastillé et forcé à l’exil ses plus grands artistes
comme Nazim Hikmet et Yilmaz Güney.

Tout cela, c’est du passé, il faut regarder l’avenir car la Turquie
est en train de changer, semble nous dire la Commission européenne,
qui, dans son rapport, dresse un tableau des “modifications apportées
aux systèmes politiques et juridiques turcs qui s’inscrivent dans un
processus de longue durée”. En quoi consistent-elles ?

La Constitution imposée par l’armée en 1982 a été amendée, ses
dispositions les plus liberticides supprimées, mais son esprit reste
autoritaire, et elle conserve toujours, dans son préambule, “le
concept de nationalisme” et “les principes et réformes d’Ataturk
[…], guide immortel et héros incomparable”, comme idéologie
officielle intangible de l’Etat, tout comme le marxisme-léninisme
était un dogme de la Constitution soviétique.

Le nouveau code pénal, qui remplace celui emprunté dans les années
1930 à l’Italie de Mussolini, est dans le contexte turc une avancée
démocratique importante, malgré certains articles potentiellement
dangereux pour la liberté d’expression. La suppression des cours de
sûreté de l’Etat, la levée de l’état d’exception dans les provinces
kurdes, l’abolition de la peine de mort, sont des progrès indéniables
à inscrire dans le bilan de l’actuel gouvernement turc qui cependant,
malgré sa volonté affichée, n’a pu réduire sensiblement la pratique
de la torture.

Réaliste, la Commission européenne nous prévient qu'”il faudra encore
du temps avant que l’esprit des réformes soit pleinement reflété dans
les attitudes des instances exécutives et judiciaires, à tous les
niveaux et dans l’ensemble du pays”.

Les Kurdes, comme d’habitude, sont les oubliés de ces négociations
interétatiques. La Commission évalue leur nombre entre 15 et 20
millions, soit près du tiers de la population totale de la Turquie.
Après des années de tergiversations, le gouvernement turc leur
accorde magnanimement le droit d’organiser des cours privés de kurde
pour adultes et une émission quotidienne de 45 minutes diffusée au
petit matin sur une chaîne publique, sous-titrée en turc, composée de
musique et d’informations officielles. Aucun progrès n’est enregistré
dans le processus de retour de 3 millions de déplacés kurdes et de la
reconstruction des 3 428 villages kurdes évacués et détruits par
l’armée turque. Et pour cause : la politique fondamentale de l’Etat
reste toujours la dispersion des Kurdes et leur assimilation forcée
afin de parvenir, à terme, à forger une Turquie culturellement
homogène.

Bref, sur la question kurde, qui est au coeur même de la
problématique des droits de l’homme, de la démocratisation de la
Turquie et de ses relations avec son voisinage, les avancées restent
infinitésimales et symboliques, juste de quoi ne pas désespérer
Bruxelles qui n’a pas le courage d’inviter Ankara à reconnaître à ses
citoyens kurdes des droits comparables à ceux qu’il revendique pour
les quelque 150 000 Turcs chypriotes.

Dès lors, il n’est pas étonnant que les réformes turques, en dépit de
leur nombre et de leur rythme, paraissent, pour une large partie de
l’opinion, relever plus du ravalement de façade que d’un processus de
démocratisation véritable. On est loin d’une stratégie de rupture
avec le passé.

Malgré ce bilan mitigé, la Commission recommande l’ouverture de
négociations afin d’encourager les efforts des réformateurs turcs et
semble miser sur la dynamique d’adhésion pour régler les dossiers qui
posent actuellement problème.

Curieusement, ce sont les partis conservateurs, qui, pendant des
décennies, s’affichaient comme des alliés fidèles d’Ankara, qui se
montrent aujourd’hui hostiles aux négociations, et les principales
victimes du régime turc qui demandent un dialogue critique avec
Ankara.

Ainsi, selon un récent sondage, 90 % des Kurdes de Turquie se disent
favorables à l’entrée de leur pays dans l’Union européenne car
celle-ci est perçue par eux comme un espace supranational de paix, de
démocratie et de prospérité susceptible de sauver la Turquie de ses
démons nationalistes et militaristes. Ils espèrent aussi, qu’à terme
ils parviendront à obtenir des droits et libertés comparables à ceux
dont jouissent aujourd’hui Basques, Catalans et Ecossais dans
l’Europe démocratique. De plus, le fait qu’à la suite de l’adhésion
turque la frontière de l’Union passe au milieu du Kurdistan donne aux
Kurdes des pays voisins des raisons d’espérer la démocratisation, par
effet de contagion, de leurs Etats respectifs. Les Grecs se disent
également favorables à l’intégration d’Ankara et cette position a
déjà contribué à une nette amélioration de leurs relations avec leurs
voisins turcs.

