ArmenPress
Oct 20 2004
KOCHARIAN TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO TBILISI ON OCTOBER 22
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian will
pay an official three-day visit to the neighboring Georgia on October
22. Kocharian’s press service said the welcoming ceremony will be
held at Bagratashen village on the Armenian-Georgian border. In the
capital city Tbilisi Kocharian will have a conversation with his
counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili, which will be followed by enlarged
talks between the two countries’ delegations. The two presidents will
also meet with journalists.
Kocharian will also meet with parliament chairwoman Nino
Burjanadze, prime minister Zurab Zhvania and will also be welcomed by
the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia
II. Kocharian will lay a wreath at the monument to fighters for
united Georgia and participate in Tbilisoba- a festival dedicated to
Tbilisi. He is also scheduled to meet with members of the local
Armenian community. Kocharian will come back to Yerevan on October
24.
According to 2002 census, Georgia’s population was 4 mln 371,000
people, 250,000 of whom were Armenian. However, according to
unofficial figures, some 400,000 Armenians live in Georgia. They are
mainly concentrated in Tbilisi, Javakhk, Tsalka and Marneuli regions,
as well as in Ajaria and Abkhazia. Georgian Armenians take an active
part in social, political and cultural life of the country.
According to Armenian president press services, Armenian language
newspaper Vrastan (Georgia) has been published since 1920. In 1991,
it was published as the official newspaper of the Georgian
parliament, in 1992 it was given the status of an independent
newspaper, though it receives some funds from the state budget. The
number of copies during the Soviet times reached 45,000. At present,
it is a weekly with 2,500-3,000 print-run.
Once in a month, Paros, Arshaluis and Aghbiur newspapers publish
in Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda regions as well as Ajaria. Under the
aegis of the Armenian Youth Union in Georgia another newspaper, New
Generation, publishes.
The Armenian government continues shipment of textbooks to some
154 Armenian-language schools in Tbilisi, Javakhk, Batumi, Kvemo
Kartli and Tsalka which have 28,000 students. The Sunday school in
Rustavi supported by the Armenian embassy in Georgia also receives
textbooks.
The reconstruction of the Armenian Drama Theater after Petros
Adamian in Tbilisi has finished recently. Georgian Armenian play an
important role in Armenian-Georgian cultural cooperation. They
organize theatre tours, concerts and exhibitions between the two
countries.
There are 13 Armenian acting churches in Georgia, particularly St
George and St Etchmiadzin churches in Tbilisi, St. Saver in Ajaria,
St. Sargis in Bogdanovka village of Ninotsminda and others.
There are several non-governmental organizations in Georgia,
including Union of Georgian Armenians, Armenian Youth Union, Union of
Tbilisi Armenians, Sayat-Nova cultural and educational union, Union
of Ajaria Armenians, Charles Anznavour union, Javakhk and some
others.

ArmenPress
Oct 20 2004
DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER DENIES KOCHARIAN’S ASPIRATION FOR THIRD
TERM
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Deputy parliament chairman Tigran
Torosian warned today against pushing for radical changes in the
existing Election Law, saying a drastic reduction in the number of
seats contested under majoritarian system would result in
unpredictable consequences.
Under the existing law, 75 members of the parliament are chosen
under the system of proportional representation, while the remaining
56 parliament seats are distributed in single-mandate constituencies
across the country. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, one of the
three members of the ruling coalition, pushes for a 100 percent
proportional representation system and another coalition member,
Orinats Yerkir is for a drastic reduction in the number of
majoritarian seats, while the Republican Party of Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian, which has the biggest parliament faction, is
opposed to that.
Last week the Armenian parliament approved in the first reading
amendments to the electoral legislation which leave the ratio as it
is, saying they will refer to it before putting the bill on the
second reading.
Torosian argued today that even the ARF and other politicians
advocating a 100 percent proportional representation realize that
their arguments are weak to root out election fraud. “Some people say
that money-bags usually win elections in majoritarian constituencies,
but all parties also include rich men with no experience of
legislative work in their slates ,” Torosian said, adding also that
Armenian political parties still have a long road to go to be
established as real political force.
The opposition that continues the boycott of parliament work,
argues that the proposed amendments would not have any effect in
terms of eliminating election fraud practices, saying that the
authorities can hold free and fair elections even with the existing
legislation, however it is going to put forward its own amendments,
which also call for abolishment of single-mandate constituencies and
give more rights to the proxies of election candidates.
Torosian denied also today allegations that a package of
constitutional reforms to be put on a nation-wide referendum would
include a clause lifting the current ban for a third term for
president. “We hope that political process in Armenia will be in line
with its Council of Europe obligations,’ he said.

ArmenPress
Oct 20 2004
ARMENIAN YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS UNITE TO FIGHT BACK RELIGIOUS SECTS
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS: The youth wing of the ruling
Republican Party announced today that all those who will face an
aggressive behavior from members of the recently registered Jehovah’s
Witnesses organization may call 56- 42- 97 or 53- 72- 98 to report
the incidents.
Armen Ashotian, the head of the youth wing, said another 40 youth
organizations, “concerned with the danger to the nation’s spiritual
and cultural values,” have joined the struggle against religious
sects in order to foil attempts jeopardizing the nation’s security.
“We deem proselytizing as a social evil and will keep in the
limelight all illegal activity of the religious sects,” he said,
adding that the organizations will ask the education ministry to
introduce compulsory teaching of Armenian Church History in all
universities curricula. Ashotian said the organizations will stage
authorized rallies and hold public discussions to fight against the
sects.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 20 2004
European Azeris protest Armenian congress’s convention

About one thousand Azerbaijani and Turkish Turks residing in the
Netherlands and Belgium marched from the Luxembourg Square of
Brussels to the building of the European Parliament on Tuesday.
Papers on Armenian atrocities were distributed among residents of
Brussels during the protest action, the European Azerbaijanis
Congress told AssA-Irada.
The march came as a protest against European Armenians’ intention to
put pressure on international organizations with a view to achieving
determination of the status of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh
Republic and its recognition at the congress held in the Belgium
capital on the same day.
The international congress of European Armenians discussed the issue
of opening the Turkish-Armenian borders as well.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 20 2004
MPs attend UN-organized hearings on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

An Azerbaijani parliament delegation led by Ziyafat Asgarov, Vice
Speaker of the Milli Majlis (parliament), left for New York on Monday
to attend the UN-organized inter-parliamentary hearings on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, a parliamentary source told AssA-Irada.
The hearings will last till Saturday.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 20 2004
Opposition pickets US embassy
Some 50 members of the Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (WAPFP)
held an unsanctioned picket outside the US embassy in Baku on Tuesday
in protest against the Armenian parliament members’ planned
participation in the 58th `Rose Roth’ seminar of the NATO
parliamentary Assembly due in Baku.
Despite interference by the police, the protesters showed placards
`Respect the Azerbaijani people’, `End to double standards’, `Don’t
bring enemies to Azerbaijan!’, `Down with Armenian invaders’ and
`Freedom to Garabagh’ and forwarded a resolution to the embassy. No
protesters were detained during the picket.
WAPFP plans to hold similar actions outside the embassies of other
NATO member states accredited in Baku. The party will picket the
Turkish embassy on October 26.
WAPFP attempted to hold an unsanctioned protest action outside the
Milli Majlis (parliament) on October 12.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 20 2004
Moscow welcomes Azerbaijani-Armenian dialogue

Russia is ready to guarantee for possible agreement between
Azerbaijan and Armenia over the settlement of the Upper Garabagh
conflict, spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander
Yakovenko has stated.
Moscow welcomes the talks of all level between the conflicting sides,
Yakovenko said. `We think that the conflicting sides themselves must
reach common agreement on the issue,’ he noted.
Yakovenko added that his country is ready to assist Yerevan and Baku
in solving the conflict as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and
guarantee for agreement to be reached between the conflicting sides.*

The Western Mail
October 20, 2004
FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE REMEMBERED
The Prime Minister of Europe’s least-known country was in Wales
yesterday, raising embarrassing issues for the UK Government. No
members of the Welsh Assembly Government were available to meet him.
Anushavan Danielian, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Republic
of Nagorno Karabagh, wanted to talk about the difficulties faced by
his territory – an Armenian enclave the size of Gwynedd surrounded by
Azerbaijan – and about the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians at the
hands of Turkey during World War One and in the early 1920s.
As confirmed to the Western Mail yesterday by the Foreign Office,
Britain refuses to recognise the independence of Nagorno Karabagh,
saying sovereignty should remain with Azerbaijan. It does not regard
the ‘terrible tragedy’ of the Armenian massacres as genocide.
After speaking to AMs at the National Assembly, Mr Danielian visited
Cardiff’s Temple of Peace, where he met the Rt Rev Dr David Yeoman,
the Assistant Bishop of Llandaff, and Stephen Thomas, Director of the
Welsh Centre for International Affairs. They discussed erecting a
memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide in the adjacent
Garden of Peace.
Mr Danielian said, ‘There has been a ceasefire for the last 10 years,
but Nagorno Karabagh remains blockaded by Azerbaijan. The blockade
has destroyed 80% of our economy.
‘If what happened to Armenians during World War One and afterwards
had been recognised at the time as genocide, perhaps subsequent
genocides would not have occurred. It was Adolf Hitler who infamously
said, ‘Who remembers what happened to the Armenians?’ before
conducting his own genocide of the Jews.
‘Turkey must acknowledge its genocide before there can be any
question of it joining the EU.’
An Assembly Government spokesperson said, ‘The First Minister and
other members of the Cabinet had other engagements. There was no
intention to snub Mr Danielian.’

Time Out
October 20, 2004
Film: London Film Festival Listings – Saturday 23;
[parts omitted]
4.00 A Common Thread (Ilionore OWE1 Faucher, 2004, Fr) Lola Naymark,
Ariane Ascaride, Marie Filix. 88 mins. Subtitles.
A slowly captivating drama which brings together elements of the new
minimalist,rural and feminist schools in its portrait of a pregnant
young country girl fromthe Alps-Maritime. Faucher builds her film
around the freckled, pre-Raphaelite-haired Lola Naymark who responds
with an engaging, if modernistically withholding performance. ‘Thank
God, for Embroidery’, she writesto her friend: this is her lifeline
which leads her to work for suicidal Armenian Madam Melikian
(Ascaride), with whom she begins to bond (in a way impossible with
her own mother) and reconsider the fate of her unborn child. Faucher
is keen to show the effects on lives of beauty expressed in
colour-filtered landscape compositions or tracks over an intricate
sequined shawl as she is the determinations of environment and body
politics. Despite some mis-timed editing, a sympathetic and pleasing
debut. (WH) 4.00 Chisholm ’72 Unbought and NFT2 Unbossed See Fri 22
above 4.15 Warsaw NFT3 See Fri 22 above 4.15 Woman Is the Future of
Man ICA1 See Fri 22 above 6.00 Garden State (Zach Braff, 2003, OWE2
US) Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm.

The Evening Standard (London)
October 20, 2004
THE DEFINITIVE 100 CLASSICAL CDS
NORMAN LEBRECHT
8 MAGNIFICATHY
CATHY BERBERIAN
The most versatile voice of the 20th century has left scarcely a
recorded trace. Cathy Berberian (1925-83) could sing anything from
Monteverdi to post-modernism. Armenian-American by origin, she was
the means by which her husband, Luciano Berio, found his path as a
composer. She inspired works by Cage, Milhaud, Maderna and
Stravinsky, who composed Elegy for JFK for her to perform. She was
also an inventive composer, the hilarious Stripsody being her
best-known score.
This passionate pathbreaker for performance art hardly ever set foot
in a recording studio. Her fans fall back on rare reissues of radio
broadcasts such as this. Beg, borrow or download this 1970 Milan
recital with Bruno Canino at the piano.
Here Berberian performs, in addition to Stripsody and
straight-recitative Monteverdi, a Gershwin Summertime to outweep
Ella’s and a Surabaya-Jonny that is a woman’s world apart from Lotte
Lenya’s abandoned wimp: Cathy is no victim, but a sexual predator
contemplating vengeance.
The summit of this collection is a baroque setting of Ticket to Ride
which, apart from being funny, recontextualises The Beatles as
post-medieval troubadours, peddling a musical narrative that echoes
down the ages.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress