Huntsman Family to Undertake Separate Relief Initiative
PRNewswire
January 7, 2005
HOUSTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Peter R. Huntsman, President and CEO of
the Huntsman companies, today announced an initial donation of $1
million to aid in the relief of victims of the tsunami disaster. Mr.
Huntsman said $500,000 will be in cash from the company and its
employees, and the company will make an additional $500,000 donation in
material, supplies and similar in-kind contributions.
“We all have been horribly saddened and deeply impacted by this
tragedy,” said Mr. Huntsman. “Pictures of the aftermath defy
description, and our hearts go out to those who have lost so much.”
“The world will be dealing with the results of this catastrophe for many
years to come, and our initial efforts will be just the first of many
the company will make to help alleviate the suffering of those
affected,” he said.
Mr. Huntsman said the company also will work with its customers to
develop and institute joint relief initiatives.
Independent of the company, the Huntsman family will initiate a
long-term tsunami relief effort similar to what it did in Armenia
following the earthquake that devastated that country in 1988. The
family has had humanitarian initiatives underway in Armenia for more
than 15 years, expending in excess of $50 million.
Jon M. Huntsman, founder and chairman of the Huntsman companies, who
directs the family’s philanthropic activities, commented, “We believe in
taking a long-term, stepped approach to providing aid to disaster
victims. We applaud those who make one-time contributions but believe we
can positively impact more people by working closely with governments
and local relief agencies over a long period of time to rebuild
businesses, homes and lives.”
As he did with Armenia, Mr. Huntsman said, he will conduct a detailed
needs assessment and determine the most effective way to proceed before
announcing specific relief steps.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
January 7, 2005
Junior Achievement of Armenia
1102 North Brand Blvd. #61
Glendale, CA 91202
Contact: Beth Broussalian
Tel: 858-792-4656
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Armenia Participates in Global Board Meeting
of Junior Achievement Worldwide
New York, NY – Armenia was among dozens of affiliates participating in
the quarterly Board Meeting of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JAW), the
world’s largest organization dedicated to educating young people about
economics, citizenship and business ethics.
JAW staff, members of its Board of Directors and representatives from
many of its 97 member countries, which range from France and Armenia to
Argentina, Egypt, Botswana and Japan, converged in New York City on
December 5 and 6 for the event. The JAW Board of Directors includes
executives of a variety of leading organizations and corporations,
including the Eurasia Foundation, Columbia University, Fedex, Verizon,
Monster, 3M, Hewlett-Packard, and HSBC.
Representing Armenia was Ani Darakdjian, US Director of Junior
Achievement of Armenia (JAA), an affiliate of Junior Achievement
Worldwide.
The agenda for the two-day event included committee meetings intended to
review strategic direction, program development and the organization’s
fundraising efforts around the world. Following the recent merger of
JA’s United States operations with its international affiliates, there
were also discussions about the continuing integration of the
organization, including how US regional chapters can assist member
nations in their development.
Doyin Oguntona, President of JA Nigeria, and Jaime Santibanez, President
of JA Mexico, both presented overviews of the growth and successes of
their respective organizations.
Participants also learned that Scott Bedbury, former Marketing head at
Nike and Starbuck’s, the mind behind Nike’s “Just Do It” ad
campaign, and the author of A New Brand World, will be helping JAW build
and protect its valuable brand. Mr. Bedbury happily accepted the job
because his wife had been positively impacted by Junior Achievement
courses as a teenager.
“Discussing the common concerns and goals of Junior Achievement
affiliates – from the greater Boston area to Flemish Belgium and the
outer reaches of Lori Province – makes it clear that the world is more
interconnected than it has ever been,” said Ms. Darakdjian. “We are all
in this together.”
Armenia may benefit from deepening ties with Europe in particular.
Efforts are already underway to establish a JAA Alumni Association, one
of the goals of which will be to interact with European alumni groups,
thus helping enhance relations, understanding and trade between Armenia
and Europe.
JA Armenia has been recognized as one of the great success stories in
the field of Economics education. In past JAW conferences, it has swept
awards ceremonies, garnering trophies for quality, innovation, growth
and media awareness. Though operating in one of the smallest countries
in the world, it is one of the largest and most dynamic JA affiliates,
with courses in each of Armenia’s 1359 high schools. JAA’s Yerevan
headquarters and its network of eight regional offices oversee the
ongoing training of thousands of educators who currently teach JAA’s
Civics and Economics courses to more than 170,000 students each year.