A l’intérieur de la société turque, outre l’élite déjà occidentalisée
d’Istanbul et de la côte égéenne, la mouvance islamique incarnée par
le parti conservateur AK actuellement au pouvoir place ses espoirs
dans le processus européen qui lui sert notamment de levier pour
démilitariser le régime et réduire la tutelle pesante d’une armée se
conduisant en propriétaire ultime de l’Etat, prête à sévir pour
trahison contre tous ceux s’écartant de la “voie d’Ataturk”.

Si Turcs, Kurdes et Grecs trouvent leurs intérêts dans l’adhésion
turque à l’Union, quel intérêt aurait celle-ci à intégrer un pays de
70 millions d’habitants pauvres et musulmans, de surcroît situé dans
une région instable et infestée de conflits ? Avec un PIB
représentant environ 2 % du PIB de l’Europe des Vingt-Cinq, l’apport
économique turc restera modeste. Contrairement à ce que, par
méconnaissance de l’histoire de la région, affirment certains
stratèges en chambre, l’intérêt géopolitique reste également limité :
à l’exception, peut-être, de l’Azerbaïdjan, l’influence turque est à
peu près nulle dans le Caucase et en Asie centrale. Et en raison de
son passé ottoman, de son alliance avec les Etats-Unis et Israël, la
Turquie n’a pas d’influence significative au sein du monde musulman.
En vérité, en Asie mineure, qui constitue 97 % du territoire de la
Turquie, les seuls voisins terrestres des Turcs sont des Kurdes.

L’Empire ottoman, qui l’avait bien compris, avait accordé une large
autonomie aux princes kurdes pour obtenir leur soutien. Cette réalité
reste encore incontournable car les ressources hydrauliques des
bassins de l’Euphrate et du Tigre sont situées au Kurdistan et les
oléoducs destinés à transporter le pétrole du Caucase et de l’Irak
doivent traverser le pays kurde avant d’arriver au port turc de
Ceyhan.

A regarder de près, le véritable intérêt pour l’Europe de l’adhésion
de la Turquie serait de pacifier et sécuriser ses frontières
orientales. Si dans ses négociations avec Ankara elle parvenait à
convaincre les dirigeants turcs de l’intérêt pour tous de trouver une
solution à la question kurde, de reconnaître le génocide arménien
pour apurer le passé et de régler à l’amiable leurs différends avec
la Grèce, la paix, la justice et la démocratie auraient fait
d’immenses progrès dans une région qui en a bien besoin. Alors, une
Turquie en paix avec ses populations et avec ses voisins devrait
avoir toute sa place en Europe.

Après avoir réconcilié Allemands et Français, Polonais et Allemands,
la construction européenne pourrait ainsi réaliser le miracle de
réconcilier à ses confins Grecs, Turcs, Kurdes et Arméniens.

Une telle ambition historique comporte certainement des risques dont
certains, comme le poids démographique ou la libre circulation des
personnes, peuvent être réglementés et gérés. Elle aura aussi un
coût, évalué à quelque 25 milliards d’euros à l’horizon 2020, qui
reste fort modeste par rapport aux 200 milliards de dollars déjà
dépensés par les Américains dans leur entreprise d’instaurer la
démocratie en Irak.

Une Europe frileuse, sans vision ni ambition finirait par devenir un
club de retraités de l’Histoire. Une Europe ouverte et ambitieuse
devrait proposer à Ankara des négociations avec une feuille de route
rigoureuse en matière de démocratisation, de droits de l’homme, du
règlement du problème kurde, etc. et assumer des risques qui restent
raisonnables car si la Turquie fait l’effort de remplir effectivement
ces conditions elle ne sera plus la même et pourrait être une chance
pour l’Europe. Si, en raison des pesanteurs de son régime, elle
tergiverse ou refuse l’effort requis, la balle restera dans son camp
mais le processus aura tout de même permis quelques avancées pour la
population. Un “oui, si” laisserait la place à l’espoir, et de
l’espoir on en a tous bien besoin.

OSKANIAN MAKES DISCORDANT STATEMENTS

Azg/am
22 Oct 04

Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian is making discordant statements these
days about Turkey’s possible membership in EU, Armenia’s blockade and
Armenian-Turkish relations.

“There are no diplomatic relations between Armenian and Turkey today,
and the border is closed putting Armenia in a tough situation”,
ITAR-TASS quoted Vartan Oskanian as saying this in Rome on
October19. Oskanian noted at the round table called “South Caucasus:
Stability and Safety” organized by the Italian I nstitute of Foreign
Affairs and the Armenian embassy to Italy that Turkey’s integration to
EU will open a new door for Yerevan-Ankara relations.

The CNN-Turk touched on Oskanian’s speech. “We wish that the
Armenian-Turkish border-gate opened. The fact that we have no
border-gate with Turkey and Azerbaijan causes lot of troubles. Armenia
is a European state by its spirit and is taking important steps to
reach European standards. Turkey’s membership to EU will bring
Europe’s borders closer to Armenia. Acknowledgment ofthe Armenian
Genocide is not a precondition for starting talks with Ankara”,
Oskanian said.

A press release spread by Foreign Ministry’s press center reads: “The
minister touched on Turkey’s membership to EU and presented Armenia’s
position on the issue”. But the press release keeps silent about
Oskanian’s speech. That’s why we turned to ITAR-TASS and CNN-Turk for
details.

Minister Oskanian’s words uttered in Rome do not correspond with his
statement at a press conference a month ago that Armenia’s economy
will develop without either oil or gas pipelines and even in a
blockade.

Vartan Oskanian certainly new the audience before which he was
standing but Armenian officials’ statements very often contain
contradiction especially in case of Armenia-Turkish relations.

Oskanian declares Turkey’s integration to EU as beneficial for
Armenian-Turkish relations in Rome whereas in Yerevan, October 11, he
stated that Turkey is unworthy of EU admittance talks. “A country that
has blockaded Armenia and has recently passed a law making the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as any claim to withdraw
Turkish forces from Cyprus, a criminal act isnot worthy even the
negotiations for EU accession. We think that Turkey is not ready for
that”, Oskanian said.

Defense Minister Serge Sargsian in his turn told Marko Zakera, deputy
chairman of East European Union, that Armenia considers Turkey’s
membership in EU favorable.

As opposed to Yerevan, Ankara hews to its chosen line in relations
with Armenia. This is a policy of blockade and threats.

It seems that Armenia also has a straightforward Turkish policy: not
to put forward preconditions for starting diplomatic relations. But
Armenian officials become shaky when it comes up to Turkey’s
admittance to the EU. Europe in its turn considers the “Armenian
factor” a trifling issue. Europe is not going to ask Armenia or
Diaspora whether to admit Turkey or not. The “Armenian factor” may
become a subject of bargain at best.

By Tatoul Hakobian

GEORGIA’S NEW EDUCATIONAL LAW

Do Javakhk’s Demographic Changes Stand Behind?

Azg/am
22 Oct 04

Dali Aghdgomeladze is a teacher of Georgian in one of Akhalkalak’s
schools. She speaks Armenian brilliantly. I asked her whether
Georgian is ignored in Javakhk. “Some people try to picture it like
that but there is no ignorancein fact. Everything hangs on parents and
families. When parents explain children that they should learn
English, Georgian, they do so”, Dali said.

Georgian language has been a school subject in the schools of Javakhk
since the Soviet times but only 1 out of 100 school graduates knew
Georgian letters. Though Georgia’s new authorities make efforts to
teach Georgian to Armenians of Javakhk there is hardly any progress
today. There were cases when teachers sent from Tbilisi to remote
villages of Javakhk learnt Armenian but none of pupils learnt
Georgian.

But Georgia’s “rose” leaders never give up. A draft law on “Public
Education of Georgia” is to be discussed in the parliament in near
future. “81 per cent of Javakhk’s population is acquainted with the
coming changes and support reforms”, Haravayin Darpas, Javakhk’s
Armenian newspaper quoted education minister Kakha Lomaya as
saying. “Those who understand the meaning and purpose of the reforms
support the project. But there are also people opposing it. Those are
the corrupted directors of schools”, Lomaya said.

The draft law was not welcomed in Javakhk and in Azeri populated Kvemo
Kartli. “We are against this project, as well as Azeris”, Levon
Levanian, representative of Georgia’s ombudsman to Akhalkalak and
Ninotsminda, said. He said that law’s 3d article’s 5th and 6th points
are the most worrying.

The 5th point reads: “Georgian is the teaching language in all
educational establishments. Abkhaz language together with Georgian is
the teaching language of Abkhazia”. The 6th point reads: “If the
language of an educational establishment does not correspond to the
mother tongue of a pupil, the guardians’ board may include programs of
teaching pupil’s mother tongue or else subjects in the mother tongue
but only within the frames of the current financial support of the
state”.

In case the law is passed, all subjects at the schools of Javakhk will
be taught in Georgian except for Armenian language and literature. 99
per centof teachers of Javakhk’s schools do not know Georgian, and one
can hardly fancy an Armenian teacher explaining to Armenian pupils
Mendeleyev’s law in Georgian.

People think in Akhalkalak that the new educational law has a
far-reaching aim of shifting the region’s demography. Head of Virk
Party Davit Rstakian says: “The state pays 500 lari ($270) those who
will come to teach in Georgian. There is a guileful aim behind the
law: an attempt to change Javakhk=80=99s demographic picture. As soon
as the law is passed, hundreds of teachers will come to the region
with their families and Armenian teachers will drop out of the
schools”.

“Georgians always note that Georgia is in the 2d place with number of
Armenian schools after Armenia. That’s true but that is not due to
Georgians but comes from Armenians habit of living in communities. The
fact that Armenians inhabit whole regions has been disturbing all
Georgian governments since 1918. They made every effort to bar the
Armenians. They succeeded in Akhaltskha”, Rstakian says.

Levanian is also concerned but is suspicious whether Georgians will
stand Javakhk’s winter. “Even if they inhabit region with Georgians
they will hardly stay here. It’s awfully cold here. The government has
already sent few dozens of teachers this year, we’ll see if they will
stand the cold or not”, he says.

A branch of Georgia’s state university opened in Akhalkalak 3
yearsago. “They teach only in Georgian at the university and 100-150
students come tostudy from all over Georgia annually. The state
provides good conditions for them. The state attempts to change
demography of Javakhk artificially. The university will release
semi-educated Armenians, because they don’t know Georgian, and
well-educated Georgians. The latter ones will settle in Javakhk for
5-6 years for their studies, will occupy positions and eventually stay
here”, a resident of Akhalkalak, Vartan Hakobian, says.

Artur Yeremian, head of Akhalkalak Region’s Administration, noticesno
sign of Javakhk’s demographic shift. “We know from the experience that
only Armenians can endure Javakhk’s conditions”, he says reminding
that in 1989 newly inhabited Georgians could stand only one winter and
soon left, leaving the houses especially made for them.

By Tatoul Hakobian

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +3741. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +3741. .562543
Email: [email protected]:

The official visit of Foreign Minister Oskanian to Italy
Today, in course of his official visit to Italy, Minister Oskanian had
meetings with municipal authorities and business circles of Venice. The
General Secretary of the Venice Trade Chamber, Romano Tiotso, and local
businessmen received the minister. The talks were held about the necessity
of starting Armenian-Italian relations at the regional level.

Both sides marked the close historical ties and traditions between Venice
and Armenia, in which the role of the Mkhitarians’ Unity is significant in
our days. The two sides also underlined the importance of bilateral
cooperation in the sphere of small and medium-size business. In this field,
winemaking, agricultural production, tourism, and light industry were
considered as the most viable arenas.

The two sides agreed to arrange mutual visits of business groups, exchange
of experts, and business forums, in order to elaborate concrete programs of
cooperation. Minister Oskanian then met with local press.

In the afternoon, a meeting was held with the municipal authorities. In the
course of the meeting, Minister Oskanian expressed his gratitude to the
municipal authorities for their care for the Mkhitarians’ Unity, which held
a crucial role in maintaining the Armenian institutions of S. Ghazar island.

ARMENIAN OFFICIAL REPLIES TO PUBLIC ANGER AT REGISTRATION OF JEHOVAH’S
WITNESSES

Arminfo
21 Oct 04

YEREVAN

There is nothing illegal in the official registration of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses religious sect, the head of the Armenian government
department for ethnic minorities and religion, Granush Kharatyan, told
a news conference today.

Kharatyan expressed her surprise at the angry reaction from part of
the public caused by the recent registration of this religious
sect. In this connection, she said that no-one had protested against
the registration and activities of Pentecostalists, Protestants or
Jews in Armenia.

“During their ceremonies, Jews call for anti-Christian
actions. However, nobody has ever been concerned about them,” she
said. Also, under Armenia’s laws, a religious sect cannot be denied
registration unless its charter contradicts the law. The charter of
Jehovah’s Witnesses fully complies with the law, as the Armenian
Justice Ministry itself has said.

At the same time, Kharatyan said that the law on religion signed in
1991 is not completely perfect as it does not ban religious ceremonies
hostile to other faiths.

“Our job is not to fight religious sects but oversee them,” Kharatyan
said. “But you cannot oversee something if there is no appropriate
legislation. However, we will withstand this outrage caused by the
(registration) of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”