The Moscow Times
Arts & Ideas
July 2 – 8, 2004
CONTEXT
Bad Press
Pop king Filipp Kirkorov rubs the media the wrong way.
By Anna Malpas
He might have ranked only 17th in the 1995 Eurovision contest, but
Filipp Kirkorov has never failed to win over Russian gossip
columns. Sporting luxuriant Cruella De Vil locks, the pop singer is
also something of a sex symbol, despite being married to 55-year-old
diva Alla Pugachova.
But the 37-year-old balladeer, who quotes British lounge singer
Engelbert Humperdinck as one of his seminal influences, risked his
housewives’-choice status with a few unchecked remarks at a recent
news conference in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
In footage now widely available on the Internet, Kirkorov attacked a
female journalist who had asked him why his repertoire included so
many cover-versions of other people’s songs. “I don’t want you to
photograph me, I’m sick of you, I’m irritated by your pink top, your
tits and your microphone,” he said, according to a transcript of the
May 20 news conference published on his web site, Kirkorov.ru.
After the reporter, Irina Aroyan of the newspaper Gazeta Dona, asked
whether he would mind if she wrote his statements down, the singer
retorted: “I don’t give a fuck what you write.” He then told Aroyan to
get out, adding, “You need to come prepared to press conferences with
stars, and not like you — yesterday walking the streets, and today,
here in the second row.”
When the journalist said goodbye, the Bulgarian-born Kirkorov imitated
her southern accent. “Learn to speak Russian first,” he said. Then
Aroyan retorted “Learn to behave, star,” to which Kirkorov added a
rhyme: “Da … Pizda” (Yes … Cunt).
After Aroyan left the room, Kirkorov’s bodyguards approached her,
removed the memory card from her camera and damaged her dictaphone,
but video footage shot at the scene swiftly went on the Internet, and
Aroyan decided to take the singer to court for personally insulting
her in the public sphere. The case is due to open in Rostov on Monday.
Itar-Tass
Determined to take the pop star down a notch, Irina Aroyan is suing
him for moral damages.
As the public’s interest in the scandal grew, journalists launched a
campaign to collect 1 million votes of protest against Kirkorov, with
the aim of depriving him of the status of Honored Artist of Russia and
introducing a commercial boycott against him. In the two weeks since
the petition began, the campaign’s site, , has
gathered 155,000 signatures, although some, such as those of Vladimir
Putin and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, seem somewhat suspect.
Kirkorov faced up to Aroyan last Friday on a talk show on Channel One
called “Basic Instinct” (Osnovnoi Instinkt), saying that he would
rather “lick up courtyards” than apologize to Aroyan, referring to one
of the possible community service sentences that he could receive.
Speaking from Bulgaria via video-link, and flanked by top Moscow
lawyer Yevgeny Danilov, Kirkorov said that his outburst was not
“unseemly.”
“At the age of 37, I could have learned to keep myself in check, and I
did keep myself in check for 10 years,” Kirkorov commented when asked
what he had learned from the situation.
Danilov accused Aroyan of allowing her cause to be funded by the
pro-Putin youth organization Moving Together, which, in 2002, set fire
to the works of novelist Vladimir Sorokin to protest their allegedly
pornographic content. Also speaking out in Kirkorov’s defense were
two top stars of the senior pop scene, crooner and State Duma Deputy
Iosif Kobzon and chanson singer Alexander Rozenbaum, who suggested
that the younger singer’s outburst was a long-overdue response to
years of muckraking journalism.
“You can’t justify a man who tells a woman to go to hell,” Rozenbaum
said, but criticized journalists for concentrating on the negative
scoop, rather than writing about “good doctors who do beautiful
operations.” Meanwhile, Kobzon chided Kirkorov for “giving journalists
a reason to rejoice.” When Aroyan burst into tears later on, however,
he offered apologies for the unyielding star.
“Filipp has always had to deal with people popping into his life and
trying to build their own popularity on his name,” said the singer’s
PR manager, Nikolai Stepanov, in an interview Monday.
Stepanov agreed in principle with Rozenbaum and Kobzon, putting the
blame for the scandal on the ensuing media blitz. “Filipp has already
said that he doesn’t feel guilty about what he said to this
journalist. Yes, he could apologize to parents whose children were the
unwilling witnesses thanks to the mass media’s efforts,” he said. The
remarks in question were “addressed not for public airing but to a
concrete person.”
“It wasn’t a question he was answering, but the follow-up [to the
question],” Stepanov said. “When Irina asked ‘Do you mind if I write
that my top makes you mad’ and he said, ‘It’s basically all the same
to me what you write,’ that wasn’t addressed to the camera, do you
understand?”
Speaking from her newspaper office in Rostov on Monday, Aroyan said,
“It’s hard to imagine what’s happening here at the newspaper, what’s
happening in the city … Everyone is sending letters. It’s not just
Rostov — Chelyabinsk, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga are
uniting.”
Aroyan was born in Rostov, studied English at the local university,
and only recently started working at Gazeta Dona. Despite Kirkorov’s
criticism of her accent, Aroyan’s father is of Russian descent (she
uses her mother’s surname), and her Armenian relatives settled in
Rostov in the 19th century.
“It’s very unpleasant for me to hear myself being criticized in this
situation, to have people tell me I’m doing it for PR. Why do I give
interviews? Why do I speak? Because I was insulted in public, and,
what’s more, I’m a journalist,” Aroyan said.
Aroyan was eager to de-emphasize Moving Together’s involvement even as
the youth group was planning a rally in her defense that went ahead in
Rostov last Thursday. “Fighting against bad language is part of their
program,” she said. “In accordance with that, they’re supporting me.”
“At the moment, they are supporting me financially only in as much as
they’re providing me with bodyguards,” she said. “There’s no other
financial support. The rest of my financial support comes from my
holding.” (Aroyan’s newspaper, Gazeta Dona, is owned by the
Moscow-based Provintsia publishing house, along with more than 30
other regional newspapers.)
Initially, Aroyan was supported by Rostov lawyer Valery Ratychev, but
last week she switched to another lawyer, Vladimir Livshits, on the
request of Moscow lawyers Eduard Margulyan and Andrei Rakhmilovich,
who plan to launch a civil case in the capital against Kirkorov for
moral damages.
Irina Usikova, press spokesperson for the Rostov branch of Moving
Together, said Monday that “the new lawyers Irina has employed say
that it’s undesirable for her to take part in our demonstration. I
find it a bit difficult to understand why, because, on the contrary,
there is a public response, and we have 1,500 people ready to go out
to support her.”
Usikova described Aroyan’s dismissed advocate Valery Ratychev as “our
lawyer, who works on a pro bono basis.” The bodyguards are also
working for free, she added.
Music journalist Maxim Kononenko, who has written on the case for the
newspaper Gazeta and helped create the Million Against Kirkorov web
site, points to the outcry as proof that the public has simply tired
of the singer.
“He’s not current for Russian show business, but, nevertheless, he’s
much more of a presence on television than any other artist,” the
journalist said Monday. “Now, having organized this project, we are
amazed to see that Kirkorov is not, in fact, a superstar. No one likes
him.”
The press service for STS television channel, which airs “Morning With
Kirkorov,” a regular musical show, declined to comment on the scandal.
However, a spokeswoman confirmed that the pre-recorded show will
continue to be aired until at least September.
The singer’s videos regularly rotate on Russian MTV, where they
receive “good ratings,” confirmed MTV press officer Vladimir Smirnov
on Tuesday. The video for “And You Will Say,” a duet by Kirkorov and
Anastasia Stotskaya, was among last week’s 30 most-played clips,
coasting along at 18th place in the channel’s top 20, and at 9th place
among the top 10 Russian songs.
“He is holding on,” Smirnov said. “He simply has very high-quality
musical material.”

Europe wants to assist Karabakh settlement
MPA news agency
1 Jul 04
Baku, 1 July: “The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
[PACE] is able and wants to render assistance in resolving the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict although the OSCE Minks Group is dealing
with the issue,” PACE Secretary-General Bruno Haller said today (1
July) following his talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov.
Mr Haller stressed that PACE does not intend to substitute the OSCE in
the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. PACE will soon
appoint a rapporteur on Nagornyy Karabakh and the report will be ready
in late 2004 – early 2005, he said. The new rapporteur will continue
working on the report on the basis of information collected by Terry
Davis. The new rapporteur will visit the region to familiarize himself
with the conflict, Mr Haller said.
He expressed satisfaction with his meeting with the Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister and said that the strengthening of parliamentary
cooperation between Baku and Strasbourg and PACE’s role in the
Karabakh conflict settlement were discussed during the talks.

Azerbaijan increases military spending by over 34m dollars
ANS TV, Baku
30 Jun 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijan, which is at war with Armenia, has increased
its military spending.
[Correspondent over video of marching soldiers] Another step has been
taken to strengthen the national army. According to changes in the
2004 budget, 171bn manats [34.9m dollars] will be allocated for
defence expenditure. This pertains to the strengthening of the
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry’s material and technical base, to the
development of the military and industrial complex and to the payrise
for servicemen.
[Azerbaijani Finance Minister Avaz Alakbarov, speaking at a news
conference] This makes up 2.3 per cent of the GDP. It’s not a large
figure. One should make strong efforts to find 171bn manats and
finance something. Therefore, I think the president’s step is very
necessary and timely.
[Passage omitted: financial details]
[Correspondent] To recap, a lot of attention is being paid to military
cooperation during the Azerbaijani president’s visits abroad.
[Passage omitted: documents signed in the military sphere during
Aliyev’s recent visits to Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Turkey]
[Correspondent] It is no coincidence that these measures and
statements on the liberation of the occupied lands in a military way
have caused some concern in Armenia. For instance, reports by
Armenia’s Regnum [as heard] news agency allow us to say that the
Armenians are unable to fight a war. They are trying to conceal this
with the opinion that the Azerbaijani army is weak. Such an opinion by
the Armenians seems to be absurd if we take into account that Armenia
and Azerbaijan allocated 86m and 147m dollars respectively for
military spending in their 2004 state budgets and that Azerbaijan has
now added 34m dollars to the this amount.
According to military experts, it’s impossible to establish a strong
army with Armenia’s weak economy. The Armenian army’s material and
technical base cannot withstand competition with Azerbaijan in this
sphere.
Zamina Aliyeva, Anar Cabrayilli and Elxan Huseynov, ANS.

Bulgarian president receives Armenian parliamentary delegation
BTA web site, Sofia
30 Jun 04

Sofia, 30 June: The state and prospects of bilateral relations, with
an emphasis on initiatives to boost two-way trade, build
infrastructure projects, pursue regional cooperation and European
integration, figured on the agenda of Wednesday’s [30 June] session
between Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov and an Armenian
parliamentary delegation, led by National Assembly Chairman Artur
Baghdasaryan.
Last year witnessed a breakthrough in Bulgarian-Armenian trade, but
the two countries can and should do a lot better than the 23m US
dollars’ worth of goods they exchanged, the guest said, quoted by the
President’s Press Secretariat. He stressed that Armenia is
particularly keen on regional cooperation and will assist the
implementation of specific projects in this sphere, as well as the
twinning between Bulgarian and Armenian cities. The guests expressed
readiness to invigorate cooperation in education and culture and
specifically to help Sofia University open an Armenian Studies
Department.
President Purvanov noted that Bulgaria attaches enormous importance to
infrastructure projects and specifically the connection between
TRACECA and Pan-European Corridor No.VIII. “This will be the soundest
investment in peace and security of two regions which are key to the
entire continent,” he stressed. The president promised Bulgaria’s
active support to Armenia’s efforts to reach the threshold of European
integration. He also welcomed the idea to initiate the establishment
of culture centres in Sofia and Yerevan under the auspices of the two
parliaments.
It emerged at the session that a visit of the Bulgarian head of state
to Armenia has already been scheduled for October 2004.

Azeri Foreign Ministry concerned about US aid to Karabakh
Trend news agency
1 Jul 04

Baku, 1 July: Azerbaijan is concerned that funds which the US Congress
has allocated to Nagornyy Karabakh, an integral part of the
Azerbaijani Republic, may encourage aggressive separatism, extremism
and illegal activities on the territory of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry says in a statement.
The statement says that the decision of the Congress can negatively
affect the [Nagornyy Karabakh] conflict settlement. “It cannot be
ruled out that these funds will be spent on the construction of houses
on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan where Armenia is pursuing a
policy of illegal settlement,” the statement says.
“The Azerbaijani side wonders how the USA will ensure that the funds
are used exactly for humanitarian purposes and in line with the
principles and norms of international law,” the statement says.
Following the initiative by the subcommittee on foreign aid, the US
Congress decided several ago to allocate 5m dollars to Nagornyy
Karabakh in 2005.

Azeri daily says stagnation in political life in wake of presidential polls
Zerkalo, Baku
26 Jun 04

Zerkalo daily has surveyed Azerbaijan’s political scene in the wake of
the latest presidential election last October. The following is the
text of A. Rasidoglu’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 26
June headlined “Stagnation. Effectively nothing happens in political
life of Azerbaijan”; subheadings as published:
Analysts describe the current political situation in the country as
stagnant. The point is that, after the latest presidential election
[15 October 2003], effectively all parties have suffered a fiasco to a
certain extent.
Paradoxical though this might sound, this applies to the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party as well, which, despite the fact that it was
precisely itscandidate who has won the election, has nonetheless
failed to obtain the coveted “pieces of the cake of power”.
New Azerbaijan Party
After the election, the New Azerbaijan Party continues to “cruise on
its own”, without opponents on either its right or left. And now the
ideologists of the party openly say that they will never leave the
corridors of power.
In addition, despite the fact that, according to its charter, the New
Azerbaijan Party is currently managed by First Deputy Chairman of the
party[and Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev, in fact it is run by
Ali Ahmadov, executive secretary, who in principle does not hold any
administrative levers. Nonetheless, the party continues to hold its
dominating position in society.
However, whatever they might say both in and outside the country, the
New Azerbaijan Party is by far not the party which was headed by [the
late President] Heydar Aliyev any longer, because his death caused
thoughtless radicalisation of some senior party members, who demand
that government officials delegate the increasing share of their
authorities to party functionaries.
Essentially, the party functionaries who push the authorities toward
thoughtless radicalism cling to the totalitarian way of thinking, do
they not? This, in turn, leads to the demolition of the “temple of New
Azerbaijan members”, which Heydar Aliyev had built over 10 years.
And this is precisely when the first question arises: does Ilham
Aliyev need to strive for the consolidation of the party nomenclature?
The answer is unambiguous: he does, it is even necessary, as the point
is that New Azerbaijan’s nomenclature, certain of its
indispensability, might one day start to ignore orders of the new
president. And then it is all gone: this would certainly lead to
attempts to split power and leave Ilham Aliyev, who wants to make some
changes for the better, “overboard”. Obviously, functionaries from the
New Azerbaijan Party would have never dared to do this during the
Heydar Aliyevrule. This has become possible only now, for how else
should we qualify the newly chosen line of behaviour of some senior
New Azerbaijan officials who point out that they are untouchable?
Understanding this mood and undesirable processes, Heydar Aliyev would
say that he was the leader of not only the New Azerbaijan Party, but
also of all the nation.
It is most likely, however, that Aliyev Jr already understands how to
restrain the ambitions of his “loyal team-mates” who have become a
burden for him. And factors like the population being tired of the
rule of some of the senior members of the New Azerbaijan Party force
Ilham Aliyev to no longer resort to the services of such odious
persons.
But what political course can the new leader of the country uphold to
confront the functionaries’ scenario? And is the son capable of what
his father – a very skilled and, as universally admitted, very
exceptional and powerful politician – managed to accomplish?
Despite the extension of the tenure of all of “his father’s”
ministers, Ilham Aliyev has said on more than one occasion: “I would
like a new generation of property owners to emerge in our society. I
am certain that the people will then gain economic freedom. They will
no longer depend on officials, on so-called ‘big shots’. Then they
will make their decisions independently. The absence of economic
freedom of an individual means the absence of freedom of action- this
is my fundamental principle of freedom of an individual.”
In principle, this approach is a verdict for the senior members of the
New Azerbaijan Party and implies that the president himself has
consolidated his positions.
Musavat
Everyone thought that after the election, the engine of the opposition
camp- the Musavat Party – would muster its force and emerge from the
crisis. The court trial of the leadership of this party was supposed
to force Musavat into resorting to mass protest actions and other
radical moves. But for some reason, this party has failed to come to
its senses since the “16 October syndrome” [post-election riots] and
thereby loses its chance of self-resuscitation.
After the release from detention of its Deputy Chairman Rauf Arifoglu,
the head will find himself in quite a plight. Because Arifoglu is
perhaps the only politician in the country who strongly criticized his
chairman for his “failure to make Musavat the ruling party”. Moreover,
he formulated his statement roughly in the following way: “If I was
the head of Musavat, the party would be in power.” After this
statement, leaders of many parties started to think about their
political future. This statement stunned many people. The belief of
many leaders of opposition parties that the party was their property
was shaken. The realization of impossibility to privatize their
parties began to loom before their eyes. Maybe this is one of the
signs that the opposition comesof ageý [ellipses as given]
People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party
The People’s Front [of Azerbaijan Party, PFAP] is perhaps the only
leading party which entered the presidential race with the established
image of a serious organization which is ready to renounce its
personal ambitions to achieve a common goal. From the very outset and
to the end, the party supported the idea of a single candidate from
the opposition.
PFAP leader A. [Ali] Karimli’s ability to reach a compromise not only
saved him and his team – soon he might even be able to lay claims to
the Musavat and AMIP [Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party] electorates.
By staging mass protest actions, the PFAP seized the initiative. But
the authorities had managed to create a team of “Trojan horses” around
it long before the presidential election, which greatly weakened its
positions.
Democratic Party of Azerbaijan
Virtually nothing remains of the former radicalism of this party after
the election. Perhaps the reason is that, by his thoughtless moves in
the run-up to the election, R. [Chairman Rasul] Quliyev brought the
party to the verge of disaster. The electorate of Democratic Party of
Azerbaijan leader Rasul Quliyev has finally realized, among other
things, that there is not even a single chance of former parliament
speaker returning to motherland.
AMIP
The leader of Milli Istiqlal [Etibar Mammadov] realizes very well that
while the authorities wield powerful resources, it is impossible to
combat them effectively. As a representative of one of the most
powerful electorates, “immigrants from Armenia”, he has set about
implementing the policy of fragmentation of the authorities’ public
support. He realizes that he is unable to stage mass protest actions
and does not believe in this method of struggle.

Azeri opposition leader complains to European envoy about rights situation
Turan news agency
30 Jun 04

Baku, 30 June: PACE Secretary-General Bruno Haller, who is paying an
official visit to Azerbaijan, held a meeting today with party leaders
represented in parliament.
The executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Ali
Ahmadov, said that useful cooperation has been established between
Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe. He noted that all parties of
Azerbaijan are unanimous regarding the Karabakh settlement.
Haller voiced his hope that the work [former rapporteur of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and Secretary-General of the Council of
Europe] Terry Davis had started will be continued and a new rapporteur
for the Karabakh problem will submit to the Parliamentary Assembly a
report reflecting reality.
The leader of the People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party (Reformers), Ali
Karimli, said that the public had pinned great hopes on Azerbaijan’s
admission to the Council of Europe. We expected Strasbourg to render
assistance in solving its commitments. However, the public has been
disappointed with the Council of Europe as most of the 14 obligations,
which should have been fulfilled in 2002-2004, have not yet been
kept. The problem of political prisoners should have been resolved in
the first two years but three and a half years have elapsed and the
problem still exists. Moreover, seven opposition leaders have been
imprisoned. Rallies and pickets are banned in a Council of Europe
member state. Recommendations by the Venice Commission of the Council
of Europe on the development of election legislation have been
ignored. No fight against corruption is being carried out and the
implementation of the law on this issue has been postponed. Karimli
also complained that there are no independent courts in the country.
The Council of Europe is not taking any measures to exert pressure on
the Azerbaijani authorities to make them fulfil its commitments.
“We supposed that Azerbaijan would come closer to the Council of
Europe’s standards, however, this has not happened and, moreover, the
Council of Europe is getting adapted to Azerbaijani standards,”
Karimli said.

EU aid to South Caucasus depends on progress in conflicts settlement – envoy
Mediamax news agency
30 Jun 04

YEREVAN
“My visit to Stepanakert shows that the European Union has not
forgotten about Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagornyy Karabakh and that the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict is important to us,” the special
representative of the EU for the South Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, told
a briefing following his two-day visit to Nagornyy Karabakh, a
Mediamax correspondent has reported from Stepanakert .
Talvitie said that the EU is interested in stability in the region,
the establishment of an atmosphere of confidence and the
implementation of reconstruction programmes. This will very much
depend on the progress in the settlement of conflicts existing in the
region, he added.
“We first supposed to start implementing programmes at the final stage
of the settlement, but now we intend to render assistance to the
region as soon as certain progress is achieved in the peace process,”
Talvitie said.
He said that he last visited Nagornyy Karabakh 10 years ago, and
expressed his satisfaction with the fact that “thanks to your efforts,
you have achieved considerable changes in many spheres”. “This meets
the interests of the European Union and of the conflicting parties and
testifies to stability in the region,” he stressed.
Talvitie met NKR President Arkadiy Gukasyan, National Assembly
Chairman Oleg Yesayan and Prime Minister Anushavan Daniyelyan in
Stepanakert today.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish FM to visit Lebanon
Talks to focus on NATO summit, Arab reforms
By Khalil Fleihan
Special to The Daily Star
Friday, July 02, 2004

BEIRUT: Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul starts an official visit to Lebanon on Friday during which he is
due to have political and economic talks with local officials.
Gul is also due to brief Lebanese leaders on the NATO summit held in
Istanbul earlier this week and the decisions made there that could
affect Arab states. Talks are also expected to focus on reforms Arab
states are to undertake, and the Istanbul initiative for security
cooperation with several Arab states.
An informed source said Gul’s visit is the first by a Turkish foreign
minister to Lebanon since 1983. He will be accompanied by two Turkish
MPs and a 45 member delegation, and is to arrive in Beirut in the
afternoon.
Lebanon supports a Turkish role in restoring order to Iraq and
rebuilding the country.
A source at the Foreign Ministry said Gul’s talks here would reflect
the extent of rapprochement between Turkey and Lebanon, specifically
with regard to Iraq and Palestine.
The rapprochement between the two countries was evident in talks
Foreign Minister Jean Obeid and Premier Rafik Hariri had in Turkey
during visits earlier this year, specifically regarding the issues of
the greater Middle East and Iraq and Palestine.
The source said Gul’s visit fell within the framework of Turkey’s
rapprochement with the Arabs, which began when Turkish Premier Recep
Tayyip Erdogan took office last year.
Erdogan has since declined several times to meet with his Israeli
counterpart, Ariel Sharon, due to the political disagreement between
the two countries.
The source said Turkey regards Lebanese diplomacy as efficient and
flexible. Turkey also wants to benefit from the Lebanese experience
of coexistence between various religious communities.
“Turkey says the Lebanese experience was an example to be followed, as
it is in line with international expectations for this part of the
world,” the source said, adding that a forum on Harmony Among
Civilizations will be held in Istanbul in October to pave the way for
dialogue between Europe and Islam.
This forum is on the agenda of the talks between Gul and Obeid in
Beirut.
Turkey has been hosting such forums since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks
to offset international tension and safeguard the existing good
relations between Europe and Islam.
The source said Turkey is keeping a close eye on political
developments in Iraq because they have a deep impact on Turkish
interests, especially regarding Iraqi Turkmen and Kurdish minorities.
Turkey wants to play an important part in the new, US-backed strategy
for the region, specifically with regard to the reforms sought by the
US from Arab and Islamic regimes.
Moreover, Turkey supports Lebanon’s claims regarding the “full
implementation of UN Resolution 425.” Turkey also supports Lebanon’s
call on Israel to withdraw from the Shebaa Farms.
But Turkey has reservations over the movements of the Secret Armenian
Army in Lebanon.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER: July 1, 2004
NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY
ON THE WEB PAGE
Press releases about the National Representative Assembly (NRA), which
took place in May in Philadelphia, are now posted on the Prelacy web site.
Also posted are the texts of the message delivered by the Prelate, His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, and the keynote address given by
Professor Vigen Guroian. A gallery of photographs by our talented and
dependable photographer, Bedo Der Bedrossian, is also on the web page. For a
direct link to the NRA page click here
ST. GREGORY OF DATEV INSTITUTE IN FULL SWING
AT ST. MARY OF PROVIDENCE CENTER IN PENNSYLVANIA
Seventy-seven Datevatzies (junior and senior high school students) from
various parts of the country are at Datev this week learning, playing, and
strengthening their bond with God.
We are receiving daily updates, including photographs and impressions of
Datevatzies, which we are posting on our web page immediately.
Yesterday, June 30, Archbishop Oshagan, accompanied by Judge Sarkis
Teshoian and Mrs. Ardemis Teshoian, visited the Datevatzies. Oshagan Srpazan
was very impressed with the general atmosphere and the quality of the
students attending. His Eminence said: The atmosphere was joyful and very
respectful. I told the students that they are part of our family and they
have the love of God and our Church in their hearts.
Judge Teshoian addressed the students telling them the importance of
being Armenian in our society and what it means to be an Armenian American.
Utilizing experiences from his own life, Judge Teshoian advised the students
to be good citizens and meet the challenges ahead. Don’t think that others
are better than you, or that you are better than others. He told them that
participation in both Armenian and American society is very important. He
also stressed the importance of education and the knowledge of other
languages, not just Armenian and English. In this age of globalization, he
said, the one who knows more will be hired and will advance up the ladder of
success. He told them: Remember that just as you get happy when you read
about a successful and famous Armenian, that someday an Armenian youngster
will read about you and your success and become very happy.
Daily updates, photographs and comments of Datevatzies are on the
Prelacy web page:
REGIONAL SEMINAR IN PENNSYLVANIA
About 25 people attended the first of three regional seminars for adults
sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). The seminar
topic was Critical Issues of Life and Faith-an Armenian Orthodox
Perspective. The keynote speaker was Dr. Vigen Guroian, Professor of
Theology and Ethics at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. Panelists
included V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia, Dr. Carlo Bayrakdarian and Dr. Meline Karakashian.
The weekend began with Bible Studies on Friday evening followed by an
evening service. The discussion on Saturday centered on Christian ethics and
ethical issues that surround us in our daily lives and what the Bible tells
us on these subjects. Deacon Shant Kazanjian, Executive Director of AREC,
welcomed the group and set the stage for the day providing a framework for
learning, understanding, and sharing points of view. The weekend ended on
Sunday with Badarak and lunch.
To quote a participant (Alice Movsesian from New Jersey), The weekend
was fulfilling, nourishing, and enlightening. I would return next year and
encourage others to do the same.
The second of the three regional adult religious seminars will take
place in New England in October 2004, followed by a third in the Midwest. It
is planned that these seminars will be conducted on an annual basis.
Reported by Karen Jehanian
THREE PRELATES OF NORTH AMERICAN PRELACIES
MEET IN CALIFORNIA
The Western Prelacy hosted a meeting of the three prelates of North
America on June 23 and 24, in California. Participating were His Eminence
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy; His Eminence
Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate of Canada; and His Eminence Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy.
This meeting was an outgrowth of meetings that took place several months
ago with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
members of the Central Executive Committee, and representatives of the three
prelacies.
Topics discussed included: Christian Education; preparation of deacons
and acolytes; programs for Bible study groups; youth groups; organization
and re-vitalization of parish activities; improving the work of the clergy;
the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Armenian Theological Seminary;
canonical issues; communications and publications; programs to help Armenia,
Artsakh and Javakh; ecumenical relations.
OFFICIALS FROM ARMENIA VISIT PRELATE
This morning, Thursday, July 1, His Excellency Armen Martiroyan, Armenia
‘s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Manouk Vardanyan,
Chairman of the State Committee of the Real Property Cadastre of the
Republic of Armenia, and Hayk Sahakian, chairman of the International
Committee of the same agency, paid a courtesy call to the Prelate,
Archbishop Oshagan. The Prelate and his guests discussed the current
situation in Armenia, as well as ways that the Diaspora can assist.
NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF ELECTION AND
CONSECRATION OF CATHOLICOS ARAM I
The ninth anniversary of the election and consecration of His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, was celebrated in all
churches under the jurisdiction of the Cilician See, including all parishes
of the Eastern Prelacy.
On this occasion the Catholicos said: The ninth anniversary celebration
is for me a prime occasion to give thanks to God for His gifts of life and
ministry which made me put the whole of my life and ability in service of
His Church. I have always perceived my ministry as one of mission and I will
continue in faithful obedience to the call of God to carry on my God-given
mission and renewed faith and strong commitment. The ninth anniversary
celebration is also an occasion for me to look back and realistically and
objectively identify the failures and successes of my ministry at home and
abroad, in my Church and in the ecumenical movement at large. Looking back
must help us to look ahead clearly and courageously. Our Church is faced
with tremendous challenges and concerns; we cannot simply avoid to be a
responsible Church which in the context of the present day world means to
take these issues very seriously. It means to be relevant and a credible
Church. This is how I see the future of our Church and the way we must
follow.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL ATTEND
HOMENETMEN GAMES
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan will attend the HMEM Eastern Region USA 14th
Inter-Chapter games this weekend. The games and related events will take
place in the greater Boston area.
ARMENIAN ROYAL FAMILY REMEMBERED THIS WEEK
This Saturday, July 3, the Armenian Church commemorates King Trdat,
Queen Ashkhen and Khosrovidoukht-all members of the royal family at the time
of Armenia’s official acceptance of Christianity as a state religion. It was
the King’s sister, Khosrovidoukht, who suggested that Gregory (who was
imprisoned by the king in a deep pit) could cure the king’s mysterious
madness. Gregory was released and brought to Vagharshapat where Trdat asked
for forgiveness. Gregory replied: I am a man like you, and I have a body
like yours. But do you recognize your creator, who made heaven and earth,
the sun and moon and stars, the sea and the dry land. He is able to heal
you.
THE FOURTH OF JULY
And of course, Sunday is the Fourth of July-Independence Day, the
birthday of the United States. The document that we know as the Declaration
of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson wrote the
first draft of the Declaration as a member of a committee that included John
Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The principles embodied in the Declaration have
resounded throughout the world in all the years since 1776. The words from
the Declaration have been recited wherever and whenever people have fought
against undemocratic regimes.
Some of us old-timers remember when all holidays were celebrated on
their rightful day. Many years ago, by an act of Congress, most holidays
were moved to the weekend to give American citizens the much-desired long
weekend. In the United States today only four of our major holidays are
still celebrated on their proper calendar days: Halloween, Christmas, New
Year’s and Independence Day. Any suggestion to change the July 4th date has
been met with outrage (thankfully!). The general feeling of the sanctity of
America’s Independence day was best expressed in a quotation from the
Virginia Gazette of July 18, 1777: Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious
and ever memorable day, be celebrated throughout America, by the sons of
freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen and Amen.
Happy Birthday, America.
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