RA PRIME MINISTER AND NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF IRAN TO ARMENIA
EMPHASIZE IMPORTANCE OF TREATY ON CONSTRUCTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS
PIPELINE CONCLUDED IN MAY
YEREVAN, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). Armenia attaches great importance to
bilateral relations with Iran, as well as the widening of multilateral
relations. Contacts on high level and mutual visits contribute to it
essentially. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian said about it on
July 30, receiving newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Ali Reza Haqiqian. Congratulating
the Ambassador with the beginning of his diplomatic mission, Andranik
Margarian, in particular, expressed hope that the tradition of the
successful Armenian-Iranian relations will also continue in the period
of his tenure in Armenia. The sides stressed the importance of the
visit of President Mohammed Khatami to Armenia scheduled for September
8-9, 2004. According to the RA government’s press service, Andranik
Margarian and Ali Reza Haqiqian stressed that multilateral cooperation
between Iran and Armenia meets the interests of the two peoples, as
well as it is advantageous for the region on the whole. The Ambassador
of Iran emphasized that both the peace in the region and
intra-political stability and the economic development of neighboring
Armenia is of great importance to his country. The interlocutors
stressed the great importance of, in particular, the signing of the
treaty on the construction of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, the joint
construction of the Kajaran tunnel and an HPP on the Arax river. They
highly estimated the work of the 4th joint sitting of the
Inter-Governmental Economic Commission held in Tehran on December
9-11, 2002, and the importance of the documents signed at the sitting.
Andranik Margarian wished the new Ambassador every success in his
mission in Armenia and promised to contribute to his work.

GOSHAVANK UNDER THREAT OF DESTRUCTION
YEREVAN, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). The monastic complex of Goshavank
(Getikavank) is completely accident-prone. Artsrun Hovsepian, Director
of the Historical-Cultural Center, told NT’s correspondent that the
state of the complex sharply worsened after the 1988 earthquake, and
the restoration work hasn’t been carried out here for about 300
years. Only in 1961, the roof was partially renewed (but in a wrong
way), as a result inscriptions made with a cochineal paint (vordan
karmir) started being destroyed of rains. According to Artsrun
Hovsepian, these inscriptions contain historic information about
medieval Armenia. “The destruction of the inscriptions made with this
paint will be an irretrievable loss for the history,” said
A. Hovsepian. It was also mentioned that a museum, which has 10
exhibits, was opened at the temple in 1985. But today the museum is
situated in a timber house. According to A. Hovsepian, the Fund on
Goshavank Saving will be established upon the initiative of several
interested people in the near future. This Fund will find means for
the restoration of the complex. According to preliminary calculations,
about 260,000 dollars will be necessary for this purpose. The
Goshavank complex consists of seven constructions, including the
Cyclopean wall built in the first century, several churches, a chapel
and a vestibule. The first filigree khachkar (cross-stone) is
preserved in Goshavank. In 1184, Mkhitar Gosh, great medieval thinker,
philosopher, lawyer, first Armenian fabulist, created the first
Armenian code of laws, which left a deep trace in the development of
the world juridical thought. The great philosopher of the Middle Ages
established the Supreme Theological University here in 1198, where
along with other subjects they were taught art of wall
inscriptions. Great representatives of the Armenian literary and
spiritual though Kirakos Gandzaketsi, Martiros Sarkavag and Vanakan
Vardapet studied in this theological center.

CENTER AFTER SAKHAROV JOINED COLLECTION OF SIGNATURED FOR PROTECTION
OF YEREVAN GREEN ZONES
YEREVAN, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). The Armenian Center of Human Rights
Protection after Andrey Sakharov also joined the collection of
signatures organized for protection of the green zones of Yerevan by
the Armenian Ecological Benevolent Foundation. According to the
Center, “besides the RA government, the current and former Mayors, the
Head Architect, who are responsible for the formed situation, all the
Yerevan population should be responsible, as they let apology for
rulers cripple our city owing to their silence and indifference.” The
Center of Human Rights Protection thinks that “all the guilty persons
should be called to account for the formed situation.”

RESIDENTS OF TAPATSGHUR GET NO COMPENSATION IN CONNECTION WITH
CONSTRUCTION OF BAKU-TBILISI-JEYHAN OIL-PIPELINE
AKHALKALAK, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). On July 28, special troops of the
Ministry of Interior of Georgia were brought to the village of
Tapatsghur of the Borzhom region. The reason of the anxiety is the
fact that the residents of Tapatsghur may hamper the construction of
the Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan oil-pipeline.
According to the A-Info agency, the residents of this Armenian village
have got no compensation in connection with construction of the
oil-pipeline by now. This was motivated by wrong distribution of
lands. In June the Supreme Court of Georgia transferred solution of
the issue to the regional court of Borzhom, which decided to give
monetary compensation to the whole village and not to a part of
it. But no compensation was given to the village even after the court
decision. The residents of Tapatsghur tilled with indignation threaten
to prohibit beginning of the construction of the oil-pipeline.

ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL DATA, ARMENIA TO HAVE NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS
CONNECTED WITH EXTERNAL DEBT SERVICE DURING NEXT FEW YEARS
YEREVAN, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). Expenditures on the RA external debt
service decreased by 25.5% during the first six months of this year in
comparison with the same period of last year and made 4.6 bln drams
(about 8.8 mln dollars).
According to the prognosis of the RA Ministry of Finances and Economy
Armenia will have no serious problems from the point of view of the
external debt service in the case of preservation of the policy
carried out in the sphere of the management of the external state
debt, as well as in the case of preservation of the current rates of
GDP growth, the exports, the revenues of the state budget. Regardless
of the growth of the absolute amount of the external debt, the share
of the privileged credits in the debt structure increased constantly:
as of late 2003, their share made about 93%.
At the same time, if the RA external debt made 43.3% of GDP in 2002,
it made 39.3% of GDP in 2003. As of the end of last year net current
value of the debt made 26% of GDP. 7.6 bln drams were foreseen by the
state budget for the external debt service. The nominal value of the
internal state debt will make 48.5 bln drams at the end of this year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris H. Zakian, Coordinator of Public Relations
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 44; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
August 2, 2004
___________________
CAR BOMB EXPLODES OUTSIDE ARMENIAN SANCTUARY IN BAGHDAD
AUGUST 2, 2004, NEW YORK CITY — Many people have contacted the Eastern
Diocesan Center in New York City to inquire about yesterday’s attack by
Islamic extremists on Christian churches in Iraq. To the many who have
expressed their concern, the Eastern Diocese conveys its thanks. This
message is intended to confirm and, to the extent possible, expand the
information currently available.
News reports have already detailed that an Armenian sanctuary in
Baghdad’s prosperous Karada district was the target of the first of
several coordinated car-bomb attacks on churches in that city and in the
city of Mosul, some 200 miles to the north.
According to a communiqué from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the
targeted Armenian Church was an Armenian Catholic sanctuary. His
Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, was able to contact the chairman of the church via telephone,
to express his sympathy and assess the situation. The chairman stressed
that no Armenians were killed in the explosions.
Holy Etchmiadzin’s official statement (which appears below) affirms that
the attacks did not extend to any of Baghdad’s several Armenian
Apostolic churches, nor to the local Diocesan headquarters.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), received the above information during a
telephone conversation with Catholicos Karekin II. He expects shortly
to be able to contact Archbishop Avak Asadourian, the primate of Iraq,
who returned to the embattled country last week after a brief sojourn in
the United States. (In early July, Archbishop Asadourian discussed the
Iraqi Armenian community at the Diocesan Center in New York City;
details can be found here:
;selmonth=7&sely
ear04)
The August 1 attacks are being seen as a new development in the tactics
of the Islamic terrorists, who until now have not directly targeted
Iraq’s minority Christian communities. However, recent weeks have
witnessed a campaign of violence and intimidation against alcohol
sellers throughout Iraq, the majority of whom are Christians of the
Assyrian, Chaldean, and Armenian denominations. (Muslims are prohibited
by their religion from selling or imbibing alcohol.) Present estimates
place the Christian population of Iraq at around 800,000, mostly
concentrated in Baghdad. The Armenian community numbers itself at
around 20,000, more than half of whom reside in and around Baghdad.
The Eastern Diocese will continue to provide updated information to the
public as it becomes available. In the meantime, our hearts and prayers
go out to our countrymen in Iraq. And our thoughts are with all the
people of Iraq, as they struggle to defend the seeds of democracy.
–8/2/04
* * *
STATEMENT FROM THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN
ON THE CHURCH BOMBINGS IN IRAQ
[August 2, 2004] The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin learned with sorrow
from the Armenian Diocese of Iraq of the terrorist events of August 1,
the result of which caused loss of life and many to be injured. Five
churches were damaged, among them being an Armenian Catholic church.
The Armenian Apostolic churches and Diocesan headquarters of Iraq were
not attacked or damaged.
The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church expresses her sympathies to the
families of the victims and all Iraqi people, and wishes complete
recovery to the wounded and injured. We pray that the centuries of
friendship and peaceful co-existence among Christian and Muslim peoples
in the East will not be endangered by similar condemnable violence; for
peace to be re-established in the region; and that the Iraqi people
continue with the creation of their safe and progressing lives.
# # #

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/02/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Armenian Church Among Five Bombed over Weekend in Iraq 2) Judge Approves $20M Armenian Settlement Against New York Life 3) Karabagh Armenian Army to Hold Annual Maneuvers 4) Weekend Gunfire Leaves Casualties 1) Armenian Church Among Five Bombed over Weekend in Iraq BAGHDAD (Combined Sources)--The Armenian Apostolic Church condemned on Monday the weekend wave of bomb attacks on an Armenian Catholic church and four other Christian worship sites in Iraq that left 11 people dead and more than 50 others wounded. The series of coordinated explosions rocked five churches across Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more in the first attacks targeting the country's Christian minority since the 15-month violent insurgency here began. The attacks began just after 18:00 local time, when an attack parked a vehicle packed with explosives and mortar bombs in front of an Armenian church in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad. The blast, just 15 minutes into the evening service, blew out windows and damaged cars and nearby houses. Some 20 minutes later, as survivors gathered in the streets and rescue workers streamed to the scene, a second blast occurred in front of the Assyrian Catholic church only 500 meters away. There was no word on whether there were any Armenians among the dead. "I saw injured women and children and men, the church's glass shattered everywhere," Juliette Agob, a woman who was inside the Armenian church during the first explosion, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. The church's governing Mother See in Etchmiadzin, said although none of its churches and other property in Iraq was targeted in the apparently coordinated series of explosions on Sunday, it is deeply saddened by the loss of life. "The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church expresses her sympathies to the families of the victims and all Iraqi people, and wishes complete recovery to the wounded and injured," the office of Catholicos Garegin II said in a statement. "We pray that the centuries of friendship and peaceful co-existence among Christian and Muslim peoples in the East will not be endangered by similar condemnable violence; for peace to be re-established in the region; and that the Iraqi people continue with the creation of their safe and progressing lives." "I saw wounded women and children and men, the church's glass shattered everywhere. There's glass all over the floor," said Juliette Agob, who was inside the Armenian church during the first explosion. After the second bombing, Iraqi police rushed to search other churches in the city. The sweeps turned up a sixth bomb, which was neutralized by American sappers. However, as police hunted for more bombs, two more explosions occurred, one outside the Chaldean Patriarchate in the southern district of Dora and the other in New Baghdad in the eastern part of the city. The attack on the Chaldean Patriarchate occurred as worshippers began arriving for Mass around sunset. Five people were killed, including a child. The LA Times quoted witnesses who described seeing two men pull up in separate cars, park them near the church, then casually walk away. Minutes later, the vehicles exploded, hurling shrapnel in all directions and leaving gaping craters in the road. The apparent target of the attack in New Baghdad was St. Elya's Chaldean Church. However, a nearby Shiite mosque bore the brunt of the blast. Both the mosque and the church were holding funerals at the time of the attacks. In the Mosul attack, insurgents parked a white Toyota Supra packed with explosives and mortar shells outside a Catholic church. The assailants first launched a rocket toward the building and then detonated the car bomb, according to a US military statement. The blast killed a passing motorist and wounded four other people. The church office was badly damaged, but there was little damage to the church itself. Police said the toll could have been higher if all the mortar shells in the car had detonated. The attacks all used similar modus operandi; carbombs filled with explosives and crude bombs made of mortar shells were parked in front of the churches. The drivers left the vehicles and detonated the explosives by remote control. None of the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers. The methods and materials used were a departure from the high-profile attacks on Shiite targets earlier this year, leading some experts to believe they were carried out by a different group. Numbering some 750,000, the minority Christians were already concerned about the growing tide of Islamic fundamentalism, so long repressed under Saddam Hussein. The majority of the Christians are Chaldean Roman Catholic, the rest Syrian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox and Assyrian. Most live in Baghdad and its outskirts and some dwell further to the north. Islamic radicals have warned Christians running liquor stores to shut down their businesses, and have turned their sights on fashion stores and beauty salons. The increasing attention on this minority community has many within looking for a way out. Many are in neighboring Jordan and Syria waiting for the security situation to settle, while others have applied to leave the country. 2) Judge Approves $20M Armenian Settlement Against New York Life LOS ANGELES (AP)--A judge Friday formally approved a $20 million settlement in a class action lawsuit between New York Life Insurance Co. and the descendants of Armenians killed nearly 90 years ago in the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The landmark legal agreement approved by US District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder is believed to be the first ever in connection to the Armenian genocide. Snyder granted preliminary approval for the unpaid death benefits earlier this year. "As lawyers and descendants of victims of the genocide, we were able to bring to court a lawsuit that brings some recognition of the genocide,'' said attorney Brian S. Kabateck, who, like co-counsel Mark Geragos, is Armenian-American. One of the plaintiffs, 89-year-old Martin Marootian, will receive $250,000 stemming from his efforts to bring about the lawsuit. His mother first sought benefits in 1923 for Marootian's uncle, who bought a policy in 1910 and was killed in 1915. "What it really is an insurance case and not an Armenian genocide case, but the two are interwoven together,'' Marootian said Friday. New York Life sold about 8,000 policies in the Ottoman Empire beginning in the 1880s, with less than half of those bought by Armenians. It stopped selling insurance there in 1915. Many of the policies languished because remaining heirs could not be found, the firm said. The company has located about one-third of the policyholders' descendants to pay benefits. About $11 million will be set aside for potential claims by heirs of some 2,400 policyholders, $3 million will go to Armenian charities and the rest will pay attorneys' fees and administrative costs. 3) Karabagh Armenian Army to Hold Annual Maneuvers YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--Mountainous Karabagh's armed forces will start on Tuesday annual exercises which the leadership of the Armenian-populated disputed region says are aimed at testing and improving their strength. In a statement on Monday, the Defense Ministry of Mountainous Karabagh Republic said the ten-day war games will take place to "review the combat readiness of the Defense Army when it is brought to a state of highest alert." They are also meant to improve "the process of troops' inter-operability during defensive and counter-offensive operations," the statement said. The Karabagh military also said that the exercises are part of its regular training plan for this year. Officials in Stepanakert said the exercises would be attended by army reservists and involve the use of live ammunition by light and heavy weapons. The precise venue of the drills was not specified. 4) Weekend Gunfire Leaves Casualties (Messenger)--Six Ossetian paramilitaries were killed and two Georgian policemen were wounded as a result of shooting in the conflict zone early on August 1, according to Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the ministry, gunmen opened fire against the Georgian village Tamarasheni around 5:00 AM Sunday morning from territory controlled by the de-facto republic of South Ossetia. "The attack started in the morning and we decided to respond," said the head of the press office of Ministry of Internal Affairs Guram Donadze. He stressed the units that attacked the Georgian village were formed by hired paramilitaries of a variety of nationalities. During his visit to Moscow last week, the leader of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoiti told the Russian press that although illegally armed formations were withdrawn from the territory of South Ossetia, the separatist government still pinned substantial hopes on their support and would use it whenever needed. Also on Sunday, former residents of Ossetia living in Moscow led a protest in front of the Russian Federation's Duma demanding that Russia annex the region. As reported by Rustavi-2, the protesters carried posters stating, "The so-called Georgia is fiction and her territorial integrity is nonsense." Shortly before the shootings, representatives of the four-member Joint Control Commission (JCC) had taken measures to curtail the sporadic gunfights that have erupted in the region recently. According to the Georgian government, separatists used mortars, grenade launchers and machine guns in an early morning attack on Tamarasheni Friday, although the South Ossetian officials blamed Georgian troops for starting attacks. On Saturday members of the JCC met in Tskhinvali bringing together the Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and North Ossetian sides. State Minister Goga Khaindrava and Minister of Internal Affairs Irakli Okruashvili represented the position of the Georgian government. According to reports, the sides decided to set up a joint checkpoint near Tskhinvali to avoid any future attacks. It is unclear if Georgian or Russian troops were stationed at the checkpoint at the time of Sunday's shooting. In Georgia's latest bid to gain diplomatic support, Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome Zurabishvili addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday July 29 and asked the organization to increase its activity in the region and even set up a joint check point at the Roki tunnel into Russia. Her appeal was welcomed by the US Ambassador to the OSCE Stephan Minikes who said his government "noted with great interest the proposal of the Foreign Minister which was made today to expand the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia." "We stand willing to work with the Government of Georgia and other key interested parties and participating States to come to agreement early this fall on how best to amend the mandate of the OSCE Mission in Georgia so as to promote greater stability in South Ossetia and a more rapid settlement of the conflict there that is fully in line with OSCE principles," he said in published remarks. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebuffed the proposal, saying, "Unbiased assessment of the situation is essential and not the increase of number of observers," as reported by Civil Georgia. The Russian government has frequently accused the OSCE of giving Georgia preferential treatment while carrying out its existing--limited--monitoring mission in South Ossetia. The Russian ministry added that overtures like Zurabishvili's "aim at switching attention from the major problem and hinder reaching decision that would really foster putting an end to escalation of tensions in the region." All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Agassi, Moya win; Schuettler, Pavel eliminated in Cincinnati
.c The Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) – Former two-time champion Andre Agassi advanced to
the second round of the Cincinnati Masters when Mardy Fish retired in
the third set with a back injury on Monday.
Agassi, the last back-to-back winner in 1995-96, was leading 4-6, 7-6
(3), 4-1 when Fish quit.
Agassi isn’t sure whether this will be his final year on the tour and
is hoping to be back in form in time for the U.S. Open. Seeded 11th,
he has recovered from a sore hip that bothered him this summer.
His goal in Cincinnati is to build up confidence.
“I need all these matches now to do that,” Agassi said. “I’ve got
to string a few together now. So it would be really nice to see my
game elevate as the tournament progresses.”
In other matches, 2002 champion Carlos Moya, French Open winner Gaston
Gaudio and 14th-seeded Marat Safin also progressed, but No. 8 Rainer
Schuettler, No. 16 Andrei Pavel and 2000 champion Thomas Enqvist were
eliminated.
Fish was the beaten finalist last year to Andy Roddick, and had won
his only previous match against Agassi in the San Jose semifinals in
February.
He broke 10th-seeded Agassi in the ninth game and completed the first
set on his fourth ace. In the second-set tiebreak, Agassi broke for
2-1 and the 7-3 clincher. But at 1-1 in the third, Agassi won three
straight games before Fish’s injury worsened.
Carlos Moya, who beat No. 1-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in the 2002 final,
overcame British qualifier Arvind Parmar 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 by winning the
final four games of the match, and No. 9-seeded Gaudio dispatched
U.S. wild card Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-2.
Safin crushed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-0 for his first
tour win in two months since the French Open. Safin had lost his last
three first-round matches, including at Wimbledon.
Tommy Haas broke in the last game to beat German countryman Schuettler
6-3, 1-6, 6-4 for the first time in five career meetings.
“I finally got a win,” Haas said. “It certainly wasn’t a pretty
match. In the end, it came down to a couple of points here and
there.”
Schuettler, also ranked No. 8, lost his sixth consecutive match on
hard courts since February.
Haas next faces Sargis Sargsian of Armenia, who beat Swiss qualifier
Michel Kratochvil 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Wayne Arthurs of Australia, a late replacement in the draw for David
Sanchez of Spain, upset 16th-seeded Pavel of Romania 7-6 (5), 6-3. The
first-round loss was Pavel’s fourth in five appearances in the
tournament.
Sweden’s Enqvist was ousted by Britain’s Greg Rusedski 3-6, 6-3 6-2.
Rusedski had to qualify, and he’ll play Gaudio next.
Argentines Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian, set to be seeded
Nos. 3 and 6, withdrew with respective shoulder and elbow injuries.
08/02/04 18:44 EDT
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Alaskajournal.com, AK
Aug 2 2004
Constant learning keeps Bell’s Nurseries green
By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Bell’s Nurseries’ Mike Mosesian is constantly developing his
technique for growing tomatoes and other products like poinsettias.
PHOTO/Margaret Bauman/AJOC

In the great Alaska gold rush, an Armenian refuge named Paul Mosesian
tried his luck and failed. More than seven decades later, his great
grandson, Mike Mosesian, came north to ski and struck gold in
tomatoes.
“I went to the grocery store (in Anchorage) and I couldn’t believe
how expensive tomatoes were, and they were just horrible,” Mosesian
said. “I thought maybe I can grow tomatoes up here.”
That was the winter of 1972. Today, plump, ripe, tasty tomatoes by
the hundreds from Bell’s Nurseries are snapped up by supermarket
customers from produce bins just a day after being plucked from
greenhouse vines.
“The best tomatoes I like are when you pick them of the vine to eat,
and they are warm, hot,” Mosesian said. “You get the full flavor.”
Mosesian, who holds a master’s degree in viticulture from the
University of California at Davis, hails from a family of passionate
growers. He was helping his father farm 1,000 California acres of
table and wine grapes when he came north with his wife, Joanne, to
ski and visit with her family in the winter of 1972. Six months
later, he had purchased five acres. Inspired by a produce convention
demonstration on hydroponic tomatoes, he was ready to try his hand
growing them.
“To be honest, I didn’t know anything about growing tomatoes,” he
said. “I thought a greenhouse as a house painted green. But I had a
minor in chemistry and I just started reading about it, and I started
learning.”
Getting started wasn’t easy, despite Mosesian’s background in his
family’s California vineyard.
His first crop of tomatoes was “not good,” Mosesian said. “It almost
died in the summer, and I found out I wasn’t feeding them enough.
They weren’t getting enough fertilizer because of the long days.”
Mosesian thought they were deficient in magnesium, so he sprayed them
with magnesium and the plants got worse. Finally he got the plants
analyzed by a Colorado laboratory and learned what they needed was
nitrogen. “I fed them and they came back,” he said.
“I’m still learning,” he said. “I’m doing things today that I didn’t
do last year.”
The 2004 tomato crop, for example, is planted in coconut fiber
imported from India. “This year, the tomatoes are not stressed out
and the coconut fiber seems to work well,” he said. “It’s a
replacement for peat moss.” Once the tomato season has passed, the
coconut fiber can be recycled to grow flowers in pots, he said.
Mosesian is also an optimist in the midst of pending disaster. In the
mid 1970s his tomato crop was struck with a root disease. Local
agriculture extension agents told him his plants were finished. “But
I just kept feeding them, and they came back,” he said. “Each year I
learn more. It’s just experience.”
In the early 1980s, Mosesian tried his hand at growing red
poinsettias. First, he grew some 200 poinsettias and gave them away
to Catholic churches for Christmas for decorations.
“Then I grew 1,000, then 5,000,” he said.
The 2004 holiday crop of poinsettias is in varied shades of pink, red
and white. They are already potted and growing. Mosesian figures he
will sell 40,000 to 50,000 poinsettias again this year, starting
three weeks before Thanksgiving.
The three Anchorage greenhouses operated by Mosesian also feature, in
season, hanging baskets, bedding plants, trees and shrubs, and garden
supplies, plus upscale gift shops.
“We are successful because we have a market and we cultivate that
market by taking care of you as a customer, by offering a whole
spectrum of plants and an ambiance that you enjoy walking around in,”
he said.
Mosesian credits much of his success to America’s passion for
gardening. “Far more money is spent on gardening than any other
hobby,” he said. “There is a lot of joy and satisfaction in planting
something and watching it grow, and harvesting either beautiful
flowers in front of your home or a vegetable garden.”
Mosesian’s real passion these days is his family, and his roots. His
great-grandfather, Paul, in the 1920s, helped found the farmers’
raisin cooperative known today as SunMaid Raisins.

Mathaba.Net, Africa
Aug 2 2004
Right to Return of `Ahiska’ Muslims
Posted: 08/02
From: Muslim Weekly
By: Shahed Alam
If I put this term -Meshetia- into a crossword, I am pretty sure ,
most of you will hardly be able to guess what country we are speaking
about, where it was and is located. The reason is, that Stalin – the
former leader of the Soviet Union not only evicted the Meshetian
people -the Meshetian Turks- from their own Meshetia, but liquidated
the name itself of their country, and crossed it out from the
geographical guidebooks, encyclopedias, and from literary sources in
general. Where was it located? Why its people were guilty before
Stalin?
The country with such a name was situated of South and SouthWest
Georgia -a former Republic of the ex-Soviet Union. It was located at
the height of 2000 metres over the sea level, in a big, wide and long
valley with a general territory ot 8600 km. Before the Meshetian
Turks’ eviction from their own places, their number was 158000 men
and they lived in 212 villages. All these villages are located near
the city of Batumi -the capital of Autonomous Republic of Adzharia-
between two rivers – Chorokh and Kura.
Repatriation of Meskhetians became a political issue, involving
different parties in and outside Georgia, in Russia and Turkey.
Confrontation and debate is already reflected in the labelling of
deported Meskhetians made by different key players. They are referred
to as Meskhetian Turks, Ahiska Turkleri, Muslim Meskhetians, Muslim
Georgians from Meskheti – depending on the intent to present them as
representatives of the one or the other nation. Obscurity of the
ethnic background of deported people forms a fertile ground for
different interpretations. Meskheti is a historical Georgian region,
at the Turkish border well advanced until late middle ages in
politics and culture, but which due its geographical situation for
centuries was a prey to its more powerful neighbours- Ottoman empire,
Perssia and Russia.
Ahiska, the ancient Oguz region was called as “Ak-S¦ka” (White
Castle) in Dede Korkut’s Book and “Akesga” in the records pertaining
to the year of 481. Ahiska is also rendered as the Turkish or Farsi
form of Ahal-Thise that mean “Yeni Kale” (New Castle). In the course
of the first Islamic conquests, Habib b. Mesleme, one of the
commanders of Damascus’ Governor Muaviye conquered Ahiska in the
period under the caliphate of Hz. Osman. It was under the Mongolian
dominion between the years of 1267-78 and then it was administered by
“Atabeg’s, the autonomous governors of the region in the subsequent
years.
Ahiska Atabegs were connected to the Ottoman dominion as a result of
C¦ld¦r War (1578) in the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha. The last
atabek, Minücihr declared its dependence to Ottomans. He reverted to
Islam and given the name of Mustafa Pasha. Pursuant to that date,
Ahiska had become the centre of C¦ld¦r province that was newly
established and it was drawn up thereof. However, Ahiska became a
province when C¦ld¦r got worn out due to the wars. The city that was
once conquered by Safevis got under the dominion of Ottomans again in
the year of 1635. Until it was subjected to the Russian dominion in
the year of 1828, Ahiska remained as a forefront city of the Ottoman
State. When it was separated from Turkey, the Serhat Turks that lived
in this region met with their bad destiny.
Contrary to beleive by western historians, due to their ill
intention, Meshetia, the country of the Meshetian Turks was always
located in the Caucasus, in Georgia but not in Turkey. It was seized
by the Ottoman Empire in its time, during the great Turkish conquests
in Fore Asia. In 1829, according to the Adrianopol Peace treaty, this
part of the Ottoman empire was transferred to Russia. Russia on the
basis of Ahalgtsikh vilayet (province), where Meshetia was located,
formed a district of the same name. The Meshetian Turks, at the
transference to Russia, were already Muslims of the sunnite trend,
though before that time they were Christians, belonged to two
churches – the Orthodox and the Catholic. Some scholars consider that
they are Turks by origin, who settled down there since the time of
coming the Turks to Fore Asia. By their arrival at the Caucasus, the
Turks, as the scholars say, forced out the local population from
their places and settled down themselves in that district. The other
scholars think that the Meshetian Turks from anthropological point of
view and many other elements of the Georgian ethnography are
Georgians by descent. They adopted not only Islam from Turks, but
their language. In this aspect, their fate is very close to the fate
of the Adzharians and the Lazes. They both adopted Islam, but
preserved their Georgian language. On the contrary, the Meshetian
Turks adopted the Turkish language and Islam from the Turks. Though
the Georgians consider the Meshetian Turks their own compatriots,
this part of the Georgian population was considered during almost 300
years to be Turks with the Turkish language and the Muslim culture.
In the course of the Ottoman-Russian war in 1853-1856, some of Ahiska
people ran away and took shelter in Erzurum due to the intense
pressure imposed upon them on the grounds that they collaborated with
the Ottoman army. Pursuant to this war, Kars was broken off from the
Ottoman borders and Ahiska remained far away from the border of
Turkey. In this period, an Armenian migration was experienced from
the North East Anatolia towards the Ahiska region.
The country Meshetia and the Meshetian Turks always arose Stalin’s
suspicion, as the Turks lived in an important military, strategic
region of the former USSR, on the border with Turkey, which after
President Ata-Turk’s death was always closer to the West than to
Russia, as constantly feared its mighty neighbour – Russia. In the
period of the World War II Turkey was preparing to attack the USSR
together with fascist Germany in case its successful invasion to
Stalingrad on the Volga river and Japan’s interference on the side of
Germany. By this, Stalin justified his decision to evict the
Meshetian Turks, who were preparing a white horse for Hitler with the
golden harness. Certainly, it was a big lie. Nevertheless the
decision about the exile of the Meshetian Turks out of Meshetia was
made by the State Defence Committee under the signatures of
Stalin-Chairman, Voroshilov, Kaganovich, Mikoyan, Malenkov and
others. At night 14-15 of November 1944 the Internal Ministry troops
were moved there, which began massive eviction of the Meshetian Turks
to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. These troops chased all the Turks to
the village streets, dipped them into the lorries of “Studebackers”
and sent them to the nearest railway stations, in which they had
transported before that the livestock.
Imagine, that was November in Russia! it was the time of severe
frosts and snowfalls, of frosty winds, but the wagons were not heated
and the Turks had to go to the places of destination during one
month. In each carriage there were not less than 18 families, who
received 2-3 loaves of bread and a bucket of watery soup. All the
Turks went in 4 trains – all in all 112 000 and 40 000 were mobilized
for the front. After awful tribulations and sufferings in cold
carriages, in which they were without appearing in the air, they at
last arrived in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
In Central Asia they were transfered to the regions of Mirzacol,
Sirdaria, velikoalexeevskava, and Golden Horde. And everywhere there
was an uninhabitated steppe hungry desert, called like this because
nothing could grow on its soil. As a result of the diseases and
famine in the first two months, 17000 people died and mainly children
and elderly people. At that time, when the Turks, as slaves of 20th
century, were labouring in the Hungary Steppe, the KGB spread a
rumour, that the Turks had hidden their gold and golden handicrafts
in their houses. And who will find it, will receive them for
themselves.
KGB influenced animals arms with axes, picks, shovels and crow-bars
crushed everything around what could obtain the hidden treasures. But
they could not find anything, though all the houses were destroyed,
including the mosques. Nothing was left for the Meshetian Turks, who
would be able to return home.
Stalin evicted the Meshetian turks from their Motherland, and the
Uzbek nationalists killed all whom they met of children, women and
elderly. The Muslim Uzbeks were destroying all the Muslim Turks. It
happened on 10-12 of June of 1989. The masses of the Turks rushed to
railway stations, occupied the places in the trains and rushed to the
North Caucasus near to their own Meshetia. Together with them, they
took the killed children.
Today, Ahiska Turks live in 264 different regions of 13 Republics.
There are approximately 629,000 of Ahiska Turks dispersed into the
various regions of former USSR. They are without a homeland and
without any rights.
Despite all struggles, the will to return never dies.
In 1956 after 19th congress of the Communist party of the USSR and
N.Khrushev’s report at it, where he exposed tne personality cult of
Stalin, the Meshetian Turks were rehabilitated. They were allowed to
go from Kazakhstan and Central Asia to any point of the USSR, except
their Motherland – Meshetia. They decided to go to many republics and
provinces of the USSR – Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Naghorny
Karabagh, Chernobyl, Smolensk, Saratov, Voronesh and many others.
In order to prevent them from coming back to Meshetia the local
authorities built up a wide frontier zone, up to 78 km, and the
former one was only 2-7 km in width. They put the border barrier up
to the resort city of Borjomi. It meant, that only the local
Georgians, but not the Meshetians, could come there as there was a
passports’ regime. In each passport a person’s nationality was
written. The border guards, looking at the passports, could recognize
the Meshetians at once and refused them the visa entry.
Despite all these hardship, Meshetian Turks were not broken
psychologically and moraly. They carried out their own national
congress in Central Asia, created the Provisional Organisational
Committee under the name “Vatan” -i.e. Motherland. The main target of
this organisation is to return to their native Meshetia.
The decision to settle the Turks in all the former USSR is not the
solution to the problem of these people. It is only a superficial
surgery operation, capable to lighten the condition of a patient at a
certain stage. The main and basical for the Turks is to return to
their Motherland in Georgia. The delegates of the lst Congress of the
Turks in 1992 appealed to the General secretary of UNO Butrus Ghali
to take measures to acknowledge the rights of the Meshetian Turks
from the part of Georgia, to return to their Motherland – to
Meshetia-Java- hetia and secure them their human rights in the places
of their current existence before their return to the historical
Motherland.
Today, many of the survivors and their descendants are seeking to
return to their ancestral home. The Georgian government has
undertaken the task of repatriation of deported Meskhetians over
decades. There is also serious international commitment to accelerate
this process. Still, careful planning is required because this
process involves a number of complicated real-world economic,
political, social, and legal issues, as well as serious psychological
challenges. However, planning does not mean dispersing a community or
given citizenship to another country. That is why, last week’s U.S
offer to move 7000 Ahiska Muslims raise suspicion. We are all happy
to see the Ahiska Muslim brothers found a new life in Pennsylvania.
But, what about other Meskhetians. Can they move back to their
homeland or will they face deportation like Palestinians with no
right of returns.
Prof. Konstantin Matveev contributed to this article.