MESSAGE

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
20 Oct 04

NKR president Arkady Ghukassian addressed the captain of the ship
`Kilikia’ and the members of the crew. The message runs, `Your voyage
is the fitting finale of your hard work of many years for restoring
the glorious traditions of navigation which seemed to have been lost
in the course of centuries. We are hopeful that the knowledge and the
precious experience restored piece by piece will help still more
enthusiasts to carry on with the undertaking the avant-garde of which
you are. Certainly your step once again displayed to the world the
cultural and historical wealth of Armenia, the talent and diligence of
its sons. The people of Artsakh know that their state flag also waves
on `CKilikia’ during its historic voyage through the `seven seas’. We
areproud of you and wish you a safe return home. I invite you to the
Republic of Nagorni Karabakh which has become the symbol of rebirth of
the spirit of the Armenian nation.’

AA.
20-10-2004

PRESIDENT’S MEETING

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
20 Oct 04

On October 16 NKR president Arkady Ghukassian met with the noted
Armenian philanthropist from America Vaheh Karapetian. During this
visit Vaheh Karapetian observed the maintenance works on the road
Goris – Stepanakert carried out on his financing. He said that
presently the building for the company `Road Maintenance’ implementing
these works is reconstructed, as well as a warehouse for storage and
repairs of the machines is built. Mr. Karapetian told the president of
NKR about his intention to assume financing of the maintenanceof the
highway `North – South’ after its construction is finished. During the
meeting V. Karapetian spoke about a number of programs implemented in
Artsakh on his means. Among these are the restoration of the church in
the village of Aghavno and improvement of the territory around the
church Ghazanchetsots in Shoushi.

AA.
20-10-2004

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TIGRAN TOROSIAN: ESTABLISHMENT OF POLITICAL FIELD IS MORE IMPORTANT
FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS THAN ELECTORAL CODE REFORMS

YEREVAN, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). A a result of reforms of the
Electoral Code the number of proportional places will increase in the
parliament. Tigran Torosian, RA NA Vice-Speaker, said during his
October 20 interview to journalists that the issue of correlation of
the number of places by proportional and majoritarian systems was
discussed during the sitting of the coalition council, in which RA
President also participated. Not specifying the envisaged number of
places by the proportional system, Torosian said that the reform
should be consonant with the previous change made in the Electoral
Code. He expressed anxiety that abrupt steps in this direction may
have unpredictable consequences.

According to NA Vice-Speaker, in case of 100% proportional system the
businessmen who display willingness to become an MP and at present
spend large sums for being elected by the majoritarian system will
have no alternative and will strive for appearing on party lists and
we have already had such a precedent.

In Tigran Torosian’s opinion, the Electoral Code has faults and no one
doubts that they should be eliminated. Some of these faults contribute
to electoral violations, in particular, problems connected with
electoral rolls and empowered persons. But as the speaker emphasized,
reforms of the Electoral Code aren’t enough for holding elections
corresponding to international criteria. In Torosian’s affirmation,
it’s necessary that all political forces participating in the
elections should be able to show political will. According to NA
Vice-Speaker, all political forces committed violations during the
previous elections and the number of violations committed by the
Republican Party doesn’t exceed the number of those committed by other
parties. About 300 application-complaints submitted by the
Prosecutor’s Office equally concern all political forces.

Answering Noyan Tapan’s question about assuming political
responsibility for electoral violations Torosian mentioned that the
political forces don’t make decisions about committing falsifications
and they are committed by certain groups of people. At the same time
he agreed that the violations and punishments envisaged for them are
disproportionate. According to Tigran Torosian, the next state
elections will have an exceptional importance for Armenia as the fact
if the country will take the way of European development or will
appear among the backward countries depends on free and fair
elections. According to him, establishment of the political field of
Armenia is much more important for free and fair elections than
adoption of 100% majoritarian system.

FOUNDATION OF ST. CROSS CHURCH IN MOSCOW CONSECRATED UNDER LEADERSHIP
OF CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AND WITH PARTICIPATION OF PATRIARCH OF
MOSCOW AND ALL-RUSSIA

MOSCOW, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin
II departed to Moscow on October 15 to mark the 75th anniversary of
Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II, as well as for the
consecration of the foundation of the Surb Khach (St. Cross) Church
and the residence of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II
accompanied by high-ranking representatives of priesthood, Archbishop
Grigoris Buniatian, Head of the Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian
Church, Ezras Nersisian, Head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan
Diocese, and members of the Diocesan Board met Catholicos of All
Armenians Karekin II at the airport. On October 16 morning, His
Holiness visited Surb Harutiun (St.

Resurrection) Church in Moscow. The ceremony of the consecration of
the foundation of the St. Cross Church was held the same day under the
leadership of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and with the
participation of Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II. 16
consecrated stones were laid into the foundation of the church. After
the ceremony Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II thanked Patriarch
of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II and the authorities of Russia for
contribution to the construction of the church, as well as for the
careful attitude towards the Armenian Community of Moscow. “Our soul
is glad on the occasion of the happy event, which we mark together
with the Armenian Community today and which is held simultaneously
with the celebration of the jubilee of His Holiness Patriarch of
Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II. Today we thank God that we day by day
develop the relations between our countries and strengthen fraternal
love between our peoples and our churches in the spirit of
traditionally steadfast friendship and cooperation,” said, in
particular, the Catholicos of All Armenians. The Supreme Patriarch
blessed philanthropists of the St.

Cross Church Vitaly Grigoriants, Murad Sargsian and others. Then
Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Alexy II spoke. He expressed hope
that the construction of the church will more strengthen the relations
between the two people and churches. “Warm relations have been formed
between the two peoples during long years and centuries. A friend in
need is a friend indeed, and when Armenia faced disasters, when the
earthquake in Spitak took human lives, Russia was with the Armenian
people, shared its pain and sufferings. I thank You, Your Holiness,
that when Russia experiences the ramifications of the terrorist acts,
You always share our pain, support us with Your prayers in Holy
Etchmiadzin,” said the Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia, expressing
hope that “the Cathedral, which will be constructed here, will be the
place, where friendship between the two peoples and cooperation
between our churches will grow and consolidate.” Moscow Mayor Yury
Luzhkov also sent congratulations to the Armenian Community.

“When we speak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, we feel our spiritual
kinship, which unites our churches, the especial similarity of our
peoples, which was born many centuries ago and which, thank God,
consolidates and I hope will consolidate in the future,” mentioned the
Moscow Mayor. According to the Information System of the Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin, Georgy Poltavchenko, Plenipotentiary of the
President of Russia to the Central Federal Okrug, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Russia Armen Smbatian,
Chairman of the Diocesan Council Artur Chilingarov and numerous
believers also participated in the ceremony. A meeting of the two
Patriarchs was held at the patriarchal residence after the
ceremony. The Head of the Russian Orthodox Church gave the Catholicos
of All Armenians the supreme award of the church, the order of
St. Andrey Perwozwanny, for contribution to the strengthening of
friendship and cooperation between the Russian and Armenian churches
and peoples.

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR DEVOTED TO RESTORATION OF ARCHITECTURAL AND
NATURAL HERITAGE HELD IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). The regular two-day international
seminar started in Yerevan on October 19. The seminar is held within
the framework of the “Restoration of Architectural and Cultural
Heritage in the Urban Development Policy” program implemented in
Armenia since 2003 with the support of the Council of Europe. The
purpose of the seminar is to become acquainted with the European
experience and specify the process of the pilot programs implemented
in the towns of Ashtarak, Goris and Gyumri. Foreign specialists
presented the experience of the political management and town-planning
restoration of the historical towns of Masstricht (the Netherlands)
and Vien (France). According to RA Deputy Minister of Urban
Development Ruzanna Alaverdian, the stable growth is observed in the
sphere of urban development of Armenia, and the preservation of the
structures presenting the architectural and cultural heritage is the
primary task. The program, which is implemented with the support of
the Council of Europe, is of a consulting nature: it is expected that
taking into account the peculiarities of the Armenians towns the pilot
programs of their development will be worked out with the involvement
of the private capital.

SILVA KAPUTIKIAN AND SIX OTHER INTELLECTUALS APPEAL TO ARMENIAN
PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARIAN “EXPRESSING HOPE” THAT HE WILL STOP
ILLEGALITIES CONNECTED WITH DALMA GARDENS

YEREVAN, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). Seven members of the Committee for
Protection of Yerevan Dalma Gardens addressed an open letter to
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on October 14 asking for stoppage
of illegal acts by several high-ranking officials of the country in
respect to the gardens. The open letter signed by prominent poetess
Silva Kaputikian, RA People’s Painter Eduard Isabekian, academician
Paris Heruni, composer of songs Edvard Miroyan, professor Levon
Harutiunian, real member of the RA Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Anahit Shirinian and Chairman of Armenian Green Union Hakob Sanasarian
calls for establishing corresponding conditions for the organization
of detailed and multilateral discussions of the Dalma Gardens
program. The letter, in particular, expressed hope that the Armenian
President will keep his promises regarding the fact that Yerevan will
not be built up at the expense of Dalma Gardens.

Dissatisfaction and available problems connected with Dalma Gardens
were presented in the 3-page letter. It should be mentioned that Dalma
Gardens have cultural and historical value.

SLOVAK PARLIAMENT IS GOING TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF RECOGNITION OF
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP IN EUROPEAN UNION

BRATISLAVA, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). The National Assembly of
Slovakia is going to discuss the issues of Turkey’s possible
membership in the European Union during this and next weeks. According
to Ashot Grigorian, Chairman of the Armenian Community of Slovakia, it
will follow the discussion of the issue of Slovakia’s recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by the suggestion of the Christian-Democratic
faction of the parliament. It is also expected that the issue of
Turkey’s membership in the European Union will be connected with the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey.

BRITISH WAR MEMORIAL DESECRATED IN AZERI CAPITAL OVER MPS’ KARABAKH VISIT

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
20 Oct 04

(Presenter, referring to preceding report about protest of the
Karabakh Liberation Organization at the British embassy in Baku) There
has been more radical protest against British officials’ visit to
Karabakh.

Using black paint, unidentified people today wrote the name of (Deputy
Speaker of the British House of Lords) Baroness Caroline Cox, who led
the British delegation during the Karabakh visit, on the memorial (at
Martyrs’ Avenue in central Baku) to British soldiers killed in Baku in
1918 (fighting Turkish troops).

Police arrived at the scene and removed paint off the memorial. It is
still unknown who is responsible for the incident.

Monday, October 18, 2004
***********************************
The human brain is designed to think, but more often than not, thinking is the last thing it does.
*
You cannot argue with City Hall, they say; neither can you argue with a bishop, or, for that matter, with a dogmatist, a fanatic, a monomaniac, a partisan, and in general, anyone with an axe to grind or has more power than you do.
*
You cannot argue with Turks either. Not that I have ever argued with one. But I have argued with Armenians. As a matter of fact, I have had many arguments with Armenians and I have lost all of them. Not only have I lost the arguments but also quite a few friends, not to say a fraction of my dignity.
*
Sometimes I ask myself: Why do I go on? And the only answer I can come with is that I don’t know. I have no idea why I continue to argue with my fellow Armenians. It must be the Turk in me.
*
But I know something today that I didn’t know before. Our side of the story is not the whole story. To think that it is, is to make the same mistake that Turks make when they think their side of the story is the whole story. I am a not implying truth is located somewhere in the middle. What I am trying to say is that, it is a mistake to think in any argument or conflict, one side is 100% right and the other 100% wrong.
*
You cannot have consensus without compromise, and consensus does not mean agreement but cooperation. This applies not only to Armeno-Turkish relations but also to Armeno-Armenian relations.
*
Our choice is between compromise and consensus on the one hand, and on the other, disagreement and feud to the end of time.
*
And now, let us pray: Our Father who art in heaven….
*
And, if you are not big on prayer, let us reason together. Let us, for a change, use our brain for the purpose it was designed.
#
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
**********************************
Whenever I read a favorable comment on Turks by a Western observer, I think: “What the hell does he know?” But more and more frequently now, the question I ask next is: “What the hell do I know?”
*
Is there a single imperial nation on the face of the earth and in the history of mankind that can plead not guilty to the charge of massacre?
*
When we think in terms of right and wrong, good and evil, lies and truth, love and hate, we, in a way, assume to live in a black-and-white world. But what if the colors of reality are closer to shades of gray?
*
So far we have concentrated our efforts on exposing Turkish crimes and Western lies to such an extent that we have ignored our own. Which is where I come in…. But what if I too have been so busy exposing our own prejudices and misconceptions that I have had no time to see my own? As a matter of fact, it is by observing my own prejudices that I began to see our collective lies.
*
Born and raised in a Tashnak neighborhood, educated in a chezok (Catholic) school, now living in a predominantly Protestant country among Ramgavar relatives, I have been exposed to a veritable supermarket of conflicting ideologies, religions, propaganda and lies.
*
We may agree on the number of our victims, but we agree on nothing else. What the hell do we know? That is our question.
#
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
***********************************
In one of our weeklies I read today that an Orthodox Jew spat on an Armenian archbishop in Jerusalem, and the archbishop reacted by slapping the Jew. This minor incident epitomizes all the aberrations that at one time or another have been committed in the name of god or religion.
*
God may be good, but his role in the history of mankind has been ambiguous. If god were accountable to a separate set of superior gods, he would need a dream-team of lawyers. Either that or plead insanity.
*
Socrates was condemned to death because he was accused of not respecting the gods of Athens. Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be the Messiah. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on religious grounds. Gandhi was assassinated by a fanatic Hindu. I could go on…
*
During the Soviet era, Ramgavars supported the regime in Yerevan and the Tashnaks opposed it. The regime is no longer with us but we continue to have two sets of churches, schools, community centers, weeklies, bosses and bishops where one would be more than enough. Our unspoken slogan: Bad blood first, solidarity last.
*
If our political bosses are ever impeached, they too will need a dream team.
*
Readers, who have programmed themselves to disagree with me, also program themselves to misunderstand everything I say, and when it comes to misunderstanding, the average Armenian can be as creative as a genius.
*
According to the boomerang school of Armenian criticism, if you are against something, you will be accused of that very same something. Because I have been critical of intolerance and dogmatism, I have been accused of both aberrations.
*
Religious faith is sometimes confused with religious insanity, which, unlike other forms of insanity, may raise an entire civilization against another. It is no exaggeration to say that religious insanity has claimed more victims than all other forms of insanity combined.
*
As for nationalism and idealism (two other forms of collective insanity): they too may lead to war and massacre, but only when they acquire religious fervor. Is not the fascist slogan “Mussolini ha sempre ragione” (Mussolini is always right) an echo of divine infallibility?
#

Armenian National Committee of Florida
931 NE 48th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Tel. (954) 401-9787 – E-mail. [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

October 15, 2004
Contact: Bedo Der-Bedrossian ~ Tel: (954) 401-9787

FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE SCORES 100% ON ANCA QUESTIONNAIRE

Betty Castor Signals Support for Genocide Recognition, Increased
Aid, Expanded Trade, and an End to the Blockades

WASHINGTON, DC – In a move welcomed by Florida’s growing Armenian
community, “Sunshine State” Senate hopeful Betty Castor responded
positively to each of the nine questions on the Armenian National
Committee Of America (ANCA) Candidate Questionnaire.

The Questionnaire features nine questions about recognition of the
Armenian Genocide; U.S. support for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh;
U.S.-Armenia economic relations; Self-determination for Nagorno-
Karabakh; Conditions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan; the Turkish
blockade of Armenia, and; the U.S.
subsidy of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline bypass of Armenia.

Despite its growing Armenian community, estimated at over 30,000,
Florida remains among the shrinking number of states in which
neither Senator has cosponsored the Genocide Resolution, S.Res.164.
or actively supported Armenian American issues. Both Senators –
freshman Bill Nelson (D) and Bob Graham (D), who is retiring after
three six-year terms in the Senate – have been largely unsupportive
of Armenian American issues and unresponsive to the concerns of
sizable Armenian communities in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa/St.
Petersburg, Ocala, Orlando, Fort Meyer, Jacksonville, Tallahassee,
and elsewhere throughout the state.

Castor is running against Mel Martinez, the Bush Administration’s
former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to succeed
Senator Graham. The race is widely considered to be among the most
competitive in the nation. Castor has served as a state senator,
as Florida Education Commissioner, and as a university president.
She founded the nationally recognized Healthy Kids insurance
program.

Those interested in learning Mel Martinez’s positions on Armenian
American issues can contact his campaign and urge him to complete
the ANCA Candidate Questionnaire. His campaign manager, Scott
Barnhart, can be reached by phone through the campaign’s operator
at (407) 897-3130; the campaign’s political director, Nathan Blake,
can be contacted via email at [email protected]. For complete
contact information for the Martinez campaign:
<;h
ttp://

The Armenian National Committee of South Florida commended one of
its local activists, Michael Toumayan, for urging Betty Castor, in
behalf of the ANC of South Florida, to state her positions on
Armenian issues by filling-out the ANCA Candidate Questionnaires.
In addition Michael has also worked closely with the Castor’s
senior aides and arranged for the campaign to send a representative
to deliver an address to the Armenian Americans attending the
Florida “Kef for Kerry” on October 24, 2004.

For an Adobe PDF version of the ANCA Questionnaire:
<;http:
//

The ANCA chapter contacts for Florida are:

ANC – Central Florida
Ara Manoogian
[email protected]

ANC – Gulf Coast
Richard O’Brien
[email protected]

ANC South Florida
Bedros Der Bedrossian
[email protected]