PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
October 14, 2004

His Holiness Karekin II Receives the President of the Republic of Bulgaria

On September 23, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, received His Excellency Georgi Parvanov,
President of the Republic of Bulgaria. The President was accompanied
by his wife, Mrs. Zorka Parvanov; Archbishop Dometiyan, Metropolitan
of Vidin of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; and high-ranking delegation
members from Bulgaria.

The Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed the Bulgarian President to the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and introduced him to the long history
of Christianity in Armenia. His Holiness noted with pleasure his many
happy memories from his Pontifical Visit to Bulgaria two years ago.
His Holiness also spoke of the current status of Church-State relations
within Armenia, as well as the difficult regional and global issues
currently facing the civilized world. The Catholicos asked that the
President and the Metropolitan convey his fraternal greetings and
Christian love to His Holiness Maxim, Patriarch of the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church.

President Parvanov thanked His Holiness for the reception, noting
his happiness at the progress of relations between the two states and
two Churches. The President placed great importance on the spreading
of Christian ethics, morality and values throughout society, and
confirmed that it was due to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the
Christian faith of the Bulgarian people that his nation and country
have managed to overcome great difficulties.

Metropolitan Dometiyan conveyed the warm greetings of the Patriarch
and Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the Pontiff of
All Armenians, and noted that it was a great joy for him to visit
the spiritual and hierarchal center of the worldwide Armenian Church.
The Archbishop further stated his confidence that the warm relationship
between the two Churches was an excellent example of brotherhood and
friendship which would greatly benefit the progress and prosperity
of Christians worldwide.

His Grace Bishop Yeznik Petrossian, General Secretary of the Department
of Inter-Church Relations of the Mother See, and ambassadors of both
countries also attended the meeting.

##

Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service
14 October 2004

Spitting triggers Jewish-Christian tension in Jerusalem’s Old City
ENI-04-0681

By Michele Green

Jerusalem, 14 October (ENI)–Tensions in Jerusalem’s Old City
have flared following an incident in which a Jewish seminary
student spat at an archbishop during a procession from the city’s
Armenian Quarter to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a site
commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.

Israeli police arrested the seminary student, but Christian
clerics living in the walled Old City say such assaults by
ultra-Orthodox Jews is a frequent occurrence.

“It happens maybe once a week,” Armenian Bishop Aris Shirvanian
told Ecumenical News International. “As soon as they notice a
Christian clergyman they spit. Those who are ‘respectful’ turn
their backs to us or the large cross that we may carry but the
ones that are daring either spit on the ground or on the person
without any provocation on our part.”

In the incident on Sunday, a cross was ripped from the
archbishop’s neck when a scuffle broke out after the Jewish
seminary student spat at the cleric. The seminary student later
told police he had done it because he saw the religious
procession as idolatry. Police said the man had been temporarily
banned from visiting the Old City and that he had been placed on
bail pending an indictment.

Bishop Shirvanian said spitting against Christian clergyman had
been going on for years and that the assailants were religious
Jews, sometimes men but also women, teenagers and even children.
“This shows that it is a phenomenon that is prevailing in their
religious education and it should be corrected,” he said.

Daniel Rossing, director of the Jerusalem Center for
Jewish-Christian relations, said his organization was collating
accounts of spitting incidents so they could approach rabbis and
demand they teach their congregants to stop such attacks.

“All people are created in the image of God and to spit on
another person is to spit on the image of God,” Rossing said. He
said that usually the assailants were ultra-Orthodox Jews and the
victims were “people wearing liturgical vestments or are wearing
a manifest Christian symbol such as a cross”. Rossing said he
believed the attacks were carried out due to intolerance towards
Christians by ultra-Orthodox Jews as well as to anger from
religious persecution in past centuries.

Israeli police spokesman Gil Kleiman said few Christians file
complaints with police about such assaults and unless they did it
was impossible to arrest and prosecute the assailants.

“We can only act when we have been informed by a complainant.
When we do know about it we act immediately to arrest the person
who did it and bring them to justice,” Kleiman said.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said in a 12 October editorial: “It
is intolerable that Christian citizens of Jerusalem suffer from
the shameful spitting at or near a crucifix. Similar behaviour
toward Jews anywhere in the world would immediately prompt
vehement responses.” [482 words]

All articles (c) Ecumenical News International
Reproduction permitted only by media subscribers and
provided ENI is acknowledged as the source.

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

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEORGIA SET TO REFUSE ENTRY TO FOREIGNERS TRAVELLING VIA SOUTH OSSETIA

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
14 Oct 04

(Presenter) Everyone must realize that Ergneti (village on South
Ossetia’s border with the rest of Georgia) is not Georgia’s official
border post. This is Georgia’s official position.

The presidential representative in the Shida Kartli region, Mikheil
Kareli, today commented on the detention of an Armenian bus at the
Ergneti checkpoint. He said that bus passengers could only enter
Georgia from Russia via the Lars checkpoint.

As regards the Roki tunnel (linking South Ossetia with Russia), the
presidential representative said the Georgian side could not control
it, so it would not allow foreigners to enter the country through
that tunnel. If such a precedent is allowed, it is possible that a
new smuggling route via the Tskhinvali region will be established,
Kareli said.

Georgian law-enforcement officers had detained a passenger bus which
had passed through the Roki tunnel en route from Russia to Armenia
for breaching immigration rules.

(Kareli) The Georgian authorities made a decision that the official
ports of entry (for travellers from Russia) would be Lars, Tbilisi
airport and the port of Poti. Therefore all foreigners, irrespective
of whether they are Armenians or Azeris, should only use these official
ports of entry. We will not allow cargoes to enter Georgia through the
Roki tunnel for the simple reason that the Georgian authorities are
still unable to control the Roki tunnel. Meanwhile, Russia appears
to be keen to ensure that all traffic goes through that tunnel so
that the Ossetian separatists get richer.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 1) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 1) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

October 14, 2004

Accounting for the Decade: ACNIS Releases Its New Yearbook

Yerevan — Today the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies (ACNIS) publicly presented its annual almanac, entitled
“Accounting for the Decade,” which was published on the occasion of
its tenth-anniversary celebration held last week. The event brought
together the yearbook’s participating authors, editorial staff,
publisher, and media representatives for the expression of mutual
gratitude and the sharing of views and perspectives.

Held in the official reception hall of ACNIS headquarters, the program
was opened by founder Raffi K. Hovannisian. “This unique public
accounting is a compilation of multi-disciplinary expert thought which
embraces the Center’s past track record, its agenda for the future,
analytical contributions on the current challenges of foreign and
domestic policy as well as the strategic directions of regional
security, and applied research and public opinion on political,
economic, educational, environmental, and cultural priorities,”
he said.

Hovannisian also extended his deep appreciation to the editorial
staff and contributors for their diligent work, and paid tribute
to Vrej Markosian, director of the Tigran Mets Publishing House,
for his generous, timely, and high-caliber publication of the book.

Hrachuhi Palanduzian, editor-in-chief of the new release, presented
in a nutshell the short but fruitful history of the book’s creation
and thanked her colleagues for their cooperation and professional
analysis. “Now that the book has been published I would like to
record that it was difficult but pleasant work, since we shared the
joy of communication with both our former and current associates as
a reflection of the Center’s productive activity over the past ten
years,” she noted.

Apart from addressing issues of vital national and international
importance, the main characteristic of the yearbook is the variety
of themes and genres. “An Initiative Still Underway,” “A Glance at
Ourselves and the World,” “A Phase Left Incomplete,” “Said Yesterday,
Heard Today,” “The People’s Voice,” and other chapters speak for
themselves and outline the framework of the 750-page oeuvre. The book
opens with a documentary essay, “In Pursuit of Nation-Building and a
New Political Culture,” the provisions of which are crystallized in
an ensuing interview with Raffi Hovannisian.

Among the hundreds congratulating ACNIS on its first decade of public
service, several are included in the yearbook: His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of All Armenians; Prime Minister Andranik Margarian; Chief
Justice Gagik Haroutiunian of the Constitutional Court; Academicians
Fadey Sargsian, Grigor Gurzadian, and Rafael Ghazarian; world-renowned
philanthropist and long-time ACNIS supporter Kirk Kerkorian; Carnegie
Corporation president Vartan Gregorian; the Ambassadors of the
United States, Italy, Greece, and Iran; and scores of other prominent
diplomats, scientists, intellectuals, artists, and public figures.

Nearly half of the yearbook’s pages are devoted to policy-oriented
articles, in three languages, by General Arkadiy Ter-Tadevosian,
analysts Richard Giragosian, Davit Petrosian, Emma Begijanian, Aram
Haroutiunian, Alvard Barkhudarian, Sergey Shakariants, Stepan Safarian,
and Hovsep Khurshudian, philosopher Manuk Haroutiunian, economist Vrej
Jijiyan, legal specialists Hrair Tovmasian and Marat Atovmian, diplomat
Ashot Alexanian, young scholars Haik Demoyan and Suren Baghdasarian,
and natural emergencies expert Stepan Badalian. The book concludes with
a bilingual presentation of ACNIS’s public opinion surveys conducted
this year, and a list of the Center’s strategic partners from 1994
to 2004.

ACNIS director of administration Karapet Kalenchian summed up
the meeting in saluting the editorial staff composed of Hrachuhi
Palanduzian, editor Gevorg Lalayan, graphic designer Gor Grigorian,
Noune Aidinian, Lilit Alexanian, and Karine Bayakhchiants. All public
participants and invited guests then were offered complimentary copies
of “Accounting for the Decade” together with a glass of Armenian
sparkling wine.

Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, ACNIS
serves as a link between innovative scholarship and the public policy
challenges facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet
world. It also aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic
thinking and a wider understanding of the new global environment. In
2004, the Center focuses primarily on public outreach, civic education,
and applied research on critical domestic and foreign policy issues
for the state and the nation.

For further information on the Center and its publications, call (3741)
52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (3741) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]; or visit

Armenia Fund USA
152 Madison Ave, #803
New York, New York 10016
Contact: Lisa Markarian
Tel: 212-689-5307
Fax: 212-689-5317
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Armenia Fund USA Continues its Driving Force on Karabakh North-South
Highway, Focus of Thanksgiving Day World-Wide Telethon

Moving rapidly toward completion of the North-South Highway, Armenia
Fund is halfway home. Its goal of building the 105 miles of highway
interconnecting 150 towns and villages in mountainous Karabakh has to
date raised $12 million towards the $25 million project. With ongoing
vital support from Armenians in the Diaspora and past proven success
from having built 49 miles so far, Armenia Fund continues to forge
ahead. The fund is gearing up for the final leg, generating much
needed support and overseeing construction of the remaining 56 miles.

Armenia Fund’s North-South Highway Project is a bold infrastructure
initiative that began in 1999. It is imperative for the development and
growth of both Karabakh and Armenia for today and beyond. Already, the
highway in Karabakh has set a tone of progress and hope for the entire
region. The completed portions of the of the North-South Highway are
currently being utilized by the communities of Dashbulagh, Kichan,
Karmir-Shuka and Drakhtik, with vineyards, manufacturing plants,
mining operations and other businesses being established as direct
results. On the newly paved roads, cars and trucks travel steadily
through the canorous mountains, some carrying crops to the market
in Stepanakert, some carrying children to school. On stretches of
unfinished highway, laborers eager for work are busy melding concrete
sidelines and preparing the ground. Small towns and villages, once
remote and removed from the rest of the world, are eager to move
onward and upward thanks to the new lifeline. A buzz of activity
descends from the road, laying groundwork for business opportunities
and communication links that will help nurture the area and provide
a lift for the people for generations.

Last November, thanks to the generous donors responding to the
critical infrastructure needs of Armenia and Karabakh, over $6
million was raised from the 2003 Telethon held on Thanksgiving
Day. Joining the completed sections, Armenia Fund was able to start
construction of three more sections scheduled to be finished next year
– Vank-Crossroad-Kichan, Kichan-Drmbon, and Tsakouri-Drakhtik. Armenia
Fund’s annual Telethon for 2004 is stepping up its ambitions in a
grand way to raise the final $12.5 million needed for the completion
of the highway, deemed as the backbone of Karabakh. The 12-hour, live
broadcast airing throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, South
America, the CIS, and Middle East will feature live entertainment by
various Armenian performers, interviews with numerous celebrities
and political leaders, development and construction footage from
Armenia and Karabakh, and stories of individuals impacted by Armenia
Fund projects. A phone bank with 50 operators and volunteers will be
helping to handle the generous outpouring from Armenians world-wide.

Focused on infrastructure and high standards of accountability,
Armenia Fund USA is a unique organization dedicated to supporting
large-scale initiatives in both Armenia and Karabakh, helping the
developing nations sustain themselves for the future. Armenia Fund
is non-partisan and works closely with the governments of Armenia and
Karabakh not only building roads, but also schools, medical facilities,
utilities and humanitarian programs, all along upholding stringent
project oversight measures with bidding, management and quality
control processes.

Founded in 1992, Armenia Fund USA is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
representing the support of Armenian diasporans in the Eastern
United States and was the first of Hayastan All Armenia Fund’s 18
international hubs to aid the homeland. As the largest contributor
toward strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and Karabakh,
Armenia Fund has helped build 138 miles of roads, 81 miles
of waterways, 36 schools, 3 electric transmission networks, 210
residential buildings and 14 healthcare institutions. After completing
the Goris-Stepanakert Highway, linking Armenia to Karabakh, Armenia
Fund set its sights on developing the North-South Highway. In the
process of all its projects, Armenia Fund has ensured sustainability by
investing beyond construction, sponsoring the necessary equipment and
training, as well. This not only eases the hardships for the people
of Armenia and Karabakh for the current time, but more importantly
ensures stability for the long term.

Armenia Fund USA’s mission of accountability goes beyond Armenia
and is built upon a pledge of responsibility to benefactors and
recipients alike. All contributions are 100% tax deductible. To learn
more about Armenia Fund USA, go to
<; , or write/call for a free marketing
packet at Armenia Fund USA, 152 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
(212) 689-5307.

MPs Commenting On Foreign Minister’s Speech

A1 Plus
14-10-2004

Vardan Oskanyan’s words pronounced Wednesday from the National
Assembly’s floor prompted debates in parliament at Thursday’s hour
of announcements.

Speaking Wednesday before MPs on Karabakh conflict settlement,
Oskanyan said deployment of troops in the territory controlled by
Armenian soldiers is the U.S. and Azerbaijan problem.

MP from the opposition Victor Dallakyan said, by his words, Oskanyan
laid the ground for returning “in his opinion occupied in ours
liberated territories to Azerbaijan”. What about American troops’
presence here, Dallakyan said it can have heavy consequences and
negative impact on Armenian-Iranian relations.

Unlike the opposition, the ruling coalition doesn’t think the U.S. will
decide to deploy its troops in these territories. Mher Shahgeldyan,
an MP from Orinats Erkir, one of governing parties, said even in
the event of the U.S. interference, it would be done with Karabakh
conflict settlement.

Republican Galust Saakyan shared his fellow coalition members about
the matter.

PRESS RELEASE
October 14, 2004

UCLA Armenian Student Association
405 Hilgard Ave.
Los Angeles, CA. 90095
Contact: Arpine Hovasapian
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

UCLA Armenian Students Kick Off the New Academic Year

Westwood, CA – As UCLA welcomed both new and returning students back to
campus, the UCLA ASA hosted its first general meetings of the year on
October 6th and 7th. In an effort to reach out to a greater amount of
students, especially those that commute to campus, the executive board
organized two meetings for the first full week of the academic term.
In doing so, more than 150 students enjoyed the opportunity to meet
the executive board, learn more about the ASA and its goals for the
year, as well as how students can become active members.

UCLA ASA officers introduced themselves and the sub-committees
they headed. Students were encouraged to find their niche within
the organization and offer their insight regarding the ASAs program
development – be it through the social activity planning, educational
event organization, fundraising, or public relations sub-committees.
Of particular interest was the newly formed Mentorship Sub-Committee
that pairs incoming underclassmen and transfer students with
upperclassmen in their respective fields.

“By encouraging members to join different sub-committees we are hoping
to motivate members of the organization to take a more active role and
feel more included in the activities and projects we have planned for
this year,” asserted UCLA ASA Cultural Director, Lucy Tagessian. “We
have a great group of returning students and the incoming Freshmen
and transfer classes keep getting better each year. We have a solid
foundation on which we will continue to build.”

The meetings also featured presentations by other UCLA Armenian student
groups including the Alpha Epsilon Omega fraternity, the Alpha Omega
Alpha sorority, the Armenian Graduate Students Association, and the
newly established Armenian Students Business Association.

Drs. Richard Hovannisian, Peter Cowe, Anahid Keshishian, and Hagop
Kouloujian who form the core of the Armenian Studies faculty and
lecturers on campus took time out from their busy schedules to meet
and greet the students in attendance and encouraged them to explore
the various Armenian Studies courses offered at UCLA.

The UCLA ASA is one of the oldest Armenian-American student groups
in the United States. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its
existence. The UCLA ASA seeks to cultivate a true understanding
and appreciation of Armenian history, heritage, and culture through
cultural, social, and recreational activities.

STATEMENT

A1 Plus | 19:26:11 | 14-10-2004 | Politics |

Yerevan Press Club, Journalists Union of Armenia and Committee
to Protect Freedom of Speech came up Thursday with the following
statement.

“On October 13, 2004 in the city of Kapan violence was committed
against the Chief Editor of “Syunyats Yerkir” newspaper Samvel
Aleksanian.

Apparently, the lack of punishment in a number of recent incidents of
violence against media representatives or else the mild punishments
imposed on their executors leave an impression that it is possible
to intimidate journalists, contrary to the provision of the RA Law
“On Mass Communication” that “a journalist engaged in legitimate
professional activities is protected by the legislation of the Republic
of Armenia as an individual on public duty”.

The Yerevan Press Club, Journalists Union of Armenia and Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression demand that the law enforcement bodies
conduct an objective investigation of the incident and to hold the
people guilty of assaulting the journalist accountable.”

SERGE SARGSSYAN HAS NO INTENTION TO RESIGN

A1 Plus | 21:43:09 | 14-10-2004 | Politics |

Armenian defense minister Serge Sargssyan refuted Thursday rumors
going around about his likely resignation.

He said at Thursday’s news conference that such rumors had surrounded
him since he took office eleven years ago. He said he knew very well
where these rumors came from and who seeks advantage from them.

“I take it easy”, he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
October 14, 2004

Re-Consecration of Historic Church of Karmravor

On September 12, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the
faithful of the Diocese of Aragatsotn gathered in the city of Ashtarak
in central Armenia, to participate in a joyous and memorable event.
Through the generosity of Armenian benefactors from the United States,
Mr. and Mrs. Ohannes Meguerian of Pennsylvania, the historic Church
of Surb Astvatsatsin (Saint Mary Mother of God) was re-consecrated.
One of the masterpieces of early VII century Armenian architecture,
the church (commonly known as “Karmravor”) had been in dire need
of renovation for most of the twentieth century due to neglect and
non-use.

Prior to the celebration of Divine Liturgy, the celebrant, His Grace
Bishop Paren Avedikian, Director of Administrative-Organizational
Affairs of the Mother See, offered the consecration service in
the presence of the benefactor, members of his family and hundreds
of faithful. Assisting Bishop Paren was Rev. Fr. Torgom Tonikian,
the Representative of the Catholicos of All Armenians for the Diocese
of Aragatsotn.

Following the consecration service, Bishop Paren celebrated Divine
Liturgy and afterwards congratulated the faithful in attendance on
this memorable occasion. “This is an unforgettable day for all of us,
as one more house of prayer is being opened in Armenia. It is our
prayer to God that this magnificent church should always be a place
where God and man will meet, where we can share our pains, concerns
and joy with our Lord, where we can pray to our Savior and receive His
Divine Grace through Holy Communion,” noted His Grace in his sermon.

Father Torgom read the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Karekin
II granted to the benefactor on this occasion. The Pontiff of All
Armenians awarded Mr. Meguerian with the “St. Nerses the Graceful”
Medal of the Armenian Church in recognition for his dedication to
the Mother Church and the Republic of Armenia.

The Pontifical Encyclical states in part, “Your significant
contribution and spirit of participating in the great work of building
churches, which received new vitality in the new millennium, and as
a result of which you sponsored the renovation and restoration of the
Church of St. Mary Mother of God, is the testimony of your patriotism,
boundless filial love, devotion and loyalty to the Armenian Church and
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.We confirm with joy that although
living far from Armenia, you have the Homeland in your heart and you
support your Motherland.”

High-ranking clergymen, the Regional Governor of the Aragatsotn Region,
many guests from the United States and hundreds of faithful attended
the service and Divine Liturgy.

In celebration of this significant event in the life of the faithful
of Aragatsotn, His Holiness Karekin II presided during a reception
hosted at the Diocesan Headquarters Church of St. Mesrop Mashtots in
Oshakan later that same evening.

##