” Le docteur de la paix ” négociateur hors pair

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest
03 septembre 2004

Le docteur Léonid Rochal, 71 ans, cheveux blancs et visage rubicond,
qui participe aux négociations avec les preneurs d’otages dans le
sud-ouest de la Russie, est un chirurgien pédiatre qui avait déjà
négocié avec un commando armé lors de la prise d’otages de plus de
800 personnes dans un théâtre de Moscou en octobre 2002. Arrivé
mercredi soir à Beslan, il s’est entretenu plusieurs fois avec les
preneurs d’otages qui l’ont choisi comme négociateur, durant la nuit.

Surnommé « le docteur de la paix », ce membre de la commission des
droits de l’homme avait réussi pendant la prise d’otages de Moscou à
obtenir la libération de huit enfants et que des médicaments et de
l’eau soient transmis par les ravisseurs aux otages.

Le commando du théâtre de la Doubrovka avait accepté de négocier avec
lui parce qu’il avait soigné des enfants tchétchènes lors du premier
conflit entre Moscou et la Tchétchénie (1994-1996), avait expliqué le
Dr Rochal, dans ses interviews. À la Doubrovka, il avait opéré un des
combattants, blessé à la main. Après avoir travaillé auprès des
victimes du séisme en Arménie, en 1988, il a fondé une brigade de
médecins pour travailler dans les zones de guerre et de catastrophes
naturelles : ils se sont ainsi rendus en Yougoslavie, en Géorgie, au
Nagorny Karabakh et en Tchétchénie. Ils ont également accordé de
l’aide aux victimes des séismes en Égypte, au Japon, en Afghanistan
et en Turquie et à celles de plusieurs attentats en Russie.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 3 2004

OSLO TO HOST NEXT SESSION OF PACE BUREAU ON SEPTEMBER 6
[September 03, 2004, 17:21:53]

Next session of the Bureau of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe will be held in Oslo, September 6.

As chairman of the permanent commission on the international
relations and inter-parliamentary links of Milli Majlis informed
correspondent of AzerTAj, the head of the Azerbaijan delegation at
PACE Samad Seyidov, at this session which will take place under the
presidency of the new secretary general of Bureau Terry Davis, the
condition of performance of the obligations connected to Azerbaijan,
and also a question on the persons named political prisoners will be
discussed. Also session of the standing committee will be held on
September 6. The questions approved in the sessions of the Bureau and
Committee, will be included in the agenda of session of PACE planned
on the end of September.

The Azerbaijan delegation will take part in both sessions.

Samad Seyidov has told also that there is a question in the agenda on
appointment instead of Terry Davis a new rapporteur of PACE on
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, this question will be solved
hardly later, as the new rapporteur can be authorized only after the
coordination with the sides of the conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Nagorno-Karabakh confirms adherence to peace settlement with Azerbaijan

Interfax
Sept 2 2004

STEPANAKERT. Sept 2 (Interfax) – Arkady Gukasian, leader of the
unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, has reconfirmed his
adherence to the peace settlement with Azerbaijan.

“Mediating efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen can bring
positive results if the administration of Azerbaijan displays
goodwill and a sincere wish to resolve the Karabakh problem on
mutually acceptable terms,” says a Thursday statement of Gukasian on
the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the unrecognized republic.

“Nobody can take away from us the freedom and independence for which
we paid such a big price,” the statement runs. “The command-and-
staff exercises our army had this August clearly showed to the
adversaries of Nagorno-Karabakh that the army is ready for combat
and can accomplish the most difficult missions in the provision of
security of Nagorno-Karabakh and the people.”

Universal Postal Union protests against separatist Karabakh stamps – Azeri TV

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
1 Sep 04

The Universal Postal Union UPU has issued a statement to protest
against the circulation of stamps aimed at having the self-proclaimed
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic recognized as an independent state. The
statement that has been circulated to 200 countries says that the
move is a rude violation of norms and regulations stipulated in
the UPU Convention, as well as of regulations of interstate mail
communication. The document signed by the director-general of the
union, Thomas Leavey, calls on the member countries not to accept
these stamps.

Germany welcomes progress in Azerbaijan

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2004

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder welcomed Wednesday the reforms
underway in Azerbaijan and economic growth observed in the country,
after talks held with President Ilham Aliyev. “The domestic reforms
have led to surprising growth,” said Schroeder, adding

that efforts to improve the rule of law had brought “much success
already.” President Aliyev was in Germany on August 24-26 as part of
his second official visit to Western Europe. During the meetings he
held with German officials, issues related to bilateral economic
and political relations, the Upper Garabagh conflict and the
socio-political situation in South Caucasus were discussed.

The parties signed an agreement on eliminating double taxation between
the two countries and a contract on the purchase of four Airbus
A319 aircraft from the European Airspace Concern. The airplanes
will be supplied starting as early as mid-2005. Issues pertaining
to financing construction of a new power station in Sumgayit were
discussed by experts from Azernergy open joint stock company and
German Baerishe Landesbank Girozentral, the financial consultant
on the project. The parties confirmed their intention to dertemine
the source of funding shortly and considered ways of establishing a
consortium of creditors. Schroeder told a news conference following
the meetings that as before, Germany supports Azerbaijan, recognizes
the country’s territorial integrity and pledged to continue this
policy. Touching upon the Upper Garabagh conflict, the German
Chancellor said his country is for a political solution and said
that Germany is committed to assistance through the auspices of the
OSCE. Schroeder said the purchase of the airplanes bears not only
economic but also political importance and proves that Azerbaijan
is integrating with Europe. With regard to drawing German companies
to Azerbaijan’s energy and infrastructure sectors, Schroeder said a
conference will be held this fall or early next year to inform these
companies of the business climate in the country and present them with
specific proposals. President Aliyev said he was confident that the
visit would promote the relations between the two countries. Touching
upon the Upper Garabagh conflict, the President said Azerbaijan was
satisfied with Germany’s position on the issue. Upon completion of
his visit to Germany, the President left Berlin for Athens, Greece
to watch the Olympics competitions of Azerbaijani athletes.

EU’s active involvement in S Caucasus

Both Washington and Moscow are closely following the strengthening
France-Germany tandem in South Caucasus. It is not by mere chance
that on the eve of President Aliyev’s visit to Germany (August 24),
he received a telephone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin,
according to the President’s Office press-service. The two Presidents
discussed prospects for developing bilateral Russo-Azeri relations and
some international issues. It is clear that both Washington and Moscow
realize that with the involvement of South Caucasus in the European
Union’s sphere of influence, they may completely lose control over
the region, which represents a key link between the Europe and Asian
countries possessing considerable resources. It is for this reason that
the EU has stepped up its role in settling the Upper Garabagh conflict
and the EU special envoy on South Caucasus states keeps paying visits
to the region. It appears that the European Union has not put forth
its own initiative on settling the conflict as yet. However, France,
a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, has already once attempted to
take matters in its own hands. It is not accidental that after the
meeting of Robert Kocharian and Heydar Aliyev in Paris, Washington has
immediately brokered talks between the two presidents in the United
States. Moreover, the EU is trying to lure the conflicting sides by
generous financial promises. EU high-ranking officials have stated
on many occasions that if a peace accord is signed, the European
Union will become actively involved in the process of eliminating
the consequences of the Upper Garabagh conflict. The united Europe is
ready to allocate $1 billion as financial assistance to rehabilitate
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. European nations realize very
well that all the expenses they incur will yield considerable benefits
in the future. If the developments unfold as planned, South Caucasus
countries will be ready to become part of the united Europe within
the next 10 years. In this case, the European Union will control all
transport communications connecting Europe with Asia and the Middle
East, including the Silk Road and North-South routes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Stand-off raises tensions in northern Caucasus trouble spots
By Mark Huband, Andrew Jack, Stefan Wagstyl and Tom Warner

FT
September 3 2004

The school siege in North Ossetia is raising tensions across the
Caucasus, a region racked by instability, ethnic conflicts and
widespread poverty.

For most Russians, Moscow is rightly the dominant power in the
Caucasus. They bemoan the territory lost in the collapse of the Soviet
Union in the form of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia – especially
Georgia, with which there were close cultural ties.

Under Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has asserted
its authority over the Russian republics of the northern Caucasus,
including Chechnya. Chechnya alone declared independence in the early
1990s and only the Chechens have gone to war for a separate state.

But the Kremlin is worried that if one republic wins independence,
others may start demanding greater autonomy, or worse.

Chechen leaders understand well the complex political and ethnic web of
the region and try to exploit it by taking their fight beyond Chechnya.

This week’s siege in North Ossetia has a gruesome forerunner in the
first big Chechen terrorist incident – the 1995 hospital siege in
Buddenovsk, southern Russia, where about 100 people lost their lives.

The main victims were ethnic Russians. In the school siege, they are
Ossetians, an ethnic group generally loyal to Moscow.

Reports suggest the hostage takers demand the release of 30 men
detained after the June attack on the interior ministry offices in
Nazran, in neighbouring Ingushetia, in which 90 died. The prisoners
are both Chechens and Ingush, who are closely related to the Chechens
but have mostly stayed out of the Chechen conflict.

If it now emerges that there are Ingush among the hostage takers
as well, as has been reported, this could signal new levels of
co-operation between Chechens and Ingush.

There are also signs of unrest in Kabardino-Balkaria, an ethnic
republic north-west of Chechnya, where at least two police recently
died fighting a group of armed men they described as “bandits”.

And in Dagestan, which borders Chechnya to the east, feuding clans
are struggling for control of the republic.

In these cases, there is no undisputed evidence of Chechen
involvement. But the conflicts create opportunities, starting with
gun-running, in which the Chechens are expert.

Alex Rondeli, a Georgian political analyst, says: “Today it is North
Ossetia, with the trouble coming from Ingushetia and Chechnya. Tomorrow
it can be Kabardino-Balkaria or Dagestan. Russia doesn’t feel strong
in the north Caucasus. There are lots of problems.”

For Mr Putin, a significant cause of these problems are the Chechens
and their ability to spread violence across the region, preventing
economic development in a region that has long been poor. The Chechens’
capacity to strike is enhanced by the fact that some two-thirds
of the population live outside Chechnya in neighbouring republics,
in Moscow and elsewhere.

Russian officials have repeatedly blamed Islamic radicals for stirring
up anti-Russian sentiments. Since the September 11 US terrorist
attacks they have also sought to show links between local fighters
and al-Qaeda and other Middle Eastern groups. But western intelligence
officers are sceptical. One says: “The hostage takers are a bunch of
Chechens based in the Caucasus. They are not motivated by jihad or
Islamist ideology, and the issue is really all about the withdrawal
of Russia from Chechnya.”

Whatever the cause of the trouble, the Kremlin will seek to maintain
its grip on the northern Caucasus. Georgian analysts fear that it might
also take a tougher line in defending its interests across the border
with Georgia, where Russia has kept military bases despite promising
to remove them. Moscow has also supported separatist administrations
in two breakaway Georgian republics bordering Russia – South Ossetia
and Abkhazia.

In South Ossetia, a cease-fire has held since August 20, but tensions
between Ossetian and Georgian villagers in the region remain high.

In Abkhazia, Georgia’s coast guard shot last month at aTurkish cargo
vessel that refused to pass Georgian inspection. This week in Moscow,
Mr Putin met a candidate in the upcoming Abkhazian presidential
election, which Georgia denounced as support for Abkhaz separatism.

Mr Rondeli, the Georgian analyst, says he is worried Russian hawks
could use the wave of terrorism in the north Caucasus as an excuse
to increase backing for separatists in Georgia.

Additional reporting by Andrew Jack and Mark Huband

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri opposition leader accuses government of defeatist policy

Assa-Irada
3 Sep 04

Baku, 3 September: A round table on “Repression of the Karabakh lovers
and the public attitude” was held today at the headquarters of the
[opposition] People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party [PFAP, reformers wing].

PFAP Chairman and MP Ali Karimli condemned the arrest of the [Karabakh
Liberation Organization] KLO activists and said that giving the
go-ahead to Armenian officers’ planned visit to Azerbaijan was
tantamount to a defeatist policy vis-a-vis the enemy country. The
MP said that since Armenian aggression did not cause any problem
to cooperation with NATO, the denial of entry to several of this
country’s officers to Azerbaijan would not affect Azerbaijan’s
relations with NATO.

Karimli demanded on behalf of the public that the authorities give up
this policy and rule out any kind of cooperation with Armenia until
the latter pulled out of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. He also
demanded that the authorities prevent officers of the occupation army
from attending international events held in Azerbaijan and release the
KLO activists who have been illegally convicted for expressing their
civic position. The PFAP chairman also said that it was important
that the media proceed from the national interests when covering the
KLO members’ arrest.

online.ie
Sport

Agassi still going strong
online.ie
2004-09-03 08:40:18+01

Andre Agassi played down talk of his imminent retirement after booking
his place in the third round of the US Open at Flushing Meadow.

The 34-year-old was 7-5 2-6 6-2 1-0 ahead when Florian Mayer, who is 14
years his junior, retired. After the match, Agassi said: “Let this be
a signal – I’m not considering retiring at the end of this tournament.”

The pair traded breaks in the first set before Agassi edged it.

It was more of the same in the second set, but the German took his
chances this time.

Mayer slowed down in the third set and struggled with his left leg,
calling for the trainer when he was 5-2 down.

After treatment on his thigh, Mayer dropped the next game and the
set and, after Agassi broke in the opening game of the fourth set,
the German called it a day.

The two-time champion now meets 25th seed Jiri Novak, a 7-5 6-1 6-3
winner over Alex Calatrava. Olympic men’s singles champion Nicolas
Massu suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Sargus Sargsian of
Armenia in the second-longest US Open match on record.

Sargsian’s epic 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 victory came after
five hours, nine minutes on court 11.

Only Stefan Edberg’s defeat of Michael Chang in the 1992 men’s
semi-final, at 5:26, took longer.

Also crashing out was 21st seed Taylor Dent, who reached the final
four in Athens only to lose to Massu.

The American was beaten 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (8/6) by Paul-Henri
Mathieu.

Carlos Moya, the men’s third seed, dropped the second set to
Bosnian-born US citizen Amer Delic before eventually progressing 6-2
3-6 6-3 6-2.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri villagers complain authorities ignoring their problems

ANS TV, Baku
2 Sep 04

Presenter Members of an ANS crew have been attacked in Tartar western
Azerbaijan . A bureaucrat tried to smash our video camera in front
of district residents who cannot make local bureaucrats take heed of
their numerous problems.

Correspondent over video of people in a conference hall The major
problems of Tartar residents are related to land and electricity. We
came to this conclusion while observing the head of the executive
authorities receiving residents. The problems raised in the presence
of the district’s first man were great.

Qaragaci villagers said that land was distributed in the village
in 1997. However, 16 families still cannot plough their plots of land.

Rasul Haciyev from Qacagan village We come here almost every day. We
have appealed to the executive authorities and the court.

Correspondent Duman Yusifov from the village of Qaradagli, who has
not planted anything on his plot of land for two years, is unhappy
about the local municipality.

Yusifov My problem remains unresolved, I was here three weeks ago,
despite instructions, nobody took heed of them.

Correspondent The problem of Sixarx villagers is related to the lack
of electricity.

Isa Orucov from the village of Sixarx The settlement of Sixarx has
no electricity supplies. We are here to have our power lines cut off
forever. We had electricity two months ago.

Correspondent The problems of the refugees from Armenia are being
ignored by the local bureaucrats and the State Committee for
Refugees. Houses built for them by the committee in 1994 proved to
be of low quality and became unusable in three years.

Kamil Quliyev, a refugee from Armenia The executive authorities should
send a list to the committee, and in turn, they should draw up a formal
deed in order to repair, demolish or rebuild them. But none of these
has been done. The executive authorities are not giving us a letter
on the state of the houses , nor are they taking any steps themselves.

Passage omitted: other complaints

Correspondent Incidentally, our crew members were also attacked
by arbitrary bureaucrats in Tartar. Once the reception was over,
we filmed the scene outside the district executive authorities. At
this moment, the newly-appointed chief of the Tartar network section
of the Bayva Qarb power company, Seymur Haciyev, first attacked our
video camera and then our cameraman.

Haciyev ordering the cameraman to take the camera away Stop filming.

Cameraman I am not filming you.

Haciyev attacking and beating the video camera You cannot film me,
I shall smash it.

Correspondent We failed to learn the reasons for Seymur
Haciyev’s behaviour both from the executive authorities and from
himself. Apparently, the head of the department was enraged by the
fact that the majority of the complaints at the reception were
related to the electricity problem. Given this behaviour by the
head of the department with regard to the members of the country’s
leading TV company, it is not hard to imagine how he treats district
residents. The first deputy head of the executive authorities, Kamal
Alikisiyev, said that all in all, 731 complaints have been received
by the executive authorities this year. This is 15 per cent lower
than in 2003. Alikisiyev attributed this to the resolution of problems.

Sahin Rzayev and Zaur Nayibov for ANS from Tartar.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACNIS COMPLETES ITS SERIES OF SEMINARS ON NATIONAL MINORITIES WITH NEW
BENCHMARKS

Noyan Tapan
2 Sept 04

Yerevan-The Armenian Center for National and International Studies
(ACNIS) convened today its fifth specialized policy seminar on
“The Rights of Armenian National Minorities in 2003-2004” at the
Armenia Marriott Hotel with the support of the Council of Europe
Confidence-building Measures Program. Held within the framework of the
“Coordination among National Minorities and Information Exchanges on
Minority Rights in Armenia” Project, the meeting brought together
specialized bodies dealing with national and religious minority
issues, human rights advocates, leaders and representatives of national
minorities in Armenia, relevant government officials, diplomatic corps,
international organizations, NGO and media communities to discuss
issues on Armenian national minorities and their rights in light of the
Report on European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

Karapet Kalenchian, ACNIS’s director of administration greeted the
capacity audience with opening remarks. “For a country having as large
a diaspora as ours, where respect for national minority rights is not
only a requirement of Council of Europe but also a matter of honor
and dignity, the problems of national minorities should always be the
focus of both the authorities and each of us. Therefore, let us speak
openly without bypassing the thorns of the problem.” Kalenchian called
on the audience to engage in a sincere and interested discussion.

In his address on “The Requirements for the Report on National
Minorities,” ACNIS analyst and project director Stepan Safarian called
attention to those provisions of the Council of Europe which promote
the development of language, culture, religion, health, science,
and education, and the preservation of their national values and
features. “The Council of Europe has expressed a desire for Armenia to
make positive changes in the legislative acts of national minorities
as well as to adopt a separate law on national minorities,” Safarian
noted.

During the first session entitled “Concerns of the 2003 Report on
Armenia of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
(ECRI): Solved or Forgotten Issues?” Lilit Simonian, assistant
to Constitutional Court Justice Felix Tokhian and the director
of Law and Information Center, clarified the international legal
instruments, constitutional reforms, provisions of criminal, civil,
and administrative laws. According to her, the protection of national
minority rights is an integral part of international protection of
human rights. Minority rights protection is being enforced both
by general instruments addressing that problem, and a number of
international legal agreements on national minorities recently ratified
by Armenia. “Though the European Convention on Citizenship and several
other international instruments have not been signed yet, the Armenian
legislative, executive, and judicial agencies are acquiring commitments
to carry out the norms stipulated in those international instruments,”
Simonian emphasized, attaching importance to the constitutional
enhancement of national minority rights, in particular the necessity
of amending Article 37 of the Armenian Constitution. Parliamentarian
Vazgen Khachikian also referred to the conventions Armenia has
ratified. He claimed that any individual can appeal to court in the
event of violation of his/her rights and national dignity relying
on the intergovernmental instruments. Khachikian is convinced that
national minorities are more of a treasure for Armenia than a threat.
The second session on “National Minority Rights in Armenia: 2003-2004″
began with the review of the completed and forthcoming activities of
the governmental bodies engaged in national minority issues. Hranush
Kharatian, chairperson of the National and Religious Minorities Board
of the Government of Armenia informed that the draft Law on National
Minorities worked out with the active input of national minority
communities will soon be released. The law shall provide special
supervision over the preservation of national cultural traditions and
call for additional governmental assistance to tackle the problems
impeding their development. Nonetheless, no matter how positive it is
viewed, the law seems to be risky and inefficient,” opined Kharatian.

Victor Mnatsakanian of the Ombudsperson’s office negatively reacted
to the question posed in his address “Is There Discrimination in
Armenia?,” quoting the fact that there are no more than a dozen such
appeals addressed to the Ombudsman’s office. It is worth mentioning
that the latter will soon respond to Armenian Aryan Order leader Armen
Avetisian’s provocative statements published in the press which have
aroused the indignation of national minorities. Garnik Guyumdjian,
chief of the Department for State Programs, Cultural Cooperation,
Education and Science of the Ministry of Culture and Youth Issues,
underlined that the measures taken to preserve the cultural values
of national minorities constitute part of state policy pursued in
this field. He prioritized fostering of creative work, preserving
of cultural inheritance, dissemination of cultural values, the
application of creative potential and legal and economic regulation
for the development of national cultures. In his opinion, the national
minorities enjoy sufficient protection under the current legislation.
Nouridjan Manoukian, chief of the Control Department at the Board
of Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education and Science,
concentrated on the improvement of education including preserving
national languages. In his opinion the main obstacle one encounters
in education based on language is not the lack of the law but the
lack of educators and textbooks. “Nothing practical is undertaken
to face the challenge. Moreover, sometimes the contradictions in the
same community lead to conflicting actions,” he remarked.

Edgar Hakobian of “Toward Free Society” concluded the second session
with remarks on encouraging the youth of national minorities to take
active part in the statewide youth policy and other initiatives,
otherwise they will remain isolated of the Armenian mainstream. The
seminar was followed by a lively roundtable of views among Alikhan
Shababian, representative of Nor Nork district council; Hasan Hasanian,
head of the Yezidi religious organization “Followers of Sharfadin”;
Rabbi Gersh Bourstein, head of the Mordekhay Navi Jewish Community of
Armenia; Dalila Arzumanian of the “Atur” Assyrian union; Charkyaze
Mstoyan, chairman of the “Kurdistan” committee; Ivan Semionov of
Russian Compatriot Relief Foundation; Slava Rafaelidis, representative
of the Greek community and chairman of the Council of Armenian
Nationalities; Romania Yavir, chairperson of the Ukrainian Federation
in Armenia; Lavrenti Mirzoyan of State Inspectorate of Language;
Ara Sahakian of “Armat” Center; Avetik Ishkhanian of the Armenian
Helsinki Committee; Georgi Vanian of Caucasus Center of Peace-Making
Initiatives NGO; Gayane Markosian of the “Harmonious World” NGO;
Alexander Yaskorski of German community; and several others.

Despite some reservations, the participants in the discussion noted
that the rights of national minorities are respected in Armenia. They
offered practical suggestions for further promoting state policy in
educational, cultural, and other spheres towards the representatives
of the particular stratum of society. Lavrenti Mirzoyan, chief
of State Inspectorate of Language, suggested that the national
minority representatives cooperate with the agency he heads. He
expressed readiness to establish a group of national minorities in
the Inspectorate to address their language issues. Brisk discussion
was followed on the expediency of adoption of law on national
minorities. Charkyaze Mstoyan, chairman of the “Kurdistan” committee
was against its adoption as in his opinion it can be a “strait-jacket”
for them. Rabbi Gersh Bourstein thinks that the law should first be
discussed in the communities and only after then be submitted to the
parliament for consideration. “The law should protect the national
minorities from estrangement the symptoms of which are apparent,”
Bourstein maintained. In Yaskorsky’s opinion even a perfect law may
not be effective if not exercised.

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 or the full graphics of the
poll results, call (3741) 52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (3741) 52-48-46;
e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]; or visit