“I learned at this meeting that, of all 97 member nations, JA Armenia is
indeed one of the top-ranking nations, surpassed only by the United
Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Russia,” said Ms Darakdjian. “We
set an example for so many Junior Achievement countries and are creating
a pathway for our students to integrate proudly into the global economy.
Our students are learning that not only can they play a significant role
in the direction Armenia is headed as a country but they can also be a
force in global trends.”
Junior Achievement of Armenia was established in 1992 to assist
Armenia’s transition to democratic governance and a free-market
economy. JAA’s mission is to give today’s Armenian youth the
necessary skills and knowledge to compete and succeed in tomorrow’s
world. The mission is accomplished through Economics and Civics
education. By 2005, nearly 20% of the total population will have taken a
course taught by a JAA-trained teacher. For additional information,
please call (818) 753-4997 or visit JAA’s website at

OFFICE OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC IN THE USA
122 C Street, NW, Suite 360, Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel: (202) 347-5166
Fax: (202) 347-5168
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site:
ARMENIAN-AMERICAN BENEFACTOR DONATES $275,000 TO BUILD A NEW SCHOOL IN ARTSAKH
PRESS RELEASE
January 10, 2005
WASHINGTON – The Office of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic (NKR) in the
United States is pleased to announce that Anoush Mathevosian of New
York will sponsor the construction of a new school in Stepanakert,
Nagorno Karabakh. When completed, the building will accommodate
students primarily from refugee families, who fled Azerbaijan in early
1990s.
A long-time philanthropist and a founding benefactor of the Armenian
Genocide Museum and Memorial in Washington, DC, Mathevosian decided to
sponsor the construction of the new school when Armenian Assembly
vice-chair Annie Totah asked her to contribute to this vital project.
During her October 2004 trip to Stepanakert, Totah visited the future
school site with the NKR First Lady Inna Ghoukasian, under whose
auspices the construction project has been conceived.
Last month, Ms. Mathevosian sent a $275,000 check to the Fund of
Armenian Relief (FAR), the New York-based relief and development
nonprofit organization she chose to implement the project. `We are
thankful to Ms. Mathevosian for her continued confidence in our
organization. She is one of FAR’s outstanding members and
visionaries, and it has certainly been a blessing to work with her for
more than 15 years. Ms. Mathevosian has initiated and generously
funded several educational programs in Armenia through FAR,’ said
Garnik Nanagoulian, FAR Executive Director.
`We will coordinate our efforts with the local authorities in Nagorno
Karabakh to ensure that we build a modern educational facility for
Artsakh’s students,’ he added.
NKR President Arkadi Ghoukasian telephoned Mathevosian to thank her
for critical contribution to Artsakh’s future. `The people of Artsakh
highly value your outstanding vision and generous benevolence,’ he
said.
In her letter to Matevosian last month, First Lady Ghoukasian called
the new undertaking `a very honorable and patriotic mission.’
`We thank Anoush Mathevosian for her financial backing of this
critical project. Hundreds of area students had to walk miles each day
to attend school in the neighboring district. The new building will
also be conveniently located for many families that came to Karabakh
from Azerbaijan. These families deserve our utmost attention. We also
thank Annie Totah for her important role in making this project
possible’, commented Inna Ghoukasian.
`By building modern educational facilities and improving the teaching
process we are paving the way to Artsakh’s brighter future. I call on
Armenians around the world to continue supporting similar projects,’
said in conclusion Artsakh’s First Lady.
The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is
based in Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia
and the public representing the official policies and interests of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
* * *

Photo & caption: Long time Armenian-American philanthropist Anoush
Mathevosian.
To request this photo for publishing with the press-release, send an
email to [email protected]
This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic in the USA on behalf of the Government of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic. The NKR Office is registered with the
U.S. Government under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional
information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington,
D.C.

THE PRE-CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT IN ARMENIA, HOWEVER THERE IS NO REASON
FOR “VELVET REVOLUTION”
YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMINFO. Pre-conditions are present in Armenia,
however, there is no reason for “velvet revolution”, said member of RA
National Assembly, politologist Amayak Ovanessian in the interview
with the correspondent of ARMINFO, commenting on the statement of
editor-in-chief of Russian Service of BBC Konstantin Eggert referring
to that Armenia will be the first state after the Ukraine where the
“velvet revolution” will take place.
A. Ovanessian noted that the hard social-economic conditions of the
people, the falsification of results of presidential and parliamentary
elections’ in 2003, as well as the high level of corruption and shadow
economy could be called as pre-conditions for implementation of
“velvet revolution” in Armenia.
The only fact that in Armenia the “velvet revolution” have not taken
place yet is explained only with the weakness of Armenian
opposition. However, the post-soviet states bear a great resemblance
to each other and processes occurred in these countries, on the
principle of communicating vessels, “flow” from one state into
another, noted A. Ovanessian. “If the level of democracy and social
welfare in the post-soviet states is high enough, George Soros with
his money never can do a revolution there. It is not necessary to
underestimate the factor of people ever”,- Armenian deputy
empathized. -R-

“THERE IS THE CONTINUITY OF LIFE IN MY CANVASES”
Azg/arm
11 Jan 05
Tigran Tatrian, an Armenian abstract painter from Paris, is hardly
known in Armenia. His pieces have been displayed in various
exhibitions since 1957. Tatrian was born in Beirut in 1929 and spent
his childhood in a small town of Zahle in Lebanon. In 1943 Tatrian
entered the Melgonian Educational Established in Nicosia, Cyprus, and
after 6 years of study returned home to teach in Zahle’s
school. Tatrian once met French artist Georges Sere at the French
embassy of Beirut with whom he later organized an exhibition of
“Syrian Children’s paintings”. Tatrian’s plans radically changed
after that day, and he left for Paris in 1953 where he attended
painting classes at the Academy of Fine Arts and finally entered Geits
Academy where he learnt about such contemporary artists as Tutujian,
Brian, Le Moal, Vieira de Silva and others. Tatrian opened his first
exhibition in Bom in 1958. Later on, in 1974, the French government
ordered Tatrian to paint a triptych for Paris which brought him
fame. In 1983 he became professor of Geits Academy and soon after was
entrusted to run the Academy that was renamed into Geits-Tatrian
Academy.
There is the influence of Eastern music in the pieces of Tigran
Tatrian. Subtle and intersecting lines that are peculiar to all the
canvases of the artist speak of the open construction of his pieces,
famous art critic Dora Valien described Tatrian’s art.
I met Tigran Tatrian during my recent visit to Beirut.
– How long it has been that you are painting?
– I began painting at the age of 20, and the Eastern rhythms
influenced my art. I depict life in its continuity.
– Are you going to display your canvases in Armenia?
– I’ve been to Armenia but not for exhibition. I am not going to
display my pieces as yet, there is no occasion, but if there is a
suggestion I’ll think it over.
– What will you say about the artists working in France?
– The artists of the last 5 years are less interested in the art of
the past and I think the new generation is getting on very quickly and
often creates new styles…
– Are there many Armenian artists in France?
– Yes, certainly there are, but they are spread out, have no unity,
this is an issue to ponder over.
By Marietta Makarian

EurasiaNet Organization
Jan 10 2005
NAGORNO-KARABAKH: MORE OF THE SAME IN 2005?
Haroutiun Khachatrian 1/10/05
As they look back at 2004, both Armenia and Azerbaijan are claiming
that fresh hope now exists for a permanent peace agreement on the
status of the breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Yet for all the
official optimism, few concrete results exist to point to anything
but more of the same impasse.
“Progress has been achieved in the settlement of the hardest problem
of our country and the region. [The] Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told
viewers in his New Year’s television address, the state news agency
AzerTag reported. “It is no secret that 2004 marked the turning point
in this process.”
In Armenia, government officials were no less optimistic. “We were
able to eliminate the obstacles that appeared recently on the way to
resumption of the negotiations around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,”
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian declared at a December 14 news
conference.
But in the end, the past year was more about small steps than
significant strides. Signs of a possible minor breakthrough began in
August, when Oskanian and his Azerbaijanni counterpart, Elmar
Mamedyarov held four meetings in Prague. Diplomatic sources state
that having the two sides’ foreign ministers meet, rather than Aliyev
and Kocharian, resulted in some degree of progress. “The meetings of
the presidents are more difficult to organize, whereas the ministers
are more free in their schedules and can meet more frequently,” a
high-ranking Armenian diplomat told EurasiaNet, speaking on condition
of anonymity.
Details from these talks remain a secret, yet Armenian officials have
stated that the principles discussed for a potential permanent
agreement mirrored those forged by Kocharian and Heidar Aliyev,
father of the current Azerbaijan president, in Paris and Key West,
Florida in 2001. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The so-called Key West principles reportedly provided for the
accession of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia in exchange for Azerbaijan
gaining unfettered access to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan,
separated from Azerbaijan by Armenia. No further progress has been
made on this deal, although Armenian officials state that both sides
are close to a modified version of these principles.
“There have been no principal changes in Armenia’s position on the
issue of the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict,” Foreign
Minister Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan on December 22.
“We must choose an all-embracing solution of the Karabakh problem.
The self-determination of the Nagorno Karabkh people must be
recognized, and we will not sign any document without the recognition
of this fact.”
While the meetings in Prague had little immediate effect, they did
pave the way for Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev to hold detailed
discussions at the September 15-16 Commonwealth of Independent States
summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. The five-hour meeting, attended in part by the co-chairmen
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk
Group and Russian President Vladimir Putin, led to expressions of
cautious optimism by both Kocharian and Aliyev. Reliable diplomatic
sources, however, go further, stating that the two leaders had in
fact reached a consensus on some principal points, but had required
additional time to lobby at home for the agreement.
If so, little sign of that tentative agreement has occurred. On
November 23, 2004, Azerbaijan introduced a draft resolution about
Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven occupied Azerbaijani territories to
the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution criticized
Yerevan for allegedly settling these areas with ethnic Armenians.
Under pressure from the Minsk Group, Baku eventually withdrew its
resolution, in return for the formation of a special OSCE
fact-finding mission that will examine conditions in these
territories. The mission, which includes the Minsk Group co-chairmen
and representatives from Finland, Germany, Italy and Sweden, will
travel to Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven territories by late January
or early February 2005, AzerNews reported.
In a December 25 interview with the Baku-based newspaper Echo, Yurii
Merzlaikov, the Russian co-chaiman of the Minsk Group, the body
charged with overseeing the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process,
commented that the time spent on the resolution had only further
delayed discussion of the principles both sides hold in agreement.
Nonetheless, hope within the international community still persists.
During a December 7-8 meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in
Sofia, Bulgaria, members of the 55-country organization reached a
consensus on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, urging Presidents Aliyev
and Kocharian to take the “framework” reached in Astana “into account
and to go forward based on it.” (Read the ducument in PDF format)
But in Yerevan, some officials involved with the process say they see
no sign of an immediate breakthrough. “The frameworks of the
agreements elaborated in Astana are very vague, and there is still a
lot of work to do,” the Armenian diplomat told EurasiaNet. The
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have already met twice
after the standoff over Azerbaijan’s UN initiative, and another
meeting is planned for the near future.
Even if the two reach an agreement on the final outline for a
settlement deal, however, Kocharian and Aliyev will then face the
task of persuading their countries to agree to the plan. Given
problems with political stability that face both leaders, the task is
unlikely to be readily accomplished.
Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Statesman, India
Jan 11 2005
SECULAR PRINCIPLES-II: Need To Remove Distortions And Contradictions
By DIPAK BASU
In Germany the state collects taxes for two Christian groups, while
other religious or atheist groups have to collect their membership
fees without the help of the state. Furthermore, there are religious
lessons at school given by the state, but only for those two
Christian groups. Communists are not allowed to teach in school or a
university. A large number of teachers and professors of the former
East Germany were fired after the unification of Germany in 1989.
Thus, there is neither secularism, nor non-discrimination.
Since the sixth century until 1934, Buddhism was the state religion
of Japan. In 1934, after a military coup in which the elected Prime
Minister of Japan was killed, Buddhism was banned and Shinto, the
original Japanese religion, became the state religion. After 1945, in
the new constitution of Japan, religion and the affairs of the state
were separated.
Anti-Hindu discrimination
However, Shinto priests still preside over all inaugurations of
public ceremonies, even the inaugurations of an industrial plants or
a new machine. Buddhists have their own political party, New
Komentai, which collaborates with the ruling Jiminto party. Thus the
Japanese state system is not secular or religion neutral.
Turkey is supposed to be the only secular Muslim country, but it is a
specific kind of secularism, which excludes all non-Muslims. During
1915 to 1925, the Ottoman Empire and particularly Kamal Ataturk have
committed genocide against the non-Muslim Armenians and Greeks, in
which about 2.5 million Armenians were killed and the rest escaped to
the Soviet Union. As a result, there are hardly any non-Muslims today
in Turkey. After getting rid of non-Muslims, Turkey has started
persecutions of the ethnic minority Kurdish people, although they are
Muslims.
In so-called secular Turkey, all religious affairs are carried out by
a central government organisation called the Department of Religious
Affairs established in 1924. The function of this organisation is to
carry out tasks related to the beliefs, divine services and moral
principles of Islam, and to enlighten citizens on religious matters.
This is hardly a great example of secularism.
Muslims in India are the most vocal supporters of secularism. Even
members of religious groups like the Babari Masjid Action Committee,
Syed Sahabuddin, and Prof Irfan Habib, claim to be secular and
Marxist. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) even justifies the
existence of Sharia laws in India as the basic ingredient of
secularism. However, secularism has no support in Islam.
India is not secular if we accept the true meaning of the term. The
existence of different legal systems for different communities and
reservation systems based on caste make India non-neutral towards
religions. India also discriminates against the Hindu religion and
Hindu ideals.
What should be done to remove these gross distortions and
contradictions is the fundamental question. The basic motive of the
founding fathers of the Indian Constitution was to create a liberal
nation tolerant towards all regions and all ideas. They wanted to
remove all discriminations based on religions, castes, tribes,
colour, or racial origins. However, the effects of the so-called
secularism on Indian society are quite different.
Highly immoral society
Absence of religious learning in the schools in India in the name of
secularism has the effect of creating a new generation who are
without any moral values, as they see the politicians and the
business community are prospering because they have no moral values
at all. The judicial system in India has ceased to function in any
practical sense. Even the government officers and politicians ignore
the directive of the court and the court is powerless. The law of the
jungle is already prevailing in vast area of the country,
particularly in Bihar and in the north-eastern states. Along with the
economic reforms of the Narasimha Rao-Manmohan Singh regime, the
doors of India are now open to all kinds of provocative material
encouraged by relaxed censorship. Sexual attacks on women and
children are very frequent. This is the result of lack of any moral
and religious teaching in schools and lack of proper censorship of
the popular media, films and television.
Moral education was an essential part in the USSR through a number of
organisations like Young Pioneers, Youth Komsomol, and Youth
Communist League. In Japan, in both in its school system and in
industrial management moral education is maintained through the
learning of Bushido, the code of conduct of the Samurai warriors and
the `Japanese culture of the rice fields’, which puts emphasis on
social interests. In India, after Independence there was an
opportunity to maintain the idealism of the freedom movement.
However, that opportunity was wasted. As a result, we now have a
highly immoral society in India.
India should, like the UK or Russia, accept religions originating in
India as state religions. The state should promote and look after
these religions and promote religious and moral education. As
religious tolerance is the part of the Indian tradition or Sanatan
Dharma, people following other religions will not be discriminated,
if India is going to have official religions.
In Bhagwat Gita, Sri Krishna said very clearly, `Even those who in
faith worship other gods, because of their love they worship me,
although not in the right way’. That is the reason Swami Vivekananda
has declared that Hinduism is the only religion that respects other
religions. To ensure that there would not be any religious
persecutions or differentiations, just like in Britain, there should
be very strict laws against discrimination. That would automatically
demand a number of significant changes in the legal and political
system.
Just like in UK, USA, Germany, and France and indeed in other
developed countries, the legal system in India should have uniform
criminal and civil laws for all religions, tribes, castes, and races.
When millions of Muslims in the USA, UK, France and Germany can live
under unified legal systems, Muslims in India cannot raise any
objection.
No more special status
All system of positive discriminations or reservations based on
caste, languages, tribes, must be removed. Positive discrimination
for the disadvantageous groups should be based on poverty and
physical disability only, irrespective of religion, caste, tribe, or
language. This would benefits both Christians and Muslims, as they
can, if poor or disabled, take advantage of these positive
discriminations as well. Similarly, all citizens must be allowed to
take up employment or to live anywhere in India. Special status of
Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Arunachal
Pradesh must be removed as well so that every citizen can move freely
within the domain of India.
Communal political parties with past crimes against humanity and
parties with direct links with the anti-Indian terrorists, violent
tribal organisations in Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, and
violent Hindu organisations must all be banned, no matter what the
reaction.
Secularism itself is not superior to any alternative system that
exist in various countries of the world. There is hardly any country
which is really secular. It would be absurd for India to claim to be
morally superior just because it is supposedly secular, when all
kinds of discrimination and social evils exist in India at the same
time. The time has arrived to get rid of false secularism, and make
Indian society and the political system free of any discrimination.
(Concluded)

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Jan 10 2005
Georgia Cautious over Restoration of Railway via Abkhazia
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said after talks with
visiting Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin on January 10, that
number of conditions should be met before restoring railway
connection between Russia and Georgia via breakaway Abkhazia.
`Restoration of the railway link is related to the number of
conditions. On the other hand situation in Abkhazia is still quite
unclear yet. Restoration of the railway was not the top issue
discussed today,’ Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said; however
he did not specify these conditions.
Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin told reporters, that experts
from Russia are currently assessing those needs, including the
financial, which will be necessary for restoring railway link from
Sokhumi, capital of breakaway Abkhazia, to administrative border with
Georgia.

Last November, Russian Transport Minister, who visited Georgia and
Armenia, proposed that the countries of the South Caucasus set up a
joint Russian-Georgian-Armenian-Azerbaijani company which would
restore traffic on the Trans-Caucasus Railway, which ceased
functioning after conflicts in Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh in the
early 90s.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Transitions on Line, Czech Rep.
Jan 10 2005
The Year of Praying Dangerously

by Felix Corley
Turkmen authorities keep up the pressure on unauthorized religious
building and activity. A partner post from Forum 18.
In 2004, the same year that Turkmenistan’s autocratic president,
Saparmurat Niazov, inaugurated what officials describe as the largest
mosque in Central Asia in his home village of Kipchak in central
Turkmenistan, the authorities demolished at least seven other
mosques, apparently to prevent unapproved Muslim worship. Several
Muslim and non-Muslim sources inside Turkmenistan, who preferred not
to be identified, have told Forum 18 News Service of seven specific
mosque demolitions. The sources said they believe that other
unapproved mosques might also have fallen victim to the government’s
desire to stifle unauthorized Muslim worship. Christians and members
of other faiths are still battling to be allowed to open places of
worship, regain those confiscated, or rebuild those destroyed in the
past six years.
The Kipchak mosque–built by the French company Bouygues and
inaugurated with great pomp on 22 October 2004–angered some Muslims
by incorporating on its walls not only quotations from the Koran, but
also from the Ruhnama (Book of the Soul), a pseudo-spiritual work
claimed to have been written by Niazov. Muslims regard as blasphemous
the use of such quotations and the requirement that copies of the
Ruhnama be placed in mosques on a par with the Koran, as well as
instructions to imams to quote lavishly from the president’s work in
sermons. Few Muslims reportedly attend the Kipchak mosque for regular
prayers, though it can house up to 10,000 worshippers. Apparently as
part of a policy of isolating Turkmen religious believers of all
faiths, no foreign Muslim religious dignitaries were permitted to
attend the inauguration.
Islam is traditionally the faith of the majority in Turkmenistan, and
it is the faith under the tightest government control. The president
installed the new chief mufti, Rovshen Allaberdiev, in August after
removing his predecessor, while the government’s Gengeshi (Council)
for Religious Affairs names all imams throughout the country. Only
about 140 mosques–all of them under the state-controlled
muftiate–now have state registration, just a fraction of the number
of a decade ago when religious practice was freer.
Independent mosques have been demolished in recent years–such as
those built by Imam Ahmed Orazgylych in a suburb of Ashgabat and in
the village of Govki-Zeren near Tejen in southern Turkmenistan, both
bulldozed in 2000–while others that reject the forced imposition of
the Ruhnama have been shut down, such as the mosque closed on
National Security Ministry orders in late 2003 after mosque leaders
refused to place the Ruhnama in a place of honor.
Other faiths, too, face severe difficulties maintaining places of
worship. The authorities have refused to allow the two Hare Krishna
temples bulldozed in the Mary region in summer 1999 and the
Seventh-day Adventist church bulldozed in Ashgabat in November 1999
to be rebuilt and have refused to pay any compensation. Neither
community has been allowed to meet publicly for worship despite both
having regained official registration in 2004.
Nor have the Baptist and Pentecostal churches in Ashgabat–closed
down and confiscated in 2001–been handed back, leaving both
communities with nowhere to worship. The government has also refused
to hand back an Armenian Apostolic church in the Caspian port city of
Turkmenbashi confiscated during the Soviet period, despite repeated
appeals by the local Armenian community. Other religious communities
that have been denied registration–including other Protestant
churches, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the New Apostolic
Church–likewise have nowhere to meet.
The 2004 mosque demolitions appear to have occurred in two waves,
with three demolished at the beginning of 2004 and a further four in
Ashgabat destroyed since October.
“The mosques demolished in the spring had been built without
permission,” one source told Forum 18. “The demolitions were not
reported in the media, but they didn’t take place covertly, either.”
The three mosques known to have been demolished in the first wave
were a Shia mosque used by local ethnic Iranians in the village of
Bagyr near Ashgabat, as well as small Sunni mosques in the town of
Serdar (formerly Kyzyl-Arvat) in western Turkmenistan and in the
village of Geoktepe, 45 kilometers northwest of Ashgabat. “The
Geoktepe mosque was in the middle of the old fortress,” one source
told Forum 18. “The authorities wanted all the Muslims to go to the
main, newly built mosque.” The massive Saparmurat Haji mosque, named
after the president and completed in the 1990s, was, like the Kipchak
mosque, built by Bouygues. The construction cost was a reported $86
million.
The autumn wave of demolitions began with the destruction of two
mosques in Ashgabat. Both were razed on 15 October, just one day
before the start of Ramadan.
“Worshippers in both mosques were told that these mosques were being
demolished because the local government is planning to build a new
road and to widen the existing one,” a source told Forum 18 from
Ashgabat. “Of course, nothing has yet been built there.”
A visitor to the mosque on Bitarap Turkmenistan street in August
found it looking “pretty good,” with people repairing and painting
the inside of the relatively large building. Sources told Forum 18
that local people were “really unhappy” when the local authorities
informed them the mosque was to be demolished.
“According to some unconfirmed rumors, construction of these mosques
was financed by some unidentified Arab charities,” one source added.
“This might have been one of the reasons for their demolition.” Some
local imams referred to the mosque on Bitarap Turkmenistan street as
a Wahhabi mosque, a reference to the brand of Sunni Islam that
predominates in Saudi Arabia, though the term “Wahhabi” is used more
widely in Central Asia as a synonym for “Muslim extremist.”
Soon afterward, a privately built mosque in the Garadamak area of
southern Ashgabat was demolished along with many houses in the same
area. A source from Ashgabat who visited the mosque in July told
Forum 18 that the imam, who used to live in a nearby house, seemed at
that time to be unaware of the government’s imminent plans to
demolish his mosque.
The most recent demolition, in November, was of another private
mosque in the Choganly area of northern Ashgabat, near the city’s
largest market. It, too, was not registered with the government but,
unlike the mosque in the Garadamak district, could not operate due to
strong opposition from the local authorities. No other houses around
this mosque are known to have been demolished.
One local Muslim suggested that all four of the Ashgabat mosques
demolished in the autumn were targeted because their imams refused to
read Niazov’s Ruhnama in their mosques.
Other Muslims trace the start of the latest wave of demolitions of
private mosques to a presidential speech complaining of alleged
attempts to sow discord in the country. “Some people are coming here
and taking our lads to teach them,” Niazov told a meeting in the city
of Turkmenbashi in September. “Eight lads have been taken in this way
to make them into Wahhabis. This means they will come back later and
start disputes among us. Therefore let us train them here, in
Ashgabat, at a faculty of theology.”
Sources have told Forum 18 that Khezretkuli Khanov, head of the
Ashgabat Gengeshi, has complained to visitors to his office in recent
months that he constantly faces the problem of dealing with mosques
functioning without the required permission. Unregistered religious
activity is illegal in Turkmenistan, in defiance of international
human rights norms.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
Jan 10 2005
Russia/Georgia: Opening Of Ferry Link Expected To Impact Regional
Trade
By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Russia and Georgia were expected to sign an agreement today on
opening a direct railway ferry between the Black Sea ports of Poti
and Kavkaz. Direct railway connections between the two countries have
been halted since 1992 amid a dispute over the secessionist region of
Abkhazia. The Poti-Kavkaz ferry is not only important for Russia and
Georgia. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries are expected
to benefit from the new link.
Prague, 10 January 2005 (RFE/RL) — Addressing reporters upon his
arrival in Tbilisi early today, Russian Transportation Minister Igor
Levitin said he would sign three documents during his two-day visit
to the Georgian capital.
“We will today sign three documents — an agreement on the ferry
crossing, a regulation covering the transport of goods, and a
temporary exploitation regulation. This temporary regulation will be
effective until all countries that take part in the railway
transportation [process] meet in February,” Levitin said.
The ferry connection stretches between the Georgian port of Poti and
Russia’s industrial terminal of Kavkaz. Georgian Economic Development
Minister Aleksi Aleksishvili said today the line would officially
come into service in 10 days.
Kavkaz is a main export outlet for crude oil, oil products, and
fertilizers. Its location on the Kerch Strait that links the Black
Sea to the Sea of Azov makes it a major hub for goods meant to
countries of the Mediterranean Sea basin. Russia sees the Poti-Kavkaz
agreement as part of a long-term, larger project to resume railway
transportation throughout the South Caucasus region.
The agreement to be signed today will give a major impetus to direct
Russian-Georgian trade. It is also expected to boost transit of goods
from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Central Asian countries — in
particular Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, which trade with Russia
through the Caucasus region.
Armenian Transportation Minister Andranik Manukian, who is also in
Tbilisi, said yesterday that his country expects direct economic
benefit from the Poti-Kavkaz ferry link. “Economically, it is very
profitable,” he said. “This link is very short. Today we are using
the [Ukrainian] port of Illichivsk, [south of Odesa]. But, the
distance between Illichivsk and Poti is very long. [By contrast], the
distance between Kavkaz and Poti is very short. Secondly, Armenia,
Georgia, and Azerbaijan will now have a direct link with Russia.”
In a phone interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service today, Manukian
elaborated further on the impact Yerevan expects from the
Russian-Georgian deal. “It will reduce by 30 percent the costs of
transportation [of Armenian goods],” he said. “In addition, it will
de facto establish a direct link with Russia and, consequently, help
increase the volume of trade with Russia and other CIS countries.”
Russia sees the Poti-Kavkaz agreement as part of a long-term, larger
project to resume railway transportation throughout the South
Caucasus region.
Russian Transportation Minister Levitin unveiled the plan in late
November during a tour of the South Caucasus capitals. Addressing
journalists in Tbilisi after signing a memorandum with the Georgian
government, Levitin said the project will revive a major north-south
railway corridor that has been idle since the 1992-93 war in
Georgia’s separatist republic of Abkhazia.
“Prior to my visit to Georgia I was in Armenia and Azerbaijan, where
I received the support of my colleagues transportation ministers, as
well as that of the presidents. I am happy to announce that Georgia
equally supports the idea of having a trans-regional railway
connection. [The Georgians] believe renovating the former
Transcaucasus railway link will seriously help revive long distance
traffic across our [respective] countries. I am really happy to say
that we have reached a mutual understanding with Georgia,” Levitin
said.
Plans to revive overland traffic between eastern Turkey and southern
Russia through Georgia and Abkhazia have been thwarted by the
unsettled separatist conflict. For more than a decade, Tbilisi has
been insisting that all ethnic Georgians who have been displaced by
the 1992-93 war be allowed to return to Abkhazia before any deal is
signed.
Georgian Economic Development Minister Aleksishvili said today that
no agreement has been reached yet. “No concrete decision is expected
[soon],” he said. “We must still assess the technical feasibility of
the project and there is also a political aspect to that issue.
Consequently, we do not expect any breakthrough.”
Levitin said today that although no substantial progress had been
noted recently, the reopening of a direct railway link between
Georgia and Abkhazia was still on the agenda. “In the memorandum we
signed [with Georgia] on 1 November, there were two issues,” he said.
“One was the opening of a ferry connection, which we will be signing
today. The second was the resumption of through traffic. We’re still
examining the railway section that links [the Abkhaz capital] Sukhum
to the [Georgian-Abkhaz] border on the Inguri River, where there is
no bridge.”
Levitin said he would discuss the possible reopening of the
Sukhum-Tbilisi railway link with Georgian Prime Minister Zurab
Zhvania and State Minister Kakha Bendukidze later today.
Tomorrow Levitin will visit Poti to symbolically inaugurate the ferry
line with Kavkaz.
(RFE/RL Armenian Service correspondent Ruzanna Stepanian contributed
to this report)