Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia
to the United Nations
119E 36th street, New York, NY 10016
Tel.: 1-212-686-9079
Fax: 1-212-686-3934
E-mail: [email protected]
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September 29, 2004
PRESS RELEASE
Minister Oskanian participated at the United Nations General Debate
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian delivered Armenia’s annual message at the
United Nations on Wednesday, September 29, 2004. The Minister addressed the
59th Session of the General Assembly on such issues as UN reform, the
Millennium Development Goals, and the fight against terrorism. At the same
time, he addressed the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, and Armenia’s position on
prospects for its resolution. Local students and representatives of Armenian
organizations were present to hear the statement, and later participated in
a short question-and-answer period with the Minister.
The speech came at the conclusion of a three-day visit during which the
Minister met with various UN officials, as well as foreign ministers. On
Wednesday, the Minister met with Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the
United Nations, with whom he discussed various UN issues, as well as matters
related to Armenia-UN cooperation. At the Secretary General’s request, the
Minister briefed Mr. Annan on the Nagorno Karabagh peace process.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Oskanian also met with the Secretary General’s
Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Mr. Juan Mendez. Minister
Oskanian held a short meeting with Mr. Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the
League of Arab States, where the two welcomed Armenia’s inclusion in the
Arab League with observer status. Within the margins of the UN, Minister
Oskanian conferred with the foreign ministers of China, Turkey, Egypt, and
Lebanon. He also met with the US Undersecretary of State Mark Grossman, the
US Co-chair of the Minsk Group Ambassador Steven Mann, and the Deputy
Foreign Minister of Italy.
Please find below the text of the speech in full.
STATEMENT
by
H.E. Mr. Vartan Oskanian
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
at the
59th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
New York, September 29, 2004
Mr. President,
Our congratulations to you, Mr. Ping, our thanks to Mr. Julian Hunte and to
the Secretary General for their efforts during this difficult year.
Last year, we marked our concern for the restoration of sovereignty in Iraq,
and the reinvigoration of the Middle East peace process. This year we wish
to especially note the critical need to end the tragedy in Darfur.
Armenians, victims of the 20th century’s first genocide, know well the
long-lasting effects of victimization and homelessness. This is no way to
begin a new millennium. The benefits of globalization should be utilized to
defeat this newest global crisis.
We comprehend all too well that peace and security abroad and at home are
clearly correlated with social and economic dignity today, or, faith in
their possibility tomorrow.
Neither self-satisfied smugness on the one hand, nor self-righteous violence
on the other, are solutions to the great inequalities around the world, and
within each of our countries, even those most developed. Terrorism, in all
its manifestations, affects security, political and economic stability in
our neighborhoods and on our planet. Terrorism from Madrid to Beslan, in
all its manifestations, is inexcusable and unacceptable.
Cognizant that the success of counter-terrorism efforts is conditional on
collective measures, Armenia has readily joined the global fight against
international terrorism. This fight must go beyond effective regional and
international cooperation. It must include the very goals of the Millennium
Declaration – replacing deprivation, poverty and injustice by a universal
respect for human rights and democracy, economic development, equality and
social justice.
In Armenia, we have had a year in which economic growth went hand-in-hand
with increased participation in international organizations, particularly
the UN. Our position in the Human Development Index gives us the confidence
to continue on this path of economic development.
We will also work hard to bolster public-private partnership. We are proud
that Armenia’s major enterprises are each finding ways to contribute to art
and culture, to invest in public life, and become partners in our society’s
pursuit of happiness and quality of life.
In 2005, the international community will review the progress that’s been
made in the implementation of the global development agenda. It would be
most useful if we could focus our resources on implementation of that agenda
rather than on restating our collective good intentions. In other words, we
must find the political will to make the political and financial commitments
necessary to overcome the outstanding obstacles.
Mr. President,
The Millennium Development Goals are guidelines for Armenia. To this end
empowerment of women, child protection, fight against poverty are not just
goals for us, but they are indeed building blocks for a prosperous, healthy,
stable society. The Government of Armenia has approved national action plans
for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, on Improving the Status of
Women and Enhancing Their Role in Society, and for Prevention of Trafficking
in Persons. In addition, a broad anti-corruption strategy, developed with
the participation and counsel of the international community, will
complement the Poverty Reduction Strategy Program that is already beginning
to yield results.
We continue our effective collaboration with UN bodies on a number of
important issues including use of information and communication technologies
to improve governance and institutionalize public-private interactions. With
donor community support, focused institution building and good governance,
we expect that the human rights and democratic reforms of the last decade
will go beyond the solid legislative framework that’s been developed, and
take root, psychologically and socially, in our society.
Armenia, as an active member of ECOSOC and the Commission on Human Rights,
will remain involved in international development cooperation. At the same
time, we will participate in the effort to improve the consultation and
coordination mechanisms that are essential for the effectiveness of the
collective security system and we look forward to the assessment of the
High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.
We stand for broader cooperation between the UN and regional organizations
as a measure for ensuring broader involvement and commitment by countries in
decision-making and implementation processes. Reform is necessary within
these valued organizations, if we are to effectively address today’s
realities and challenges, and resolve tomorrow’s problems. For this, we
cannot work with yesterday’s mechanisms. In the UN, a revitalized General
Assembly is indispensable for effective action. We would also support India,
Germany and Japan joining countries from Africa, and Latin America as
permanent members of an enlarged and more representative Security Council.
Mr. President,
In these short years, we have done away with the false proposition that we
must choose between East and West, between the old world and the new. We
have done away with the myth that our neighbors can control the pace of our
economic growth and shape its direction. Now, we want to do away with the
dangerous suggestion that yesterday’s adversary is an enemy forever.
Armenia is ready to compromise and collaborate with neighbors who are ready
to join us in making history, not rewriting it. We want to work with an
Azerbaijan that understands its place in a rule-based international order,
not one whose policies, practices and statements threaten the fragile peace
and stability of our region.
Azerbaijan was first in introducing ethnic cleansing to the Soviet space,
first in engaging mercenaries and international terrorists in its own
defense, first in discarding the rules of engagement in international
organizations.
Let me explain. The Armenian presence in this region has been long and
extensive. Denying or revising this history requires systematic planning,
energy and resources. Unfortunately, the government of Azerbaijan has not
spared such resources. Azerbaijan succeeded in eliminating the
Armenians of Nakhichevan who comprised more than half the population. There
are none there today. In Baku and Sumgait, and throughout Azerbaijan, there
were over 400,000 Armenians in the Soviet years. There are none there today.
The Azerbaijani experiment in ethnic cleansing worked.
A decade ago, Azerbaijan retained the services of some of our region’s most
notorious mercenaries and international terrorists — the same names which
you hear again and again — to fight against the Armenian men and women who
were defending their lands and their lives against aerial bombings and
proximate shelling. The terrorists lost, Armenians won.
Finally, Azerbaijan’s leadership dismisses the opportunities offered by
membership in international organizations to build bridges and seek
solutions. Azerbaijan rejects mediation by those who wish to help halt drug
trafficking through its territory. Azerbaijan also dismisses efforts by
Council of Europe and other monitoring groups to come to the region to see
first hand the destruction of thousands of irreplaceable historic and
cultural markers. It crows about its desire for NATO membership even as it
repeatedly prohibits an alliance partner’s participation in NATO exercises.
Worse, Azerbaijan not only does not rebuke, it champions the Azeri military
officer who decapitated a fellow Armenian officer in a NATO training course
in Budapest. It maligns the Minsk Group of the OSCE in order to hide its own
refusal to consider proposals that have grown from the discussions and
negotiations in which its own leadership has participated. For more than
half a decade, it has rejected every proposal placed before it from the
Common State Proposal in 1998 to the Key West document of 2001.
Mr. President,
Armenians prevailed in the military confrontation unleashed by Azerbaijan as
a response to the peaceful demands of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh for
self-determination. Contrary to the assertion of Azerbaijan’s president,
Armenians have occupied those lands for over 2000 years, and not just in the
last 10. Today, Nagorno Karabakh has reversed the injustice of the Stalin
years and is free and democratic, tolerant of minorities. Nagorno Karabakh
holds regular elections, has state and security structures, complete control
over its territory, and a growing economy.
If in the last century, Armenians and Azeris were forcibly linked together,
in this next century, where we have earned the right to our own destinies,
we can determine to live together peaceably. If we are serious about
becoming full, deserving residents of the European neighborhood, where
borders don’t matter, but intentions and tolerance do, we will have to come
to terms with our past, with our history, with the realities that have
gripped our region.
Thank you.

Baku wants to stop illegal economic operations in Karabakh
Interfax
Sept 29 2004
Baku. (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – Azerbaijan intends to stop illegal
economic operations of international companies in Nagorno Karabakh.
“We have a special black list of international organizations engaged
in illegal economic operations in Nagorno Karabakh,” Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told reporters on Wednesday.
“A ban will be imposed with regard to these organizations, agencies
and other institutions and sanctions implied by international law
will be applied,” he said.
Azimov said that the Armenian side in Karabakh is taking such illegal
steps as organizing international economic operations, building
settlements and illegally using natural resources.
He said Azerbaijan closely follows the developments and intends to
use international instruments to stop unlawful economic operations
in Karabakh.
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent
districts in an armed conflict with Armenia in 1990. Cochairmen of
the OSCE Minsk group representing the United States, Russia and France
are trying to help settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Sept 29 2004
Schiff continues Genocide battle
Rep. organizes group asking House leaders to stop opposition to bill
that references Armenian Genocide.
By Josh Kleinbaum, News-Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Adam Schiff and 62 other representatives
asked Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to back off his opposition
to an amendment to the Foreign Operations bill that refers to the
Armenian Genocide.
The amendment, proposed by Schiff (D-Glendale) and approved by the
House in July, prohibits Turkey from using U.S. foreign aid to lobby
against a House resolution that would recognize the deaths of 1.5
million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 as a genocide. The amendment is
largely symbolic, because foreign governments are prohibited from
using U.S. foreign aid to lobby Congress.
After the House passed Schiff’s amendment in July, Hastert and other
Republican leaders vowed to prevent the bill from becoming law,
arguing that it did nothing and could harm America’s relationship
with Turkey. Because the Senate did not include similar language in
its version of the Foreign Operations bill, the amendment must
survive a conference committee.
On Tuesday, Schiff sent Hastert (R-Ill.) a letter signed by 62 other
members of the House urging Hastert to back off of his opposition.
Hastert’s office did not return messages seeking comment.
“The underlying issue is very important, that we recognize the facts
of the Armenian Genocide,” Schiff said. “To fail to recognize the
Armenian Genocide that was responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million
Armenians sends a terribly conflicted message, that the United States
Congress will recognize genocide only if political opposition is not
too great.”
The political opposition comes from Turkey, a strategic military ally
to America. Turkish officials claim the number of deaths is
overstated, and that the deaths were not the result of genocide.
Turkey hired a high-powered lobbyist, former House Appropriations
Committee chairman Bob Livingston, to take up its cause.
Schiff’s letter includes signatures from 54 Democrats and eight
Republicans in the House, along with the nonvoting member of the
House from Washington, D.C.
Despite those signatures and strong opposition from the Republican
leadership, the issue does not seem to be partisan. In 2000, Hastert
promised to bring a genocide resolution bill to the floor in a
meeting in Glendale, but backed off at the request of President Bill
Clinton, a Democrat.
“I don’t see it in [partisan] terms,” said Justin Stoner, spokesman
for Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), one of the eight Republicans to sign
the letter. “There’s other considerations. This comes up year after
year. Every year, there’s reluctance.”
Schiff expects the conference committee, a committee made up of
members of both the House and the Senate, to determine the fate of
his amendment within the next few months.
“I’d say it’s very much an uphill [battle],” Schiff said.

Novinite, Bulgaria
Sept 29 2004
Diamonds Mined in The Rhodopes
Politics: 29 September 2004, Wednesday.
A Bulgarian professor announced Wednesday that diamonds have been
unearthed for the first time in Bulgaria.
The discovery was made by Doctor Harizan Harizanov, a lecturer at
the New Bulgarian University.
The possibility for diamond deposits nestling in Bulgaria has been
suggested before, but Harizanov is the first one to make an actual
discovery.
He told the Bulgarian News Agency that the precious stones were
discovered in the area around Kardzali, a town in Bulgaria’s far south.
The news about the rare find was broken during a crystals and minerals
expo in Pleven. More than 300 pieces are on display at the city’s
History Museum, including unique precious stones.
Visitors of the exhibition will have the chance to see an Antarctic
agate, a chunk from the Mt Ararat volcano in Armenia, as well as
mammoth tusk found in the Black Sea near the Bulgaria coast.

Dreaming of Europe
by NEVVAL SEVINDI
Zaman, Turkey
Sept 29 2004
One of the most prominent names in Ottoman Istanbul was a Jewish
doctor named Giacomo di Gaeta, who escaped from Italy’s Renaissance
intolerance, and took refuge in the empire.
In the streets of Istanbul, where Greek, Armenian, Albanian, Bulgarian
and Serbian languages were spoken, besides Turkish, Persian and Arabic,
the attitude that defied nationalism lasted for centuries.
The mutual love and respect that existed in this multinational
and multicultural empire, have not been experienced in Europe yet.
Neighbors celebrated Greek, Armenian, and Turkish festivals together,
one after the other. Istanbul was the place of religious festivals.
Furthermore, they visited each other’s churches and holy graves
together to light candles and pray, as it is today. While Dante
threw Prophet Mohammed into his “hell,” Mevlana called upon all
mankind, saying, “Come whoever you are!” He also said, “This is
not a door.of hopelessness.” When we look at an expanding Europe,
we see that Europeans still have a long way to go. Continuing to see
Western culture as the “superior culture,” in an elite manner, it is
nonetheless incumbent upon Europeans to dream of a new Europe. Along
with the different languages, religions and cultures, Islam will
enter the continent legally for the first time with the help of
Turkey. Turks coming from a culture, where nations and cultures blend
together, can bring a new understanding to the knights of the castle
and the princedoms. Is multiculturalism an ideology that the West
opposes, as Huntington said? Is it not necessary to put and end to
this “only supreme Western Christian culture” ideology of the West,
whose traces from the Middle Ages and later periods have still not
been erased? Europe, which is borderless and multicultural, resembles
a dough that can be reshaped. You can make heart-shaped cookies as
well as bastions. However, can the various cultures from neighboring
countries brought into Western culture form a multicultural world? Or
will the racist views continue, like a caricature published in the
supposedly esteemed Stern magazine? Europe has to cross-examine
itself. It did not do this during the Bosnia War; at least it must
do so while it is expanding.
If Stern can rain insults on Turks as easily as it did, then Neo-Nazis
entering the parliaments in the former East German states should be
no surprise.
Even after 50 years, the existence of strong racist roots, the rise
of neo-Nazism and the far-right indicate that Germany has not yet been
able to grasp the spirit within the EU. Please, dream of a new Europe!
If Europeans, through cross-examination, do not come to face with
their identities and the new multicultural situation in the expansion
process, then this will be left to the fascists and neo-Nazis.
Europeans and Germans, who will be living with Muslim neighbors,
should start opening up their inner senses for discussion right now.
And the Turks have to understand that the European identity is not
only about the economy. The common denominator is humanism and to
share human values.
The debate on whether or not Turkey is a model is on a naive track.
Turkey has become a model as much as it could. It has established a
lifestyle envied by Middle Eastern and Arab countries. It is not an
80-year model, but an-800-year model. Belittling this does not earn
us anything. Does it earn the West anything? For the “alternative”
is Turkey with a working model of Muslim identity. The prejudiced view
of Westerners is normal. Anyway, childish reasons such as Arabs should
not be offended, are by no means materials for books. I hope the hate
channel among nations, divided by artificial borders and antagonism
after the Ottoman rule, will not be Turkey. This is a topic that can
be better understood after reading a little bit of history.
While Europe is admitting us into its fold, it has to dream of
internalizing: A European dream. In this dream, there is love and
toleration of other cultures.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Press-Enterprise (subscription), CA
Sept 29 2004
Local Armenian church to host archbishop
The Press-Enterprise
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, will celebrate the Holy Badarak, the
Armenian Church’s term for the Divine Liturgy, at the monthly service
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Riverside on Sunday. The 2 p.m.
Mass will be celebrated at All Saints Episcopal Church, 3847
Terracina Drive, Riverside.
The archbishop’s visit will be the first since the congregation was
formed in February. The Riverside church, which serves Armenians in
San Bernardino and Riverside counties, is a mission parish of the
Armenian Apostolic Church.
At the end of the service the archbishop will bless members of the
parish council, the Ladies Society and the youth group, said the Rev.
Dr. Stepanos Dingilian, visiting pastor. A brief reception will
follow the service.
Church members will observe October as Cultural Appreciation Month, a
time to reflect on 4,000 years of Armenian culture and the
complementary roles that faith and culture play, Dingilian said by
phone.
“The Armenian Orthodox Church does not see religion and culture
competing against each other,” he said. “Faith should raise the
standards of culture, and the culture should support the faith.”
For information about Sunday’s service, call (951) 684-1722, (951)
369-6119 or (909) 883-1066.

Putin holds meeting of presid Council for religious unions
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Sept 29 2004
MOSCOW, September 29 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin
is chairing a meeting of the presidential Council for interaction
with religious unions in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
The meeting is focused on discussing ‘activities of religious
organisations on consolidating the civil society and counteracting
to the global threat of terrorism and extremism.’
The Council has recently undergone changes.
By his decree the president included in the Council the head of
the Russian Orthodox Church of Old Belief, Metropolitan Andrian
(Chetvergov).
So now the Council consists of 22 members.
There are four hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, three muftis,
the Chief Rabbi of the Federation of Jewish Communities, the Head of
Buddhists of Russia, the Old Believers Metropolitan, a representative
of the Armenian Church, heads of Russian Catholics, Lutherans,
Baptists and Adventists, as well as seven secular experts among them.

Armenian president visits Shanghai
Xinhua, China
Sept 29 2004
SHANGHAI, Sept. 29 (Xinhuanet) — Armenia is expected to learn from
China’s largest commercial city and encourages its businessmen to
invest here as soon as possible, said Armenian President Robert
Sedrakovich Kocharyan on Wednesday.
Kocharyan arrived in Shanghai from Beijing on Tuesday to continue his
five-day state visit to China. It is the first state visit to China
by Kocharyan as president.
Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng met with Kocharyan, telling him that the
city has maintained “healthy, stable and rising momentum.”
Trade between China and Armenia has been increasing in recent years,
and the trade volume in the first eight months rose by 529 percent
compared with the same period of 2003.
During his stay in Beijing, Kocharyan and Chinese President Hu Jintao
signed a joint statement in which Armenia recognized China full market
economy status.

COLLABORATION OF RELIGIOUS UNIONS AND GOVERNMENT IS MAIN TASK FOR RUSSIA
[September 29, 2004, 18:05:14]
Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 29 2004
As reported AzerTAJ Moscow-based correspondent, Russian President
Vladimir Putin is chairing a meeting of the presidential Council for
interaction with religious unions in the Kremlin on September 29.
The meeting is focused on discussing ‘activities of religious
organisations on consolidating the civil society and counteracting
to the global threat of terrorism and extremism.’
The Council has recently undergone changes.
By his decree the president included in the Council the head of
the Russian Orthodox Church of Old Belief, Metropolitan Andrian
(Chetvergov).
So now the Council consists of 22 members.
There are four hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, three muftis,
the Chief Rabbi of the Federation of Jewish Communities, the Head of
Buddhists of Russia, the Old Believers Metropolitan, a representative
of the Armenian Church, heads of Russian Catholics, Lutherans,
Baptists and Adventists, as well as seven secular experts among them.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 29, 2004
___________________
ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL AVAKS GROUP RESUMES ACTIVITIES
By Florence Avakian
September starts another fall season of vibrant activities for the Avak
seniors group at New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral. Already on the
schedule is a two-day trip to the Eastern Diocese’s new Ararat Center in
upstate New York, on September 29 and 30, and an all-day trip to
Lancaster, PA, to see the Sight and Sound Theatre production of “Noah,”
on Thursday, October 14.
These special outings are in addition to the group’s regular meetings,
which are held every Thursday, starting at noon at the cathedral.
During those meetings, the Avaks meet for a Bible study session, after
which the members move from the sanctuary to one of the Diocesan
Center’s halls for lunch and topical program.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
The upcoming events come on the heels of a spring 2004 season of
lectures, films, musical events, and trips, organized by Fr. Mardiros
Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral and director of the Avaks group.
Last spring’s activities included lectures by Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian,
pastor of the Holy Martyrs Church of Bayside, NY; fitness instructor
Arpine Dod; journalist Florence Avakian; as well as musical
presentations by St. Vartan Cathedral choir director Khoren Mekanejian,
singers Hasmig Meikhanedjian, Maro Partamian, and pianists Jeannette
Chirikjian, and Anna Mintanciyan.
One of the past season’s high points was a visit to St. Vartan Cathedral
by the newly ordained pastor of St. George Armenian Church in Hartford,
CT, Rev. Father Gomidas Zohrabian, and the Hartford church’s senior
citizen group. After a tour of St. Vartan Cathedral, Mrs. Eojen
Sukiasian, sister of the late primate of Georgia, Archbishop Kevork
Seraydarian, presented Fr. Gomidas with a hand-engraved silver incense
holder for his parish in memory of her late brother.
Another highlight of the spring season was an all-day trip for Avak
members and guests to Lancaster County, PA. More than 35 happy campers
enjoyed a choreg and cheese breakfast in their first-class bus while
rolling through the wintry landscape. Following an all-you-can-eat
lunch, the group shopped at a massive mall, then attended a special
showing of “Behold the Lamb” at Lancaster’s Sight and Sound Theatre — a
unique musical and dramatic production presenting Jesus Christ’s
agonizing path to the Cross and the miracle of His Resurrection.
The spring season also included a happy birthday celebration for Avak
member Mary Selvinazian, a fun-filled Valentine’s Day party, and a
rollicking picnic in June on the St. Vartan Cathedral Plaza replete with
a delicious shish kebab lunch, raffle gifts, and dancing to the catchy
Armenian tunes of the Johnny Vartan band. For faithful Avak member
Araxie Chirishian, the season was one of “interesting activities,
enjoyable trips, and great fellowship”.
The fall activities have now resumed, with the Avaks meeting each
Thursday at noon for Bible study, followed by lunch and a presentation
at 12:30 p.m. For more information, call Fr. Mardiros Chevian at (212)
686-0710, ext. 53.
— 9/29/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Mrs. Eojen Sukiasian presents Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian
with a hand-carved silver sensor in memory of her brother, the late
Primate of Georgia, Archbishop Kevork Seraydarian.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): The seniors groups of St. Vartan Cathedral and St.
George Church of Hartford, CT, during a joint gathering in New York
City.
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