Moscow Times
July 23 2004
Wanted
By Kevin O’Flynn

Suren doesn’t look like the type to get lifts off dalnoboishchiki, or
long-distance truck drivers.
Anyone who has seen the gangster film “Boomer” would understand that
preconceptions of that trade are somewhat skewed toward the negative
in Russia.
Suren, however, is a neat, polite young man who looks as if he phones
his parents every time he comes home late.
But ever since he first heard of the eurobomzh, a hip way of
referring to European hitchhikers, Suren has been dreaming of heading
off to the wilds, or at least to France and Italy. On the road, thumb
out and not much in his pocket.
“I don’t like staying in one place,” he says.
Suren has only been in Moscow for 11 years. His family, Armenian by
nationality, left Georgia for Moscow when his father got a job with a
construction firm.
He began his travels only a couple of years ago, hitching a lift from
St. Petersburg to Moscow. After 24 hours of bumping up and down, he
was back in Moscow via a friendly dalnoboishchik.
Itching to hit the road again, he asked his friends to come along,
only to find out that they were more interested in package tours. So
he turned to Bolshoi Gorod to find a fellow traveler.
Not that Suren will depart before it’s time. First, he’d like to get
to know his traveling companion to make sure he doesn’t get dumped
after a fight in the middle of a field in Bordeaux. And anyway, his
passport just expired.
Soon after his ad appeared, Suren started receiving oblique text
messages on his cellphone.
“Do you know what the sea smells like?” Or perhaps it was the less
poetic “d u no wot c smells lk?”
Suren replied to the mysterious texter, and a stilted conversation
began lurching back and forth.
Even as he spoke to me, Suren was getting messages.
“In the morning, the dew smells of snow.”
And then, “Do you know who the ancestors of zebras are?”
I may have inadvertently ruined Suren’s chances with the zebra
ponderer by joking that it sounded like he was trying to woo Suren,
and suggesting that he answer, “I am not Darwin.”
“He’s obviously not Russian,” Suren said a minute later when the next
message arrived.
“I inderstand. Sarry for the bother,” the cellphone read.
Looking rather confused, Suren added, “I don’t think I’ll get in
touch with him again.”
Odd comments, poetry, weird foreigners giving advice, zebras and
mispelled words. Perfect training for his future eurobomzh days.
From: Baghdasarian

Turkish Daily News
22 July 2004
Erdogan: No to conditional approval at December summit
The prime minister says the December summit will be the time for decision on
accession talks, not for membership of Turkey and he is confident that a
reversal at the summit would not be a fatal blow
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Turkey is not over-ambitious to get membership in the European Union and it
would stick to its reform process even after a failure in its drive for
accession, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
He was speaking in France, where public skepticism over Turkey’s membership
runs high, after talks with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister
Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
The prime minister moved to address French concerns, saying Turkey’s
membership would be a blow to the thesis of a clash of civilizations and
bring economic benefits to both France and the EU and conveying the message
to the French leaders that Turkey is making the changes required to meet the
so-called Copenhagen criteria for membership and is counting on France not
to withdraw its support.
But he said a failure to get into the union would not be the end of the
world. “Turkey doesn’t ask to join at any price. Joining the EU is not a
must for Turkey,” Erdogan said at a press conference. “We have embraced the
Copenhagen criteria in order to raise the living standards of our people. If
this (the membership bid) fails, we would rename the Copenhagen criteria to
Ankara criteria and carry on with our path.”
EU leaders will decide in their mid-December summit whether Turkey is fit to
start the long-delayed accession talks. An EU Commission report which will
be released in autumn will largely shape the December decision. In meeting
with Erdogan, Chirac reiterated French position that Paris would await the
Commission’s assessment.
A spokeswoman for Chirac told reporters after the meeting that Turkey’s
entry into the 25-nation bloc was “desirable as soon as it actually becomes
possible. “Turkey has made considerable progress. It should continue and
intensify the implementation of democratic and economic reforms,” Chirac’s
spokeswoman quoted him as telling Erdogan.
Erdogan suggested that there was no reason for the EU leaders to be
hesitant, saying the December summit would make the decision on talks with
Turkey, not on the membership. “We don’t know if the accession process will
take five years or ten years. This is something that depends on our
performance throughout the talks process,” he said at the press conference.
Conditional approval not acceptable
The prime minister also said that Turkey cannot be held to a higher standard
than the other EU members or the two nations hoping to join in 2007, Romania
and Bulgaria.
“The EU regulations do not allow a conditional date for talks or conditional
approval of membership. Conditions are clear and we have so far worked
towards meeting them,” Erdogan said. He warned a conditional go-ahead for
talks at the December summit would undermine the EU’s credibility.
Employment concerns
The prime minister also moved to address European worries that entry of
Turkey, a country with a population of 70 million, saying Turkish membership
would not lead to difficulties in employment in Europe.
“We acquired the right for the free circulation of labor in 1985. Turkish
labor should have been roaming across Europe since then. We have never tried
to impose things on Europe since then and we are ready now to make the
necessary pledges,” said the prime minister.
He argued instead that Turkish accession would help the EU reach out to the
Islamic world.
Economic relations
While in France, the prime minister also highlighted the bilateral economic
relations between Turkey and France and prospects of further cooperation in
an attempt to woo both the politicians and business leaders.
“France is ranked first among countries investing most in Turkey. Our trade
volume stands around $7 billion,” Erdogan said, adding that French companies
were also bidding in serious privatization tenders in Turkey.
Turkish and French authorities agreed on purchase of some 36 planes by the
Turkish Airlines (THY) from the French-German maker Airbus and discussed
French participation in Turkey’s plans to build nuclear energy plants.
No crisis with Israel
Responding to questions on Turkey’s relations with Israel, Erdogan
underlined that there was no crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv and
explained his recent criticisms of Israeli actions against Palestinians were
simply a “warning from a friend.”
“There is no crisis between Turkey and Israel,” Erdogan said. “I have told a
fact and I have to tell this. These are not things that would overshadow our
economic, trade and military ties,” he said.
‘Armenian genocide’ no condition for EU
Erdogan also touched on the issue of an alleged genocide at the hands of the
late Ottoman Empire against Armenians, saying the Armenian allegations did
not constitute a membership criterion.
He reportedly told a meeting with members of the French Parliament’s Foreign
Relations Committee that Armenia was making a mistake by trying to keep the
genocide allegations alive all the time.
“People do not want a world driven by hatred and enmity. They want to see
leaders who can remove them. Hand in hand, we’ll resolve them,” Erdogan said
at his press conference.

MercoPress, Uruguay
July 22 2004
New Carrasco air terminal.
Carrasco, Uruguay’s main airport is undergoing a rapid expansion and
renewal process involving millions of dollars and with the objective
of converting it in a regional hub for Mercosur countries.

Carrasco’s air strip
The company that holds the thirty year concession of Carrasco made
this week the official presentation of the new air terminal project
that should be ready for 2009 at a cost estimate in over 100 million
US dollars.
Eduardo Eurnekian the Armenian Argentine born businessman who holds
the concession with the company `Puerta del Sur’ indicated the new
air terminal was designed and will be built by architect Rafael
Viñoly, among the world’s top rated professionals in his field of
expertise.
The new air terminal when finished will be able to handle 8 million
passengers annually.
Mr. Eurnekian who manages over 30 airports mainly in Argentina and in
Italy with Italian associates said Carrasco is `the most valuable of
our holdings and with greatest potential’, adding that the main air
strip will be extended to three kilometres.
`We expect to create a thousand jobs with the building of the new
terminal that will be a real architectural impact for the region’,
added Mr. Eurnekian.
The Armenian-Argentine investor is also the main donator of funds (an
estimated one million US dollars) for the Memorial built in the
Falkland Islands to honour Argentine combatants of the 1982 South
Atlantic conflict.

The Age (Melbourne)
July 22, 2004 Thursday
First Edition
Ararat;
DVD & VIDEO REVIEWS
by PHILIPPA HAWKER
DVD & VIDEO REVIEW: Ararat, AV Channel, 115 minutes, MA, drama, 2002
**½
Canadian director Atom Egoyan explores a complex story of history and
memory, investigation and denial, art and storytelling – examining a
moment in history within a story about family relationships and the
dilemmas of creative work.
A film director (Charles Aznavour) is working on a drama about the
Armenian genocide of 1915. He consults an art historian (Arsinee
Khanjian) who is an expert on the painter Arshile Gorky whose story
he is keen to incorporate into the movie. The multi-layered narrative
– an account of the film as well as flashbacks about a troubled
family past – pulls the strands of the film together. Ararat is an
ambitious and sometimes unwieldy film, dramatically speaking, but it
is still a thoughtful and involving work about belief, engagement and
responsibility.

Associated Press Worldstream
July 22, 2004 Thursday 3:38 PM Eastern Time
Prominient Armenian Eduard Ovannisian dies
YEREVAN, Armenia
Eduard Ovannisian, who became a prominent member of the Armenian
Diaspora after defecting from the Soviet Union and later returned to
pursue politics in his native country, died Wednesday, his political
party said.
Ovannisian, who was 71, suffered a stroke in Germany two months ago
and had been brought back to the Armenian capital Yerevan 10 days
before his death, the leadership of the Dashnaktsutyun party said in
a statement.
Ovannisian was “a person whose entire conscious life was dominated by
concern for the past, the present and the future of the Armenian
people,” the Dashnaktsutyun statement said.
Ovannisian defected to the West during a trip to France in 1971. He
headed the Armenia service of Radio Liberty from 1984-1993 and
directed a center for Armenian issues in Munich.
He was involved in the publication of a compendium of documents on
what Armenians say was the genocide by the Turks of up to 1.5 million
Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Turks dispute the numbers and
circumstances.
Ovanissian was a member of the nationalist Dashnaktsutyun or Dashnak
party, which was outlawed in 1995 but newly legalized in 1998. His
son, Vaan Ovanissian, is a party member and vice-speaker of Armenia’s
parliament.

Armenian professionals network
Contact: VAHE ASHJIAN
3325 N.Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank,CA 91504
818-558-7474
[email protected]
APN HOSTS MIXER WITH MEMBERS OF THE LAW PROFESSION
On July 21, 2004, APN (Armenian Professionals Network) hosted a mixer
with the members of the law profession, under the auspices of His
Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, in
the Armen and Gloria Hampar Reception Room of the Diocesan Headquarters.
The purpose of the event was to introduce some of our prominent Armenian
attorneys to the community. A panel discussion took place between the
attendees and the five lawyers who had sponsored the evening. The five
panelists informed the audience about the following topics: Ara
Aghishian, auto accidents and personal injury; Arek Nizamian,
immigration, Rafi Nizamian, commercial real estate; Joseph Kanimian,
forming a business entity; Edvin Minassian, worker’s compensation. After
a ten minute presentation from each attorney about their respective
topics, the attendees had the opportunity to pose questions in order to
be further enlightened on the nuances of the law.
Also present were Mr. Frank Quintero, former Mayor of Glendale and Mr.
Greg Martayan, candidate for Los Angeles City Council, who were invited
by Mr. Vahe Ashjian, Chair of APN, to address the attendees.
Ms. Holly Webster, Vice President and Banking Center Manager from Bank
of America, presented some products offered by B of A, and informed the
audience about APN’s next mixer which her branch will sponsor, on August
26, 2004 at 7:30 p.m., also at the Diocese.
His Eminence Archbishop Derderian thanked all those who made the evening
possible and extended his words of appreciation to the five panelist
attorneys, APN, and all other guests of the evening. The mixer came to a
close with a raffle drawing of business cards, the winners of which
received gifts sponsored by the attorneys of the day.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Le Télégramme
20 juillet 2004
Le Pavillon arménien
L’ensemble Bert d’Erevan en Arménie, a envahi la scène du Pavillon
dimanche soir.
L’ensemble Bert d’Erevan en Arménie, a envahi la scène du Pavillon
dimanche soir. Le public, bien que peu nombreux, a assisté à un
spectacle bien rodé et d’une élégance rare.
Au Pavillon, on pouvait voir les regards d’un public émerveillé par
la grce des danseuses et danseurs arméniens. Cependant, la salle
n’était qu’à moitié pleine pour ce groupe d’Arméniens à la réputation
internationale.
Un spectacle étonnant
Le spectacle représentait bien cette culture. Le public pouvait
sentir, par l’interprétation de cette troupe, à la fois la souffrance
d’un peuple et l’amour de celui-ci pour la vie. Les danses fougueuses
et aguichantes amenaient le public dans un folklore inconnu et
pourtant si rassurant.
Un public réduit
Un petit bémol est, cependant, à noter. Le public ne s’est pas
déplacé en masse pour applaudir ces artistes de classe
internationale.
Seulement 500 personnes étaient en effet présentes dans ce Pavillon,
qui pour la première fois depuis le début du festival, paraissait
bien vide.
GRAPHIQUE: Photo, Legende: Les artistes arméniens, de la troupe Bert
D’Erevan se sont produits devant un public restreint, mais ravi de la
représentation.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES PROPOSAL OF MILITARY ACCORD WITH POLAND
Arminfo, Yerevan
22 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The government of Armenia has approved a proposal to conclude an
agreement “On cooperation in the defence field between the governments
of Armenia and Poland”.
The conclusion of the agreement will help develop Armenian-Polish
relations, exchange experience within the framework of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace programme, form and operate multi-functional
military units and support international peacekeeping and humanitarian
missions, including upgrading military medicine, armament and military
hardware.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US ENVOY PLAYS DOWN AZERI CONCERN AT EQUAL AID TO BAKU, YEREVAN
ANS TV, Baku
22 Jul 04
(Presenter in studio) Washington does not think that the issue of
equally treating a member of the anti-terror coalition, Azerbaijan,
and Russia’s closest strategic ally, Armenia, is important enough.
(Correspondent over footage of Washington, the White House, US
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish) The US ambassador to
Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish, has described as unfounded the Azerbaijani
government’s concerns over the US Congress’s decision to provide equal
military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia.
We are conducting military exercises with Azerbaijan in the Caspian
Sea and are training Azerbaijani officers. By and large, military
assistance is not hugely important, Interfax-Azerbaijan news agency
quoted the ambassador as saying.
By saying this, the ambassador indirectly confirms that Congress has
indeed allocated equal assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Let’s recall that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who
is currently visiting the United States, has described as surprising
the allocation of equal assistance to Azerbaijan, an active member of
the anti-terror coalition which sends its peacekeepers to different
hotbeds, and Armenia, which supports the coalition only in words.
According to Reno Harnish, the issue raised by Mammadyarov is part of
US-Azerbaijani military cooperation. The diplomat added that the
American administration supports the idea of increasing Azerbaijan’s
contingent in Iraq.
Incidentally, the chairman of the Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party,
Etibar Mammadov, issued a statement today in connection with
Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If Washington really treats Baku and Yerevan equally, then Azerbaijan
should reconsider its involvement in the anti-terror coalition in such
dangerous places as Iraq and Afghanistan, end quote.
Ayaz Mirzayev, ANS.

US ENVOY TO ARMENIA WARNS AGAINST RESUMPTION OF HOSTILITIES IN KARABAKH
Arminfo
22 Jul 04
YEREVAN
A resumption of hostilities in the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict will be
disastrous for the whole of the South Caucasus, and there will be no
winner in this war, which is obvious to all the sides to the conflict,
the outgoing US ambassador to Armenia, John Ordway, told a final press
conference today.
He said it is high time to switch from big declarative statements to
an immediate settlement process. At the same time, the US diplomat did
not agree with the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group has lost its
significance and the sides to the conflict can resolve the problem
independently.
The latest events, frequent visits to the region by the cochairs,
their meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents and other
factors show that the OSCE Minsk Group intends to resolve the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem with the help of the political will of the sides to
the conflict.
“There can be absolutely different opinions about the settlement, I
have not conducted an opinion poll, but one thing is indisputable –
all the sides to the conflict are interested in establishing security
and prosperity,” the US ambassador to Armenia said. The longer the
unsettled conflict drags on, the greater is the danger that the
hostilities will resume.
At the same time, Ordway said that despite this, the current status
quo is better than a resumption of the hostilities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress