ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ACCEPTS SECURITY CHIEF’S RESIGNATION
Mediamax news agency
5 Nov 04
YEREVAN
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today signed a decree dismissing
Karlos Petrosyan from the post of chief of the National Security
Service of the Armenian government.
The Armenian president signed the decree on the basis of Karlos
Petrosyan’s own request, the presidential press service told Mediamax.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
MEDIA ALERT
November 5, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
RE: Armenian Assembly Congratulates President Bush
The Armenian Assembly of America congratulated President George W. Bush
yesterday on his election victory. Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair
Hovnanian and Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian, in a letter to
President Bush, said the Assembly is committed to working with the
Administration to continue strengthening the U.S. relationships with Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh.
The complete text of the Assembly letter to President Bush is below.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-095
************************************************************************
November 4, 2004
The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of the Armenian Assembly of America, we congratulate you on your
re-election as President of the United States. Our organization looks
forward to working with your Administration in the years ahead to promote
the United States’ objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity in
the South Caucasus.
Despite many obstacles, Armenia continues to make important strides-from
ongoing democratic and economic reforms, to its accession into the World
Trade Organization. In fact, this year, despite the dual blockades by
Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia was ranked 44th out of 165 on the Wall Street
Journal/Heritage Foundation’s Economic Index of Freedom. Notwithstanding
Armenia’s economic progress, maintaining significant U.S. technical and
developmental assistance continues to be an essential component of its
performance. This was confirmed earlier this year by Armenia’s
certification as a Millennium Challenge Account qualifier based on positive
reviews by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Armenians in both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh look to the United States as
the leader of the Western world and a beacon of hope in defense of freedom
and democracy. To this end, Armenia has committed to an assessment of its
armed services as requested by the Pentagon and to deploying an Armenian
contingent to Iraq in its continuing efforts to deepen the security
dimension of our bilateral relations. As you stated two years ago, “Just as
the United States reached out to the Armenian people to provide shelter and
freedom early in the last century, so did Armenia extend a supportive hand
to the American people in the immediate aftermath of September 11. Our two
peoples stand together in this fight in support of values that define
civilization itself.”
Again, congratulations on your re-election. Together with
Armenian-Americans nationwide, we look forward to working with you to ensure
that the U.S. relationship with Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh continues to
grow and that the enduring U.S. principles of justice, democracy and human
rights are upheld.
Sincerely,

Hirair Hovnanian
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Anthony Barsamian
Chairman, Board of Directors
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
USC’s Information Services Division
Doheny Memorial Library
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0183
Contact: Tyson Gaskill
Tel: 213-740-2070
Fax: 213-740-2448
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Discussion and Book Signing with Chronicler of Armenian Genocide
LOS ANGELES – The University of Southern California’s Doheny Memorial
Library will host a reception and book signing on Friday, November 12,
at 11 a.m., with Peter Balakian, author of the recent bestselling book
“The Burning Tigris.” The reception, sponsored by the USC Institute of
Armenian Studies and the USC Armenian Student Association, is free and
open to the public.
Balakian grew up in an affluent New Jersey suburb. His grandmother, who
played a major role in his upbringing, often told him stories. Mixed
among the familiar Mother Goose and Grimm yarns, however, were strange
and often disturbing tales of her youth in Armenia – all cloaked in
metaphor and symbolism.
The mysteries from his family’s past remained so until years later when
Balakian finally pieced together their meaning. The terrible event that
his grandmother had fallen victim to was the Ottoman Turk government’s
extermination of more than one million Armenians in 1915.
Balakian has researched and written extensively about the atrocities
that befell Armenians during World War I.
The Burning Tigris gives a detailed history of the events – the first
modern genocide of the 20th century – and recounts the vast outpouring
of humanitarian feelings generated in America. The New York Times Book
Review called the book a `fascinating and affecting memoir.’
Balakian is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the
Humanities at Colgate University, where he teaches American literature,
creative writing and a course on the Armenian genocide and the
Holocaust. He is director of the university’s new Center for the Study
of Ethics and World Societies.
Balakian has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Anahit Literary
Prize and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Book Prize.
The book signing and reception are held in conjunction with `They Shall
Not Perish: Relief Efforts of the Near East Foundation, 1915-1930,’ an
exhibition that documents through photographs, letters, posters, books,
and rare artifacts a relief effort for victims of the genocide.
The exhibition continues in the ground floor rotunda of Doheny Library
through Sunday, January 30, 2005; admission is free.

UGAB France
11, square Alboni
75016 PARIS
France
Tél. : 01 45 20 03 18
Fax : 01 40 50 88 09
Email : [email protected]
UGAB-INFOS
BULLETIN DE LIAISON DE L’UGAB-FRANCE / Novembre 2004
83e Assemblée générale de l’UGAB à Erévan
Les Sections de l’UGAB de Nice, Marseille et Paris, ainsi que le
District de France étaient représentés à Erevan à l’occasion de
l’Assemblée bisannuelle de l’organisation. La conférence a permis aux
représentants des sections dans les vingt-cinq pays où l’organisation
est représentée de faire le point sur leurs activités et de développer
la stratégie de l’organisation à la fois au niveau international et
local. Les sections européennes de l’UGAB, en particulier, ont eu
l’occasion de travailler à une stratégie commune. L’assemblée fut
enfin l’occasion pour les représentants des sections de l’UGAB et pour
le Conseil central de faire le point sur l’action de l’organisation au
profit de l’Arménie, notamment au cours d’entretiens avec le président
Robert Kotcharian, le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Vartan
Oskanian, et le président du Karabagh, Arkadi Ghoukassian.
Pour plus d’informations, voir le site de la conférence:
Conférence : Diasporas d’Europe et Citoyenneté Européenne
Barcelone, 27-29 janvier 2005
La Fondation Yehudi Menuhin (Bruxelles), en partenariat avec l’UGAB,
lance un débat sur le rôle des Diasporas dans le processus
d’intégration européen, leur identité et leur place dans la définition
de la citoyenneté et l’identité européennes.
La conférence, qui réunira des spécialistes de premier plan à la fois
des Diasporas d’Europe et des institutions européennes, est une
initiative conjointe, outre la Fondation Yehudi Menuhin et l’UGAB, du
Service Européen d’Action Citoyenne de Bruxelles (ECAS), et du Centre
de Recherche sur la Citoyenneté et la Société Civile de l’Université
de Barcelone (CISC). Elle est financée par la Commission européenne et
la Fondation Heinrich Bôll.
La conférence est ouverte à tous, sous réserve de place.
Pour tout renseignement complémentaire : IYMF, Chaussée de la Hulpe
61, B-1180, Brussels
tél. : +32 2 673 35 04 – fax.- +32 2 672 52 99
Contact Ms Eieni Efstathiou.
Séjour de ski
L’UGAB-France organise du 20 au 27 février prochain un séjour de ski à
Ancelles dans les Hautes-Alpes pour les jeunes de 10 à 16 ans au prix
de 390 =80. Celui-ci comprend l’hébergement en pension complète, les
forfaits remontées mécaniques, la location du matériel, l’encadrement
sur les pistes et les activités.
Nous vous proposons en supplément des cours de ski avec l’École de Ski
Française (ESF) pour seulement 70 =80 par personne.
Pour renseignements et réservation : UGAB-Séjour de Ski, Hermine
Duzian 11, square Alboni, 75016 Paris Portable : 06 76 48 58 73
[email protected]
Le Mémorial de Lyon
La maquette du futur Mémorial Lyonnais du Génocide des Arméniens a été
présentée, à l’occasion du bal de l’UGAB à Lyon, le 9 octobre dernier,
par l’architecte et actuel président de l’UGAB de
Saint-Etienne-Saint-Chamond, Léonardo Basmadyian, qui est chargé de sa
réalisation, avec ses collaborateurs. L’événement, qui a eu lieu dans
le casino de Charbonnières les Bains, a rassemblé 400 personnes.
Monsieur Jacques Ekmekdjian, ancien président de l’UGAB Lyon, a pris
la parole à cette soirée en lançant un appel au public à contribuer
activement à la construction du mémorial en souvenir d’un passé
tragique qui hante encore les Arméniens.
Le mémorial du génocide arménien évoquera également la mémoire des
déportés, combattants et résistants arméniens morts pour la France
ainsi que les autres crimes contre l’Humanité.
Son inauguration officielle est prévue pour le 24 avril prochain sur
la prestigieuse place Antonin Poncet, près de la place Bellecour. La
municipalité de Lyon s’est fortement impliquée dans la réalisation de
ce projet en y apportant sa participation à la fois morale et
financière. La Communauté arménienne est également sollicitée pour la
réalisation de ce projet.
UGAB- LYON
12, rue Emile Zola, 69002 LYON
Permanence téléphonique : 04 78 42 73 32
Dates à retenir
2004
* 14 novembre : Messe de Requiem organisée par l’UGAB-Lyon en hommage
à Setrak Sandjian, Président d’honneur à vie de l’UGAB Lyon,
décédé le 6 juillet dernier. Eglise Apostolique Arménienne
* 3 décembre : Bruxelles. Arménie, Nouveau Voisin : Scénarios pour
2020 Conférence en partenariat avec Armenia 2020 sur les perspectives
et le potentiel économique de l’Arménie
2005
* 31 janvier : clôture des candidatures aux stages d’été de l’UGABà
Paris et New York
* 27-29 janvier, Barcelone. Conférence : Les Diasporas d’Europe et la
Citoyenneté Européenne 20- 27 février, Ancelle : séjour de ski
pour les jeunes
* 20 juin au 13 août, Paris : stages d’été à Paris
* 14 avril, Paris : conférence au Mémorial de la Shoah à
l’occasion du 90ème anniversaire du génocide arménien
* 4 au 25 juillet, Ancelle : colonie de vacances de l’UGAB pour les
jeunes de 7 à 14 ans
Séminaire de l’UGAB aux Nations unies
L’UGAB a organisé, le 8 septembre dernier, un séminaire aux Nations
unies dans le cadre de la 57ème Conférence Annuelle du département de
l’information et des ONG sur les “Objectifs de Développement du
Millénaire: la société civile passe à l’action”. L’atelier organisé
par l’UGAB était intitulé «Surmonter les obstacles à la croissance
économique et au développement local : le rôle de la société civile»
et portait sur les efforts d’ONG dans le déminage et la remise en
culture de terres agricoles rendues inaccessibles par les mines
antipersonnelles. En l’occurrence, les expériences mises en parallèle
étaient celles de Armenia Tree Project au Karabagh, du Rotary
International au Cambodge et de Roots for Peace en Afghanistan. La
représentante de l’UGAB auprès des Nations unies, Adrienne Alexanian,
résume la raison d’être de ce séminaire : « Il est important que les
organisations arméniennes s’impliquent dans les organisations
internationales comme les Nations unies, et mettent en avant des idées
et des questions qui nous concernent. Je suis fière que nous
puissions, par ce travail, organiser des séminaires professionnels qui
intéressent le reste du monde», c’est-à-dire, en l’occurrence, les
représentants d’ONG internationales et les diplomates présents à la
conférence. Le séminaire a fait le plein de participants, et l’on y a
même noté la présence de Peggy Kerry, s=9Cur du candidat démocrate aux
élections et déléguée aux relations avec les ONG auprès de la mission
des États-Unis auprès des Nations unies.
Pour plus d’information :
Lancement de la Revue Arménienne des Questions Contemporaines
Ni magazine d’actualité, ni revue scientifique, la Revue Arménienne
des questions contemporaines comble une lacune de la presse périodique
arménienne. À la fois accessible et fondée sur les meilleures
connaissances du moment, la Revue ouvre pour ses lecteurs les grands
dossiers qui concernent la Diaspora et l’Arménie. En monde arménien,
comme ailleurs, le temps présent est fait de défis à relever. Chacune
des composantes arméniennes, l’Arménie et la diaspora, a des problèmes
internes spécifiques à surmonter, mais aussi des questions communes à
résoudre. Il n’y a guère de doute sur le fait que les deux entités
doivent se nourrir l’une de l’autre et s’aider réciproquement à
trouver des réponses aux défis du temps présent.
La Revue n’a d’autre ambition que de nourrir une réflexion collective
sur des dossiers de société, en faisant appel à des contributeurs
reconnus pour leur expertise dans un domaine, en particulier aux
jeunes universitaires qui seront également associés à son élaboration.
En plus des dossiers couvrant des questions contemporaines, le volet
Mémoire/Histoire de la Revue vise à dresser un bilan des travaux
récents sur l’histoire contemporaine des Arméniens. S’y ajoutent enfin
des notes de lectures, des informations pratiques sur de grands
événements culturels touchant aux domaines qui nous occupent.
En publiant cette Revue, l’UGAB vise à nourrir sa propre réflexion sur
le rôle des organisations arméniennes face aux défis du temps présent,
pour réajuster en permanence son action en Arménie comme en diaspora.
Sommaire du numéro 1
Éditorial
=95 Les défis du temps présent Questions contemporaines
Dossiers
=95 Paix et sécurité dans le Caucase du sud
=95 L’Arménie des campagnes : le développement régional
=95 Ouverture de l’école maternelle M. Yessaian d’Alep
Mémoire/Histoire
Dossier
=95 Reconstruire la nation avec les femmes et les enfants enlevés
durant le génocide (1918-1919)
Actualité contemporaine
=95 Nouvelles publications
=95 Livres à la vente
=95 Colloques et expositions
—————————————————————————-
ABONNEMENT POUR 4 NUMÉROS : 20 =80 (frais de port inclus)
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……………………………………………………….. ………..
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Commande et paiement à l’ordre de «UGAB-Revue», à l’adresse
suivante :
UGAB France
11, square Alboni
75016 PARIS
France
Tél. : 01 45 20 03 18
Fax : 01 40 50 88 09
Email : [email protected]
—————————————————————————-
Ce message vous est envoyé par l’UGAB-France à titre d’information. Si
vous souhaitez ne plus recevoir les bulletins d’information mensuels
et communiqués occasionnels de l’UGAB, veuillez écrire à l’adresse
email [email protected] en indiquant «désabonner» dans la ligne objet.
Pour s’abonner à l’information en ligne de l’UGAB France, écrire à
cette adresse en mentionnant «abonner».

Belmont Citizen-Herald, MA
Nov. 4, 2004
Armenian Memorial Church offers treats
The Armenian Memorial Church in Watertown is planning a holiday gift
sale featuring a huge collection of retail merchandise combined with an
extensive bake sale on Saturday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Because the collection of merchandise is the largest ever, the
committee will open the doors of the church on Friday, Nov. 12 for a
Preview Sale from 3-8 p.m.

A cooperative effort of the Co-ed Circle and Ladies Aide Society
of the church, this year’s event features an enormous collection of
retail merchandise at bargain prices, including holiday decorations,
household items, ceramics and giftware.

In addition, the bake sale will feature famous Armenian pastries
such as cheoreg, paklava, and khadayif. Light refreshments including
sandwiches, beverages and desserts will be available. The Ladies Aide
Society under President Angel Parseghian is in charge of the bake sale
and refreshments.

Holiday co-chairs Marion Kennedy of Arlington and Bette Ohanian of
Watertown are assisted by a large committee including Co-ed presidents
Laura Nabedian of Lexington and Sophie Tolajian of Watertown; also
George Boole and Ed Shooshanian of Waltham; Krikor Heghinian, Mark
Markarian and Vicky Tomasian of Belmont; Rick Ishkanian of Newton; Greg
Ohanian of Woburn; and Libby Sabounjian of Wilmington.

The Armenian Memorial Church is located at 32 Bigelow Ave. in
Watertown.

Belmont Citizen-Herald, MA
Nov. 4, 2004
NAASR plans 50th Assembly
Dr. Merrill D. Peterson will speak on “Starving Armenians: America and
the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1930 and After” at the luncheon program
preceding the 50th Annual Assembly of the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the NAASR Center
and Headquarters, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont. The assembly will be
convened at noon and lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m.

Peterson is professor of history (emeritus) at the University of
Virginia and the editor of the Library of America edition of the
writings of Thomas Jefferson. His books include “Lincoln in American
Memory,” “John Brown: The Legend Revisited,” and most recently
“Starving Armenians: America and the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1930 and
After” (University of Virginia Press).

“Starving Armenians” explores the American response to the planned
extermination and dispersion of the Armenian people during World War I,
from the initial reports to President Woodrow Wilson from his
ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, to the ongoing campaign to convince
the U.S. government to recognize the Genocide. Part of a generation who
were admonished as children to “remember the starving Armenians,”
Peterson went to Armenia in 1997 as a Peace Corps volunteer and became
fascinated by the country’s troubled history.

Following the luncheon, those attending the 50th Assembly of
Members will be informed about NAASR’s ongoing efforts to further
Armenian studies, research and publication. Reports will be presented
by the Board of Directors on organizational, informational, academic
and financial matters; and the election of directors will be held.

In addition, there will be reports by the Assembly’s special
committees on Nominations, Constitution and Rules, New Business and
Resolutions, and Auditing. The chairmen of the special committees are
Paul Boghosian of Belmont, Nominating; Karen R. Kazarosian of
Watertown, Constitution and Rules; Yervant Chekijian of Boston, New
Business and Resolutions; and Edward Der Kazarian of Watertown,
Auditing.

The assembly is open to all NAASR members in good standing (with
dues paid for the current calendar year), who “have the right to
attend, be heard, and vote.” Non-members may attend as observers.

The luncheon and subsequent program are open to the general
public. However, reservations should be made by Nov. 8 at $12 per
person by calling 617-489-1610, by fax at 617-484-1759, or e-mail at
[email protected].

Milliyet, Turkey
Nov. 4, 2004
GERMAN GREENS LEADER VISITS ISTANBUL
Germany’s visiting Greens Group leader Claudia Roth accompanied by a
delegation yesterday held contacts in Istanbul. Roth visited the
Armenian and Fener Greek Patriarchates. Speaking to reporters at the
German Consulate, Roth said that she was holding a series of meetings
with Turkish officials to see how the nation’s reforms were being
implemented, adding that there were certain shortcomings. The Greens
leader then traveled to Diyarbakir in the late afternoon. /Milliyet/

Prove Hitler wrong
Remember Ottoman Turkey’s slaughter of Armenian Christians
WORLD Magazine
October 23, 2004
Page 52
By Marvin Olasky ([email protected] )
Editor’s warning: This article contains graphic material.
VAN, Turkey — As Turkey moves toward eventual membership in the
European Union (see Madisonian Turkey from this week’s issue), this
Muslim nation should also come to grips with a terrible crime that has
gone largely unpunished.
Armenians, many of them Christian, lived in this area of what is now
eastern Turkey for about 2,000 years. Despite suffering massacres in
1894 and 1895 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, they still numbered
well over 1 million in 1914. Ten years later only scattered handfuls
were left.
Adolf Hitler used what is now called the Armenian holocaust as his model
for an even greater holocaust. Ottoman Turks developed techniques later
used by the Nazis, such as piling 90 people into a train car with a
capacity of 36, and leaving them locked in for days, terrified,
starving, and often dead.
Hitler was even more impressed with how the Turks got away with
genocide. When Hitler on Aug. 22, 1939, explained that his plans to
invade Poland included the formation of death squads that would
exterminate men, women, and children, he asked, “Who, after all, speaks
today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”
In recent years some have. Books such as Peter Balakian’s The Burning
Tigris (HarperCollins, 2003) tell of the Armenian tragedy in a way that
also helps us to understand radical Islam. That’s because the key
incitement to massacre came on Nov. 14, 1914, when Mustafa Hayri Bey,
the Ottoman Empire’s leading Sunni authority, urged his followers to
commence a jihad: One pamphlet declared, “He who kills even one
unbeliever . . . shall be rewarded by Allah.”
The jihad proclamation received wide dissemination. When a priest asked
a Muslim army officer how he could participate in killing several
thousand Armenian women, Captain Shukri’s answer was simple: It was
jihad time, and after the murders he could “spread out my prayer rug and
pray, giving glory to Allah and the Prophet who made me worthy of
personally participating in the holy jihad in these days of my old age.”
The Ottoman Turk government set up and paid special killing squads. The
Ministry of the Interior gave instructions to “exterminate all males
under 50, priests and teachers, leave girls and children to be
Islamized.” Historians and journalists have estimated that Turks killed
800,000 to 1 million Armenians in 1915 alone, and an additional 200,000
to 500,000 over the next seven years.
Here in Van 89 years ago, provincial governor Jevdet Bey gained the
nickname “the horseshoe master” because he nailed horseshoes to the feet
of Armenians. Henry Morgenthau, the American ambassador to Turkey,
described in 1918 testimony of torture he had heard: “The gendarmes
would nail hands and feet to pieces of wood–evidently in imitation of
the Crucifixion, and then while the sufferer writhes in his agony, they
would cry, ‘Now let your Christ come help you.'”
Aurora Mardiganian, the only member of her family to survive, told of
killing squads that planted their swords in the ground, blade up, at
intervals of several yards. Killers on horseback each grabbed a girl,
rode their horses at a controlled gallop, and tried to throw the girl so
she would be impaled on a sword: “If the killer missed and the girl was
only injured, she would be scooped up again until she was impaled on the
protruding blade.”
The silent film Ravished Armenia, based on Aurora Mardiganian’s account,
caused a U.S. sensation–but British officials demanded before showtime
in London the deletion of a scene of Armenian women being crucified.
Miss Mardiganian agreed that the scene, which showed the women being
crucified on large crosses with their long hair covering their nude
bodies, was inauthentic.
The scene was inaccurate, she said, because the crosses in the film were
large, but in reality they were little and pointed: “They took the
clothes off the girls. They made them bend down. And after raping them,
they made them sit on the pointed wood, through . . .” Americans, she
said, “can’t show such terrible things” (and I can’t write about them in
full detail).
After the World War ended in 1918 several Turks, including “the
horseshoe master,” were executed for war crimes. Hundreds of
perpetrators went free, and to this day Turkish textbooks cover up the
slaughter of Armenians, as they also cover up the slaughter of Greek
Christians in western Turkey during that same era.
Prove Hitler wrong. Governments are to wield the sword to bring justice,
so remember Armenian and other victims of governments that killed their
own people, and thank God that the United States has worked to protect
innocent people in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan.

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Nov. 4, 2004
Georgia Matters for NATO

Scheffer: “there is no doubt that Russia has
to fulfill fully its commitment” and pull out
its military bases from Georgia.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who paid one-day visit to
Georgia on November 4 as a part of his South Caucasus trip, made it
clear that `Georgia matters for NATO’ and recommended the Georgian
authorities to `get on work’ on implementing Georgia’s Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which has been endorsed by the North
Atlantic Alliance in late October.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with President Mikhail Saakashvili, Prime
Minister Zurab Zhvania, Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili, Defense
Minister Giorgi Baramidze, Ambassadors of the NATO member states
accredited in Georgia and representatives from the non-governmental
organizations in country.
At a joint new conference with President Saakashvili, the NATO
Secretary General said that endorsement of Georgia’s IPAP marked `a
very important moment in the relationship between Georgia and NATO.’
`As I have discussed it with the President it will be now a question of
doing homework [by the Georgian authorities]. And where NATO can assist
Georgia in this respect, NATO will assist Georgia… Let’s get on work on
IPAP,’ Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said.
President Saakashvili said that Georgia has become the first country
whose IPAP has been approved by the NATO. `This was recognition by NATO
those achievements, which Georgia has made in respect of reforms and
development in recent months,’ Mikheil Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also said that Georgia is `getting close to NATO.’ `But do
not ask when we will become NATO members, for example in one year, two
or three. You won’t get my answer on this question. But it will happen
much sooner than many might suppose. And when it happens I might still
be in this office’ Mikheil Saakashvili said referring to his
presidential term.
The NATO Secretary General has also refrained from speaking about
dates. `I am not going to give the dates, because the dates will
deviate our attention from what we should do now – make IPAP into the
success and NATO will assist and we will help to make it work,’ Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer said.
`I am a realist and I am an optimist. I am realist because I know that
Georgia’s NATO membership will be a difficult, long and winding road.
But I am optimistic as well, because I see an enormous drive of the
Georgian government and the Georgian people to fulfill the ambitions
Georgia has vis-à-vis to Euro-Atlantic integration,’ he added.
The North Atlantic Council, which is the decision-making body of NATO,
approved the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia (IPAP) on
October 29.
`The IPAP deals with implementing defense, political, economic reforms
and it also concern the human rights in the country. It is a two-year
program and by the end of each year there will be an assessment
conference to find out if there are any flaws or indicate on progress,’
Gela Bezhuashvili, the Secretary of the Georgian National Security
Council, told Civil Georgia on November 4.
At a news conference Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also reiterated NATO’s
support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and called for peaceful
solution of Abkhazian and South Ossetian conflicts.
The Georgian president said that Tbilisi is `ready for a compromise.
But not at the expanse of Georgia’s territorial integrity.’
`No one should expect that it will be possible to change our
fundamental foreign policy course by mounting pressure on us. But I
also want to say that good relations with Russia is also a part of our
fundamental foreign policy course,’ Mikheil Saakashvili added.
The NATO Secretary General has also called on Russia to follow its
commitment undertaken during the OSCE Istanbul Summit in 1999 and pull
out remaining military bases from Georgia.
`There is no doubt that Russia has to fulfill fully its commitments
Russia has entered in 1999 in Istanbul [OSCE Summit]. NATO has good
relationship with the Russian Federation and Russia is very well
informed about the NATO’s position I have just stated… let’s say that
fundamental opinion can not be any other that Russia has to fulfill the
Istanbul commitments fully,’ the NATO Secretary General said.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also said that NATO is not competing with any of
the country in the region.
`Let me make it very clear, that I have not come here and the NATO has
not come here to compete with any other country or to compete with any
other organization. I’ve come here because the NATO has an open door
for any nation, including Georgia, who want to share and defense those
same values, which have always been in the core of the NATO,’ Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer said.
`No one should expect that it will be possible to change our
fundamental foreign policy course by mounting pressure on us. But I
also want to say that good relations with Russia is also a part of our
fundamental foreign policy course,’ Mikheil Saakashvili stated.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that his trip to the South Caucasus
countries is a part of implementation of decisions of the NATO Istanbul
Summit, which was held this June. The governments from the NATO states
decided at the summit to make a focus on Caucasus and Central Asia.
To implement this decision Robert Simmons, a special representative for
these two regions, has been appointed. Simmons is also NATO’s Deputy
Assistant Secretary General for Security Cooperation and Partnership.
In addition, two NATO liaison officers, who will be in close
cooperation with the NATO’s special envoy, will be permanently
stationed in each of the two regions. Robert Simmons said in September
that the NATO liaison officer in the Caucasus will be stationed in
Tbilisi and will work closely with the Georgian Defense Ministry.
`I am now in Georgia – focusing on IPAP, focusing on reforms. I’ll go
Armenia and Azerbaijan as well to see where they are in the
relationship with NATO, and whether they want to be in the relationship
with NATO. Do not forget every sovereign country is fully sovereign in
deciding itself where it wants to go vis-à-vis NATO. Some countries are
more ambitious than others. I want to focus on this region, like two
weeks ago I was in Central Asia. Because these regions matter, they are
of strategic importance. So Georgia matters for NATO,’ Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer said.

Agence France Presse
Nov. 4, 2004
NATO chief to meet with Azeri leadership during visit

BAKU (AFP) Nov 04, 2004
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer arrived in Azerbaijan Thursday where
he is expected to hold talks with top officials including President
Ilham Aliyev as part of a Caucasus tour.
De Hoop Scheffer is on a two-day visit to the Caucasus, a region that
hosts a massive pipeline to carry Caspian Sea oil to the West but is
torn apart by three separatist conflicts.
De Hoop Scheffer is scheduled to meet defense officials in Baku and
address students at the Baku State University Friday morning.
He arrives in Azerbaijan form Georgia and is expected to leave for high
level talks in Armenia Friday afternoon. All three Caucasus countries
are signatories to NATO’s partnership for peace plan.
“One thing (de Hoop Scheffer) will say is that we, as NATO, are
interested in stability in the region,” a spokesman for the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels said when asked what the
military alliance’s chief would discuss here.
Aliyev has pledged to hold to the course set out by his father, Heidar,
whom he succeeded as president last year, and further integrate into
Euro-Atlantic structures.
But he has stopped short of asking for NATO membership as Azerbaijan
navigates the choppy diplomatic waters between the US-backed military
alliance and its cold war foe Russia.
Although oil-rich, Azerbaijan’s underdeveloped energy sector and
stunted economy still rely on its biggest trade partner and the
traditional power broker in the region Russia, were an estimated 2
million Azeris live.
Heidar Aliyev, who died last December, had offered NATO the opportunity
to open military bases on its territory, said Vafa Guluzade, a former
aide to the late Aliyev.
“The offer was met with silence and smiles, so I think NATO is not
ready for us yet. We should wait until they are before making
announcements that would irritate Russia and Iran,” Guluzade said.